Hidden Treasures

     This morning, I woke up to this picture on my phone.  While we're all used to adoption photos, this child is special to me because of her story.  She had waited for a very long time on the special needs list, her file pictures the only record of the years passing.   One day, I posted her picture to our local homeschooling loop - right before Church - with my family clamoring to get out the door.  It was with reluctance, as I thought an older child would not get much interest from our mostly young group of families.

     A few days later,  a young woman called me on my phone while we were at the pool.  She and her husband had never adopted before, had two very young boys,  but she described how God was pulling her heart towards this child.  I thought they were an unlikely family - but talked for a long time with her about the process.  I think I may have even mentioned some younger children to her - and figured I'd never hear from them again.  I was wrong.

     Carrie and her hubby have faithfully walked through a difficult process, changing their family dynamic in a huge way from early elementary to the challenges of teen years.   What looked like an impossible idea was made possible by one young family's obedience to the gently nudging voice of God.  I will never forget my own lack of faith about this child's chances, and Carrie's simple faith that God would make it work.   We daily fail to recognize the power of God to move if we will just have a mustard seed of faith - and confidence in His care and provision.   In the words of an ancient man: "Oh, Lord!  Help my unbelief!"

     Their daughter's 14th birthday is this week - the day she would have lost all hope of a family.  Her future possibilities are now unlimited, she will know the warmth of a family forever,  she has the protection and security of a mother and father.  Most of all, she will know that she is a cherished child of God - created for His glory - special and loved by Him from the day she was born.  In the words of Paul:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.   Ephesians 3:20-21

Blessings, Kim

Loneliness and Quiet time

Well - the ankle is getting better - but I've got a long way to go.  There's no doubt that God orchestrated this event, and I'm listening carefully to anything He's trying to teach me during this recovery.  As I've posted before, my kids have been huge blessings and have really stepped up to the plate with cooking, shopping, etc.  Once I was fairly self sufficient, I sent them off on our annual trip to Maine so at least some of their summer could be salvaged.  The big guys stayed here to work and drive me to physical therapy, etc.

So Dad packed up four girls and the dog and made the trek north to cooler weather.

They're having a great time playing games and hanging out at Nana's house.  In the meantime, I have safe run (read limp) of the house without doggies and kiddos to trip me up during these wobbly weeks of rehab.

But I'm lonely for the noise and chaos, and thankful I have my big kids here with me.

I've had more time to rest and connect with the adoption community again - and can't wait to follow along with many local friends who are headed out to meet their children.  I also came across this terrific boy while reading through my friend Annie's website update:

He's bright, positive, and really wants a family.  He likes fishing, basketball, and ping pong.  He was recently moved from his foster family of 5 years back to the orphanage - and he misses them terribly.  His best friend is very similar and even more dangerously close to aging out.  His pic is below and he has until March to find a family.  His hope is "to become a useful person" in the future.

Perhaps all this seat time of recovery was just to give me time to pray for these two guys.  My ankle will heal, but a lifetime without a family is a hurt that never goes away.  Please join me in praying for them to find families before it's too late.  Prayer is the most powerful tool we have to change the world for better.

Blessings, Kim 

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights. 

Habukkuk 3:19

A Story and a Call to Action

As I logged on and saw my last post and all the cute dresses, I realized that some might think about how our girls are more materially well off then they were in China.  While that is the case for most orphans, they care very little for the goodies and gifts that come their way.  The joy in their faces comes from belonging – having a mom and a dad, forever brothers and sisters, grandmas, grandpas and even cousins.  The security of knowing that love surrounds them on every side – no matter what happens – and that they are cherished by many.  I don’t think we can quantify that feeling – and most of us take that status for granted - every day.

Today, I read about a boy who feels the pain of not belonging – who knows he is missing the love of a family – and who desperately longs for this attachment.  His name is Joseph, and his story is here:

http://hejustwantsafamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/joseph-is-losing-hope.html?spref=fb

 “Joseph is losing hope” is how it begins, and his story is heartbreaking.  He is well cared for in a loving foster care community – but he is aware that of what he is missing – and aches for what most of us take for granted. 

Belonging. 

Family love.

Family ties.

There are so many children, some in adequate or even good circumstances, others in horrific conditions, but all longing only for the simple status of “cherished child.”  They don’t need or wish for entertainment, toys, or material comfort – just a mom and dad.  There are so many who can be just that for a child – so many living on the edge of blessings  - hesitant to take that first step.  Read Joseph’s story and make up your mind to be that family for one of these children – here at home or abroad.    

Do it for Joseph.   

Love, Kim

July 4th Party pics

We celebrated the 4th at Nanny's house and she had it decorated beautifully.  As usual, the neighborhood party crowd pulled out the stops and helped with creative ideas.  Mary M. is a party powerhouse!  Pat and Sam brought their famous watermelon boat. :)

I created a perfect little "invalid outpost" at a chair and ottoman, and enjoyed talking to the crowd one by one!

I ventured out to get a few pics of the kids, cousins, and action outside

And the crowd slowly grew as Nanny's  golf crew showed up

We had a delicious dinner with all sorts of goodies - but our favorite is always my Chocolate Trifle. We left it there since we are always tempted to eat it for breakfast!!  The boys and I enjoyed talking to Mill and Rosalie who have even better stories than most fighter pilots!  He's an OB/GYN who specializes in high risk births and has researched all over the world - including in places during revolutions and danger! They are amazing people and fellow fliers - the South American stories were best - you guys lived on the edge!

My sister and her husband have a penchant for dangerous living and made some fireworks guy's day by buying the place out.  They lit off hundreds of fireworks on the golf course, and we could see the neighbors' shows as well - it was wonderful!  (other than wondering if I was sitting in fire ants or if the gator in the pond was awake - nothing like our hostile southern environment)  Uncle Bob, Connor, and Cole ran around with flashlights and walkie talkies - it was almost as fun to watch them run like crazy as to see the fireworks!  Aunt Kristen bought glow sticks to complete the fun - the girls had a great time on their first Independence Day.

Thank you to the many service men and women who make our wonderful life possible and give us our priceless freedom.   We are so grateful for your sacrifices - especially those who are away from family during the holidays.  And thank you to Nanny and friends for all their hard work in making everyone's day so special and to my parents opening their home to such a crowd.  What a fun night!

Thanking God for our wonderful country and praying that we can continue in freedom - not using liberty for license - but for goodness to those who need our help.  The orphan, the destitute, the exploited, and the hurting in this world.  God Bless the USA!

Love, Kim

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day to all our bloggy friends!! Blessings, Kim

Schooling the Older Adopted Child

I wanted to do a post about what kind of school materials have worked for us with our 11 year old – newly arrived home from China.  While all kids are different, and Jenny appears to be a quick learner, we’ve discovered some strategies that we believe have added to her enthusiasm for learning.  

Our younger daughter began in K5 – a perfect starting place for and adopted child.  But Jenny was placed in 3^rd grade at 11 years old (as far back as I could put her) and while she learned much about American culture, she spent most of the day unable to understand the discussions.  Her ESOL teacher was fabulous, and helped with some rudimentary knowledge such as days of the week, basic conversation, weather, etc.  The daily immersion in English was good for both girls and gave the home girls some needed respite from the big changes in their lives. 

In the early days home, I hired a teen girl to work with the girls on their homework and basic phonics.  The best tools early in were:

·      Bob Books

·      Alphabet flashcards

·      First Words flashcards (most on iPad)

·      Various Youtube songs for days of the week, shapes, months, and other preschool items.

·      BJU Press Handwriting Videos

At the end of the school year (total of 3 months in school), we determined that Jenny would be homeschooled because of her various level needs, while Sarah was close enough to the K5 spread at 7 years old to stay where she was for now – moving on to 1^st grade.

We began homeschooling both girls this summer with BJU Press curriculum.  The BJU Press Videos are fun and interactive – and really grab their attention.  They expose the girls to much more than academics – they take virtual field trips to the post office, and other community locations, and talk about daily life with videos to help understand.   11 year old Jenny uses the following:

BJU Press:

·      Math 4 materials and video

·      Phonics and English 1: Composition, Phonics, Reading (skip handwriting)

·      Spelling 1

·      Handwriting 2 (cursive formation)

·      Bible 1

We will add science and history in the fall. 

Jenny is thriving with this material!  She is thrilled that she can understand the Bible 1 lessons by herself – the material is written in basic English for 1^st graders, and she can clearly read the message!  There are also great stories about life application – specific to US family life – it’s just a perfect level for her to learn Bible.   The unit hymns teach her the basic songs she hears at Church.  I have her memorize her scripture in Chinese from her parallel Bible.  The charts and materials make it fun – it’s her favorite class!

We also watch Nestfamily Videos each night, and the girls are starting to recognize the Bible stories and even answer questions at Church.

The Handwriting 2 book was started midway at the cursive point, and she is thrilled with her ability to write – better than many American kiddos!  She used the videos, and I insisted on excellence – giving her great confidence when she met the standard.  Her handwriting is beautiful and something she was able to succeed at quickly vs. reading.

Phonics and English are terrific, and we are painstakingly going through each lesson, even though many are easy for her.  She needs the basics of punctuation, etc.  She is reading beyond many of the lessons, but needs the decoding work.  We’ll likely skim through 2^nd grade and move right into 3^rd.  Mrs. Walker is a master teacher, and I plan on using the 3^rd grade reading video for her.  The composition prompts really have her “thinking through” her phonics, but I quickly spell words for her when it becomes too challenging.   I tell her that her goal is creativity.  It’s the perfect springboard for English instruction as well – look at the opportunities in the below pages! 

Math is BJU Press’s “crown jewel” and the manipulatives and critical thinking are HUGE for her.  She was taught rote memory based mathematics, and had no clear understanding of place value, etc.  This is BJU Press’s strong point.  She needs me to help her develop strategies for deciphering the higher level word problems – and the video instructs her to pinpoint specific words – perfect for the ESL student!  She absolutely loves the video presentation and feels more confident as she works independently.  When she doesn’t catch something, she’s able to rewind, or can figure it out from the visual images!  We are loving distance learning for her!

When she finishes for the day - she's off to the swimming pool - hence the bathing suit pics!  I hope this multi-level approach is helpful for someone – it has made our daughter excited about learning, gives her milestones that she’s able to complete each day, and does not feel too juvenile for her at all. (my worry)  She loves the little crafts since she never had those in her younger years.  If you have any questions or stories of what works of your own – please post!  Blessings, Kim

Friends in Wuhan!!!

I have a friend who is in Wuhan currently and adopting her son!  It makes me reminisce a bit as we really enjoyed Wuhan - ESPECIALLY the Aloha Diner!! Here's the link for those interested - how exciting!!

http://openarmsformichaelstephenxuefa.blogspot.com/

They're a precious family and everything is going so well - I'm so happy for them.  Blessings, Kim