Aussie Thanks!

Today we had some fun dressing up some little ones We grabbed a few Kangaroos and a bongo or maybe it was two...

 Then we gathered round and smiled big, well most of us did.  Because we had a "Good on ya!" message we all wanted to send, a special Thank You to the land of the the Outback....

 To some Special Friends Down Under!


    So Mates from our hearts to yours- Thank You!

and We Love You!

Baby Braids

   When she arrived here at our Big House so small and with her head shaved clean I never would have imagined the beautiful smile or the Pixie Braids that I saw today!  She is just to cute!

Hand Me Downs-

   This morning as I entered one of the nurseries to check on little ones something made me stop, smile, reflect, and ponder.  There are so many things that I ponder in my heart, I want to be like Mary storing them all up, but there are moments when I want to share little things that are on my heart with you.  This was one of those moments because so many of you have been there all along the journey and understand the "behind the scenes..."
     I saw this sweet baby girl sitting there, playing quietly, wearing Her outfit.  When Emma, and Janessa outgrew certain items of clothing they were brought here as hand me downs to pass on to their smaller "siblings" and this morning I could not help but remember back to another sweet baby who wore this very same outfit.  What a joy it brought to my heart!        
      Please pray with me that this new little one wearing a hand me down play suit will also soon find her forever family! 

Driving to the Big House...

 September 29th-
   My arrival back in Beijing was timed at one of those really bad moments in Chinese transportation- right on top of the National Holiday, which meant no plane or bus tickets.  Rob scrabbled around and finally decided since there were three of us that needed to get back to the unit the best thing to do would be drive.  So off we went on our road trip always made more interesting by the fact that heavy traffic constitutes an "emergency" allowing you to create whole new lanes for traffic to flow in.

 I tried not to watch and was able to get a good amount of Cross Stitch done on the 10 hour ride.

Changsha-

 On September 16th, I went to Changsha, the city/area where Mao grew up, to help out another special care unit organization.  Those who care for the little ones medical needs had to be away and so I was sent to help out.  It was an adventure!  I was able to meet some new friends and have the opportunity to see a new city as I learned to commute by bus to and from work...  can I just here note that I do not think I am a BIG city bus girl, I really do like a little bit of personal space which really is a non-existent concept on a Chinese Bus!

 Like Luoyang used to be this special care unit is housed in the local state run orphanage building on the fourth floor.  This was one of the reasons for delay in the postings to my blog- the internet was pretty much non-existent inside the building, and only a very week "sometimes" signal in the apartment.  It made me ever so grateful for the good only occasional issues with our connection here in the Big House, the lack made me a feel even a bit more isolated than I really was.

Vanessa Visits!!!!!

 I was so incredibly excited and blessed to have my sweet friend Vanessa come and spend a few days with me here in China.  We had so much fun sharing, staying up late talking, and exploring together. 

 Of course there was also lots of time to love on little ones- which is a delight in and of itself, they are so very precious!

 Vanessa was able to see the foggy/smoggy side of China weather as we visited the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, the Markets, and the Forbidden City.

                                  Lots of Hugs and Laughter- something we both needed to share!

HERE I AM!!!!

I am so sorry it has been a few weeks since I last posted- how do things get so busy?  And then of course here in China the internet situation does play into the ability to post...  I will try and share with you in a few quick blogs the happenings and catch you up on some of my days.

The first part of September we had the arrival of our final Show Hope sponsor group of the summer season along with the addition of Dr. Steve Martin and his family to our Big House Family.  I also really enjoyed having some time with this trip to spend getting to know some of the Show Hope Family better- it was some really good fellowship and some great memories.  What a blessing they each one have been in my life...Thanks Guys!