My New Journey!

As I begin this blog I am thinking about how different one year has made in my life. It is almost hard for me to remember what my life was like before China...I don't mean I have forgotten all of you:-) That is quite the opposite...I miss you like crazy!!! But I have become so comfortable here and made my home here that life before China is sometimes a blur to me. Now I say that first because I had planned on continuing my life here in Wuhan...I love Wuhan(except for the horrible pollution that makes it hard to breathe on almost a daily basis)...i really love Wuhan and the people here. My plans were to continue the work I had started here and enjoy this life to the fullest. I mean, I'm in CHINA!!!! This is the place I wanted to be for SOOOO LONG and I'm finally here and I'm enjoying it! I was so excited to be in a place for longer than one year!! I have moved every year since 2005...I can't even believe it but it's true. My heart was ready to commit to Wuhan:-) Then, out of almost no where, MY plans were ruined:-( This is a trend in my life...ha! You would think i would catch on to the danger in counting on the fact that MY Plans are going to work out!!! But No...I keep making them:-)

Last fall I had dinner with a couple from the UK that were "M"s here for many years. They came to visit and see friends and happened to come to the foreign fellowship I attend. I really felt like I was supposed to take them to dinner and share my heart with them. I sensed they would have good counsel. So we did, and we shared with each other for about 2 hours. At the end of this meal the lady told me she had a friend in another province here that working in an orphanage. She asked me if I would be interested in going there to visit sometime and I was so excited! I would love to visit and help if I can! So she told me to wait and she would email her friend to see if it was possible. a few weeks went by and I got an email from her friend asking if I would like to come visit. I told her I would but that I was very busy and couldn't come at that time. Months went by...I really wanted to visit but I never had time...finally in April I was able to go. Before I left I shared with some friends about going and one of my friends, Kirk, asked if he could go too. So we went to Guiyang, Guizhou to visit this place. 

 This is us ont he train...I think back to some of the conversations we had on the train...like "What do you think we are getting into?", "Will we be sleeping in the same room as the children?"...most of these questions Kirk was verbalizing and I had no clue the answer...it was like walking into a very unknown situation, an adventure! The train was 16hrs from Wuhan to Guiyang and when we arrived we were trying to guess what the friends would look like that would pick us up. I said, "Well, they are Dutch so I think they will be tall and have white hair." At that moment we see a small woman with white hair coming through the crowds. It was very easy to see each other..we were for sure the only foreigners around:-)

 We met Marianne and she walked us to the car where we also met her husband Hans. Then we met the family that was in the car who had just just finished adopting a little boy from their home!!! It was so cool to see this happen and the love these people had for their new son. We drive from the train station to their home, about 45min away. They live outside Guiyang in a village. It is very beautiful!! 

 Before we got to the village we saw some of these crazy cars:-) 

 This is Marianne and Hans:-) They are a precious couple who have lived here for 10yrs. They love hte children so much and have such a heart for the Father!

 Now for the best part...the Children:-) This is Rosa and Daniel...they are 3 and 1. Most of the children in their home have down syndrome. They are so precious!!! I fell in love:-)

 This is Xiao Bai Bai...She is 2 and a very lovable little girl:-) She really loved Kirk!!

 While we were there I stayed mostly with the little ones and Kirk stayed with the older ones. But we made our way to see both of them!

 These are some of the older children! The lady on the Left is one of the Ayi's(woman who works to take care of the children)...she is a sweetheart! 

 This is Mo Xi and Kirk...He was very excited to have another guy around!!! There are only 2 boys in this home...the rest are girls.

 Can't you just see the thoughts going through these girl's minds:-) I love them! XiXi and Rejoice...they are 8yrs old and very smart! They both go to a special school and love to sing!

SO, after Kirk and I left, we had not been on the train for very long before I started bawling...The Father was really breaking my heart for these kids. I mean, look at them!!! They are amazing!! I was being broken almost immediately. Marianne had invited me to come and live there and help her with the work. When she first asked i didn't really even think about it as an option. I mean, I had already signed my contract with the University to stay another year and teach and I have so many things that i do in Wuhan...how could I leave that?? 

But as the went further away my heart was even more sure of the decision I needed to make. When we got home I had some intense time of PR and crying out to G about this decision. I knew what He wanted but I kind of fought it for a little while. I emailed my fellowship leader in TX and talked to my parents(bawling the whole time) and realized that I had to go! My plans were being ruined and I had to follow the only plan that I can trust! HIS PLAN!!! I emailed Marianne and asked her if she was really serious about what she said...I thought maybe she was just saying this to be nice to me...lol but she email back and said she was quite serious. So, I began the process of transitioning my whole world into this new plan. it has been quite the process!!! But I can not even begin to tell you how HE has proven HIS faithfulness to me and given me so much peace!!! I have experienced some very hard things since making this decision and having to tell my school I won't be coming back. Saying so many goodbyes and trusting that HE will provide for ALL my needs now that I won't have a "job" here. Through all of this I have experienced HIM in a new way and for that I am forever grateful:-) I went back to my new home for a week in June to get things prepared...I will be studying Chinese at Guizhou University in order to keep my visa in China. I am really looking forward to getting MUCH better at speaking Chinese!! Since my new friends are Dutch...i hope I will pick up a little of that as well! The Children all speak Dutch and Chinese:-) I have a lot of learning to do!!!

 This is a picture of the front of our house and our van!!

 one of those windows is my room:-)

 This is the view from the front of the house looking out. 

 This is my potty:-) Happy Squatting...HA

 This is my room! I bought some furniture while I was there and will be making my Texan Haven very soon!! 

 This is my little man Daniel!! He really is such a sweetie!!

 This is what happens when your neighbors want to pour concreate infront of your house when it's time for the Ayi's to go home...they must make a bridge and jump over!

 This is Xu Wei! She is 17 and the oldest child at the home. She is so awesome:-) She calls me "America"...ha...one of my friends here said we need to fix that...She will start calling me "Texas":-)

This is very close to our home...it's the fruit orchard we went to to get apricots! So beautiful!!! I am very excited about all the adventures that are coming! I will be moving to my new home on July 7th. I have truck that will come on the 8th with all my stuff, including my piano!! I'm excited to have music class with the kids and also a class about the Book!! My parents and friends back home have been so supportive with my new Journey! We are in the midst of starting a no profit foundation "The Journey of a Joyful Life Foundation" to help the orphans here! I am so excited about this!!! i will be updating you on everything as it happens. I covet your PRs during this time and ask that you lift me up as I transition into this new place. Many things will be so different. I am a little nervous and extremely humbled to be apart of this new work. You can send me an email or comment if you have any questions and I will respond! Also if you are on instagram you can follow me!!! I will put pics of the things going on and of course i will be blogging! I promise I will be better....at least once a month! I miss you all and love you! Thank you for your love and support as I take this new Journey with Him!