I am making a journal of ways we have seen God’s mighty and faithful hand at work during our trip to Guilin. I want to share it bit by bit here. I’ll start with today then try to go backwards since I wrote down Sunday and Monday’s experiences in a journal.
Today we spent all day at the orphanage. I taught in the children’s class and the verse “when I am weak He is strong” certainly rang true. God gave many spur of the moment ideas and most importantly today and yesterday we are seeing God answer the prayer that the teacher in the class is learning better teaching methods for kids with different learning abilities. She had become frustrated trying to make the kids fit into a mold of learning and sees how getting the kids actively involved in the learning process, simplifying, and focusing on what the children can do instead of can’t do will do wonders for her and the children. Praise the Lord for beginning to answer those needs. The teacher is a believer so we desperately want to encourage her to see these children as uniquely and wonderfully made and believe she is starting to do just that.
We were able to spend dinner with our friends from the orphanage and had a great meal. It is just so nice to talk with like minded passionate people.
Joy continues to do very well. She and I both have had very emotional weeks. Our times with Joy’s foster family have been wonderful. Joy even shared how to be saved and who Jesus was with her Nai Nai yesterday!! It is emotionally hard being in an orphanage even when you know the kids are at the best orphanage there is. There is still just nothing that can compare to a family of your own. I wish more people could see what we have seen this week and through adoption. Orphans are real kids with real personalities with a VERY real need for a mom and dad of their own. I have a hard time because I picture my own kids in the situations and think that the only thing that separates me from their birth parents’ decisions is Jesus.
I have decided that we will take our friends’ offer up to go with their daughters to the mountain area on Thursday. I feel like Joy and I just spending time together will be good for us. Between being at the orphanage and me helping with the teacher and kids, then us being with her foster family we need some downtime. She has really done well playing with the other children. She has had her moments of regression but who wouldn’t given the emotional roller coaster of a week this has been.
Today she blew bubbles for toddlers for 30 minutes, enjoying the fact that they were enjoying it. She also spent time building blocks for one of the kids. But of course she also gets bored of staying in the same place all day. All that to say a site seeing day might be good plus we get to ride e-bikes and do some shopping. One of the things I wanted to do this week was spend time with these two girls that have grown up in China with their parents so that will be a great time. They are incredibly sweet.
Tomorrow night we will spend more time with Sophie and Bruce. Bruce is starting to ask questions about God, acknowledging our answers. Another friend of ours who is a believer and is Chinese is going to go with us tomorrow night to also meet them. She said that there are quite a few believers at their college so we are hoping to introduce them to other Chinese Christians. Yay! It’s always incredible to see God do amazing above and beyond anything we could hope or imagine!
Please pray specifically that on our Wednesday we would be a light to the other teachers and parents we will be training in the afternoon and for Willette as she will teach the class in the a.m.! Thanks!
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