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Giving Thanks 2014
We have so much to be thankful for this year.
Blessed with hearts that are healing.
Both physically, from surgery,
and emotionally, from trusting that forever really means forever…
Thankful for new additions to the family.
Thankful for hockey teams that aren’t afraid to be silly to make sick little girls smile.
Thankful for older siblings that are always willing to go the extra mile for their little siblings.
Thankful for fun new adventures.
Thankful for the things the whole family can do together.
Thankful for the ability to order anything on Amazon. (chicken feet)
Thankful for new friends from all over the U.S.
Thankful for the strong arms of a big brother.
And traditions passed on from grandfather to father.
Thankful for siblings who love each other and find comfort in each other’s company.
Thankful for God doing big things in the lives of little girl’s who touch our hearts.
Thankful for God’s comfort when those big things aren’t what you planned for.
Thankful for a soft place to fall.
Thankful for little girl’s who are making BIG progress.
Thankful for pink little toes.
Thankful for food in bulk.
Thankful for being able to travel soon (12/13) to meet our newest blessings.
Thankful for wonderful places to stay while going through surgeries.
And the blessing of being able to proclaim your faith in Christ by baptism after being saved by God’s grace.
Thankful for daughter’s who feel safe enough to blog on their own.
Here are Jasmine’s words from today on her blog. (Happy Thanksgiving)
We have so much to be thankful for this year, including our friends and family.
Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours!
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Jasmine’s Blog – Happy Thanksgiving
感恩节快乐
今天是感恩节。我最喜欢感恩节了。因为我想谢谢神他给我的新弟弟和妹妹。谢谢当初爸爸妈妈收养了我。如果他们没有收养我的话，我想我一定很伤心。但是现在好了，爸爸妈妈都爱我而且我的家人都爱我！我非常的感谢上帝！
我在这里可以读书，而且能学很多东西。我学了手语和英语。我现在的英语挺好的。谢谢我的家人让我学到这么多的东西，谢谢！
我在这里祝大家感恩节快乐！
Happy Thanksgiving
Today is Thanksgiving. I like Thanksgiving the best because I want to give thanks to God for giving me new little brother (Max) and sister (Elyse). Thank you for baba and mama adopted me. If they didn’t adopt me, I think I probably would be very sad. Now everything is all better. Baba and mama both love me and my family loves me. I thank God very much!
Now I can get an education, and learn a lot of stuff. I am learning sign language and English. Right now my English is kind of OK. Thank you to my family for letting me have so much education. Thank you!
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
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I Do
On this date, thirty years ago, I stood in the candlelight at dusk and said “I do” to my best friend.
I often wonder what I would have said if the minister would have proceeded to list what we would go through in our first thirty years.
Do you, Lisa, take Dan to be your wedded husband?
To have and to hold, from this day forward,
for better, for worse,
through adding eight children in three years after your 46th birthday,
to constantly being busy and pulled in all directions at all times,
through stacks and stacks and stacks of paperwork,
through three trips to China,
through Dan’s 17 years of training to become a physician,
and having to move away from friends and family for years,
for richer, for poorer,
$125,000 in student loans,
through the years of not having enough money to pay the bills,
to giving up retirement until well past 70,
to giving up vacations and fancy cars, and using bonuses to pay for adoptions,
in sickness or in health,
having twins 3 months early,
through the death of a child,
through Codey’s spending the first 14 months of his life in the hospital,
through caring for a child who came home with a tracheotomy, g-tube, and on a ventilator,
through the many years spent in the hospital caring for your children,
through late nights of no sleep,
to caring for sick children forever,
to the possibility of losing five children way before it should be their time to go,
to helping little souls heal after they have had to go through more than any child should,
through too many surgeries to count,
through losing your mom, aunt Kay, Dan’s dad, Dan’s grandpa, your grandpa, Dan’s grandma, and your step-dad all in a six year span.
to never having an empty nest,
to love and to cherish ’till death do you part?
I often wonder what my twenty-year-old self would say. The twenty-year-old me set out to marry an art teacher, to live in her small town, and raise a couple of children. Obviously, we don’t want the hard in our lives. We want the comfortable, the controlled, the fun, the happy, and none of the above says fun or happy to a 20 year old. We learn that it is all about the American dream from a very early age. Work hard, make a lot of money, and live the most comfortable life that you can.
But the fifty-year-old me knows better. The fifty-year-old me knows just how blessed I am. The fifty-year-old me would run down the aisle for a chance to spend another thirty years beside her very best friend, the man who holds me up when I think I can’t go on, the man who knows God is in control and trusts God’s plan, the man who tells me every day how blessed he is to have all of us in his life.
Because the fifty-year-old me knows something the twenty and thirty-year-old me didn’t. The fifty-year-old me learned I shouldn’t live with my eyes on the world, but that my eyes should be firmly planted on eternity. I learned that I should have been listening harder to God’s call. I learned that this life isn’t all about ME. The fifty-year-old me knows what it feels like to have a front row seat to God’s miracles. The fifty-year-old me knows that those hard times have given me the gift of a closer relationship with Christ.
It has given me great joy as I’ve watched Jesus in my children’s hearts as they opened their hearts to adopt others. They didn’t fret that their new brothers and sisters might not be on this earth long, they trusted in the fact that God promises forever. They trusted in God’s plan. My children learned the precious gift, that this life isn’t about them, way before I did. They know how to give of themselves. They know that sharing their room, or their toys, or their parents time and love isn’t a bad thing. They understand being adopted into God’s family better than most people ever will. They have a firm understanding of God’s grace in ways I never did as a child.
Watching God work in our family has been an amazing gift that goes so far beyond the pain of the hard. When you are so far past what you could even consider doing on your own, you know it’s all from God. The gift of a closer walk with God is priceless.
Yep, the fifty-year-old me would happily take this journey again because it has been one amazing, wonderful, unbelievable, seriously blessed ride!
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Jasmine’s Dream – Laziness
懒惰
有一天一个阿姨跟我说：＂你很懒。＂因为阿姨老是认为我说：“
如果我能走路的话，那我就能做事儿，但是我不能走路。” 所以阿姨认为我老是把我的残疾当借口。 可是我从来就没有这样想过。我非常想做事情。如果我能起来的话， 我会非常愿意帮助别人。而且我就会很高兴的！ 有好多的人都说我很懒。其实我真的很想很想走路，
因为我想帮助别人！我不想让人们都说我很懒。 每次当别人说我很懒的时候，我就会非常非常的伤心。 当有一个新阿姨来的的时候，她就会问我：“你为什么不能走路？”
我不知道这么回答。我不知道为什么我不能走路。 然后有一个阿姨回答那个新阿姨：“因为她很懒， 她说如果她能走路的话，我们才能要她做事情。” 当我听了这些话之后，我好伤心。我真的没有这么说。 可是就是不相信我。 为什么他们不相信我？为什么呢？我说的都是真话，
但是他们就是不相信我．他们很讨厌我，他们也不喜欢我。 为什么他们这么说我呢？我真的不明白为什么她们就是不喜欢我。 难道就是因为我是一个残疾人吗？ 阿姨们说我很懒，可是我也想像别人一样站起来。
生活在福利院真的让我很害怕，而且也很伤心．
Laziness
One day a nanny told me, “You are very lazy.” Because the nannies always thought I said, “If I can walk, then I can do things, but I can’t walk.” So the nannies thought I always use my disabilities as excuse. However, I never thought about that. I want do things very much. If I could stand, I would love to help people. And I will be very happy.
There were many people who told me I am lazy. Actually I really want to walk, because I want to help people! I don’t want people say I’m lazy. Every time when people said I’m lazy, I would be very very sad.
When a new nanny came, she would ask me, “Why you can’t walk?” I didn’t know how to answer. I don’t know why I can’t walk. Then a nanny answer the new nanny, “Because she is lazy, she said if she can walk, then we can make her doing things.” When I heard the conversation, I was very sad. I didn’t say that. But they just won’t believe me.
Why they don’t believe me? Why? What I say is all true, but they just don’t believe me. They hate me a lot, they also don’t like me. Why they saying things like that to me? I don’t understand why they don’t like me. Is it just because I am a person with a disability?
The nannies told me I’m so lazy, but I want to stand like other people too.
The life in the orphanage made me so scared and so sad.
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From Mom – Jasmine has told us often that the nannies believed she was lying about not being able to walk. They left her food out of reach. The nannies figured she would have to give up her charade of not being able to walk once she got hungry enough. It didn’t help matters much that the physicians there agreed that Jasmine could walk if she wanted to.
This makes me so sad. Since we got Jasmine’s power wheelchair, she tries helping in any way she can. She takes dishes to the sink. She picks up toys off the floor with her claw. She makes her bed. She often talks about how she wishes she could do more. When we were discussing building a new home, she asked if we could put the laundry on her level so she could help. This child is far from lazy.
We talk often about what heaven will be like. How she will have a new body and be healed. She just wants to run and play like other children. We talk about how our time here on earth is but a short time and eternity is forever. When she is sad about what she can not do, this brings a smile to her face. Someday Jasmine will run and oh what a beautiful day that will be.
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Jasmine’s Blog – Hugs and Kisses
拥抱和亲吻
当我生活在孤儿院的时候，我不知道怎么拥抱和亲吻。
因为我生活在孤儿院的时候，从来没有人拥抱我。 我不知道当别人在拥抱你的时候会是什么感觉。 如果有人拥抱我的话，我会有什么感觉呢？ 但是那个时候我不知道会是什么感觉。 在美国有好多人都会拥抱然后就会亲亲。
当我被爸爸妈妈收养的时候，爸爸，妈妈， 姐姐和奶奶都会亲我拥抱我。当妈妈拥抱我的时候， 我不知道该怎么做。妈妈把我手抬起来，然后我就拥抱妈妈。 我就很高兴！ 当我来到美国的时候有好多好多的人来拥抱我。
我现在知道被人拥抱的时候好温暖喔！在晚上的时候我们会说晚安， 然后我们会拥抱和亲亲。 那种感觉很温暖很幸福！
Hugs and Kisses
When I lived in the orphanage, I didn’t know how to hug and to kiss. Because when I lived in the orphanage, people never hugged me before. I didn’t know what it feels like when people hug you. What kinds of feelings would I have when they hug me? However, at that time I didn’t know how it would feel.
There are many people who hug and then kiss in the US. When mom and dad adopted me, mom, dad, sister and grandma would all kiss and hug me. When mom hugged me, I didn’t know what do to. Mom took my hand up, and then I hugged mom. I was very happy!
There were many people who hug me when I came to America. Now I know being hugged by people is very warm! At night we will say good night, then we will give hugs and kisses.
That kind of feeling is very warm and blessed!
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Jasmine’s Blog – Life in the Orphanage
拥抱和亲吻
当我生活在孤儿院的时候，我不知道怎么拥抱和亲吻。
因为我生活在孤儿院的时候，从来没有人拥抱我。 我不知道当别人在拥抱你的时候会是什么感觉。 如果有人拥抱我的话，我会有什么感觉呢？ 但是那个时候我不知道会是什么感觉。 在美国有好多人都会拥抱然后就会亲亲。
当我被爸爸妈妈收养的时候，爸爸，妈妈， 姐姐和奶奶都会亲我拥抱我。当妈妈拥抱我的时候， 我不知道该怎么做。妈妈把我手抬起来，然后我就拥抱妈妈。 我就很高兴！ 当我来到美国的时候有好多好多的人来拥抱我。
我现在知道被人拥抱的时候好温暖喔！在晚上的时候我们会说晚安， 然后我们会拥抱和亲亲。 那种感觉很温暖很幸福！
Hugs and Kisses
When I lived in the orphanage, I didn’t know how to hug and to kiss. Because when I lived in the orphanage, people never hugged me before. I didn’t know what it feels like when people hug you. What kinds of feelings would I have when they hug me? However, at that time I didn’t know how it would feel.
There are many people who hug and then kiss in the US. When mom and dad adopted me, mom, dad, sister and grandma would all kiss and hug me. When mom hugged me, I didn’t know what do to. Mom took my hand up, and then I hugged mom. I was very happy!
There were many people who hug me when I came to America. Now I know being hugged by people is very warm! At night we will say good night, then we will give hugs and kisses.
That kind of feeling is very warm and blessed!
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What Does It Mean to be Adopted by God?
For you are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:26 NIV
We are children of God through faith.
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:5 NLT
God has adopted us into his family.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God… Ephesians 2:8 NIV
We joyously accept being called into God’s family simply by believing in Him.
And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV
We rely on the fact that we are sons and daughters of Christ.
In fact, our future in eternity depends on it.
We live our lives quoting scripture about God’s grace.
We talk about God and refer to Him as our Father.
We talk about our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We know what adoption means.
November is National Adoption Month.
November 2nd was Orphan Sunday.
The one day of the year that most churches talk about caring for the orphan.
This month is meant to bring awareness to the need to adopt.
But as Christians shouldn’t we already be aware?
Do we really need a day in November to talk about orphan care?
Does there really need to be a month to raise awareness about adoption?
James 1:27 is pretty clear.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
To look after orphans…
It isn’t a suggestion.
God has COMMANDED us to care FOR the orphan, not just ABOUT the orphan.
We should all be doing our part.
We should support families so they stay intact.
We should come along side those that are adopting.
We should sponsor children.
We should foster.
We should do respite care.
We should help pay for needed surgeries.
We should provide medicine, food, and clean water.
We should educate others and talk about it in our daily lives.
It shouldn’t be one day or one month out of the year.
We are called to help the needy and the poor.
We are called to help the orphan and the widow.
Adoption has been called the visible gospel.
What better testimony is there?
When we care for others, we are the hands and feet of Christ.
“My friends, adoption is redemption.
It’s costly, exhausting, expensive, and outrageous.
Buying back lives costs so much.
When God set out to redeem us, it killed Him.” – Derek Loux
Christ paid the ultimate price for us.
But we claim no time, no money, not being called.
We close our eyes, but the truth is…
We have no excuse.
We know what adoption means.
The need is great.
What will you do?
What will you say when you one day stand before Christ?
How will you answer “What did you do FOR the least of these?”
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Jasmine’s Blog – Thankful
Every time Jasmine writes a blog post it is a surprise to me. She writes it on her I-pad and sends it off to her sweet friend, Alice, who then translates it and sends it back to Jasmine. Jasmine then forwards it to me to be posted to her blog. Many times it brings me to tears because we weren’t there to protect her and I hate all she has had to endure. This post brought me to tears because she gets just how much we love her. She now has unconditional love and she knows it. This makes me very, very happy. – Lisa
感谢
我感谢我的家庭，我感谢我的爸爸妈妈那么的爱我。
我感谢在这里的人都喜欢我，爱我。
我感谢上帝送给我非常非常好的家庭和好朋友。
我非常爱我的家庭，我谢谢神送给我那么幸福的家庭！
我现在很幸福，我的家人非常的爱我。
我感谢爸爸妈妈让我做他们的女儿，他们非常疼爱我！
从来没有人那么的关心过我，我很谢谢他们那么的关心我，
那么的爱我。 在以前的时候我的爸爸妈妈（中国）不是很关心我，
这一点让我很伤心。 现在好了，妈妈爸爸（美国）非常非常的关心我，我的家庭很爱我！
我觉得现在非常的幸福！
谢谢上帝！非常的谢谢你！
Thankful
I’m thankful for my family, I’m thankful for my mom and dad who love me so much.
I’m thankful for all the people who like me, love me.
Thanks to God for giving me a wonderful family and friends.
I love my family very much, I’m very thankful that God gave me a very blessed family!
Right now I am very blessed, my family loves me so much.
I’m thankful that mom and dad let me become their daughter, they care about me so much!
I never had people care about me, I am very thankful that they care about me so much, love so me much.
Before my mom and dad (China) didn’t care about me very much, that made me very sad.
Now it’s better, Mom and dad (US) are very very caring about me. My family loves me so much!
I think I am very blessed!
Thank you God! Thank you very much!
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Jasmine’s Blog – I was Left at the Orphanage
Jasmine writes her blog in Chinese and her friend translates it for her. The English version is below the Chinese. I have added a few memories of mine, from the day we met her, below the English translation. Jasmine wants to share her story in hopes that others will adopt older children and that people will better understand what it means to be labeled an orphan.
我被掉到福利院我不是一出生就是孤儿的，小时候我是被爷爷奶奶带大的，并不是爸爸妈妈。在我跟爷爷奶奶生活的时候， 爸爸妈妈会来看我一两次。奶奶对我很好。但爷爷特喜欢喝酒， 然后他就打我。 但有一天我的人生改变了。有一次当我读书的时候，可还没下课的时候，奶奶就过来接我了。那时候我觉得很奇怪。奶奶跟老师走到外面说了一些话， 但我也不知道他们在说什么。 当我们走了的时候，我问奶奶我们为什么那么早就下课啦。她说我们要去哥哥的家，然后我就特高兴！我问奶奶＂真的吗？＂， 她说真的。然后我就特高兴。 我和奶奶做的几个小时的车去贵阳，然后有一个人带我们去一个办公室。 我不知道我们为什么去那个办公室。这一切还都是一个谜。 等他们说完了话，我就超兴奋，因为我们要去看哥哥了。但等我们到那儿的时候，我看见的并不是哥哥，而是很多孩子。 然后奶奶就说回头过年的时候再接我， 这时候我才反应出来原来这儿是福利院。 我哭着问奶奶不要抛弃我，但我一眼也不看我。为什么他要骗我我们去看哥哥？我真没想到他会骗我。 那时候我才8岁。我不懂她为什么要抛弃我，当他抛弃我时， 我问了他好几次，但它根本就没有理我，然后她就走了。 
I was left at the orphanageI wasn’t an orphan when I was born. My grandma and grandpa took care of me, not my mom dad. My parents visited me once or twice (at my grandparents). My grandma was very nice to me. However, my grandpa liked to drink, and then he would hit me.However, one day my life changed.One time when I was in school, my grandma came to get me before the class ended. I thought it was strange. She and the teacher talked a little bit, but I didn’t know what they were talking about.When we left, I asked her why we left so early and she said we were going to see my brother. Then I was very happy! I ask her really and she said yes.My grandma and me rode a couple of hours to Guiyang. Then there was a man who took us to the office. I didn’t know why they took us to the office. It was still a mystery to me.When they finished talking, I was very happy because we were going to see my brother. However, when we got there, what I saw wasn’t my brother, it was a lot of kids. Then my grandma said she would pick me up at Chinese New Year. That’s when I realized that it was an orphanage.I cried when I asked my grandma to not to leave me there, but she didn’t look at me at once. Why did she lie to me that we were going to see my brother? I can’t imagine that she lied to me. At that time I was eight years old and I was very scared.I don’t understand why she abandoned me. I asked her many times when she left me, but she just left me and then she was gone.
———————–Mom’s wordsWe had brought clothes to donate to the orphanage. We were just going to give them to the orphanage workers who brought her to meet us but Jasmine really wanted to go back to the orphanage and hand the clothes out herself. It was a five hour trip both ways to visit her orphanage. We tried to talk her out of it. The guide said some of the roads to the orphanage were barely passable and it was in the middle of no where. But she kept saying, “Please, may I hand out the clothes?” Dan and I didn’t have the heart to tell her no. Plus, we wanted to see where she had lived the last six years of her life.When we got there we toured the building. I can not imagine walking in and leaving your child in one of these building. We saw the room she slept in. We saw the room where she spent most of her days. We saw the steps that they had to piggyback her up. We understood how hard it was for them to move her from floor to floor. Months later when she told us they dropped her on those stairs, we understood what that meant. In the end, although it was heartbreaking to see, I am glad we took the time to make the trip.We pulled out the two big suitcases and the little children sat in front of her. Jasmine got to hand them outfits. She was so happy. We just stood back and watched her. I can’t even begin to describe what that moment was like and now looking back after all she has told me, I don’t know how she did it. I can guess part of the why she did it. She wanted to show them her family. She wanted them to know that we did, in fact, want her. She wanted to be kind to them even after all the things they had said and done to her. The more I learn about her, the more in awe I am of her. -
We LOVE Pink!
We got the wonderful news Tuesday that we could head home.
7 days post-op from open heart surgery and she was ready to go.
She was ready in two seconds flat with her cape, sparkly boots, phone, and purse with all her critters.
Dr. Marx came to say goodbye and to let us know how pleased he was with her recovery.
She could barely contain the giggles in the elevator.
Everyone thought she was very stylish!
We said our prayers before we took off.
She was so happy to be home with the other littles.
And the middles…
And the bigs were happy too. Although I did not take any pictures to prove this fact.
It’s hard to tell which little is the happiest to have her home.
Trying to get a picture with Lainey proved to be quite the challenge.
After 2 1/2 years of having little blue ones in the house, the surgeries are done and everyone is PINK!
WE LOVE THE COLOR PINK! It looks pretty good on our Evie Faith!
We have been so blessed through the past year with all your prayers. It started with Evie’s heart cath in August of last year, we had four more heart catherizations and three more open heart surgeries. Each one of the kids did unbelievably well. With each of the last three surgeries, the kids were discharged on post op day 7. Have I told you how much I love the number 7? Here is the definition for the number 7 in the Bible.
Seven is the number of completeness and perfection (both physical and spiritual).
Seems pretty appropriate for these little ones who are healing emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
Thank you again for every prayer said, every word of encouragement uttered, and for standing with us during this busy, busy year. We can not possibly put into words how much it meant.
Praise be to God!
We are indeed seriously blessed!!!
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