china: tea, bamboo & babies

tea and bamboo!

dear friends - thank you so much for your prayers while i was on the other side of the world this past may. what an amazing few weeks it was!

before leaving china we gently pressed the feet of our babies into paint and onto paper. their tiny footprints representing the enormous imprint these little ones would leave on our hearts. 

i can’t show you their pictures over social media or on my blog, but be assured the sweet faces of these wee ones won’t easily be forgotten. these are children from every kind of hard, and yet God’s fingerprints are clearly all over them. 

i come home with so many stories. again, stories i am not able to write about, but certainly would welcome the chance to talk about.

each day i had the privilege to hold their small bodies; to feed them, bathe them, wrap them up and pray over their uncertain futures. and each day i became more certain of God’s perfect design—fearfully and wonderfully made, each and every beautiful child. regardless of their struggles or disabilities or devastating beginnings, God clearly has them.

love the colors of china!

even if i can’t always understand how His hand works, i trust His heart. He’s a Good, Good Father to all of us — yes, even to those left fatherless. 

the work that is going on across our world is amazing, but only a brief glimmer of God’s glory. we might not fully see it now, but when we go to hard places and find His holy presence alive and active we are given a glimpse. and it is good. so good. the work going on over in this area of china is astounding.

my amazing team

those of us on this journey cannot help but travel back across the ocean with this beautiful gift stamped upon each one of us.

“can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? even these may forget, YET I WILL NOT FORGET YOU. behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” isaiah 49:15 -16

though i can't openly blog about the specific children and their stories out of respect for the orphanage, i can certainly share more about  them in person and would love to do that if you have some time to listen!  the pictures below are a few of the photos that were safe to share while i was in china. even though we were spending most of our time in the orphanage, we did have a little bit of time each day to explore. and y'all know how much i love to explore and photograph everything along the way. 

i captured this first batch of pictures in our neighborhood. i spent a good deal of time walking the streets between my hotel and the orphanage each day and there was always so much to see, hear and smell! =)

oh china!

tea fields and bamboo!

sleeping beauty. can you see her?

 we spent one afternoon at a buddhist temple.

our final allowed a little time to explore the botanical gardens. they were lovely!

brides were everywhere! we saw at least a dozen photo shoots. 

crazy tourist

my wonderful team!

again, thank you for your prayers and encouragement. i can't tell you how much they were felt. this trip truly stretched me. every part of me.  it opened up some very raw and vulnerable places. places i don't easily go, but am so glad i did.

 i will go back. it is my desire that someday i might even go back and take with me the precious little girl whom china gave me 9 years ago. perhaps there will be a day when bella and i will hold babies together in this very holy place.