Corrie and Ruth

Precious Corrie has lived at Morning Star Family Home for several years now. She came as a very sick baby with so many special needs. Corrie turns four next month. When we met Corrie last year, she was still not walking, but she sure is now,and she moves fast. Corrie is such a loving girl, and gives so many hugs. She is full of smiles. Fortunately Corrie is able to attend a special school some days to help her developmentally. This has been so good for her. Though Corrie's paperwork has not been done for adoption, but Lynsay knows that if she can find a family for her, that she could convince her orphanage to submit paperwork. But it's not easy to find a family for a child with multiple special needs, including developmental ones. Only God can do this, and He knows what Corrie needs. Please pray today for this special little girl, that she can one day soon have a family of her very own.

Ruth came to Morning Star just a few days before we arrived in China. Almost immediately she had to be submitted to the hospital because of heart failure. Unfortunately, because of the holiday, no one will operate on her until afterwards. So on Sunday afternoon Ruth came back to the home. She is a beautiful and delicate little girl. she is thought to be 2 months old, but after observing her for a while, she seems much more like a 4-5 month old. She is very tiny, and her heart is in very poor shape. But over the last few days she seems much happier, and spends a great deal of time smiling, cooing and observing her surroundings.

Geeta has been caring for these two beautiful girls, with help some nights from Lisa, seeing that Ruth needs to be fed every few hours. Geeta is enjoying them tremendously, even during those midnight and early morning feedings. What an amazing feeling it is to hold a tiny baby, especially one so sick, and feel that God Almighty has given such a huge blessing in that moment of holding. Life is precious!

Ruth:

 Corrie:

David and Hope

As each day goes by we are falling more in love with these eight little ones. As we get to know them, see their temperaments and personalities, it's easy to see how they are created in God's image. But it's hard, very hard, to see that they are without moms and dads... family. This is something I cannot get used to!

One special little girl is Hope, and she was here last year when Kim and I came to Morning Star. The good news about Hope is that she has a family who cannot wait to come and get her in march, just 2 more months. Hope is going to be coming to Canada - near Uxbridge, Ontario, actually. She is a precious little almost 2 year old munchkin, and I just love seeing the difference in her from a year ago. Last year Hope was VERY shy, reserved, and almost sad. She did not smile much. Hope has a serious heart defect, and had received surgery before we had met her the first time. THIS time Hope is full of smiles and giggles, and loves to give hugs, and body slams!! She is a very happy little girl. She is still quiet, but when her and Daniel get together, they are trouble makers!!! I am so glad Hope will be joining her forever family very soon. God is good!

Another sweet little guy is baby David. He is happy little 6 month hold, who also has a heart defect. He is missing his outer left ear, and lower left arm (his hand is attached just below his elbow.) He has the sweetest smile, and is very observant. When we hold him he looks right into our eyes.  Kim has been looking after David and Hope, and though neither of them have been sleeping that well (at least not at the same time) she is enjoying these little sweethearts, as we all are. I was telling Kim yesterday that i just could not survive on 4 hours of sleep (or less) at night at home, but here, it is possible. Most of us are filled with an enormous amount of energy, and we are thankful to God for that, and for all of your prayers. We are SO enjoying loving these babies on behalf of all of you - it is a precious gift!!!

Hope:

David: 

Xin Nian Kuai Le!!!!

It's the year of the Dragon, and it has begun with a huge blast of fireworks, like every new year here in China. It's 1:30am, and the fireworks have finally calmed down, (well maybe I spoke too soon!!) and so have the babies!!! This is the best time to write, so I thought I would start by telling you a bit about these wonderful children. I will start today by talking about the two little boys in my charge. Daniel and Steven.

Daniel is an energetic little guy of 2 1/2 years old. He is deaf, and also has a colostomy. I helped care for him last year, so since I became an "expert" at emptying colostomy bags then, I decided I would just keep it up again this time. Plus we get along so well!! He has changed a lot in a year, and is now RUNNING around and causing lots of havoc! He is very funny and mischievous, and very loving. Daniel has a family waiting for him, but the process can be long and complicated. We just hope and pray that he won't have to wait much longer for them, as it would be a tremendous benefit for him to be in some intense Sign Language classes, He is frustrated because of his difficulty communicating, though he does know a few signs. He also needs medical attention to his colostomy, as the Dr.s here do not understand what his problems are. Please pray for Daniel, that he can be placed in his family quickly.

Steven is an adorable 6 month old little guy. He has a heart defect and has had a preliminary operation, but will require further surgery to correct the problem. He is also blind. I think the fireworks were rather stimulating for him tonight, as I am sure he has a very keen sense of hearing. when he woke at 12:30am he was kicking like crazy in his crib to the beat of the blasts outside our window!!! He is a lovely little guy who has a laugh that warms me from head to toe!!! Though he is 6 months old, he still needs to learn some basic large motor skills like rolling over, and sitting up, but this will come as his health continues to improve and he gets stronger.

 

I am blessed to be able to care for these precious little boys, who I believe will some day become mighty men of God!!  Angie

Safe and Sound…..and Cold…..in China

I sit here huddled under layers of fleece pajamas and duvet, listening to dogs bark and fireworks pop. We are tired and it’s cold in China, but we rejoice that we are here. After our long flight somewhere between Thursday and Friday, we arrived in time to relieve some local volunteers at Morning Star. Most of the kids were in bed, but a few remained awake…it was nice to be greeting with some friendly cuddles. We were tired, but the night proved to be long because of some restless babies, probably even more restless than usual due to the fact that they had strangers in their midst. Today was a lovely day, and the babies managed very well waking up to our strange faces. It was fun getting to know them all a bit, and for Kim and I, reacquainting ourselves with the 3 who are still here from last year. Lisa headed to the hospital today with Lynsay to help care for baby Ruth, the newest little one, who is waiting for heart surgery. She will be coming back to the home on Sunday, as there are no chances of her receiving any kind of surgery until after the holiday.

The children at the home are all lovely and well cared for. They are blessed to be able to be in such a good home with lots of love going around. Last night I slept in Steven and Daniel’s room and though I did not get much sleep, it was an awesome privilege. The last shift of nannies came in at 5pm today (Saturday) and will stay until Sunday at 5pm, then we will be back in tomorrow until Wednesday at 5pm. After that we will work every other day, as one shift of nannies will return from their holiday early.

Well, it’s 7:40pm on Saturday night, and I can barely keep my eyes open, so I am going to give in and close them. Tomorrow morning we get to attend church with our hosts, Bill and Lynsay Lewis, and I really look forward to that. Thanks again for your ongoing prayers! Hopefully I will post some pictures tomorrow.

Plowing Ahead

We leave in 48 hours.... get on that big airplane, go up some 30 000 + feet above this earth, and fly 13 hours, over the North Pole to the other side of the world. There is still much to do, picking up last minute things, squeezing those donations from very generous family and friends into our bags, writing lists for the families we are leaving behind. This morning Geeta and I had a conversation about how hard it is not to get stressed out as we try to get everything done. I am certainly letting a few things go this year, not as much prepared food in the freezer, leaving a bit of a dirty house behind, but I have a good husband who can handle that. I figure these are not worth stressing about.

As I say good-bye to my loved ones and walk through the gates at the airport, I need not worry about what I am leaving behind. We need to look ahead as we run this race, looking behind you when you are running only makes you stumble and fall. Jesus told us that "no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). I cannot plow straight lines for the Lord if I am always worrying about people and things I've left behind. God will look after them all. He will.

A few things have changed in the last week..... but we know that none of this was a surprise to God. One of our dear teammates, Carolyn, had to withdraw from the trip for health reasons. This was very hard for her, but she is trusting God with it all. This opened up the way for another young lady from Uxbridge Baptist, Lisa, to join our team. Air Canada geneously allowed Carolyn's ticket to be transferred to Lisa with only a small surcharge - this alone is a miracle!! Once again, I will trust that God knows what He is doing!

Thank you, our dear family and friends who walk alongside us, supporting and praying for us as we keep our hands to the plow and our eyes on our Saviour!

The excitement is mounting!!

So many people are asking if we are excited about our trip...... I think most of us have mixed feelings, but I can tell you for a fact that I can hardly wait to get on that plane.
When Kim and I came home from China last year, we knew for sure that we wanted to go back and take our own team with us. Spending time at Morning Star felt like fulfilling a calling of sorts - it satisfied me deep in my soul, yet it was difficult and painful. We cried so much!! Yet we laughed, and loved and cuddled too. As our time to start planning this trip drew close, I began to feel a great sense of anxiety, which frightened me. I was really thinking "can I do this again, all those powerful emotions, then the difficulty of  coming back to my life after doing something so meaningful...?" It is certainly easier to do nothing, than to do something this wonderful and difficult.
So you may be wondering why I keep saying that it is difficult? It isn't the long, sleepless nights that are difficult, with the babies crying, or the changing of diapers, feeding of bottles, taking of temperatures. It's the loving, the truly allowing God to speak deep into my heart, to move me to care deeply, that hurts so much. It's really hard to go there for me, it's easier to pretend that these children who need families don't exist, that we don't really know the people who work tirelessly for them day in and day out, it's easy to ignore them. Well now we do know, these children, these lovely people..... and we can't forget. I still cry when I think about it all, and not just in China, around the world. Our world is full of hurting lonely, dying people, and those who love Jesus and are doing something about it. I just need to be doing something too, how can I not? What really matters is not how hard it is for us to do something, but what God is going to say when I stand before Him, about the good that I knew I had to do, and what I did about it........
I read an article yesterday that stated that it is not good for people to volunteer with orphans for two weeks then just leave, because it's too hard for these children to form so many attachments that are not permanent and constantly have to be broken. So what then, it's better not to give our love at all, it's better not to hold them and allow God to show us himself through a little broken child? Jesus had time for children, he touched them and blessed them, even though the disciples shewed them away. How can we not give our love to the least of these when God has given us so much..... because "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for ME." Matt. 25:40

Here we go.... Again

I can hardly believe almost a year has passed since Kim and I boarded that Air Canada flight to Beijing to experience one of the most wonderful, difficult, and blessed things we had ever done - care for some little orphan children for a couple of weeks. It might not sound like much - but you should try it some time!
Well now Kim and I are shopping, fundraising, and starting to collect our things to head back to the beautiful Morning Star Family Home for our second round at celebrating Chinese New Year in style,  loving on some precious little children. This year I have the privilege of bringing along my 14 year old daughter Allison, and a good friend from church, Geeta, and joining Kim is her sister Carol, and friend Carolyn. We are excited to be the first ever full Canadian team to grace the doors of Morning Star Family home - I hope they are ready for us!
We are so excited to see our special friends Bill and Lynsay Lewis again, the directors of MSFH, and to be able to enter into their busy lives in China, and help them out in a very practical way while the ladies they employ as nannies head home to their families for Chinese New year. Bill and Lynsay have amazing hearts for the Lord that constantly inspire me. Their stories of living by faith and God's daily provision are not for the faint of heart. They live other centred lives, ones that are filled with the daily joys and sorrows of caring for the precious, fragile lives that God entrusts to them. I can't wait to work alongside them once again ......and learn at their feet!! They have truly blessed my life!
I am humbled at this opportunity to serve once again, and I would be so honoured if you could pray for us: Geeta, Allison, Kim, Carol, Carolyn and myself, as we prepare, depart on Jan. 19, and serve until the 2nd of February.
To discover a little bit more of what we will be experiencing, you can view the video at my last post On March of 2011. Also check out Morning Star's webpage (http://www.morningstarproject.org/)  to meet the lovely babies we will be caring for and read more about this ministry.
Thanks Friends!
with love
Angie