There and Back Again....

"Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,

 for everything in heaven and earth is yours. 

Yours, Lord, is the kingdom: you are exalted as head over all."

1 Chronicles 29:11

 



I am going to finish this up.  I have been back a little over a month, and I could go on and on about China and my experiences there but its time to bring this part of the story to a close. 

 

Everyday while we were there we had a photography workshop for the older kids in the orphanage.  The kids loved it, and I got the rockstar of the class as my buddy.   There was a photographer on our team that led the class.  He and his wife would stay up late at night editing the pics and they turned out really amazing.  It was so amazing to see this young married couple serve God together and use their gifts for His kingdom.  You can read more about the class and see pics on our team leaders blog here.  She also has several other posts on her blog from our trip (like the time she got to tell a little girl she was adopted and her American name) so you should make a cup pot of coffee, get comfy on your sofa and head on over there and read.the.whole.thing.
 

Saturday, we left the town were the orphanage was to start our trip home.  We made our way to X'ian and went to the Muslim market the night we were there.  The Muslim market was way crowded (picture one of these local fairs in TX like the Strawberry festival with 3x's as many people as they have on dollar night and motorcycles and garbage trunks driving thru it--no lie).  There were four of us that stuck together that night.  We were tired and hungry for some good ol' fashioned  American processed food.  Not the animal on the stick kind of food that they had at the market.  Off in the distance, we saw those beautiful golden arches.  Yes, they aren't so beautiful in the US, but when you have been watching a Lazy Susan spin around and eating with chopsticks for over a week, McDonalds becomes a beacon in the night for lost souls.  We managed to find McDonalds without much trouble.  Finding our way back to the market was a different story.

We walked thru some underground tunnel thing (which is wayyyy safer than crossing the street in China for those of you that think this sounds unsafe), and we got out one or two exits too soon.  For a while we thought we were on the right path.  There were bright neon signs in Chinese or English that made no sense at all.  Yes, we had definitely seen all this before; it all looked so familiar.  We kept walking and walking and never saw the entrance to the Market where we were to meet our team.  We turned down some side streets and saw little markets and little old Chinese men sitting outside playing dominoes.  It was like the background scenes in Karate Kid 2010 version.  We kept heading down streets toward neon signs and not ending up at the market.  I told the others not to worry because I had a translator ap, our room key (I could point to it and tell a cab driver where to take us) and a credit card.  Yes, I could teach a survival class.  Anyway, someone wiser in our little quartet thought we should stop and ask for directions.  The initial lady didnt speak English but sent us across the street to some kind of wig shop.  The guy in there couldnt really speak English either but then I whipped out my phone with the ap.  I typed in Muslim.  He pointed a direction and laughed.  He said it was a long way.  Two blocks later in that direction and we were there (a guess a long way means something else in China).  I am not sure what part of town we were in (good or bad), and I have a feeling I dont really want to know.  Anyway, our tour guide saw us and hurried us back into the flock of crazy Americans.  I think we almost gave her a heart attack.

Sunday we took our flight to Beijing and that is where we were to get our connection back to the US.  Those of us that had to spend a night in Newark were to fly home thru Chicago.  I had been a little stressed all week because my connection time in Chicago was only an hour and a half, and I knew I would have to go thru customs and all that mess.  Realizing there was nothing I could do about it; I tried to keep it out of my mind.  Well the morning we were to leave for Beijing, I discovered that my flight to Chicago had been bumped back an hour and now my connection time was only 30 minutes.  I knew I would never make that connection in time, but my plan was to take care of changing my flight to SA when I got to the US and everyone spoke the same language and since the majority of my flights on this airline had already been delayed I figured the odds of my one from Chicago to SA being delayed were probably pretty high as well.  The airline had a different plan.  They insisted they put me on the later flight to SA that wouldn't leave till the next morning but that they would pay for my room in Chicago...ummm thanks.  I was so HOMESICK.  I think I could have started crying right there, but the guy in the line next to me was in a similar situation and was being a complete jerk.  Since I came to be Jesus to the people of China, I figured I should be nice to the poor lady issuing tickets so I decided to suck it up and be gracious.  Besides, I didn't want them to think all Americans acted like the guy next to me.

You can probably guess what happened in Chicago, my flight from Beijing landed a little earlier than thought, my original Chicago to SA flight got delayed an hour, but I no longer had a seat on that plane.  After talking to 3 people that worked for the airline, the last one rather firmly (or maybe she could tell I was about to do my ugly cry), I got booked standby for my original flight.  When I was told I had a seat on the plane, I literally started jumping up and down and crying.  Poor people who had to witness that in the gate.   I was sooo happy walking on that plane and hearing Spanish.  I sat next to a professor that had been in Chicago for a conference.  I was telling her my story and she said "so you have literally flown around the world".  I guess I have.  There's one for the books.

So to say that my trip to China was "amazing" is an understatement.  I got to get to know a group of really amazing people.  I got to immerse myself in a culture that is completely different than my own.  I got to see God work thru people in an orphanage that don't even know Him.  I was reminded how blessed we are as Americans to be able to be a member of a church and worship God openly and tell others about Him without all the risks they have in China.  There are some risks but compared to theirs....well we need to get off our booties and get to work people.  It hit me hard how lucky I am as a PT in the US to have all the resources we have available to help children with special needs.  It reminded me that voting is an honor and made me very thankful for all the people I know and love that have fought for me to have that privilege.  It also reminded me that we dont have to fly around the world to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  We can be Him to the people we come in contact with everyday.  Now thats something I really need to work on.....

Gift giving....

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

Matthew 7:11

 

 

There were three of us on the infant room team.  A NICU nurse, my roommate for China (who had already adopted 2 kids from there and has another adoption in process), and myself.  Yes we were pretty much the dream team...ok maybe not but we I thought we were.  Now those of you that know me....well most of you are NICU nurses anyway, and you know how much I love you guys.  The NICU nurse that was in the infant room with me also has a dry sense of humor and is mom to 4 boys.  Yep, she was my hero.  I cant tell you how many times I requested her to listen to a baby to figure out his heart defect or drop a NG tube (of course we had none of those supplies in China and the nannies would have REALLY thought we had lost it) but it would have been nice.  She would hand me babies to assess for tone, and I would ask her a kazzilion questions like is this teeny tiny baby really suppose to drink all 3oz of this brown liquid.  To which she would reply "good luck".

There were a few things that we wanted to educate the nannies about while we were there.  We were trying to decide what the best way was to open the door for this.  I remembered I had brought some necklaces that I had made so I planned to bring them the next day to give them as gifts to the nannies to help facilitate that.  No, I am not above bribing, and yes, I do use that as a parenting technique for my own children as well sometimes...

 

Anyway, the next day I gave the necklaces to the nannies.  After a conversation that went something like. "Gift for you" followed by our favorite little fiery nanny , WL, shaking her head no.  Then me typing in my phone "gift" and it spitting out the Chinese word for gift.  Finally, a nanny tending to the babies decided she wanted one and came and took one that led to the rest taking one.  What I did not fully realize is that when you give a gift in China, you should expect gifts in return.  Their gifts of choice for us was food, and yes, it was as scary as it sounds.  I left for a minute to go assess some babies in the next room and when I came back to my room WL starting putting things in my mouth.  Yes, she was physically putting things in my mouth, and yes, I had only known her for 2-3 days.  Personal space has a whole different meaning in China.  Luckily, that first day of gift giving was only candy and chips.  The next day she brought prepackaged meat looking things on a stick and chicken feet.  My two other teammates ate that mystery meat on a stick like champs.  I took one teeny tiny nibble and told her that it was too spicey and she thought that was the funniest thing she had ever heard.  Who doesnt love a whimpy American?

 

The rest of the week went well in that room.  They switched one of the infants to a slower nipple while we were there.  I reinforced tummy time some more.  They finally would let us go and pick up and love on those babies in the corner that maybe didnt get it as much as the others.  We put the crib mirrors on all the cribs.  My roommate got to bound with a baby that reminded her of her daughter that she had adopted from China.  I kind of learned how to fold Chinese diapers.  I got to do some serious work on my poker face although I probably could still use some more practice :), and I feel like I made some lifelong friends from St Louis, Philadelphia and China.



Relationships....

"One who loves with a pure heart and who speaks with grace

will have a king for a friend"

Proverbs 22:11

I was told before this trip that it would be one of relational ministry.  In other words, we weren't going to go in and start handing out pamplets about Jesus but rather simply be the hands and feet of Jesus to the nannies and children at the orphanage.  I was fine with that.  God has blessed me with being present when a hand full of people have accepted His Son, and it has never been because I screamed at them that they had know Him or face eternal damnation.  I dont believe you bring people to His kingdom that way or by reposting things on facebook that say "if you love Jesus you will repost this in the next 15 minutes" but thats a different blog post....

Anyway, back to the point of this blog, the orphanage was much nicer than I had pictured in my head.  I am not sure why, but I had pictured pretty much sitting in the dirt with kids that were being severely neglected (just being honest).  That is not what I found at all.  I found a new, colorful building with a "PT" gym, a clinic, classrooms for school aged children, and rooms for infants to preschool age that were divided by the kids motor skills.  I found nannies that loved the kids they were taking care of and older kids having "best friends" as well as looking after the younger kids.  It was "amazing" (there is that word again).

The first morning we were there we were giving hot water with some leafy things in it, watched a video that was nicely done but in Chinese so I have no idea what it said, and taken on the tour.  After our tour, we went to our assigned rooms.  I had volunteered for the infant room because I felt that was where my skills could be best utilized due to my NICU experience.  I walked in and saw rows of cribs full of infants and smiling nannies.  The infants were dressed in several layers.  If you have ever seen the Christmas Story, you can picture what they looked like.  They use a towel the size of a hand towel and a blanket for a diaper that they hold in place with a string.  Then they put them in about 3 layers of pjs and swaddled them in about 4 blankets that are again tied on with a string.  It is like your grandmother that is always cold got to dress these babies.  They looked like little starfish lying in their beds with their arms and legs out to the side.  The nannies have a system and move quickly tending to these little ones, and if you are in the room and one of them start crying, they are not shy about handing them to you to calm down.

To the left of the room full of cribs is a play area.  There is a mat on the floor where they put the older babies.  One of the babies in that room was 8 months old according to the nannies and had a pretty devastating diagnosis.  He was, however, doing 9 month skills and looked perfect.  So if you are thinking about adopting from China (or in the US for that matter), do some research past the initial diagnosis because the baby could present completely different than the diagnosis would indicate.

The PT in me really wanted to strip those babies down and watch their muscles activate, test their reflexes and assess their tone.  I realize that might not be the best first impression to make to the nannies that were trying to keep their babies warm so I refrained.  I did, however, line about 5 of those little starfish up in a row on their tummies that first day.  There is only so much of me I can restrain at one time. I then thought I better try to explain to them exactly what it was that I was doing so I would be allowed back in the next day.  I pulled out an exercise book that had been translated into Chinese.  The nanny that was about 4'10" tall and was trying to learn English became really excited.  She pulled out this DVD that had been made for them by a diaper company that showed stretches to perform on the babies with the music to "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" playing in the background.  Yes its true; I couldnt make that up.   They continued to play this in loop for the next 4 days while I was there.  Yes, my teammates were very grateful to me that I had somehow encouraged this video to be played in loop, and if you hear me humming that tune or counting in Chinese while I'm in the NICU...now you know why.

The team leader came by and informed me that this fiery little 4'10" nanny, WL, was friends with my friend that had encouraged me to go on this trip.  Maybe this is why God sent me...to continue growing that seed (yes I am trying to figure Him out again).  WL took to the three of us that had been assigned to that room into her little circle immediately.  In fact, she had decided we were all going to be friends before we even showed up as evidenced by her writing out in English on her note pad "we are good friends".  She was so full of energy and eager to learn.  If I could have brought her home with me, I would have.  In fact, I tried but she said "I have no reason to go to Merica" so I said "next time" and she smiled and shook her head no as she made the symbol with her hand for ok. 

For now I must sign off as my kiddo is STARVING and since his older brother is getting to witness the Spurs get their rings tonight, the least I could do is feed him....

Beijing....

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is part of it."

1 Corinthians 12:27

The leader of our team had led this trip before.  She felt it was best if we spent our first full day in Beijing sight-seeing, getting to know each other as a team, and overcoming jetlag.  We had a day packed full of all the things you picture doing if you go to China.  It was very foggy/smoggy that day, so it was hard to see what was ahead.  If I was a great writer, I could probably draw an analogy here of how that goes hand in hand with not being able to see the path clearly yet of what God had planned for this trip.  How He makes our visibility just enough to see this next step but not the full picture of what lies ahead, but I will leave that analogy for someone that is better with words than me.

The driving in China is different than that in San Antonio.  Apparently, if you honk, you have the right of way.  It doesnt matter if you are turning into oncoming traffic, driving a good 100 yards down the wrong way or even driving on a sidewalk for that matter.  Honking means move out of the way because we are coming thru.  We arrived at the Great wall, and you couldnt even see it from the parking lot.  We headed up to hike it.  It was newer looking than I had pictured it.  I would have  enjoyed some headphones with a person telling me the history behind everything, but I didnt have them or even google to look up the story behind it all, so I just started climbing.  We had climbed several series of steps when we came to a landing that led to more steps.  We couldnt see where those steps ended due to the smog so my motivation to get to the next landing went down.  We passed rows of locks that people had purchased and scribbled their names on for good luck or something....again the headphones or google would have been handy.  There was a little building of some sort and people dressed in traditional attire that I am sure wanted tips for their pictures.  It was beautiful.  I have always wanted to see it, and I am blessed now that I have.

After the Great Wall, we headed for lunch.  Dining in China is also very different from the US.  The food was suprisingly good.  I learned how to use chopsticks and a Lazy Susan while there.  Every meal is family style and all the dishes are placed on a Lazy Susan that people use to get the dish they want.  You use your chopsticks to get the your food from the platter, and there is a little plate in front of you to catch what you drop.

The next stop was Tiananmen Square.  It was surreal walking there knowing what had happened in the late 80's.  There were vendors and families out for the day.  People wanted their pictures taken with us since we were different looking =).  It was a quick stop and then we left for the Pearl Market.

The Pearl Market was a buildig full of vendors that like to barter.  I am not a big barterer.  I will shop around for a good price, but I do not like to haggle.  I bought some jewelry from a lady the team leader had bought from before and knew it was good quality, some souveniers for the kids, and then I was ready to call it a day.  I saw a Starbucks, met up with some team members there, and settled in until the others were finished shopping.

The team leader was correct in her planning for this day.  By the end of it, I was exhausted and ready for sleep and our team, Christ's body, was starting to come together.  I slept well that night and the next day we travelled to the city that houses the orphanage we would be serving at for the next 5 days.

Getting there….

"This is the Lord's sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised…"

Isaiah 38:7

 

I have been asked numerous times "How was China?" My quick response up to this point has been "amazing". Not because I haven't wanted to tell everyone every last detail, but I am still processing everything I experienced while I was there. One of the therapists I work with helped me out one day when she said "It is just something you can't explain; I get it". She had been to India the year before to help out with cleft lips and palates, and she understood my lack of words. There are also privacy laws that go hand and hand with adoptions and orphanages, and I wouldn't want to say or do anything that would jeopardize families waiting for their children. I also want to make sure I respect a country, that although is very different from my own, invited me in to their culture and allowed me to love on their children. I am going to do my best though to explain what I can. Many of you supported me in this trip, and I was representing you there. I felt you there with me and for that reason I want to share my story with you. Instead of one long post, I am going to divide this into a few to make for easy reading and writing…..
    I woke up the morning I left for China ready to go. I had been nervous about leaving my family up until that morning, and then, like He always does, God gave me peace. I dropped the kids off at school and then Jeff and I hung out for the day. We decided to go to lunch. He suggested Chinese, which I vetoed, knowing I would get my share of it the next 10 days. We settled on Tex Mex. We went to the airport, checked in with the airline who informed me my checked bag was going all the way to Beijing (yikes), and then I walked thru security alone. I was to fly to Houston and make a connection to fly to Newark. Spend the night in Newark with 3 other team members that I had yet to meet and then fly onto to Beijing with the rest of the team the next morning. I often hear people say that love ones that have passed away are watching over them and send them signs. I do not believe in this personally. I hate to think of my grandfather watching me and being worried about my life. Besides, I can pretty much hear his response to me signing up for China. I like the thought of him hanging out in Heaven or Paradise or whatever it is for right now (I have heard compelling arguments for both and I'm not going to pretend I have Revelations figured out) at peace and full of joy. I do, however, feel like God will send you signs if you ask for them and sometimes if you don't =).
    The first leg of my flight was delayed. The person at the gate said the "captain saw something he didn't like and wanted Maintenance to check it out". Ummmm, ok?? My hour or so layover quickly got cut to 30 minutes. Then my carryon had to be gate checked because it was a smaller plane, and it wouldn't fit. Great! More of my connection time cut. I went to my seat and next to me was a priest. Now, I am not Catholic, but I took this as a good sign. I am pretty sure he was Spanish speaking only, but he smiled at me a lot. God had sent another one of His children to ride next to me to remind me that this trip was for Him. I landed in Houston, got my luggage, and ran to another terminal and made my next flight in time. My carryon again had to be checked since I was the last one getting on the plane. This time I would have to pick it up at baggage claim. So much for skipping that step in Newark. This time the guy next to me on the plane was reading some kind of Christian tract. I smiled at him; him not so much at me. I decided he was from New Jersey and not Texas =) but was again grateful for the little sign I had been sent. I got to my hotel that night around 1 am. Met three of the girls and crashed.
    The next morning our flight to Beijing was delayed from 11 to 4 pm. We met up with the other team members and had lunch over our $7 voucher we were given for our inconvenience due to the delay. The rest of the team seemed very nice. Several adoptive parents and people who had travelled before. Most of them younger than me. We loaded the plane for the long flight to Beijing. I got to sit next to the sweetest little old man. He was from Canada and we spoke for a little while. As soon as the plane took off, he folded his arms, bowed his head, and slept for almost the entire 13hours. It was impressive. While he was awake, he told me about all his travels to China. Gave me some pointers on things to buy there. Told me not to use my cell phone or the bill would be crazy. Suggested I take the train if I wanted to go somewhere because it was really nice and super fast. As we were filling out our cards to enter the country, I looked down at his and his name…"Jay B". Kid you not. For those of you that don't know, my grandfather's name was JB. He was an amazing man who I dearly miss. Now I don't believe my grandfather sent me that sign. But I do believe my God did. He gave me that last little bit of reassurance that I was exactly where He wanted me to be as I departed the plane and stepped onto Chinese soil…..

Thankful Heart…..

"…always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"

Ephesians 5:20

 

So the fundraising part of this journey comes to an end this Thursday, Sept 11. Part of me is extremely grateful. This was the part I was dreading the most. Remember I just wanted to pay for it? Part of me is sad. Through this journey, I have felt more support than I can put into words. Some of you have asked where I am at in the process. The reason I haven't posted is because the actual trip cost isn't posted yet; we still just have an estimate. A very close estimate from what I understand but still an estimate. We are waiting to hear some final details from the travel agency in China. When I log onto to my account, I am overwhelmed. God has provided $3531 for this trip through 35 different people. There are actually more people, but you guys gave me cash or a check made out to me so it doesn't list you by name. That, my friends, causes me to feel overwhelming love and support. It also affirms that this a trip that God wants me to take. If Jeff and I had funded it, I wouldn't have allowed God to give me this reassurance, and the thoughts that sometime sneak into my head about backing out because it is just too much to go to China and leave my kids would resonate so much louder. So my total due according to the estimate on the website is $169. I have $71 in checks sitting on my desk to be mailed in and none of this counts to BBQ tomorrow or a little more money that should be coming in from the necklace sales. So not only has God used you all to send me to China, He is also going to use you to be Santa Clause to these kids. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Just an update….

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

Hebrews 10:23

 

I have been trying to think of a clever post to write for some time now. If I was a writer, I would attribute it to writers block, but a writer I am not. I have thought about posts about raising a tween (because I am up to my eyeballs in that right now). However, it has become abundantly clear that I have no wisdom on that, and I am purely winging it right now as I ride the hormone waves that is an almost 12 yr old boy….guess I need to start a future therapy fund right after I start that college fund. Luckily, he is a pretty amazing kiddo, and I think we will both come out of this hurricane ok on the other side. I have thought about a blog on domestic chores and/or organization (ok I couldn't even keep a straight face as I typed that one out). So instead of waiting for that clever post I am just going to give you all some updates….

I want to ask for a prayer request for the precious little girl that God used to call me to China by this post....

 She is currently in a hospital fighting for recovery. Please pray that she has complete healing and that God gives her parents peace. You can read more about what is going on with her here on her mom's blog.

Thanks to all you amazing people I have raised almost $3000. Again, you guys are amazing! It is nice to have the support and the affirmation that goes along with that.

The team that is going to China had our first conference call a couple of weeks ago. While, I know no one that is going with me, everyone seems very nice and we all have passion to help these kids and their nannies. There are plans for a photographer that is going to do a photography class with some of the older kids while we are there. How cool is that? Who even thinks of doing something like that? Some money needed to be raised to get the equipment that the kids need for the class and it was all raised in a week. Pretty amazing. There is also a possibility of some doors being open to help kids in different ways since there are some of us health care people going. Please pray that God opens the doors that need to be opened to bring about the most help for these kids.

Some of you have asked. The dates for my trip are Oct 9-19. All the funds need to be raised by Sept 11. We will spend 5 days in the orphanage and the other days will be traveling/sightseeing while we adjust to jet lag.
 
Anyway, that's about it for now. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. Please pray for Maggie and her parents. Prayer is powerful and they could really use it right now. God has moved mountains for her before…He can do it again.

In Him,

Angel