Pictures from the Hohhot Birthday Party

The kids were so excited to see us--we had already decorated the room, and then brought the kids in. Each child received a new shirt and pants as well as new shoes and socks. It was a huge hit with the children and I had not seen so many smiles that week as I did that day. The bottom photo is a picture of Lily, our guide, and one of the girls she has bonded with over the last 2 visits there. This was a hard day, though. We never saw some of our kids from earlier in the week and could not find out exactly where they were. I also felt like the goods we had purchased FOR THE KIDS needed to be closely monitored so it would not leave WITH SOMEONE ELSE...and this was a very disgruntling feeling. The children DO NOT come first, or second, or even third here. I think had sensed this during the week, but it really slapped us in the face on our last day. Thankfully, there are 2 older boys who are very kind and gentle that we entrusted some supplies to so that the kids may continue to use them. We did buy shelves and organizational items so it would be able to be kept. The wonderful BIG items that YOU ALL paid for have been purchased and will be in the new orphanage. I am excited about that! I am thrilled that the children will be separated according to need.
As a FYI, if I repeat myself from earlier posts, please forgive me. I cannot read or see my blog while at Amanda's since this is a home and not a business. So, please ignore any repeats!

Starfish Home

Hi everyone! I am sorry we do not have pictures yet--we are on Amanda's computer as they earthquake has limited the internet access here. It is like night and day here versus Hohhot. The babies gleefully ran to the door when the new shift of nannies arrived...the kids are happy, healthy and loving. We are able to interact and play with ease. I have really enjoyed learning more about Amanda's needs and her amazing work here. I am overwhelmed when I think of what she has done for so many children. There are many pending adoptions from here... Oh, to have a Starfish baby!

Lunch is ready, so I apologize. we will see if we can get things going downstairs so we can post tonight. We have your gifts to give the kids today....they will be so excited! Your generosity for this trip has done wonders for the kids, in Hohhot and here.

Much love, keep praying, and more to come soon!

Eve

Day 4 Birthday party

Our time at Hohhot has come to an end...at least for half the team. Shannon, Mary, Catherine, Kristen and I arrived in Xi'an this evening and are at the Starfish Home. We are unpacking your gifts and will meet the babies in the morning. I am on Amanda's computer, so I will not have photos today, but we will hopefully get it together by tomorrow afternoon!
The birthday party today was a mixture of emotions. The kids loved their new outfits which included shoes and socks. They REALLY loved the watermelon and bananas, not to mention the cakes and cokes! We colored backpacks for the children to keep their things in, and played with balloons. I checked on the cleft palate baby and was able to show the nannies how to feed him until a special bottle arrives....otherwise he will dehydrate. The other baby I did not get to see, she had already gone to foster care (I hope). I will worry about her...
We saw a lot of difference today in the orphanage between the have and have nots....there were some items that were disappearing under our nose....which was very upsetting. I will write more about this later. Shannon had a special contact today with a child who is deaf and we have not seen much since Monday. She did not want Shannon to leave and cried when she did go. Although painful, this did let us know she could attach still which gave us hope. On leaving, I asked everyone if they would come back to Hohhot given the chance, and we all answered yes. Even though it was one of the most difficult weeks, it was als one of the most rewarding.

Hopefully we can write more soon and get some pics up--I know Amanda wants to sleep and I need to get off her computer. Until then,

Love,
Eve

Heading to the birthday party

Good morning...we leave very soon for breakfast and then check out, and then we are off to the orphanage. I am so excited about this day...we have cake, and juice, bananas and watermelons for the children. We added to the decorations left up since last year and the room looks beautiful! We presented the director with his gift yesterday. Shannon made a book on Shutterfly from the pictures Tabitha gave us from last year. He really enjoyed it....I want the team to know that the jungle room is a favorite for the kids....some of them love looking at your names and practice saying them in English! I did not sleep well (as most of the kids probably did not). I am so excited about the party, and about meeting Amanda, but very sad to leave the kids at Hohhot. I am also terribly worried about the babies and am really eager to get there and have Lily translate.
Alex, Ben, and Jack, I LOVED hearing your voices and learning that you are well. Please be good helpers for Grandad and Daddy, and I will see you soon! Sugar, thank you for taking good care of Alex and bringing him home. I will look forward to talking to you soon!

Love,

Eve

Birthday Miracles

Day 4 Hohhot...A Rollercoaster

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

A few more pictures