Blessed by four little angels

Saturdays are our orphanage days. We have 4 kids named Louis, Tommy, Pat and Olivia. We get to act as their foster parents on these Saturday's taking them on outings that they would not get to do otherwise without the help of volunteers here in Shenzhen. They get to see the outside world and experience things like the park, mcdonalds, dinosaur exhibits, etc. which is a HUGE treat to these precious kids.

On our way to the park - Tommy and Pat are the boys in the back


This is Olivia. She is about 4 years old. Absolutely PRECIOUS and so happy. Grace loves playing with her! Olivia kept tugging on my hand calling me ma-ma during our outing this past weekend.

Jon with little Louis


I must say it is quite amazing when we stop and see the world through a child's eyes... But even more so when you have the opportunity to see it through an orphans eyes. 
Grace and Olivia blowing bubbles









Time to head back to the orphanage...Until next time sweet children..

On our way back they got to check out bunnies for sale on the side of the road...small things that make children happy!

I hope that these pictures of these 4 precious children will be A reminder to PRAY, A reminder to GIVE, & a reminder that we all have a responsibility to be a VOICE for those that don't have one of their own.

It is estimated there are between 143 million and 210 million orphans worldwide.

Every day an estimated 5,760 more children become orphans.

Each year 14,505,000 children grow up as orphans and AGE OUT of the system by the age of 16.

Studies have shown that 60% of the girls become prostitutes and 70% of the boys become hardened criminals.

Another study reported that of the 15,000 orphans aging out of state-run institutions every year, 10% committed suicide, 5,000 were unemployed, 6,000 were homeless and 3,000 were in prison within three years…

I know for myself it is very difficult to really think about these statistics and what they represent, but when we become PERSONALLY involved and risk HEART ACHE they become MORE than statistics… these 4 orphans we spend time with on the weekends have become REAL children with REAL hearts that ache for parents with REAL bodies that hunger for love and attention.  

These precious children need men and women willing to make a difference...

“Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Deliver the weak and needy from the hand of the wicked.” Ps 82:3-4


statistics above from:
www.unicef.org/uniteforchildren.org

Love this idea...

Saw this on pinterest..... My new addiction. So inspiring. Now if I could just get off of the website so I can actually make all of the things I've pinned my house would be beautiful and my husbands belly would be happy...

For now I wanted to share this cool idea that I am going to start doing tomorrow. Just wish I would have done it a little sooner.

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Jessica on Pinterest

This woman has a journal for each of her children, filled with letters to the child and thoughts about them. She started each one the day they found out they were having the child. Gave them when the kids moved out. So sweet and sentimental.

What are we doing here?!

I try to keep up with this blog, and i post a lot of stuff on Facebook but I thought I'd post what a regular day/ week looks like in our world in case anyone is wondering what we do day to day other than teach cute little Chinese children....

So here goes...

Sundays - we are apart of two fellowships here in shenzhen... One is pretty small, mostly Chinese Believers and the other is quite big (hundreds of people from all cultures) .. We LOVE being apart of both of these families of faith. Wish I could write more about that on here ... Anyway we usually spend sunday afternoons having lunch out somewhere as a family or with church friends, napping, and then preparing our lesson plans for the kindergarten that are due for the week.

Mondays... Back to the grind ;)  We start the day by dropping grace off to her kindergarten class. They always have breakfast ready for the kids when they arrive at 9:00 - which is usually some vegetables, fruit, noodles... Healthy and filling. There's no fruit loops going on in there haha.  We kiss her goodbye and usually watch from the window for a few minutes. She is the only American in the class and her classmates welcome her with open arms. Usually screaming "GRACE IS HERE, GOOD MORNING GRACE, GOOD MORNING GRACES MOMMY!!!! "

Monday evenings I help one of our Chinese teachers with her English. She is one of my favorite people here, and I absolutely love that we can finally communicate with each other. 

Tuesday-  we teach in the mornings at the kindergarten,  grace goes to her class, then in the evenings I host an English tutoring session for 5 year olds in our apartment from 7 to 8pm.  Jon takes grace outside to the community court yard/ playground where EVERYONE gathers in the evenings. Moms, dads, our students, grandparents... You name it. Chinese people love to be outside, and everyone is like one huge family.  The kids in our neighborhood usually run up and tackle Jon when they see him. When Jon is not breaking up scooter fights you can find him chasing kids around the playground,  or playing basketball with the dads... Basketball games that involve 3 year olds that like to ride their tricycles right through the middle of the games with not a care in the world. 

Wednesday- We all start off at the kindergarten, then  I usually get to have a lunch date with Jon by this time in the week.  Wednesday nights Jon has a tutoring session for some of his 5 year olds from our school, then he comes home we have dinner. Later on in the evening I leave for a ladies bible study that I recently put together at one of our local coffee shops. There are lots of Chinese women who are new believers that come, and there are also some amazing American girls that come who are going to help lead these new friends in their faith.

Thursdays- pretty tired by now!!  More teaching at the kindergarten, usually a staff meeting during lunch.  Jon tutors a Chinese teacher at school from 5-6. Then he recently started a men's bible study with a few friends that goes from 7:30-9:00. Thursday night used to be date night, but that is now Friday night.

Fridays - I teach in the mornings, Jon has Fridays off!!  We have Friday nights free to go out with friends, hang out in the neighborhood or do whatever comes up unexpectedly. Sometimes our neighbors invite us over for dinner with about 5 minutes notice ... Doesn't hurt our feelings :)  We love when they invite us into their homes, and they LOVE to feed us until we can stand it any longer.

Saturdays are spent sleeping in, except for Jon he tutors 5-6 year olds from 9-1030 every other Saturday, the class is crazy it's 13 boys and 2 girls and boys don't exactly Iike foreign language training on early Saturday mornings! Saturday is also our ORPHANAGE day. We get to take 4 orphans each time on a family outing to places like the park, dinosaur exhibits, grocery store, mcdonalds, movies, play lands,  pizza hut etc... these kids take turns going on outings in groups of 4.  Some have never been outside of the orphanage so it is a way for them to see the outside world and also get some special attention that they don't receive inside the welfare center.


I know I left a lot out but at least you get the gist of what our week usually looks like.  In between all this craziness we have ALOT of family time, lots of time for Hong Kong and Disney Land and lots of time to get to know our new friends that we are making all the time in Shenzhen. We have a pretty normal life ... Most of the time ;) 

Thinking..

How heaven is one day closer than it was yesterday....

Some times we are given things and they are taken away from us... With thanksgiving coming up I am reminded of the gifts we will never lose...

LOVE

JOY

THE ASSURANCE OF GOD'S GRACE

AND THE NEARNESS OF HEAVEN

What are you thankful for today?

Hope your day is great!

<3 Jess!

I have a reason to sing...

Today was my first day back to work... And what a beautiful day it was. I didn't realize just how much Healing those precious children would bring to me after last week. I felt my Heart fill with pure JOY as soon as I stepped into that classroom. 

Last week a friend from the school brought us dinner and left a cd that he had made that was marked "broken worship".. I hesitated to listen to it but when I did I felt God draw me in while listening to Hillsongs  "Desert Song".....

"All of my life, in every season, you are still God. I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship...I will bring praise....No weapon formed against me shall remain."

The message in that song is clear... Whether we are walking through the fire or in a season of rest ; God is still God and therefore we do have a reason to praise..

Why is that sometimes so hard to grasp? 

Probably because we think that once we find Jesus we will never experience hardship again. Sometimes we wonder, "Well, God, I'm doing what you have called me to do... So why is all of this happening?" or "I'm doing this for your glory, so why would you stop me from gaining the desires of my heart?"

After listening to this over and over I am feeling restored and I DO have a reason to sing..... 

We are not sure what lies ahead for our family but we will continue to pray for God to make that path known to us and for us to have peace in whatever and whenever that may be. 

This morning I came across  James 1:5.... "If you need wisdom - if you want to know what God wants you to do - ask him, and he will gladly tell you."

Well friends, I am asking. Maybe if you have time, you can ask on my behalf too.

To any of you who are walking through the fire I pray that you would let the Lord refine you through the flames.... In Him, We are victorious. 

If you don't know this song I posted it below...


Love 
Jessica 


Psalm 139 says, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made... your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

If I lost it all... Would my hands stay lifted?

Last night I had a hard time sleeping. The last two days have been such a Whirlwind of emotions. It all happened so fast that I didn't really have time to let it out in the moment... It wasn't until the next day when I returned from the hospital that I was able to wrap my mind around it all and start processing all of my feelings. I've had moments where I think I am at peace and then hours later I feel completely heart broken. As I laid in bed Wide awake last night God reminded me of Job.   He had family, wealth, friends, respect of all, good health and most importantly he had God. However, he lost it all. All. In. One. Day. It was all gone. His family and his wealth were taken from him, yet, he continued to praise God. Soon after, he lost his good health and the respect of all. His friends blamed him and soon turned on him. 

In the end, God steps in..  Job pleads for forgiveness. Job realizes that the one thing that has been constant through it all has been God. He realizes that he is and always has been God's and that God is bigger than all....all problems, all gains and all loss. God restores Job and provides for him once again, but the experience has forever changed Job and made his faith stronger.

We may not always have a choice about the situations we are put in or the tragedies that we are faced with, but we do have a choice in how we respond. I have a lot of growing to do in the area of being thankful and praising God in all things, but I believe that He will never let me go and He will hold my hand and carry me when things get too tough. Today I feel the nearness of God and I am finding peace knowing we will always belong to him. Even if everything else in life is ripped from us, HE remains unchanged. He is full of grace and loves us with open arms. 


I wanted to share a song that has really hit home today... It's such a song of healing for me right now.. Please listen to it if you have a chance. It's called "I'm Still Yours" by Kutless.

‎”When my life is not what I expected, the plans I made have failed.... When there’s nothing left to steal me away, will You be enough for me? Will my broken heart still sing?

If I lost it all, Would my hands stay lifted, to the God who gives and takes away?

I am SO grateful for all of the blessings in my life.  Please Lord help me to keep my hands lifted to you regardless of my circumstances...

Ask yourself this...  If you Lost It All...Would YOUR Hands Stay Lifted?

Thank you for all of your prayers.

GOD BLESS,
Jessica

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you will be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

Mercies in Disguise

To all of our family and friends around the world.... Thank you for your prayers and encouraging words during the past few days. We feel your love and know we are held by a Big God who plans far out weigh our own plans....Thankful tonight for HIS protection once again over our family.

This song has been healing for me today... Enjoy.


Blessings
By: Laura Story

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can't satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?