We were to leave at 1:30 am on December 2nd to take a shuttle to LAX and Mom and Dad had come down to help us pack and see us off. We all worked through the night, trying to fit everything into our 6 suitcases and our 6 carry-on bags. You see, we were carrying a lot more than just our own clothing...
My sister Julie had been so moved by the Hope Foster Home website and the little faces she saw there, that she had contacted Rebecca Dorris to donate some items to Hope (Rebecca collects medical supplies and clothing for the children at Hope Foster Home and sends them with travelers/adoptive parents who are going to China) and she had mentioned Chen Chen's name to her. Turns out, Rebecca remembered Chen Chen and after Julie put us in contact with her, we offered to take anything she had with us. So she shipped us a large box full of medical supplies, clothing and other items, which was one of the reasons why we carried so much luggage. We also had other items we were to donate to the orphanage, plus our own gear, so when all was finally done, there wasn't much space left over for anything else - we were completely loaded.
So when 1am rolled around, we waved goodbye to Mom and Dad as we loaded ourselves into the shuttle. It had been a while since we'd taken such a long trip! We had never traveled internationally together (only to Mexico) and we were so excited - we were off on our first adventure together - we were going to China!
Our shuttle driver was nice, and we talked to him the majority of the way to the airport. We told him all about Hope Foster Home and the work they do, the orphans and how we came by Sarah. We also told him about her condition and how the Lord had worked so powerfully in her little life and by the time we pulled into LAX, he paused to tell me "only God could have done this..." and for a moment, we shared of a deeper understanding of the truth together - we were only on our way to China because God had made the way for us.
It's amazing to see the responses people have when we talk to them about the plight of these little ones. Most are superficial reactions, and that is ok because we don't expect everyone to feel as deeply about this as we do, but there are some who really seem to take it to heart. I suppose this is the reason why I talk about these children so much, because I know there are other people who care out there... they just might not know it yet. Not only that, but I know there are millions of other "Sarah's" all around the world who are desperately waiting for their chance to have a forever family and they don't care if you're poor, they don't care if you're ugly, they don't care if you're fat or old or don't have your finances in order or have bad teeth or no hair (actually, they might like playing with your head if you don't have any hair) - they just want someone to love them. (Ok - that was my best shot - if you've been moved, please raise your hand and pass the chicken.) So any chance we have to spread the word, our mouths kick into overdrive, hoping that the person we're talking to might be as affected as we are and somehow join the battle.
Once we unloaded our bags, we had 4 hours to wait until our flight started boarding. The airport reminded me of a ghost town... all it needed were tumbleweeds (and, or course the "do-da-do-da-doooo... waa-wa-waaaaaaa" music). There weren't many people there at 2:30am... and the ones that were there were not vertical when we arrived - some were slumped, some had managed to become human rubber and lay over and under the chair armrests, and my personal favorite - one brave soul was camped out on the cold, hard floor, snooring in his sleeping bag. (At that point, I began thinking to myself, which is never good for me to do at 3am, but I was thinking, "we've packed everything else... how come I forgot the sleeping bag!!?") I was seriuosly thinking about kicking that guy as I walked by him... nobody should be able to sleep that well in an airport... nobody!
The time seemed to pass quickly enough and after a hectic trip through security, we soon realized that hauling 6 carry-on's - plus a car seat was a little over the top. We made it to San Francisco and boarded our connecting 11.5 hour flight to Beijing at 7:00 a.m. The flight was smooth and uneventful, however, we discovered that sticking Sarah in the car seat for any more than an hour at a time made everybody cranky... not just her!
Me and Sarah on the leg to Beijing - note her little face... it's one of those "I'll try to smile but I'm not having that much fun" faces!
Just when little Miss Squirmy started to make her grand appearance after having to be bucked down for the landing, we thankfully left international flights behind us for the next 13 days and proceeded, without incident, through all the check points and into the general departure area to find the most warm and welcome sight: Robin Hill of Hope Foster Home.
Robin isn't one of those guys that's hard to like and we immediately felt at ease with him. He's so warm and funny, so down-to-earth and kind - it is easy to see why the Lord has chosen him for such an important task of taking care of these little ones.
He graciously took our baggage cart and loaded us into the van and once outside the airport, we had our first look at China through the hub of Beijing. It was absolutely gorgeous - both me and Mike were surprised at how beautiful it was. I guess with everything you hear about pollution and industrialization and how the cities are so crowded, we just didn't expect what we saw. There were brick buildings surrounded by tall, naked trees and the winter air was crisp and refreshing. The chill of the day seemed to be softened only by the realness of the people we saw - those peddling home from work, with their shovels and pipes, and fresh produce trailing behind them. We kept remarking, "it's like a scene out of the movies..." and by the time we pulled up to Hope Foster Home in Beijing, we were already in love with the countryside.
When we arrived at Hope Foster Home, we hopped out of the van and Robin motioned to me and Sarah to go inside. Once inside, one of the Ayis (Aunties or nannies) noticed her and immediately asked, "Chen Chen?" And as I nodded in affirmation, she yelled, "Chen Chennn! Chen Chennnnnnnnnn!" and before I knew it, there were several other Ayis crowding around her, picking her up and holding her, loving on her, hugging and kissing her. It is a moment I'll never forget.
Once we hauled everything indoors, Robin led the way to where we would stay for the night. We whizzed past rooms full of children laughing and playing, up the stairs to a beautiful apartment. Everything in the facility was immaculately clean and well kept. Once we had a chance to sit for a moment, we just stared at each other - it was hard to believe we were actually in China. We had dreamed about it for so long, it was just surreal.
After we had a chance to unpack a few things and freshen up, we went on a quick tour of the building. It was amazing to see how much love and care had been taken to ensure these children had the best chance for a healthy life. There was a room dedicated to physical therapy, another to medical supplies, another for babies who needed intensive care, another room to park the scores of strollers they had, and one little room that brought everything there back into the world of reality for me - a room just for silence and comfort for little ones beyond their help. The building was absolutely amazing.
After our tour, we had the honor of dining with Robin and Joyce and their youngest little one, Katie. They have a beautiful home situated right next to the hospital/foster home and we were able to spend a couple of hours, just sitting and talking with them over some much welcome and eagerly consumed pasta (except for Sarah who was far more interested in their little dog)! Over and over again, as we sat and listened to the stories they told us, all I could think was... "these people are living examples of what God can do with those who are willing to live selfless lives..."
Dr. Joyce and Robin Hill, founders of Hope Foster Home, our dear friends who saved and took care of Sarah, prior to our adoption of her.
Just the other day I read a blog by Scott and Kerry Hasenbalg (http://www.shaohannahshope.org/) and they write, "There seems to be a trend in the church today to separate those who are considered 'evangelical' from those who are 'humanitarian'... those who pray and worship in church are also the ones who should go and give of themselves to the poor and needy. For the One in whose name we pray and whose life was intended to be an example for ours, Jesus Christ, worshipped and prayed in local synagogues and also went to the poor and hopeless... He touched them, He fed them, He held them, He walked with them, knew their names, and dined with them. He loved them close up, not just from far away."
How true - the same people sitting inside the church should be the people who sit outside with the blind, the poor, the unfragrant, the unsightly, the ill, and in my heart, most of all - the little ones who just want someone to hold their hand and love them - the orphans. Being with Robin and Joyce made me think of what we were doing to help - what could we contribute?
At work today, I overheard a conversation between our lead pastor and a few people in the hallway next to my cubical. He said, "...you know, being in the center of God's will is not the safest place to be... but it's the right place to be." It really struck me - he's absolutely right - Jesus didn't call us to play it safe, did He? And that is what amazes me about Robin and Joyce and Lyn and Alan and all the people who have put their worldly successes aside - the places that were the most safe and most comfortable for them - they have put all that aside - the cars, the homes, the money, the corporate titles - they put these things aside for the sake of glorifying the Lord.
As we sat and talked and listened to them, you can feel how much they care about these little ones. It's amazing to hear the stories of how God has protected and lead them, and it was a great time of encouragement for us. Witnessing their faith and commitment to the Lord was amazing and although the word is almost cliche because it's been used so much... these people are truly, without a doubt, absolutely inspiring.
After dinner with Robin and Joyce, we headed back to the apartment and began to settle in for the night. We unpacked a bit more, then decided to turn it in and wake up early to do the rest.
Once we were up, we sat and watched our first sunrise in China, just me and Mike (Sarah was still sawing logs)... and even in the 10 degree weather (or at least, to us, it felt that cold) it was one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen. No telephone poles, no electric lines, no tall homes or buildings... just the sunshine and the mist weaving their way though the trees and onto the open fields.
We unpacked and repacked the rest of our luggage, ate some breakfast, and got ready for a day of traveling ahead. We were to fly to Zhengzhou in the late morning, but before we left, we wanted to spend more time with the children, the Ayis and with Joyce and Robin.
We ventured downstairs to one of the playrooms to visit with the children and Ayis one last time and they all gathered around Sarah again. They were amazed at how much she had grown and we gestured back and forth through sign language to communicate. It was actually a lot of fun and regardless of our verbal differences, we were all on the same wave length - happy to be in that moment with all the children playing around us.
As I looked down, a little boy about 7 months old had parked himself almost directly on my feet and was looking up at me. I reached down and gently "booped" him in the checks and I saw a smile flash across his little clefted lips. I did this two or three more times until he spotted Mike... then he didn't want anything to do with me... no way lady! All he wanted was that weird looking guy with the wiry stuff on his chin!
So Mike picked him up off the floor and stroked the back of his fuzzy head, his little eyes just rolled like he was ready to fall asleep - he was so enjoying being touched. After several minutes of playing with him, we knew we had to leave, so Mike tried to put him back down. Bad idea. The baby had decided that he wanted to keep Mike - maybe as a pet (he liked his goatee) and had balled his little fists up tight in Mike's shirt. Poor little guy - they literally had to pry him away and at that moment, as I looked at Mike, I understood how much he would have loved to have taken him home too. Later Mike told me the baby had smiled at him the entire time he held him and seeing how much he just wanted to be held made his heart ache to the point of tears.
After the Ayis took the baby from Mike, we decided to visit with Joyce a little more. Robin had some pressing things to take care of, so we spent another hour or so with Joyce - listening to her wonderful stories of hope. Joyce is a warm and bright lady with a heart full of compassion, humor, and love and we were completely transfixed and deeply moved by some of the things she told us.
There had been a baby left outside their gate not too long ago. A little girl, only months old, was carefully wrapped in blankets with formula tucked in tight next to her cold little body, however, she was so emaciated and in such poor health that they didn't think she would make it through the night. She then handed me a photo of the baby. I have never seen a child so past being malnutritioned - she had a thin layer of skin that covered her delicate but grossly protruding little bones - past that, there was nothing but the grim look of death.
Joyce mentioned that although she looked the way she did, it was obvious (because there was formula with her) she had been loved and imagined her mother/parents probably tried to do everything they could for her before finally giving her up as a last resort to save her life. And so, it was a desperate act of love to place her there, alone that day, next to the gates of Hope Foster Home, where they knew she would be given the best chance at life. Only a few months later, this little girl, once so near dying, is now a normal, joyful, (and very chubby) infant. She is a baby scores of hundreds would love to adopt. Turns out she had a blocked intestine - which is very easily cured... all it took was someone who was willing to fight for her.
As we left Hope Foster Home that day, our short, less than 24-hour visit with them had made a huge impact on our hearts. We flew to Zhengzhou that afternoon, leaving behind people we now consider part of our family. I cannot say enough how awesome it was to see that place and to be among that company and in many ways, I believe it is some small measure of what God must be like. We felt His presence there and it wasn't difficult to see His glory and compassion shining through all those beautiful little smiling faces.
How great God is,
How much He sees,
How tenderly He cares for His little ones.
For true beauty is not revealed,
But is made perfect through His Son.
"True beauty has nothing to do with skin... but absolutely everything to do with His heart."
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2 comments:
Hi Kim! I found your blog by an coincidence and recognized Chen Chen! I was a medical volunteer nurse at HFH special care unit in Henan and took care of Chen Chen for some time when she was about 6 months old. It is wonderful to see her so healthy and beautiful! I'll never forget her smile! If you are interested, I have som pictures from that time I can give you, feel free to email me at martaos2000@yahoo.se
Marta
What a beautiful testament to 2 amazing people that I hope I one day meet on my second trip to China. I am sad I won't have the opportunity to thank them for all they are doing and have done for the daughter I just submitted my LOI for :O) I wish I didn't have to post this anonymously (PA will hopefully be here next week!)- I promise to come back and comment again with full identity so that you can see the beautiful face of my little girl. Maybe you met her when you were there. She's pretty unmistakable.
Your daughter is a gem and I'm so glad I found your website :O)
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