We're Home!

Last night it was amazing because our flight was one of the only ones leaving Chicago due to snow cancellations. It was great to see beautiful snow in Toronto on the way to China, in China on Monday and Tuesday and in Chicago on the way home.

We are thankful to be home but are very tired. The time in China is 14 hours ahead of our time. So today we are up but in China we would be sleeping as it is night!

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers while we were in China. The medical orphanage staff and volunteers are so appreciative of all the gifts and donations sent with us and throughout the year. You can read more about the work at www.hopefosterhome.com.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

The Great Wall of China. It's Great!!!

Day Ten - The Great Wall and Heading Home

This is our last day here. We are going to the Great Wall then fly home this evening. Our next post will be from home. Keep us in your prayers and pray for the precious sick babies and helpers here.

A book was written about the work here. It is a great book and if you want to order, proceeds go to the work here. My sister Zara handles orders in the US so she can mail to you or deliver. If you order and live in our area, please put “local delivery” on your order and Mr. Rob will not charge shipping. Otherwise, books are shipped to you within 2-3 days or orders being placed.

THE HOUSE OF HOPE
http://www.hopefosterhome.com/house_of_hope.htm

Day Nine - Play Day with Children

It is sad to think many of these children at New Hope have serious medical conditions and have no forever parents. The nannies here do a great job caring for the children but it is not the same as having a mom and dad.

Since this is our last full day here, I played with a lot of children in their playrooms. There are four playrooms here at new Hope with ten children and five nannies in each one. Then I helped in afternoon preschool. Some of the children dressed-up and that was pretty funny!

The children are weighed and measured regularly. Today was the day! Some children like it and some scream and cry! Some play on the scales while waiting their turn to be measured!

The volunteers and some staff took us to a local Chinese dinner in the village. It was delicious and interesting! There were shrimp in a dish that were not peeled or sectioned. One of our friends ate the entire shrimp! They served some shredded potatoes that Mom and Mr. Rob said were the spiciest and hottest potatoes they had ever eaten! And mom likes hot and spicy usually!

Day Eight - Worship and Shopping

Today we went to McDonald’s on the way to church. It looks like a McDonald’s in the US but everything on the menu is written in Chinese. They show a photo menu to you if you cannot speak Chinese. I got a egg, cheese, ham breakfast sandwich and orange juice. It was delicious and it filled me!

We went to the international church for worship service. Church was really cool because it had birds in the building! It is very large building that could be a warehouse or conventional hall. They set it up every Sunday for church services. There are patio heaters spread around to help with heat.

There are English-speaking people from everywhere around the world. It was really amazing to see all these people together who love God.

We at lunch at Annie’s which is an Italian restaurant. I got fettucini alfredo and it was yummy! Our friends eat there every Sunday to enjoy Italian food.

Then we went shopping at the Flower Market while Mom and Miss Chelsea got a massage. Miss Chelsea really wanted to give mom this special gift since mom packs so many suitcases and sends special much-needed things for the babies, staff and volunteers. You will see a photo of a beautiful blue flower at the Flower Market that was spray-painted and had glitter on it. Then we got moustaches to put on to surprise mom and Miss Chelsea when they got in the car! It was funny to see their faces when they saw us pretending to not know we looked different!

Afterward we went to YaShou which is large market with hundreds of vendors in a multi-story building. It is like going to a flea market in the US. It was amazing to see how many shops could fit in that building. I bought several things. In China most shopping involves bargaining so more bargaining today!

At the market we saw all kinds of items for sale: traditional silk outfits, clothing for all ages (often from name-brand stores), jewelry, toys, glasses, iPhone accessories, souvenir items, fabric for tailor-made outfits, ancient coins, shoes, idols like Budda, hair accessories, and so much more!

Then I quickly fell asleep for at night!

Day Seven - Babies and Out on the Town

Today we played with babies all morning. These children are so special and excited for time with visitors. One baby cries every time I put her down! Mom spent time this afternoon working on scrapbooks that are prepared for babies and given to the adoptive family after the adoption. It is such a gift that pictures are taken every month of these babies so the adoptive family can have glimpses into the child’s time at New Hope.

New Hope is located out in the country even though it is in the Beijing area. (Picture of New Hope below.) There are sheep in the field across from the entrance. There is a village about half a mile down the road so we walked there. People were walking or on bicycles or scooters. We see a few cars out here. It is easy to buy things because the Chinese clerk will add numbers on a calculator and show us. We then give them that amount of yuan. One US dollar is about six Chinese yuan.

Late afternoon we went to the market where international residents shop for groceries. It is interesting to see all that is available to people. Some of the brands are Chinese but there are several brands we recognize from our grocery stores. I bought a fun hat with lots of bright color stripes!

On the drive home, we saw two fire trucks with lights on and sirens blaring. The trucks were not driving very fast so, we passed them on the interstate! Mom and Mr. Rob said they have never seen fire trucks in China. Mr. Rob has lived here for many years! People say the emergency vehicles do not drive fast here and people do not pull over to let them get by quickly!

It's been a great day with special friends who volunteer here and with the babies!

Day Six - Goodbyes and Hello Again

We got up early to play with babies at MBHOH and say our goodbyes to friends there. The children were so happy to see us come in their playrooms and we loved holding the little babies. It was especially fun to hold a small baby that had come in recently. It was amazing to see all those babies and to know that they are so well cared for while waiting for a forever family. And some babies there will never get well. God cares for these babies and uses so many people to bless their lives.

We left Luoyang on a late morning flight and arrived in Beijing early afternoon to spend the rest of our time at New Hope. Mr. Rob picked us up at the airport and, as always, we enjoy our time with him and learn more about China.

In the afternoon I played with several children. They were so happy to see me back and some even called my name! It is a privilege to be God’s hands and feet to these children this week.

We enjoyed dinner with our friends, the Hills, and other staff and volunteers here. They have a special Friday night television tradition and it was fun to be part of that!

At 10:30 p.m. Friday night here, I Skyped my FCA 4th grade class. Seeing my friends at FCA and talking to them was a a lot of fun!

Day Five - Touring the Town

We went to Guo Tie for lunch and had delicious fried dumplings. The restaurant was a small local one that was very cold and didn’t have any heat. The food was delicious!

Then we went to the old part of Luoyang and walked a few blocks through small shops. There are red lanterns hanging everywhere. People are still celebrating Chinese New Year. We saw several artists painting pictures mostly of flowers or nature scenes in China.

We drove to a different part of town and went to open-air markets to shop. There were many creative objects to purchase that we do not see in our area. I enjoyed shopping and buying several gifts to bring home. One of my favorite purchases is beautiful turquoise shawl with fabric roses down the front. I bargained with the lady using a piece of paper to write the price I wanted. She didn’t want to come down on her price but finally did when we walked out of the store. I bought it for $6 US! Most items here are very inexpensive.

I have learned several Chinese words and phrases. It is a difficult language but I want to learn more.

It was a fun afternoon with several of our friends here. Just being in a large city with so much traffic and interesting buildings is an adventure.

Day Five - Teaching Preschool and Special Tour

Mom and I taught three preschool classes on Thursday morning at MBHOH. We sang, read and played. The children are learning shapes, colors and letters. The children are very interactive in class and enjoy this special time of their day. It was cute watching them get so excited about learning.

After class mom and I went with the doctor to make rounds on babies and see the medical areas since we coordinate supplies donated in the U.S. I learned a lot about the medical care of the children. The doctor is very nice and so gentle when caring for the children.

Day Four - Luoyang

We are having a terrible time with internet disruptions here. Sorry for the delay in getting updated.

We had a great first day here. That morning we went to preschool with Rebecca the teacher here. She is great with the children. She is not available to teach tomorrow so mom and I are teaching the three classes. The children are so sweet!

We went to The Duck Restaurant for dinner with staff and volunteers from Maria's Big House of Hope. It was a delicious meal and it was fun to have food on the lazy susan at the big round table. You see the lazy susan a lot on tables in China. We had roasted duck, sweet potato balls (pictured - a favorite of mom's from previous China trips) and so much more!

When we got back, some men here did fireworks since it is the end of Chinese New Year. They were bright, loud and beautiful!