more random photos...

Long Time Traveller

Today I ran into a friend at the gym and she said, "Back into the swing of things I see." How true this is... it's easy to remember that you're a long time traveller & Heaven is our home when you're in an uncomfortable place. But when I'm home in my tempurpedic bed, waking to Starbucks coffee, turning on the central heat, and wearing clean clothing (kind "friends" whose tender care has long engaged my love) I am so tempted to feel like "I'm home". So, I have a song that I listen to that reminds me that I'm a Long Time Traveller here below...


Lyrics:
Ye fleeting charms of earth
Farewell, your springs of joy are dry
My soul now seeks another home
A brighter world on high

I'm a long time travelling here below
I'm a long time travelling away from home
I'm a long time travelling here below
To lay this body down

Farewell kind friends whose tender care
Has long engaged my love
Your fond embrace I now exchange
For better friends above

I'm a long time travelling here below
I'm a long time travelling away from home
I'm a long time travelling here below
To lay this body down

Psalm 107:1

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

I added a link...

to the blog of last year's Mexico GO trip notes. http://06gomexico.blogspot.com/

I can really tell how much my walk with God has changed and gotten stronger since last year. I had never really seen poverty until we went to Mexico. I had never been that far out of my comfort zone. I had never served God so far from my home and my children.

Last night Lee and I were talking about the turbulence we experienced on the plane ride home from China. He said he was shocked that I wasn't crying (I'll admit there was a few moments I was a little afraid). I told him there were two reasons I didn't freak out.

1. I wanted to comfort Rhonda and I was focused on praying for her. Although I had to admit to her that I had prayed earlier that God would show me a way to be closer to her. She said, "Thanks alot!" :^)

2. This verse (the very first scripture I ever memorized) has been turning up over and over again this year. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”
~ Philippians 4:6-7
I believe it was a peace of God, that I can't understand, that guarded my heart and my mind.

However, it this verse does not say, "YOU must guard your heart. YOU must stay in your comfort zone." It says, "peace of God"....
He will ask you to go places that are hard to go to.. He will ask you to get out in His world... see His people, who are sometimes hurting and sometimes lost... to get out of your safe comfortable places... and let HIS peace guard your heart and your mind in Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Father, for your promises. Thank you for showing up in BIG ways when we are obedient to what you call us to do. Thank you for guarding our hearts and minds with your peace when we are afraid or anxious. Thank you for reminding us to present our requests to you with prayer and petition and thanksgiving. Thank you most of all for your son, Jesus Christ, who gave us the relationship we can now have with you, Father. That we are now your children because of His great love for us and His sacrifice. We love you and we praise you and we honor you forever. Amen.

Thank you, my friend

for taking time out of your life to read our blog. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share God's Glory with you. It has meant so much to me each time someone has said they took the time to read this blog. I know I'm a talker and reading my posts takes some serious time commitments! So, this thanksgiving I am thanking God for all the people who have been so encouraging to us.

I found some notes from last year's mission trip to Monterrey, Mexico. I wish I had blogged them. So many things I am reading are things I forgot about... truly amazing God moments that got "lost" in daily life over the last year. Maybe I will find a way to post them.

I think the blog needs to be our "pile of stones" (like in the book of Joshua).

Praises!!!

Praise God! We found out this week that 3 of the kids we met at Xinyang are being adopted. Yeah! One will be adopted in the spring, one is being adopted in December, and one is being adopted this week. When we left we really prayed that the kids would find families and we wanted to see happy endings. New beginnings for these kids... and hope.
God is good all the time... Amen.

This is a "Happy Thanksgiving Day" sign we saw in a Chinese department store. It says, "Thanks all those I love". Good ole American capitalism and marketing! LOL!

How was your trip???

Everyone keeps asking us how the trip was. It's really hard to describe how it was. Here are a few thoughts...
It was hard but not only in the ways we expected. It was fun because the kids are so stinkin' cute. It was heartbreaking to leave. It was cool to try new things and meet a new culture. It was uncomfortable to use the Eastern toilet on the 15 hour train ride. It was hard to get sleep. It was Spirit-led. It was hopeful. It was hard to feel your character stretched. It was hard to face your shortcomings at times. It was a life-changing experience...
I feel like we have climbed down the mountain. You have a little culture shock. You feel like you don't "fit" at home any more... you have new eyes... a bigger heart... a longing for the feeling you had when you were with 6 hearts that beat for the Lord with the same passion for loving orphans.. a feeling that you "left" your children behind... an amazing revelation when we decided it was the Spirit that gave us this feeling... they're His children and He desires them... and He grieves for them.... and that's just wild to think that the Spirit is in me...

Thank you, God for your patience with me. You are a Mighty God, rich in blessings, amazing in your grace, and awesome in your provision. We praise you, Father. We love you, Father. We are in awe of your works and we need you so much. In His name, Amen.

Bao Bao

Praise God! We heard this morning that Bao Bao is being adopted next Spring. This is wonderful news! Rhonda told me Sunday that Meredith has been having a really hard time since we got home. She wants to go back to China and she wants Bao Bao to live with them. Maybe this good news will comfort her... knowing she will be cherished and loved soon. Until then let's lift this up in prayer... pray that the adoption moves swiftly... for Bao Bao as she waits and her parents as they wait.. and for Rhonda and Meredith who grew very attached to Bao Bao.

Daniel

This little guy had his adoption day today! Yeah!

Luo Yan

 

The acrobat Show

This was an amazing show.  There were guys walking on stilts and doing double back flips.  Contortionists who could sit on their own heads.  There were ladies doing this incredible ballet on bicycles.  This show had it all.

Shopping

On Sunday after church and getting a quick bite at Mc Donald's we went shopping.  Beijing is a crazy place to go shopping.  It's like a flea market on steroids.  Everything requires four or more rounds of negotiation.  First you get them to tell you a price.  Then you tell them you will pay something 75 to 90% less than that.  They tell you they'll take 10% less.  You tell them 75% less again.  They tell you "OK final price 30% less".  You walk off.  They grab you and drag you back "OK 60% off".  You walk off again.  Then they say "OK OK 75% off".