The Beautiful Babies of Morningstar Healing Home

In the last few weeks I’ve been spending lots of time praying about and considering what God wants me to do with what I have learned. I was reading a booklet about orphan care ministry called “Building a Bridge of Hope” and it was discussing what James 1:27 means when it says “pure and undefiled religion that God our Father accepts is to visit the orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unspotted by the world”. The booklet says “there is a reason God asks us to visit the orphans. For, in the visiting, they become real to us – we get to know them as the children that they are. And in this fresh encounter, our hearts are moved as they never were before”. As you watch this short presentation, please see these children as they are, as God has created them fearfully and wonderfully in His image.

Memories of the Children

I can't believe that it's been almost a month since we arrived home from China. Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about my time there, and longed to see those precious little babies again. I really did not think that this would have such an impact on me.
Photographs are really amazing at connecting with past memories. I would not want to be without photos, and can't imagine how difficult memories must be without them. Faces fade with time, but I don't want to forget these special little faces!
One of my friends and fellow volunteers recently posted a photo she had taken of little Daniel chewing a stick. I was immediately transported back to that park, and could see his dirty little hand clutching that stick! I could feel the warmth of his skin as I pushed his hand away from his mouth, firmly telling him no, at least half a dozen times!
I can hear the funny "calls" between Luke and Emily, like two little birds chirping back and forth to each other,  signaling that it was "cookie time".
I can feel Corrie so gently pulling the elastic from my pony tail so she could freely run her fingers through my hair.
I can feel Josiah climb into my lap, and then plant a soggy kiss on my cheek!
I can hear little Adam breathing heavily as he lay sleeping in the bassinet beside my bed.
I can see Hope's serious little face as she studies me from across the room.
I can feel the laughter bubbling up inside of me as I watch Joy roll across the floor singing her own little song.
And then there was the day that Jenny added Corrie's bowl of peanut butter pudding to the soup she was making for the babies, because she thought it looked good!! Though I did not taste that carrot, pudding peanut butter soup, I sure did laugh heartily!
Then coming home and hearing that Daniel and Emily's files had just been sent to an adoption agency in the US, was cause for rejoicing.
But nothing topped the news that when Luke received an ultrasound due to a mass Lynsay found in his abdomen, the Doctor discovered that the mass was actually a spleen, and up until that point Luke had never had one!! Another miracle for Luke!
I am so thankful for these memories!

The cookie munchers!

Me with cuddly Josiah!

Three little princesses, Corrie, Joy and Hope

My two "roomies" Daniel and Adam, happy to have their Aiyi back!

Something Funny

After arriving home from China, exhausted and jetlagged, I carried all my laundry downstairs and began to throw things into the washing machine. I was being rather careless, tossing in sweaters that probably should have been hand washed etc, not caring too much due to my weariness. Hannah had followed me down, as she was sticking pretty close to me after having gone almost 3 weeks without me around. She is a funny little soul, and often comes out with profound things. As I tossed a piece of clothing into the washing machine (a handmade red silk vest I had acquired in China) she promptly stated "I wouldn't recommend putting that in there!" I stopped for a minute, then decided I should take her advice. Thankfully I did, as the red colour bleeds terribly, and I probably would have ruined many pieces of clothing in my haste, including the vest.
Thank goodness Hannah's brain was working in the absense of mine!

Family Day

Today is Family Day! The kids are happy they don't have to go to school (some are still sleeping at 10:15am!!), and Glen is home from work. I arrived home a week ago today, so it's nice to have an extra day thrown in that we can just be together as a family. We got the extra snow last night to cover the bare patches of ground, so it looks like tobogganing might be in today!
So today I am thinking about families.... families with many children, families with no children, and those of us in between. If every family could add one more child through adoption a remarkable change would take place in this world. I know it's not that simple, and in many cases, impossible. Too many governments won't participate, there are always reasons, restrictions, and through all of this, children remain without families. But what concerns me even more is our apathy. And I know that so many things can stand in our way, but only because we let them. While I was in China I kept thinking, I could manage one more child, maybe two more......maybe not. I'm too busy, entering a new stage in life, financially restricted, no more room in my house, Udhay's adoption isn't even finalized yet.... I don't want to go through all that again!!!!!  I know that I hold on to some things too tightly, and I can lack a view of eternity in my day to day living. I can tend to think "why don't you do it, I've already done my share......", but none of these attitudes are right. My family is not what or who I make it out to be, it's what and who God makes it. The more I let go of myself and begin to trust God, the more I will see beautiful things happen.
Who is a part of your family on this Family Day?

Home

We're home. We arrived home on Monday evening, tired and not too sure what to do with everything we experienced in China. Now I sit here sipping a cup of vanilla coffee, with my fuzzy puppy curled up on my lap, and I wonder, where is home, really. For the first time in my life I travelled away from "my home" and felt strangely at home in China. This has never happened to me before, as I tend to be a home body, and whenever i go away, I think about home and long to be there. China was not like that for me this time, I wanted to be there, and not once, save for missing my husband and children, did I long to go home. And now that I am home, I'm not to sure I want to be here. Now please don't get me wrong, I am so happy to be back with my family, but I wonder if this trip did not change my perspective on how I view what I have, and what's really important.
I spent a lot of time in China observing the directors of Morningstar, a young family from the US, who have lived in China about 5 years. Becoming part of a foreign culture is not easy, raising children far from any kind of family, sometimes feeling unsupported and  misunderstood, not only by the culture they are living in, but by friends and family on the other side of the ocean. Not things to envy, for sure. But I observed a faith, far beyond anything I have ever known, a strength that can only come from God, a grasp of language and an understanding of how to drive in chaos that I just cannot comprehend. They have made China their home, and they love that country. Yet deep inside their hearts, they miss America, their loved ones, the freedom they can enjoy there, the vastness of inexpensive ice cream, amongst other things. I don't know if I could ever make the sacrifices they have made, and yet their lives are so much richer because of their sacrifices. To see the beautiful children whose lives have been changed because of their commitment and love is just unbelievable.
I know that wherever we are on this earth, we just need to be where God has called us to be. I think this trip has given me a greater understanding of what really is important, of the need to pray for those who are battling on the front lines, of the vast number of children on this planet who have no families at all to love them, no place to call home, and very little hope for a promising future. Of very small sacrifices I can make today, that could have a huge impact on the future of another person. Of knowing that my home is not here, and I can never find true comfort in what I have, or where I live, because my real home is in heaven, and everything that I do, every person who I can impact, is not for me, but for my God, and for eternity. "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ," Philippians 3:20.

This is part of the memorial wall on the roof of Maria's Big House of Hope. These children have found their true hope, healing and home in the presence of Jesus Christ their Saviour.

Where is the Hope?

Little children, made beautifully in the sight of God, yet rejected and left to die because they require more than this society can give them. If left to the state run orphanage, many would already be dead. This place offers healing, and hope, but only for today. For many of these children the future remains unclear, and uncertain, and even destined for hopelessness. Today they are here, being fed, clothed, bathed,  cared for, yet tomorrow they could be sent back to their prisons, the institution which in the past, had already given up hope on them. A chosen few will find homes, the rest……….

This morning Kim was reading the following scripture passage: Leviticus 21:16 – 24 says “ The LORD said to Moses “Say to Aaron  “for the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; no man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the offerings made to the LORD by fire. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the LORD who makes them holy.”

So what about these children, they are the lame, blind, disfigured. They are the helpless, the rejected, the dying, the unclean.

When Jesus came, he gathered the children to his arms “let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” Luke 18:16.  He healed the withered hand, gave sight to the blind, strengthened the legs of the lame and made them run, cleansed the unclean, delivered the demon possessed. He purifies the hearts of the sinner, making us all clean, allowing us all to enter into his presence and fellowship with him.

So what do we do with these children? It seems overwhelming and out of our control. We stand in the gap for them, bringing them into the presence of Jesus for the help and healing they need. We touch them, hold them, love them while we can. We don’t forget their faces once we go home, and trust that God will care for them. We pray for the family of God to take a stand for justice for the helpless, to provide families, and long term healing for them. We ask God for a miracle for each child, simply because He loves them, and He can do it: He has power over all earthly authorities, He can do anything.

He knows their names

He knows their anxious thoughts

He sees each tear that Falls

And hears them when they call.

We Made it to Maria's Big House of Hope in Luoyang, China

Saying goodbye this morning was painful and tearful, but it had to be done. It was easy to fall in love with these children, but hard knowing that it was for such a short time. Kim and I wondered if it was fair to the kids at all to spend time bonding with them just to leave them again. All we can hope is that the little bit of love we could give them might just make their lives better, even for that short time. We will miss them!

We are now at Maria's Big House of Hope and have been spending some time with the staff and a few volunteers who are here right now.  They are all very dedicated to the work that is happening here in Luoyang. It is certainly different than Morningstar, with far more children, and many who have serious long term issues. It was difficult to walk around and see the kids, there are about 130 here right now. The nanny to child ratio is 1 to 3, which is really good, especially seeing that a state run home could be 1 to 10 or more, in some cases. It is not an easy work though, and to be honest, it is difficult to be here. I had a hard time keeping it together, especially as we visited some of the rooms with several older kids, (up to close to 5 years old) who couldn't walk and just dragged themselves across the floor to greet us.....

We'll see what tomorrow brings. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Our last Day at Morningstar

Today was a difficult day emotionally for us, and physically tough on the kids. Many of them still have fevers and bad coughs, one little guy was even put on oxygen. The last two kids who weren't sick also came down with fevers today. One, Adam, already has serious lung issues, so really needs prayer. We spent some time at the baby's house tonight praying and crying. It will be hard to say goodbye tomorrow morning. The children have been quarantined in their rooms to help stop the spread of further infections, but this will be difficult for them and their nannies. Hopefully they will start to feel better tomorrow and things can get back to normal soon.
Bill and Lynsay have been awesome hosts and we have learned so much from them over these last two weeks. Their heart for these precious children is just amazing, and they have told us story after story how God has provided and answered prayers. We have made some wonderful new friends who we will miss tremendously.
Tomorrow morning we head off to Luoyang to visit Maria's Big House of Hope until Monday. We are looking forward to seeing their work there, but will certainly find it hard to leave this place.

We're Exhausted! Please Pray!

Hi everyone! We lived through another shift at the babies house last night, and

some very high fevers, Kim and i each look after two babies and sleep in their

rooms, and we each had a baby with a fever of 40 C. Quite scary. Thankfully

Lynsay came over at midnight (she is a nurse) and helped us get them on

medication, and stayed until their fevers started to break. It was a long night,

but the Lord is certainly sustaining us, and filling us with joy even through

the difficult times. They are all feeling better this morning, and we are not

sick either, which we are thankful for. The full shift of nannies comes back tomorrow, so we do not need to do any more nights at the baby house. The next few days will be filled with painting and cleaning, which we don't mind!!

On Sunday we went to the Great Wall and had a wonderful time. The weather was

beautiful! We took the Gondola up and the toboggan down. Kim took a great

picture of herself tobogganing down the mountain!
Enjoy the pictures!

"Hope" and "Joy"

It’s hard to believe that we have been in China for 9 days already. Time has just flown by! The fireworks are still booming outside while the babies cry inside!! Kim and I along with the other 4 volunteers started working Wednesday evening and cared for the babies until one shift of the nannies came back tonight at 5pm. The nannies work 24 hour shifts, so we are tired after working 72 hours. The babies don’t really sleep well either, so we are ready for a break tonight! Kim and I are staying in the babies’ home anyway, so we hear them all night regardless. We will be back on shift every other day now until the full staff comes back next Wednesday evening. On our off days we will be helping with some maintenance around the house.  It has been an incredible privilege to spend time with these beautiful children, we already have fallen in love with them all, even the naughty ones.

All the children here have special needs. Three have had very serious heart defects and have already had open heart surgery. One little guy was so malnourished when he came to Morningstar that they thought he would die, two others have serious developmental delays, while one little guy doesn’t seem to have much wrong with him other than having a colostomy. I have learned much about colostomies, have watched them be changed, and have even emptied one myself. I can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t want to adopt this beautiful little guy, as I have realized that his issues are so very minor in the grand scheme of things. One of the little babies has serious lung issues which really remain undiagnosed. His cry sounds somewhat like a growl, as he is not able to take deep breaths. I am praying daily for healing for each of these children, and for families, a being in a loving family is really a major step in healing for all of them.

Hope

Joy

As I have held and played with and prayed for each precious child, I can clearly see God’s special plan for creating children like these. How can we not open our hearts to these sick, dying and lonely little children, for when we do we are opening our heart to Jesus Christ himself? 

Celebrating Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Years eve was like nothing I have ever experienced before! The fireworks have been going off every night, but last night at midnight it was crazy!! I popped out of bed to video tape some of it, it was absolutely frightening! They went on until 1pm non stop, then continued on and off throughout the night. Needless to say we have some grumpy babies today! These kids are adorable though, even when they are grumpy!

We did make the traditional dumplings and ate them after the babies were in bed, that was delicious!

This was certainly an experience I won't forget any time soon!

Monday with the babies

It was a beautiful day in Beijing today! Our morning was spent organizing supplies at the baby home, and we spent lots of time outside, and at the park with the babies in the afternoon. Tonight is our first night here without the nannies, and hopefully the night will go smoothly! One of the shifts of nannies comes back for tomorrow night, then they are gone until Saturday to celebrate with their families. The fireworks and firecrackers have been starting, so noisy and exciting. We are also enjoying getting to know the other 4 volunteer ladies who have come from Oregon. It was a good day!!

Beautiful babies

I hardly have words to desctibe how beautiful these kids are. And they need moms and dads, all of them. Oh they are loved, and well adjusted, and happy, but nothing can replace belonging to a family.
I lay awake in bed last night listening to a little one cry. I know that someone was up with the baby because I could hear her moving around. But i couldn't help thinking about how much this little one needed mama, and not just auntie.

Kim and Daniel

Little Daniel just cuddled right into me this morning, it made me cry. These children have already stolen my heart...... Angie

we arrived!

Well I certainly had butterflies from the moment I woke this morning. It’s really something when the day you have anticipated for several months actually arrives. I got my last minute things packed, grabbed some McDonald’s with the kids and headed out the door. Over the past two weeks I have been shopping, packing, gathering donations, cooking meals for the freezer, connecting with friends and family one last time before this trip. It’s been a little stressful, but mostly fun.

Kim had called earlier in the morning to tell me that her ticket had been upgraded to first class, and she was working on mine as well.  How exciting, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up, at least Kim was willing to share her seat with me for part of the flight.

Saying good bye to the kids and Glen at the airport was hard, but not as bad as I thought seeing that none of the kids cried. That helped me keep it together! Just the anticipation of leaving my family for 18 days has already made me appreciate them all more. I have never been away from them this long before, and Hannah and Udhay have never been without me for longer than 2 days, so it could be challenging, we’ll see.

Kim was able to obtain passes to the Maple Leaf lounge, so we had some time before boarding to relax in style. It was nice to sit in a comfortable chair and munch on some goodies while waiting. But we really just wanted to get to the gate to check on the status of my seat. As we got to our gate and checked with the agent there, we told her that my seat had been flagged for a possible upgrade. She immediately handed me my new boarding pass saying, ‘yes, that’s already done”.  We were so excited we started giggling like two little school girls!!! This feels like a huge gift, and a giant blessing from God!!!

Getting on the plane was fun, and settling into our “pods” or suites, as they call it! It will be hard to go  back to economy after flying in such style. We have about 13 hours on the plane, then we land in Beijing, ready to go. We are convinced that after starting our trip in such an amazing way, it is bound to be one of the greatest adventures of our lives...........

We arrived safely, at the same time as the other 4 volunteers from the US. It was great to meet Lynsay, our missionary host, who took us back to her place for spaghetti. Kim and I are staying at the baby's house, while the other volunteers are staying with Bill and Lynsay. The babies are so adorable, I can't wait to post pictures.

Well, time for bed.  Kim will add some personal thoughts tomorrow after a good nights sleep!

Our Itinerary

Hi Everyone
I thought I would post our itinerary so you can follow us on our journey.
Thursday January 27th we leave Pearson Airport at 2:30pm and arrive in Beijing on the 28th at 4:50pm
On the 12th of Feb. we are flying from Beijing to Luoyang to visit Maria's Big House of Hope
On the 14th of Feb we catch a flight back to Beijing at 10:10am. We are scheduled to leave Beijing at 6:45pm on the 14th and we'll arrive back in Toronto at 6:35pm, the same day!

The excitement is building!!!

Two weeks away

Can't believe that we leave for China in two weeks.....still so much to do!

Kim and Rob Miller

Angie Dempster



Thanks to everyone to has had the opportunity to support our trip to China on January 27th, with the Sushi Fundraiser (photos above), by donations or just by being interested!!  Kim and I are so excited to follow God's call to serve in China for these two and a half weeks at Morningstar Family home. Please pray for us!
You can check out the home we will be working at http://www.morningstarproject.org/
We are also very excited to be able to travel to Henan province the last weekend we are there to visit Maria's Big House of Hope http://www.showhope.org/OrphanCare/MariasBigHouseofHope.aspx which you should be able to see by clicking on that link. Both Kim and I have been very interested and inspired by the work of Show Hope in China.
I hope to be able to keep this blog current so you can follow us in our journey, and be current on any prayer needs that we may have.
Blessings!!!