One of the other volunteers, Meredith, is gone for the month of July to do some language study (She is staying at THOGL for a whole year and has been here since January). While she is gone, I am sleeping in her bed. My first morning here, I discovered that Meredith had posted verses by her bed. These verses are the first thing I see each morning when I wake up and they are such an encouragement to me, so I thought I'd share some of them with you.
"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." 1 Peter 3:8
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
"Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8
"Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:7
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10
Friday, July 15, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Introducing....
I love the other volunteers here and thought I'd introduce them:
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Word- the only male volunteer. I don't think he quite knows what to do with all of us girls all the time, but he puts up with us. I really think he's going to miss us when we all leave. Word is devoting a full year to THOGL, so he is staying until next May!
Leah is the life of the party! She keeps things interesting and fun. Leah is an encourager and stays positive.
Cat is my roommate. She is shorter than me, which is amazing! It's nice to not be the shortest one here :-) Cat has an amazing internal clock that wakes her up on time!
I have now had the amazing opportunity to work with Kelsey for two summers! Kelsey is now working nights, so we don't get to see her quite as much :-( I get to spend about an hour with her each morning and I love our conversations!
Praises
-A family came in to pick up their little boy!
-We got a new baby!
-Our little boy who was in the hospital is now home!
Prayer Requests
-Colds are being passed around, so a lot of our little ones are sick.
-Papers to come in quickly... it seems like they are so slow!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Praises and Prayer Requests
Praises
-Paperwork came in for two of our babies which means their parents can come pick them up soon!
-We had a lovely day off yesterday, complete with shopping and lunch at the Potato.
-A new volunteer came in Wednesday to stay for a week or so. This means all the babies get more individual attention.
-A family comes in tomorrow (Saturday!) to get their little boy!
Prayer Requests
-One of our baby boys is in the hospital.
-Ted, Bev, and Anna- safe travel back from TMF
-Safe travel for the family that is coming in tomorrow.
-Unity among the volunteers- please pray we can build each other up and encourage each other, even on long days when we are tired.
-Paperwork came in for two of our babies which means their parents can come pick them up soon!
-We had a lovely day off yesterday, complete with shopping and lunch at the Potato.
-A new volunteer came in Wednesday to stay for a week or so. This means all the babies get more individual attention.
-A family comes in tomorrow (Saturday!) to get their little boy!
Prayer Requests
-One of our baby boys is in the hospital.
-Ted, Bev, and Anna- safe travel back from TMF
-Safe travel for the family that is coming in tomorrow.
-Unity among the volunteers- please pray we can build each other up and encourage each other, even on long days when we are tired.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
An earthquake, a mountain, and the Bear
I feel like time goes by so fast and I just posted yesterday; however, I believe it has been a few days since I posted. A lot has happened!
1. Thursday was our day off! We spent the morning hiking up a mountain! I was pretty sure I was going to die before I reached the top, since that was more exercise than I have done in the whole past year, but I guess God wanted me to see the BEAUTIFUL view from the top of the mountain! IT WAS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! Pictures do not even begin to display how beautiful it was! So worth the long trip up the mountain. Thank you, God, for the beautiful earth You gave and the opportunity you gave me to view it from the mountain.
After we stumbled down the mountain, we went to eat at the Bear. This has to be one of the most hilarious experiences I have had in Taiwan so far. Four American girls who don't know Chinese trying to order food in a restaurant where nobody speaks English. The waiter finally disappeared, communicating to us that he would be back in a minute. Five to ten minutes later, he returned with a phone in hand- he had called someone to translate! We ended up with rice, chicken curry, and a salad. A little spicy, but very good, and completely worth the experience!
2. Friday turned into a busy day. Our little one who was in the hospital came home!!!!! We are so glad she is back and have enjoyed loving on her a little extra over the past couple days. PRAISE GOD!
An adoptive family came in to pick up their baby.... always a happy day!
Babies were allocated and given new names :-)
Movie night- We watched "Like Dandelion Dust." Loved the movie, but definitely held back tears most of the way through.
3. Today we felt an earthquake. Last year I thought it would be cool to feel a SMALL earthquake. This year, I think they are just terrifying, regardless of how small they are. Praising the Lord for His protection.
1. Thursday was our day off! We spent the morning hiking up a mountain! I was pretty sure I was going to die before I reached the top, since that was more exercise than I have done in the whole past year, but I guess God wanted me to see the BEAUTIFUL view from the top of the mountain! IT WAS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! Pictures do not even begin to display how beautiful it was! So worth the long trip up the mountain. Thank you, God, for the beautiful earth You gave and the opportunity you gave me to view it from the mountain.
After we stumbled down the mountain, we went to eat at the Bear. This has to be one of the most hilarious experiences I have had in Taiwan so far. Four American girls who don't know Chinese trying to order food in a restaurant where nobody speaks English. The waiter finally disappeared, communicating to us that he would be back in a minute. Five to ten minutes later, he returned with a phone in hand- he had called someone to translate! We ended up with rice, chicken curry, and a salad. A little spicy, but very good, and completely worth the experience!
2. Friday turned into a busy day. Our little one who was in the hospital came home!!!!! We are so glad she is back and have enjoyed loving on her a little extra over the past couple days. PRAISE GOD!
An adoptive family came in to pick up their baby.... always a happy day!
Babies were allocated and given new names :-)
Movie night- We watched "Like Dandelion Dust." Loved the movie, but definitely held back tears most of the way through.
3. Today we felt an earthquake. Last year I thought it would be cool to feel a SMALL earthquake. This year, I think they are just terrifying, regardless of how small they are. Praising the Lord for His protection.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Baby Play Time!
I love play time with the babies, but I have to admit that sometimes we have to get pretty creative to keep the babies from getting too restless and to keep ourselves occupied. Some of the things we do during play time are:
-sing any song we can think of
-listen to cds when we can't think of songs to sing
-do exercises with the babies
-tell stories
-ask and answer questions
-take pictures
-practice the alphabet, numbers, and anything else we can think of
-talk to the babies about their families and how much they are loved
-read books
-anything we think will keep the babies awake so they sleep during nap time
We are always open to new things to do during play time.... any suggestions?!
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-sing any song we can think of
-listen to cds when we can't think of songs to sing
-do exercises with the babies
-tell stories
-ask and answer questions
-take pictures
-practice the alphabet, numbers, and anything else we can think of
-talk to the babies about their families and how much they are loved
-read books
-anything we think will keep the babies awake so they sleep during nap time
We are always open to new things to do during play time.... any suggestions?!
I will not be posting many baby pictures due to privacy, but thought I'd share just a little taste of play time!
Prayer Requests:
-Please continue to pray for paperwork to come in quickly for the babies. It has been much slower than it was last summer, which means families are having to wait longer to finally bring their babies home.
-Please continue to pray for our little one in the hospital. She is still there and the doctors have not figured out what is wrong with her :-(
-Please pray for Kelsey, one of the other volunteers, as she switches to night shift- smooth transitions, calm nights, and sleep during the day
Sunday, June 26, 2011
A few of my favorite things....
-Homemade chicken noodle soup (thank you, Shr Baba)
-Banana milk shakes (thank you, Shr Mama)
-Bath day
-Bike rides (even if I was about to die after one time around the lake....)
-Happy babies
-Cuddling with babies
-Babies peaking out at you from their cribs after they just wake up, smiling up at you
-Watching the older kids with the babies
-Our fruit and chocolate drawer
-Banana milk shakes (thank you, Shr Mama)
-Bath day
-Bike rides (even if I was about to die after one time around the lake....)
-Happy babies
-Cuddling with babies
-Babies peaking out at you from their cribs after they just wake up, smiling up at you
-Watching the older kids with the babies
-Our fruit and chocolate drawer
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