To The Far Side Of The Sea

Hello Sweet Friends and Prayer Warriors,

Were to begin?  My life has been a whirlwind the past few days.  But a good whirlwind. Before I begin telling about my new journey in Beijing with the other study abroad students, I want to finish up a few last thoughts from my time at Maria’s. 

I had a wonderful last few days there.  Caitlin (the preschool  intern) and I took a long walk one day to a yarn market.  After we discovered that we both enjoyed knitting, the yarn market was a must.  We barely made it back home before it began snowing.  Then we spent the afternoon watching movies and knitting.  Anyone who knows me knows that this was the perfect afternoon! (Baby noises in the background only added to the fun!).  The next day, I went with Mariah and a few of the other nurses to go grocery shopping.  It was quite the experience!  They also took me to a market so I could get wall stickers for my dorm room…an effort to make it as homey as possible.  That evening, I spent over two hours in my "anchor" baby room.  Pure joy.  The kiddos get more and more precious every time I go in there.   Little Fahlin was glued to my lap the whole time.  I wish I could hold her forever.  I began to pray.  And pray.  And pray.  It’s sort of cool when no one can understand me because I can pray out loud about anything I want and no one knows! Hah!   I prayed for supernatural healing.  I prayed that this little girl will know Jesus.  I prayed that she will grow into a woman who fears the Lord.  I prayed that God will provide a family.  I prayed that she will know what it feels like to finally have something to call her own.  And then I sang.  I sang “I believe that You’re my Healer. I believe You are all I need.  You’re more than enough for me.”  Because the truth is, Jesus is all she needs.  This precious little girl does not need me.  She does not need any human being.  She needs Jesus.  And you know what?  Jesus does not need me either.   I think a lot of the reason that I become so overwhelmed is because I begin thinking that somehow Jesus needs me to solve the whole orphan crisis.  Not true.  Jesus Christ, the God of the Universe, the King of all Kings, the Creator of Heaven and Earth does not need Abby.  He can do this whole thing without the help of any mortal human.  But in His sweetness and sovereignty, He allows me to be a part of His work.  He chooses to use me.  And it’s a privilege.   And I am so thankful.  The other thing I realized while I was holding Fahlin in my arms is this—one.  This is one little girl.  One precious princess.  One little heartbeat.  One personality.  One treasure.  She is unique.  She is fearfully and wonderful made by the master Creator Himself.  She is one.  It’s oh so easy to become sucked into the overwhelming reality of 147+ orphans in the world.  And while it is good to know the realities, it’s also good to remember the one.   Fahlin is one. That evening I prayed for one.  Every orphan who receives a family is one less orphan.  And that’s a miracle. 

So my prayer is that God will give us the grace to focus on one while still holding the millions in our hearts.  Because the millions are made up of ones.  Lots of ones.  Will you join me in praying for one?  In advocating for one?  In giving one a family?

Here are a few pics from my last day with the kiddos

Sweet Little David.  A slobbery little bundle who loves to love!

Sweet Jessica

Judah, you make me smile.  Ni hao, ni hao!

Oh Issac.  This child is joy wrapped in a human body.

Leaving Maria’s was hard.  I am so glad to know that Jesus is taking me back there for the summer.   I am so thankful that I listened to His nudging to go early.  But now I am on to a new journey.  This journey is totally and completely out of my comfort zone.  But there’s a certain sweetness to being far from comfortable.  I met the other study abroad students on Thursday evening.  There are ten of us altogether—3 girls and 7 boys.  Quite the opposite of Berry College where the girl to guy ratio is 3:1!  It has been fun getting to know everyone in our group.  We’ve spent lots of time talking and laughing.  One thing I love about China is meal time.  Meals are very long and drawn out and everyone sits around a round table.  They bring out the dishes one by one (so you have to pace yourself!).  A single meal can take two hours or more.  But I love it!  Its time to be still and enjoy the people you’re with.  And it’s a great time to become friends with 9 strangers!   

We’ve done lots of sightseeing.  Yesterday started with an authentic Tai Chi lesson in the morning, then we headed to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.  We ended the evening with an acrobat show and delicious dinner.  It’s still hard to believe I’m finally here!  Today we visited the Great Wall.  It was a perfect day complete with blue skies.  The temperature was perfect for climbing—a little chilly but not freezing.  The great wall takes my breath away (both literally and figuratively! Hah…I was huffing and puffing climbing all those stairs!).  After the wall, we ate lunch and visited the temple of heaven which includes a Chinese park in the outskirts. The park was the coolest thing I’ve ever been to! It’s like a playground for adults!  There were elderly people everywhere exercising on the equipment! They loved having us there.  So fun!  We then visited a tea room and got to taste lots of yummy tea.  The day ended with a traditional meal of Peking Duck.  Mmmm…

I’ll be honest, I’ve had my ups and downs.  I am so happy to be here in China.  But I just never imagined I would be here with a group of college students… to study.  It’s sort of funny when I think about it actually.  God is just hilarious.  I suppose we’re the hilarious ones actually…thinking we have everything all planned out.  But I’ve been thinking.  And you know what?  Jesus didn’t come only to the people who “deserved” Him.  He didn’t come only to the small, innocent children.  He didn’t come only to the helpless orphans.  Jesus came for all mankind.   So I cannot isolate myself either.  Jesus came for all, and He commands me to go to all.  And He goes with me every step of the way. 

It’s new and exciting.  I love you all and appreciate your prayers.  I can seriously feel them.  My mom is sure to tell me when someone asks about me or tells her they are praying for me.  It’s humbling and sweet.  I could not do this without your prayers.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.