Memories

It was Friday, the last day we would go to Minte's orphanage in Ethiopia. We had spent a couple of full days playing with the kids, and I cannot even begin to tell you how incredibly precious they were. I wish I could post pictures or tell you their names, but for safety reasons I can't on the internet- but I can in person, if you're interested. Minte's baby home was a new, growing orphanage, and there were only about 12 kids (mostly babies) living there when we came to get him. Minte's best friend and his best friend's little sister had been referred to a family, but there were (and still are) 3 older boys waiting. "Y", age 6, and "C" and "A", age 7 going on 8. These children are precious beyond words, and at this very *moment* they are sitting in an Ethiopian Orphanage waiting-- waiting for a family, spending Christmas by themselves. I cannot describe how much I fell in love with them, and how much I do still love them. I wish everyone could spend time with them and witness their sweet spirits.

But back on subject- it was our last day to spend at the baby home, and I was already a partial mess. We were throwing the kids a goodbye party, complete with a puppet show, silly string, and pizza. They were thrilled, and loved every minute of it. Before my family had left for ET we had purchased an inexpensive portable iPod dock to play puppet and party music on, and after the show was over I switched it to the Steven Curtis Chapman playlist while we were eating pizza.

I knew I would cry that day, telling the children goodbye. I had already cried a couple of times, then pretended to mess with something in my camera bag behind the puppet stage. I had recovered though, and thought I'd be ok the rest of the time.

Welllllllllll.... my iPod gets to the end of the playlist, and I had forgotten which song was last. Now keep in mind, I'm sitting here staring at these three older boys who have yet to be referred, or even had families inquire about them, and I was thinking how they were just going to be sitting there after we left, spending Christmas by themselves, and how truly orphaned and in need of a family they were. THIS song turns on:

All I Really Want for Christmas: By Steven Curtis Chapman

THAT was just about enough to have me in a melted mess of tears on the floor! I'm sitting here with these precious, amazing children who will not have a home for Christmas and that song comes on! Seriously?! I quickly changed the song, taking a deep breath.

"Ok Bethany.. C'mon.. If you spend the rest of the party crying you're going to miss time with the kids.. Get a grip."

My self counseling didn't last long. I got up from my chair making my way to the nearest bathroom. I had no choice but to let my tears flow-- and that they did. I tried what I could to stifle them, but not much worked. These kids needed homes! So many people are nervous to adopt older children, especially older boys- if only they knew. I wished that everyone could see these kids. If people could just spend an ounce of time with these 3 boys I was sure that any nervousness or fears would melt away and that they'd be ready to snatch them up and bring them home. I know I was.

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We talked to Minte's former care giver, Tigist, over the phone a couple of days ago. She runs the orphanage where he lived, and is the sweetest woman imaginable. I love her. We call her every now and then so that Minte can talk with her in his native language and we can check up on her. Mom was chatting with her, and Tigist started talking about the older boys. She told mom that they're really sad right now.. They're seeing babies come and go, wondering why they themselves are not being adopted. They've watched two of their friends be referred, and one of them (Minte) already go to the States. They're asking when they will get a family, when they will go to America, and when they will be loved. They're hurting orphans, in need of loving families. Will you pray for them with me?

Why is it...

.....that I don't write on my blog for 3 months and then the day of a final I have the sudden urge to re-do the whole thing?? Hmmm. Beats me. But-- even though I have the feeling that nobody is reading this right now, I want to get it started back up and start writing on it again.

A new brother... and a new destination!

Well, I think all of you who are reading this know, but we passed our adoption court date, and our little boy (well, he's 9) in Ethiopia is ours now!! We are so incredibly happy, and cannot wait to go get him. We are not sure when we can go to get him, but we may find out this coming week! But as for now, here is a picture of my precious new brother..

A few pics

In Hong Kong!! Our plane to my city.

After 3 plane rides totaling 20 hours, we finally made it!

This was the night after we got there. I prayed with the guy in gray, left of me. He is a new brother!

Me in front of my amazing city, filled with so many amazing people.


Friends on the beach.

China Part I - Han

Hello blog!

Well, I have not posted on here in a while--a long while. I have had intentions to though!! I have gotten complaints from people because I say "I'll post again soon" and don't.. So, sorry about that! But for now I want to share a story from my trip.
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Now first off, from the moment I step in the airport, I think about my mission to wherever my destination may be. I pray about the people I will minister there, for God to prepare their hearts and minds to our message. I know that we are supposed to be on mission all the time, and I am a strong believer in that, but for some reason when I'm on a mission trip I think and pray about the ministering I will be doing at my destination -the plane ride is just a means to get me there, and It never occurred to me to pray for who God would have me minister to on the plane, or on the way to my destination. But from now on I will be, thanks to an encounter with a 19 year old Chinese exchange student named Han.

As I walked down the isle to my plane seat on the first flight, I came to my row. I saw that I would be seated in the middle, between a woman at the window and a young Chinese guy on the isle. I did the usual, shoving my backpack into the tiny space they give you under the seat in front of you and wondering why I packed so dang much in my carry on. As the plane got into the air, the guy to my right, Han, started a conversation. I was glad, and we started to talk. I found out that he attends an American university in the north, but that he is from China and was returning to his family's city very close to the city I was going to. We talked for a while, then there was a little bit of silence. Then I had that feeling-that feeling that you know God is going to ask you to do something, and that you will feel extremely guilty by not following through. God was asking me to evangelize to Han-- to figure out his "status" on what he believed. I knew I had to. I knew if I didn't at least figure out if he was a Christian or not I would feel like crud later, so, I took a deep breath (wondering what I was getting into) and opened up the door..

"Soooo... do you go to a Church near your school?"

"Oh-ah, no, I don't do Church." He said, being caught a little off gaurd.

"OK. Well, what do you believe about God?"

He went on to tell me that in his mind there is no God, and that he believes strongly in evolution; he is a science major, so he basically believes everything he learns about evolution from his textbooks at his secular school. I told him I was a Christian.

Me: "Hmmm, ok. I tell you what, how about you tell me your beliefs and then I get to tell you my Christian beliefs?"

He said ok, and told me his beliefs. From the Big Bang, to us coming from monkeys, to there being no God, he believes it all, along with some weird mystical beliefs his Grandmother taught him. Well, that set it off for me. I literally dropped an Evange-Bomb right on his brain. (You can always carry those bombs on the plane, right? :P) Poor guy. He had no idea what kind of Creationist-God loving-always-open-to-sharing-my-faith- (especially with Chinese students!) kind of chick he was sitting next to. I took him %100 through creation to salvation. It was incredible, and as I talked with him I found myself getting more and more energized and into it with every word I was saying. I loved every minute of it. It started to be more of a God ad creation vs. evolution discussion/debate and I made big points on how,

"You're a smart guy, Han. I mean, you're a science major, you know about all of the intricate tiny cells in our body, and how detailed science is. These kind of things can't come from some random chance of chemicals blowing up out of no where- there had to be, and there is an Intelligent Designer behind all of this. And He loves you, and He sent his Son to die for you, and..............."

And on I went. He would try and tell me how evolution just had to be the way, but I was the only one with proof that creation was the way. His main issue was faith in the unseen, but I told him how evolution is totally faith in unseen things, and that it is just a theory with barely any true evidence. It was amazing, and I really encouraged him to find and get a Bible and start reading through the gospels. I would have loved to have had a Bible to give him. He said he would try to get one, and that he was interested in what I was saying. I gave him a salvation bracelet a team member sitting on the row behind me had, and he loved it. I got his e-mail address, and I am going to e-mail him soon. I would love to get his address in America and send him a copy of the movie "Expelled," ( I haven't seen it, but heard it is awesome and amazing how the evolution theory is busted and creation points to God.) or maybe some of the books or DVDs called "Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution". I told him about those resources and he was interested. He also told me, though, that "I don't think I could really be a Christian since there aren't very many at my university." I told him that I'm sure that there is a church near his university and Christian groups within his school. Another funny thing he said was "Yeah, my friend has a Bible in Chinese, and I was reading it one time, but I think I want to get an English Bible because the Chinese one was boring." LOL. Hmmm. Well.. OK then! Good luck to ya! Ha, I can just imagine the poor guy starting and reading through Leviticus or Numbers imagining how on earth Christians read that. I told him that the Gospels were a great place to start. =)

Another cool thing was that we were on the same following flight from LA to Hong Kong as well. We were not near each other, but since he was by himself, he came along with the college team and I. It was so neat because he knew that we were all Christians and from the same church, and when I introduced him to our team they were so inclusive and awesome to him, so I think that really gave him a great impression of what being a Christian is about. One guy on our team who brought his guitar got it out while we were waiting at the airport and played a few things, then he even let Han do some stuff on it since Han played guitar too! I think he really liked the team.

Please pray for Han. Please pray that God would be tugging at his heart from the words he heard on that plane ride, and that I would be able to reach out to him more via e-mail.

Well, it you've stuck with my long post 'till now I commend you. =) I learned that even an hour into a mission trip God will be moving in big ways, and that we are on mission to everyone we meet not only at our destination, but to the people sitting next to us on the plane, to the airport workers and the flight attendants. Even if it is a simple smile and thank you, and something to make them wonder what is different about you, we are on mission. We are on mission no matter where we go.

Back in Mei Guo

Hey there!

Well, I am back in Mei Guo, the land of the blonds and the home of my family. ( My real home is in China. =) Ha!)

The trip was amazing. That is the word I keep using, and it describes it very well. It was sad to have to leave. It was hard - hard saying goodbye to new friendships, hard leaving that hurting and lost country that is in such thirst for truth right now. The people there are so so sweet. That is part of the reason it is so difficult to say goodbye to new friends, even though I know we will still keep in touch and see each other more. One of the hardest parts was when a couple of friends the team had made were at the hotel when we left. They were crying as we hugged and as they were waving to us as the bus pulled out. I won't lie, I cried too! Many of us were. (At least most of the girls. =) ) I could have cried a lot more, but I made myself stop. It is just so easy to share and be friends with people in China. They have such a sweet, simple, caring nature. I wish people in America could be more like the Chinese. Life would be much simpler, and it would be so much easier to love and reach people. It was also a great time to be in China. With the huge earthquake, after shocks still going on while we were there, and the death toll creeping over 88,000, I was able to have some great conversations with people about faith, and the urgency to need a Savior. More stories to come about all of that.

I love the song "God of This City", by Cris Tomlin. It was on the Passion CD this year, and it says



You're the God of this city, You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation, You are
You're the Light in this darkness, You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless, You are

There is no one like our God, there is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in
this city
Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city

Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done here



That is so true about City X, and for me it was one of the songs that I thought of as a "Song of my trip". (That is not the city's real name, btw.) I really felt like there was unfinished business when we left. Obviously there always will be more and more work to be done, no matter where we go on this globe..

I will post more about the events of the trip through out this next week. Thanks for checking up on me, and for your comments and words of encouragement!

Coming Home

Ni hao!

Well, it is late-late here, and our trip has gone by extremely fast. It has been a wonderful trip and I have been making some great relationships. It was really hard to say goodbye to friends today. Very tough. I'm excited about seeing all of you guys, but am very sad to leave. Our bus leaves the hotel at 10 am tomorrow morning. (9 PM Thursday at home.)

Well, see you guys on your side of the globe pretty soon! Thanks for your awesome support on this trip-I know our whole team could feel it. Love ya!