It is hard to believe our time here is almost over. Half of our group leave tomorrow for Xi'an to meet Amanda at Starfish Home. This has been an incredible journey, and one that is difficult to put into words. We all ask each other how we will answer the question, "How was your mission trip?" There are no words to suffice. It was wonderful, it was horrible, we loved it and we did NOT love it. We felt in control, out of control. The only consistent was that we all felt God's hands on us every step of the way. Every smile on a child, every extreme happiness on a face, every push for attention had his work on it. Today was difficult. We were very delayed in our arrival this morning at the orphanage since we had to get money changed (no easy chore in China!). By the time we got there, the kids were a bit crazed---we did not have enough time to get organized, and it just did not flow. Chaos was the word the comes to mind. The kids are (thankfully) feeling more comfortable with us now, so they want to be around us more and more. Sadly, they want attention, and the only way to get it sometimes is to act out. (Sounds like home....on a much greater scale!). We had trouble through out the day (not being able to speak their language, no assistance, etc), but throughout the day, we all had bright spots. I was thrilled that one of the girls who has sat in the same place everyday this entire week CAME OUT of her shell today with colors. She colored for hours, and even let me sit by her, copied my work, and talked with me briefly. It was an incredible moment...she loved coloring and would leave her comfort zone for it. Most of us noticed that more kids moved around today--Shannon was a huge hit with several girls as she fixed their hair with barettes, and Beverly was covered with stickers as she spent an hour encouraging the kids to put them on paper! Trent tried to keep the testosterone outdoors, but a huge thunderstorm prevented that! Catherine and Beverly decorated the jungle room with the scarves we brought, and Claire was able to bond with the children in the toddler room. Mary found a new special friend (as did Jesse!) while Kristen and I held the fort down in the craft room. Leslie and Lily ran their tails off getting clothes, shoes, socks, cakes, and shelves for the kids...we are all exhausted...a good exhaustion. However, the 2 babies there I am really worried about, and will take a closer look at them tomorrow when I can communicate with Lily and the nannies. I have a concern about their survival due to potential medical problems, so please pray for them. They are only about 10 days old. This was my biggest low today. I went up to the nursery to get a peaceful moment, can came away feeling helpless and very sad. We will work hard to see what we can do tomorrow.
When we walked to the supermarket tonight, we saw 4 incredible things in the sky. First, we saw a 1/2 rainbow across the sky. Then, on the way out we saw dark clouds everywhere except for one bright blue circle---like the eye of a hurricane. After we crossed the street, we saw a full rainbow stretching across Hohhot, and THEN when inside our room, we looked out at the rain and saw a completely dark sky except an array of light beams going UP from the clouds---the sun had nearly set on the opposite sky. That is pictured above. Please note, we have been here 4 days. 4 things, 4 days....4 signs, 4 days. As I said before, this is not our mission trip, this is his , and his hands have been all over it....even tonight.
On a lighter note, Lily and Leslie brought a birthday cake back for me, so we had a nice celebration in the room! It was certainly an unusual birthday for me, but a very nice one! I really enjoyed talking to the boys and William, and want to say thank you to Emily for a nice meal--it was very much enjoyed!
Tomorrow we have the birthday party at the orphanage.....they are so excited! We decorated today, and they remember from last year what is coming...that probably contributed a bit to the madness of today. It is a blessing to get to celebrate with them, and we are all excited!
Love,
Eve
No comments:
Post a Comment