You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. Psalm 18:28

I can see how it would be so easy to slip into a black hole after coming home from a mission trip such as the one I was on. How the darkness of feeling hopeless for the children can slither in on negative thoughts. How just trying to function through life with jet lag can bring darkness and despair. But! I am a child of the King! He turns my darkness to light. He reminds me that these 10 children I met and now know are his creations. There is hope for them because of 8 women who gave up 10 days to travel to China specifically to love on them and to learn who they are. The hope of Christ changes my darkness to light. He changes their darkness to light. Pray with me that the forever families of these children will find them and find them soon.

China

Going to China was a life-changing experience. A heartbreaking experience. A love-inducing experience. I didn’t go to China for fun, although there were many fun times to be had. I didn’t go to China to tour the Great Wall or the Summer Palace, but that was done. I didn’t go to China to forge lifelong friendships with some amazing women, but that did, indeed, happen. So WHY did I go to China? I went to China to meet special children who need forever families. I went to China to learn as much as possible about them so I could come home and tell their stories. I went to China to be a part of their stories. To be a part of finding them forever families. To be a part of them coming home.  

We met Timothy, Willow, Oskar, and Titus right away on the bus to the orphanage; they are foster children who live close enough to the orphanage to catch a ride with us. We met Sky, Fawn, Nate, Smith, Robin, and Clyde at the orphanage. They were all shy and reserved at first, but warmed up to us pretty quickly. We had some free play the first day and boy, was it fun! Puzzles, play-doh, singing “Let It Go”, and watching Frozen were all a success.

Day 2 brought more structure and one on one time with the children. Our team doctor and nurse practitioner were able to start on the medical assessments. The rest of us started on fine/gross motor skill assessment and learning about their personalities through play and observation. I took notes. Lots and lots of notes of things potential parents would want to know about a child they’re considering for adoption.

Days 3 and 4 were much the same as day 2. Medical assessments were finished up. We wound down note-taking and concentrated on playing and enjoying the time with each child. Hair bows, fingernail polish, and temporary tattoos were brought out much to the delight of the kids.

Day 5 was a birthday celebration! We had cake and gifts for the children and the orphanage workers. We played outside and face painted. We bounced balls, played with the parachute, used sidewalk chalk, and water in spray bottles.

I have story after story I could tell you of how I had the chance to use sign language (that I learned YEARS ago) with some of the children or how we were so surprised to learn that several have a good grasp on the English language. I could tell you how the strengths of the women I worked with were a perfect fit for our team or how we laughed together. I could tell you about the Chinese version of uber and of taxi rides and walks down the road in a place I’ve never been. But what I want to tell you is that I will never be the same after having served these precious children in China. God has stirred a passion in me for the orphan. My heart is in China with the 10 children we saw every day. They all need a home. They all need the love and care of parents.

“Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5b. We have wept over these children. I am sure they have wept because we didn’t come back to see them after Friday. Our night may be long, but the morning and our rejoicing IS coming. We rejoice in the fact that we can come home and be storytellers for them. We rejoice in knowing that God has a purpose and a plan for each one of them. We will rejoice when we receive news that their forever families have found them.

The names and faces of 10 children will forever be imprinted in my heart and mind. Pray with me that their families will find them and find them soon.

Late Nights, Early Mornings

China is happening in just over 2 weeks. I am still in a state of awe and wonder that I am actually going. Monies have been turned in. Meetings have been held. Plans are still being made. Flights booked. Hotels secured. And? Things are still unknown. How many children will we be working with? What are their needs? Will we even get to go to the orphanage? And the small things: Can I figure out before we go how to get my new travel French press to make good tasting coffee? 'Cause, you know, caffeine. Will we be able to pack everything we need? Pretty sure there's not a Wal-Mart anywhere near our city (I've looked). Can I fit all *my* stuff in a carry-on and personal bag so I can have a checked bag available for supplies? All these questions fly through my mind, but I can rest in the knowledge that my God has gone before me already and has smoothed the way and has already taken care of everything we need. Isaiah 45:2 says "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars." I know that I will be changed when I come back from serving orphans in a foreign land. My prayer is that I will be so changed that I can't sit here in my comfortable home and do nothing when I come back. There are hurting and lonely people here. There are orphans, widows, and foreigners here who need to know someone cares. God may call me back to China or another country in the future, but it's not enough when my own backyard has people in need. I want to love those people, too.

I haven't yet decided how I am going to share my experiences with anyone on social media. There's always Facebook groups or the blog. Or there may be just my handwritten journals shared over time. Either way, there will be advocating for forever homes for these children.

Tonight, our larger team broke down into our 2 smaller teams. I am partnered with a group of 7 other ladies. Three of us will be doing crafts and games with the kids. One is a doctor (my roomie for the duration of the trip!) and a couple others are in the medical profession (my mind is blank as to what they do...) and we'll have a photographer. God has truly knit our group together as far as where our talents and strengths are. I am anxious to see how well we work together in person.

So, half marathon training is not going all that great. We run. And walk. And run. And walk a lot. It's good to have a running/walking partner, though. Unfortunately, our Hilton Head plans aren't going to work out. Had some things come up at church that have changed our plans for that weekend. The overnight on Friday will still happen, but in Savannah instead of HHI. It is what it is and it's for a great cause.

And on that note, I must hit the hay tonight. Kids must be taken to school in the morning and then I have a 2 hour run planned. It's gotta happen...

It's August

How in the world is it August already? It was just May yesterday. School *just* got out, right? Guess time really does fly when you're having fun. It's been a summer of VBS, mission trip to Helen, vacation, Mission Mondays, HUGE yard sale, and hanging out with friends. It's also been a summer of spontaneous Saturday road trips and spending time with family.

So, upcoming things (the next 4 months), in order of date:

• Road trip for the final Japanese encephalitis vaccine. My insurance covers all vaccines at 100% if they're done in network. Walgreens does travel vaccines, but the ones here in SC aren't in network. (Go figure). However, the ones in the Atlanta area are, so guess where I'm headed. I had the first one (and typhoid) done while we were on vacation in Florida last month. 
• First payment for the China trip is due. 
• School starts on the 15th. 
• Simeon turns one! (He's the baby I keep twice a week so his 3rd shift working mama can get some sleep during the day). 
• Jacob (my nephew) turns ten!  
• Final payment for China is due.
• Lin and LeeAnna come home for a short visit!
• Two final travel vaccinations (Hepatitis A and B). 
• My birthday!
• China trip!
• Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon with a side trip to accommodations in Hilton Head.
• Pentatonix concert! 
• Kristin turns ten!
• Ansley (my niece) turns 6!
• And then, my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. 

Soooo, lots of stuff coming up soon. The biggest is the 10 day trip to China. Our team is going to a new province for the adoption agency and will be updating files from 2 orphanages. I'm excited to see what God will do through our team while we're there. 

I'm getting really close to having all the financial support I need. Donations can be made here: Storyteller Missions. In the "designated fund" drop down, choose "storyteller missions", then put my name in the dialog box that pops up. Your prayers and financial support mean more than you'll ever know!

Half marathon. I believe I once said I would NEVER do another one again. Well, never say never. My friend and team leader, Mandy, wanted to do one so I told her I'd train and run with her. We get back from China on October 16 and our race is November 5. Both of us started training the same day, but the big, huge yard sale we had last Saturday threw us off of our training last week and again this past week. Who knew pricing, sorting, and then selling other people's stuff would be so exhausting?! I know now. I plan to pick up with the 2nd week of training on Tuesday; it's just 2 miles. I can do that. 

Ahhh, Pentatonix concert. My dear husband picked up two tickets for me for our anniversary. I'm very much looking forward to seeing them in person! I can get sucked in the Pentatonix black hole and listen to their music for hours. 

For the sake of not rambling on much more, I'm done for tonight. I'm sleepy and have plans to go school supply shopping before lunchtime tomorrow. So, my bed is calling. G'night.

And then there was snow...

...and ice...and snow...and ice. About 5-6" of the stuff so far with more on the way. I had plans for a Girls' Night Out with my Sunday School class tonight. Yeah, cancelled. Not because The Melting Pot is closed due to snow, but because most of us are snowed in. Most. There are a couple who live on the other side of the interstate and didn't get any snow or ice this morning. Not sure how it's looking for them this afternoon/evening.

At least it's pretty.

Patiently Waiting...

It's supposed to snow this afternoon. Haven't seen any yet. I'll believe it when I see it. {Side note: 5 minutes after I typed this out, it started snowing}.

Supposed to snow again Friday night. Again, I'll believe it when I see it.

Since it's been sooooo long, I want to do a thankful post. So, here we go:

1. being a stay-at-home-mom even though my kids are in school
2. babysitting twice a week for pay
3. daily workouts at the YMCA
4. chocolate chip cookies
5. coffee with hot chocolate and vanilla caramel creamer
6. coffee dates with friends
7. date nights
8. lunch dates with friends
9. relatively clutter free living room
10. watching snow fall
11. facebook friends
12. movies
13. a clean kitchen table
14. scentsy
15. choir
16. Bible study
17. friends who are like sisters
18. girls' night out
19. netflix tv series (Psych, House, NCIS)
20. found candy bars that were stashed 2 years ago

My Once a Year Obligatory Post...Maybe

Yeah, so I'm not so great at this blogging thing. But, for all 3 of my followers, here's a new post. It's past mid-January and I don't do resolutions, but I have some things I do want to accomplish this year. In no particular order:

• keep my house uncluttered - I've gotten a good start on that by using the Konmari method as described in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering by Marie Kondo.
• read 50 books - thanks to the GoodReads app, I can keep track of the books I read this year.
• work back up to running 10K because I registered for the Cooper River Run - I've gotten a good start on this, too. We joined the YMCA back in May and I've been going pretty faithfully 5 days a week. They got new treadmills after the first of the year that have great presets for interval training. Currently I am using the 2-1 interval setting. I "work" for 2 minutes and "rest" for 1 minute. Working consists of a 2.5 incline and I've set my speed to 4.5 mph for now. Resting consists of a 0.0 incline and walking at 3.5 mph. I'm covering about 4.15 miles in an hour at these settings. 
• work on Bible study - I found a tool on Pinterest that I am going to utilize for the next 31 days or so. It's called "31 Days to Deeper Bible Study". Deeper Bible Study 
• be yielded to God and what he calls me to do - I'm going to China later this year to love on babies...I think that's a good start. 
• stay active with Scentsy - the extra money is nice for treating myself occasionally.

So, there you have it. The big things I want to accomplish this year.