National Adoption Month

Hey everybody! Sorry I never posted anymore about my trip. It took a while to process everything and it was hard for me to write about my experience. I fell in love with the children at Maria's Big House of Hope so whenever I thought of them I kind of turned into a blubbering mess. 

So November is National Adoption Month so I thought it was about time I wrote a post! 

First thing I want to share is how incredibly life changing the trip was. My sister was adopted from China so obviously I know about all of the statistics but it doesn't seem to hit you until you have met them. All of the kids at Maria's have special needs of some sort so I tried to prepare myself by reading an amazing book called Saving Levi. I remember thinking "Am I going to cry as soon as I meet these kids because of their life". As soon as I walked into the first room I saw happy kids who were excited at the idea of making some new friends. I was blown away at how amazing these kids are! Coming from a place where kids want all the latest toys and gadgets to a place where just a smile or holding their hand makes their face light up. I was suddenly very thankful for the life I have. Within a few days I had one of those special God moments where I instantly knew I would probably come back. 

Now I want to tell you about the global need.
Causes of orphans: Disease, AIDS, Famine, Malnutrition, Substance abuse, Conflict, Poverty, Abuse, Neglect, Population control, Cultural traditions. 

Statistics: 
Total estimated number of orphans who have lost one or both parents: 153 million
Every 18 seconds a child becomes an orphan without a mother or father.
An estimated 16.6 million children have lost one or both parent due to AIDS.
An estimated 95% of orphans are over the age of 5 years old. 

What does it mean to be an orphan?
These children are often subject to : Economic hardships, Lack of love, Withdrawal from school, Psychological distress, Loss of inheritance, Abuse, Risk of HIV, Malnutrition and illness, and discrimination. 

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" ~ John 14:18

Until we understand the the fullness of brokenness experienced by an orphan and embrace the relational brokenness we experience as orphans, our efforts to care for orphans will result in greater brokenness in our lives and the lives of the children we seek to help. 

holding hands with the sweetest child ever

The group

Some pictures

 Ready for our 12 hr flight! We are all running on 2 hrs of sleep and we have been traveling all day.

 First meal on a plane.

 Chinese Coca-Cola!

Our hotel.

Day One/Two - Traveling Day

I got about 2 hours of sleep before I had to get up and get ready to leave for the airport. I was feeling pretty nervous. It was my first time flying on my own and making a connecting flight. So when I got to the airport I realized my cat sprayed all over my carry-on. At this point security was opening and I started to freak out that I would miss my flight because my mom had to go to the gift shop and buy me a new bag. The flight to Erie from Philly was pretty rough but luckily the woman I sat next to talked to me and I was able to tell her about my trip. 

When I got to Philly it was pretty confusing I didn't realize I had to take a shuttle between terminals and I didn't have much time for anything before I was boarding my next flight to San Fran. The 6 hour flight was not fun. I was so board and just wanted to be with my group. Finally I landed in San Fran and I was so excited. I got my bags and headed to the international terminal to meet my group. I rechecked my bags and finally got something to eat which I was actually so excited I couldn't even eat that much. Once we were all together we played some games to get to know each other better which were fun. Finally the time came for us to board the plane and obviously we were all excited! 

I was able to sleep a bit on the plane which was good because I was running on 2 hours of sleep. Finally after 12 hours on a plane (which wasn't that bad) we were about to land in Beijing. It was so cool thinking about the fact that my parents had been in the same airport once on their way to meet my sister. We then got on the bus to go to our hotel which was beautiful. After cleaning up we met for dinner which was pizza (I was pretty happy lol). I went to my room and had to remind myself I couldn't use the water there. So having to use a bottle of water to brush my teeth was different. 

I know you guys could probably care less about my traveling but I wanted to share the journey with you guys. Also traveling by myself was huge! I am not adventurous and I was TERRIFIED of traveling on my own but God is amazing and I made it safely without any major problems. I definitely learned to trust God!

So sorry!

Hey everybody! I got back from China yesterday. Jetlag is kicking my butt! So sorry I couldn't post while in China I wasn't aware that Google was blocked there. I wrote in my journal while in China so I will work on it all soon. Plus I am working on a video for youtube that will have my pictures! So please be patient as I try to do all this and work on getting over jetlag. They say it takes a day for every hour difference to fully recover so I am looking at 12.

And we are almost off!!!!

Hey everybody quick update. Less than 4 hours till I have to start getting ready to leave for the airport and obviously I am VERY excited so falling asleep sounds hard. lol I think I might just go lay down in bed and see if I can sleep for a little bit. I am packed and ready to go! It was so difficult I am a bit of an over packer so I really had to be careful due to weight limits. I have some medical supplies in my own suitcase plus some stuff for the preschool class and snacks so that's all adding to the weight so coming home it shouldn't be to bad. I know this post is kind of lame but I obviously have a lot on my mind.
So my flight leaves at 5:19 please say a prayer that everything goes smoothly! Alright I should go lay down so I am not that crazy sleep deprived freak.

3 weeks till China!

    Hey everybody! How crazy is it that in just 3 weeks I will leave for China?!?! I have been pretty busy finishing my fundraisers and trying to save money for souvenirs and any emergencies. I've also been working on my trip devotionals which are harder than I thought. It's mostly finding the time to work on them in peace because I watch my sister all day while our parents are at work and she's the type of kid that needs constant supervision. 
     My flight schedule is not pretty! I leave Erie at 5:19 am arrive at Philly around 7 leave for San Fransisco 40 min later and get there at 10:42. What a doozy and I have to do that pretty much all by myself. It is a good thing I fly out of Erie because it is small and security will not be a nightmare. I am looking into carry ons right now and the one I want is zebra print!!! It is perfect for me because I LOVE zebra print. lol 
    So I will be in SFO till around 3 and when I come back (HERE IS THE BIG DOOZY) around noonish my flight to philly won't leave until 10 pm so if you have ever been to SFO please tell me what I can do to kill time! I see they have showers which I will probably need after the long flight from Beijing and a spa which would be amazing after I get back. So yeah if you have any travel tips please write them down in the comments! 

Sorry as I read this I feel like my mind is all over place. lol But that is what's going on now.

Five months till China!

Hello Family, Friends and fellow bloggers! Here I will be telling you how I am doing before my trip, during, and after. Here is a little bit of info about my trip!

I am going with Show Hope to help at Maria's Big House of Hope. I will be going to China August 2-11, 2013. I will be in Beijing for a couple of days then I will fly with my group to Luoyang where MBHOH is located. I will help with group projects to help keep the building looking nice, Help with the kindergarten class, and help the nannies. I will also be taking a course to become an orphan advocate (hence the name). I feel so incredibly blessed that I was chosen to go on this trip. My family received a grant from Show Hope to help bring my sister home from China. 

Maria's Big House of Hope is a care center that cares for some of the neediest children in the area. They have rooms to perform some much needed surgeries. I'm excited to love on all of the precious children there and have the opportunity to experience a new culture. I hope you enjoy following my journey to China!