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What's on this blog? Influenced by life in Humboldt County, Hawaii, East Asia, and now Eastern Washington; these are my thoughts, interests, and amusements.
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We are excited to share with you an exciting opportunity Andrew has to lead a team from our church back to the Philip Hayden Foundation orphanage (PHF) this August! This is the orphanage we were both at last November just outside of Beijing. The children and the work there captured our hearts and we knew as soon as we got home we’d start planning the next trip back. This time Jess will stay home with the boys, but we hope to go back as a family in a couple years. Andrew will be taking 13 people from our church, a mix of all ages and stages in life – some of whom are students in our youth group, which is really exciting.
As you might remember from our last letter, PHF cares for special needs children with anything from cleft lip and palette to heart problems, deformities, etc. They have a team of doctors, surgeons, special needs teachers, and other volunteers working to care for these abandoned children. Chinese nannies give daily care and are there for long, consistent amounts of time which helps the children feel stable and secure. Our hearts were especially touched by these children labeled ‘special needs’. After one day of being at the orphanage we realized that although they may have some major health challenges they are like any other child- just wanting to play, laugh, be loved and cared for. You can see PHF’s website and read more info online at www.chinaorphans.org.
This summer’s ministry will consist of helping care for the children and running a day camp for them. The staff of PHF also expressed their desire to have us help teach the nannies how to play with the children for emotional and physical growth and emotional connection. Because PHF is a privately funded orphanage depending entirely on support from donors to operate, we will also be lending a hand and doing practical work that needs to be done around the facility that they don’t have the resources to tackle.
We are choosing to invest in an ongoing basis in the work done at PHF and have a desire to see the needs of these children met and the vision of PHF furthered not only for the children in their care but the surrounding area as well as China as a whole. Yes- we are dreaming big, and hoping God can use us in even a small way in the work already going on in China as well as the radical impact this work will have on our team, church, and community.
We ask for your prayer support- remembering our team as we prepare to go. We also need to raise $2000 for Andrew to lead this outreach. If you feel able and moved to give there are two ways you can do this- by sending us a (tax deductible) check made out to ‘Liberty Lake Community Church’ and the memo line reading ‘China Outreach’, or you can donate online.
Thanks for being a part of our lives and the work done at PHF!
In Him, Andrew
“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.”
- Jesus, Matthew 25:40
Shortly after we fell asleep last night Jess and I woke up to a fussy two year old in the other room. After Jess settled him down once, I got to go in for the next go ’round. Seconds after I thought I had accomplished my mission I heard a gurgly coughing noise followed by crying. It wasn’t long before I got a whiff of a distinct smell and realized Jude had just thrown up for the first time.
A few minutes later while I was holding a sick little boy and Jess was cleaning up puke, I became the up close recipient of Jude’s second time (ever) puking as he blew chunks on my shoulder and chest. In the past just smelling puke would make me hurl but fortunately I was able to contain my dinner.
Jude woke up his cheery, talkative self this morning and seem to be fine.
We’re mixing it up this week with our youth ministry and having an 80’s Wii Bowling Tournament.
We’ll have 8 Nintendo Wii’s set up with teams of 2 going head to head. Jess and I found some sweet prizes to give out to the winning bowling teams as well as the winning 80’s outfits. Since none of our students were alive in the 80’s I posted this video on our student ministry website so they can get some ideas.
We’re now in that window where the little one could be born any day. It’s a crazy thought that literally in a matter of hours/days we’ll be adding a member to our family.
Just as crazy is the fact that this one will be born at home. Yeah, I know, I used to think that only weird hippies had kids at home, but after we had Jude I got to thinking that everything we did at the hospital we could do at home. This way we can sleep in our own bed, watch the NCAA tourney eat our own food, etc. Jess is a champion and goes without pain meds or other interventions so doing the home birth thing should be awesome.
On a similar but separate note congratulations to my homey Nate and his wife Tash on the birth of their baby girl last week! I guess when your friends start having babies that’s another sign of adulthood.
I’m sure most of you have seen the Frozen Grand Central Video or the Musical Food Court. Just in case you haven’t and you need to waste some time, then head over to Improv Everywhere and check out some of the awesomely creative pranks that they’ve pulled off. One of my favorites is below.
