I'm Home

Well I made it home, safe and sound. The flight was good and went pretty quickly. I was so happy to get to San Francisco and see Chad. He was there with roses in hand for me, what a great husband I have! As expected I crashed within the hour of me getting home. I have been doing a lot of sleeping and I am sure that will continue for the next few days. Luckily I have a good 7 weeks to recover before I go back to work.
Saying goodbye to my teammates was really hard. We became pretty close during our 11 day trip. They are all very special people that will always be important to me. I came home from the airport to realize that today (Sunday) would be filled with MORE goodbyes. As some of you know our church has been preparing for a pastoral change. Two years ago our church, Los Gatos Christian Church, merged with South Valley Christian Church to become Venture Christian Church. Both senior pastors stayed on board for two years until a new senior pastor could be found. Well Chip Ingram will now be our senior pastor effective this Wednesday. Today was the last day for Pastor Galen and Pastor Dave. Both have played a big part in my walk with Jesus. Pastor Dave was the first pastor I came to know after I was saved at South Valley. Pastor Galen was there to greet us with open arms as we changed churches two and a half years ago. Both of these men are amazing examples of Christ and their sermons have helped me grow spiritually. We said goodbye to them today and we had a great service celebrating their many years of work in the church. It was hard because I am very excited to see was Chip will do in our church, but I will miss both of our former pastors very much. Pastor Dave will stay in San Jose but Pastor Galen will move to Colorado. I was very excited to hear that Galen's heart is find a ministry that worked with helping the hurting. This includes the widowed, the handicapped, and the orphaned! When I said goodbye to him I said I know exactly where your heart is because that is where my heart is also. I can't wait to hear what God does with him and his wife. Perhaps God will use me in a similar way. I would love that!
I miss China very much. A part of my heart was left there and I know that part will always stay there. I can't wait to go back!!! Anyone on board to go back with me?!
Thank you for praying for my safe return. I love you all very much!
Vanessa





This is one of my new shirts that I bought at the orphanage. On the front it says I Served in a Five Star Country and on the back it has James 1:27 in Chinese. I wore it home. At the Beijing airport a woman was reading it. She asked "are you Christian?" I said "yes I am." Under her breath she murmured "me too" while pointing to herself and nodding yes. She then showed her young son to show him that we were Christians just like her and her family. This was such a great example of how there are people who love the Lord in China but they have to keep it a secret. How blessed we are to live in a country where we can worship the Lord without fear of persecution.

Time to Leave

Well the my last night in China has arrived. This post might be a little vague as it is almost 1am and I am getting up around 6 to say goodbye to Natalie and her kids. Our last full day in China was jammed packed with activities. We visited the Summer palace, a pearl store, the Forbidden City, had a peeking duck dinner,and went to a Chinese flying acrobatic show. We ran out of time to go to Taniman Square. I was a little disappointed about that because it is something you see so often on TV and in history books. Oh well, something to do next time. The Forbidden city was amazing. It was HUGE! The detail on the buildings was stunning.Apparently it took 14 years to build and was made out of the finest materials. Let's just say the Emperor sure did have a cool crib! The Chinese acrobatic show was awesome too. They made this show for the Beijing Olympics last year. It reminded me a lot of Cirque du Soleil. It was a great way to end the trip. And yes we did have duck for dinner. How did I feel about it you ask, well lets just say i would have been better off had I not known what it was. lol, it was cool to try something different though. After we returned from our busy day a bunch of us got massages in our room. It was the best massage I have ever had and it only cost me $23 including tip! I couldn't pass it up, where in the U.S. can you get an hour massage for $23?! I rest my case!
I had a great time today despite being extremely tired. I spent a lot of time thinking about the orphanage though. I miss the kids. I miss their smiles, their laughs, and their hugs. Tonight we had a closing team meeting. We were warned that we might have a hard time going home because people at home have not been through what we have been through in the last 10 days. While I can not wait to see my husband, I am a little nervous to go home. On top of being exhausted, I know that life will be there to greet me when I get home. We were encouraged to email our teammates and ask for prayer from them if we find that we are having a hard time when we get home. I hope that after a few days of sleep, prayer, and time with Chad that I will be ready to go onto what God has planned for me next. Natalie also had us write a letter to ourselves or to God that she will mail to us in the next 6-9 months. The point was to paint a picture of what we have seen and experienced during our time here. She says that after we get back to real life it can be easy to forget what we saw here and the letter will help remind us of what we did and saw during our time at the orphanage. That should be a neat thing to read. I wrote a letter to God and while I asked him a lot of questions. I told him I would always trust him even if I didn't understand. I can't wait to see what He has planned next for me and my heart for orphans! God is so good!
Please pray for me and I return home and get back to real life. I do get into San Francisco at 8:40 am Saturday morning but I am not guaranteeing that I will be up to talking on that day. I am very tired and just need some time to sleep, pray, think, and be with my husband. I have missed him so much and I can't wait to see him again.
I hope this entry didn't sound to melancholy, it's just hard to say goodbye to people I have grown quite close to. I have had a great time here in China and I am so thankful for this joyful life changing experience. I am going to continue to blog about China for awhile as I have many more stories and thoughts that I want to share with you. Thanks for reading my blog while I have been away, I hope you were blessed by it. I know so many of you are praying for me and for that I thank you. You are all in my heart. I better get to bed now!
See you soon!
Vanessa


The Summer Palace, Dragon Lady lived here


The Forbidden City


Duck anyone?!


Chinese acrobatic show

Goodbyes and Teary Eyes

Well today was the day. It was time to say goodbye to the kids at the orphanage. We spent the morning handing out party bags from yesterdays birthday theme. I was very sad to say goodbye to my Jacob-Jai. After that I spent a few moments holding a few of the babies including the new baby that arrived yesterday. I was sad and teary eyed through most of it, but the worst was yet to come. Stacy had become quite close to us and you could tell she really enjoyed the time she got to spend with us. She was at the inn to say her goodbyes and she started to cry. I completely lost it. We were all hugging her and crying. We told her how much she meant to us and that we would keep in touch but that isn't the same as having us there. She stayed the whole time we were leaving and waved as we were pulling out of the driveway. the worst was when our team leaders 7 year old daughter started wailing saying "I'm going to miss Stacy, I'm going to miss Stacy." UG so heartbreaking!!! I wish I knew how long Stacy stood there or how she felt after we left. What must that be like to have people come in and show you how special you are and then a few days later have them leave you. There is a very special couple staying there that want to take good care of Stacy and I know that they were there to help comfort her. I will have to tell you that story later, its pretty amazing.
We then got on the bus and went for another McDonald's meal. we were then on our way to check into our hotel. Our hotel is VERY nice. The beds are super hard but no biggie. We then went and did a tour of an old village which was neat. We even got to go into one of the houses and visit with the family. There house was very tiny but it worked. It made me think about how little you really need in order to survive. We then went to a tea house and learned the traditional way to prepare Chinese team. It was neat because they prepared five different kinds of tea for us and it was cool to learn how they prepare their tea. After tea we went and did some shopping at the Pearl Market. At first I was not too crazy about it because they are very aggressive with their "deal making". But after awhile I settled down and while I didn't get the best deals I got quite a bit of stuff for a fair amount of money. In facts I probably went a little overboard. I am going to have some explaining to do when I get home. We finished up the day with some good old Tex Mex again followed by Haagen Daaz for dessert. It was good to have different food today, my stomach wasn't as grumpy.
Tomorrow is my last full day here in China. I have had such a great time with this team. It is like I have been on a trip with people I have known for years. On Saturday will come more goodbyes and will probably include more tears. I can't believe what an amazing thing God has put together with this team. He knew every person that was going to be on this trip and He has made it so we work so well together. How am I going to say goodbye to people I have pretty much lived with for 10 days? But now I have friends spread out all over the United States and that is something very special. I remember how sad I was when I didn't get chosen for the other trip, but this was so much better. God is good and faithful all the time. he has shown me that He can plan things far better than I can ever plan for myself. I am ready to go home and see Chad and Milo. Apparently Milo is very upset int he morning as all she does is go MEOW MEOW MEOW. I told Chad she is wondering where I am.
Well I better get off so I can go spend some more time with my new friends. We are having girl time in me and Ana's room tonight! Should be some good times! I will be on tomorrow and tell you about my last day here in China :(
Hope all is well back home!
Vanessa


The Team in Front of PHF


Stacy Saying Goodbye


Riding Through China

Questions

Well I have officially been here for a week. Boy what a hot day it was. It had to be at least 100 degrees with a nice hot breeze. Exhaustion has started to set in and my body finally rejected the Chinese food I have been eating for the last week. But it was still a great day filled with lots of blessings.
A new baby was brought here today. We were out with the kids this morning when a van pulled up and out popped two women, one of whom was holding a baby. The baby is a boy and he is only 34 days old. His special need is that he has clubbed feet. We got to visit him and I even got to hold him for a bit. He was so small and he was very fussy. I looked at him as he cried and thought to myself, he should be with his mother. Couldn’t they think of some way to fix his feet so they could keep him? How do you leave your baby somewhere and just walk away?
A man and his wife who work here at PHF came and talked with us today about adoption and why there is such an orphan crisis here in China. We are all familiar with China’s one child policy due to their overpopulation. The problem is that there is no social security here in China. When people get old and can no longer work they have to rely on their one child to support them. Traditionally the son will provide best for his parents as a wife's duty is to provide for her husbands parents. If a couple has a girl they may feel as if their future is not secure. So they give the baby up in hopes that the next time around they will have a boy. Now another problem arises from this,. Woman do not go into get prenatal care because if they do have a baby that they later give up, whoever took care of their prenatal care will know that they already had one baby. They would then get in big trouble. With no prenatal care it is not known if there is a problem with the baby until it is born. Therefore when a baby is born and it has a special need, parents tend to abandon them as well because a child with a special need may not be able to work or provide for their family. That is why there are so many boys here with special needs, they are given up just as easily as healthy baby girls. What a mess! I must admit that I have asked myself why does God allow this to happen? Why would he put these beautiful children in a place that may have no future for them. I felt guilty for thinking this because I know we serve a loving and faithful God. The man told us today that he was sure everyone has thought that at some point. That made me feel a little better.
But we did have a great day today. The theme was birthday party and boy did we go big! We had a huge five layer cake. The kids LOVED it! Some came back for thirds and fourths. Some had their faces full on in the cake. It was a great sight. Their smiles are priceless. They are so happy, so carefree. You just want to make sure they are all safe and well taken care of. I know this orphanage is very special and the nannies here love these children as if they were their very own. But what about their future? What if they never get adopted? Once a child reached the age of 14 in China they can no longer be adopted. What must that be like to realize you will never have that family you had hoped for all these years. I guess today was a day of questions for me. I do trust that God has a perfect plan in all of this. Maybe it is to test us to see if we really do what his word says.
We will leave PHF tomorrow at about 11 so we have a little time to say goodbye. Then we head back into Beijing for two days of sightseeing and shopping. This trip has just flown by and I can’t believe it is almost over. Well I should get back to my room so I can start packing up my stuff. Please pray for me as I prepare to leave these kids tomorrow. They have all touched my heart and have forever changed me for the better.
Thank you for your prayers.
Vanessa


THE CAKE!!

The Great Wall and Bird's Nest

We had another day off from the kids today. While I knew we had some fun things planned for the day it is sad to think of a day without the kids. I can not believe how fast this trip is going.
We went to the Great Wall today! What an amazing place! We took a tram up the mountain and then walked down about a mile on the wall. It was so cool to be on the Great Wall. All of these years I have seen pictures but I never thought I would actually be on it. The wall is connected by towers which you can go into. There is nothing in them but it is welcomed relief from the heat. On the way down we took an alpine slide. OH MY GOODNESS IT WAS SO COOL! You say in a toboggan like seat and you had a lever in from on you., When you pushed the lever forward the toboggan went fast, when you pulled it back it would break. It was so much fun. Everyone wanted to do it again. Plus it was nice to get off the mountain quick. We even had a movie star sighting. When I came out of one of the towers I saw a guy wearing a mask. I wasnt thinking much of it until a bit later a few of my teammates came running down saying that the guy with the mask on was Leonardo DiCaprio and Vin Diesel was with him! I was so bummed I didn't realize who they were! Does that still count as a movie star sighting?
After we got some lunch and then went into a shop where they made copper vases. It was cool to see but stuff was pretty expensive to buy. We then took off for the Ming tombs. Its basically a bunch of tombs of Emperors from the Ming dynasty. (I think that info is correct)Then we headed back into Beijing for dinner. We were pleasantly surprised to find out we would be dining by the Birds Nest and Water Cube from the Olympics and would be passing right by it. Let me tell you it was so cool to see in person. The birds nest looks much cooler than it looks on TV. I wish we could have gone inside. The water cube looks much bigger than it does on TV. We had dinner and then headed back to the orphanage. By the time we had returned our day had lasted for more than 12 hours, but boy what a day.
I am very sad to think that tomorrow is our last day with the kids. I feel like I haven't gotten my fill, like I could spends weeks more with them. I wish Chad was here to experience all of this with me. I keep thinking about what the next step will be. I don't really have definitive answers so I will just need to wait on the Lord until he tells me what comes next. I know with God I can do anything and I am not going to underestimate myself. I cant wait until God revels it to me.
Well I am dead tired from a full day of walking. I will be sure to share more tomorrow. I am realizing that I am going to have to continue my blog after I return home as there are many more stories and experiences I have yet to share on here! Isn't blogging an amazing thing!
Hope everything is going well back in the U.S.!
Vanessa








The Alpine Slide


The Birds Nest

What a Beautiful Day

We had a beautiful day here in China today. Clear sky's the whole day with no humidity! It was beautiful. Our leader Natalie has been here five times and has only seen blue sky on one of those trips before. Praise the Lord for beautiful weather.
we had another great day filled with games and art projects today. Tonight we are going for a dumpling dinner and then we are going to have a girls night with Stacy and Wendy. Remember Stacy is the one we gathered yarn for and Wendy is another orphan her age who is a paraplegic. They are going to dinner with us tonight and then we are going to do some special things for them. They are sweet girls. I hope they enjoy what we have planned for them.
Tomorrow we are going to the Great Wall and will be doing an alpine slide down the hill apparently. It sounds like a blast and I cannot wait! An alpine slide on the Great Wall! Who knew I would be saying that one day.
I am going to leave you with some of my favorite pictures so far. I hope you enjoy them. I miss you all back in the states but I know I will be seeing most of you very soon. I am having the time of my life here. How I thank God for giving me such an amazing experience!
Blessings!
Vanessa



T and me with the twins


Smile!


Me and my Jacob-Jai


Jacob-Jai and Kennedy


Eating the chalk!

A Day in the Dirt

We had no kiddos today. It had been decided that by today the kids and us would need a day off. So we took a day to go into Beijing.
We started the morning by going to church. Yes you heard that right, going to church. We went to the Beijing International Christian Fellowship Church. Now I am sure you are wondering how we got to go to church in a country that does not accept Christianity. Well the church can be attended by foreigners only. You have to have a passport to get in and cannot enter if you are a Chinese citizen. It was a neat experience to go to church with people from all over the world. Worship was really good and extra long followed by a good sermon. It was kind of sad to think that people who are Chinese citizens cannot come and worship God freely. We are truly blessed to live in a country that lets us worship God without fear of the law taking action.After church we went and got some food at a Tex-Mex restaurant. Lol, it was interesting but it was good to have something different.
After lunch we headed to the Dirt Market. It was crazy! There was no dirt but there were rows and rows of vendors selling goods. It was the biggest flea market I had ever been to. At first I was a little unsure of it, but then it got really cool. Now it is crazy cheap to buy stuff here, but you have to barter for it. I am not good at bartering but my roommate Emma is a pro at it! She would stand firm and got me a crazy good deal on a really neat souvenir for Chad. ( I can't tell you what it is because Chad might read this)! I also scored some pearl necklaces for $12.50 a pop and some table runners. We are still going to the Pearl market later this week so I do not think my shopping is quite done yet. China can get you into trouble, although things are so cheap its the time to do it! My roommate Ana bought all of the girls in our room matching bracelets. Our room has been dubbed the "college room". We have a lot of fun together and we are already dreading the moment we will have to say goodbye to each other. Apparently there are big plans for a reunion in 6 months. We wrapped up the day by going to McDonald's for dinner. Some good old American food. I have been eating so much junk food while I have been here. I am going to need a major detox when I get home.
It was fun to go out and about today, (we actually got some blue sky today which apparently doesn't happen very much here), but I really missed being with the children. We only have 2 more days to spend with the children which makes me so sad. I don't want to leave them. I would much rather spend more time with them than go sightseeing but the plans are to leave on Thursday. I have been really thinking about what my next step will be when I return to the U.S. as I do not feel my work with orphans is over after I return home. I think there are many possibilities that could come from this trip but I am really going to ask God what He wants me to do next. Last night I was doing my quiet time and God gave me Psalm 20:4-5. "May he give you the desire of your heart and make your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests." God has given me a desire and I know he has given me a desire for a reason. Perhaps it is as simple as me returning here year after year, or perhaps it is something bigger. Whatever it is I know that God will be there to help me with it all. We serve a loving God who wants our plans to succeed and not to fail. How good and faithful He is. Please pray for me and the direction that God wants me to take after I return from this trip. I do not think my work here in China is done yet.
Well tomorrow is another full day with the kids, and I cannot wait. I borrowed a card reader from one of my teammates and was able to upload pictures from my new digital SLR camera. They are amazing. I will try to share some but the internet here is a little slow. I assure you there will be a full slide show to share with you on Shutterfly when I return.
Hope all you Fathers have a great Fathers Day!
God Bless!
Vanessa


Church in China!


The Dirt Market


McDonalds for Dinner


college Dorm Life!!