back to china

china. the birth country of our youngest and the place where 9 years ago, on an incredibly hot summer day, bella first entered our arms. in fact, this blog was started with her adoption and that trip. china certainly has a special place in my heart.

and it is time to go back. 

in the past year God has been nudging me along and i have felt His encouragement to return to china and serve; to give a little back to this country which gave us our daughter.

and so here we are in my week of departure. this sunday evening (june 2- 15) i will travel with a small “go journey” team to an undisclosed area of eastern china. we will be serving in an orphanage, but on a special floor designated for medically fragile children—mostly babies.  our team, providing round the clock care for two weeks, will allow the regular nurses and nannies opportunity to travel back to their own homes and families. crazy thing, this special care floor is connected to a christian ministry even though it is in a government operated orphanage—almost impossible to imagine in china. so the details of where we are and what we are doing need to be kept a bit quiet and vague.

i’ll be honest, i am overwhelmed. my gifting has never been in things medical. when we adopted bella with her heart issues, i was certain i couldn’t do what God was asking. it was too big, too much, too medically challenging for this woman who struggles so to locate a bandaid. yet, we know God often leads us to places outside of our comfort. and like with bella’s adoption, i’m so glad He does.

He leads again in this adventure, and i am reminded more than ever, that as unequipped as i might feel, He will equip. as weak as i seem, He will strengthen. and as anxious as i am, He will calm.

though clearly feeling challenged about the task before us, more than anything, i'm humbled by the chance to go. my prayer is that even in a small way, i might be the hands and feet of Jesus to these precious children. i'm also eager to give a break to these amazing christian nurses and nannies serving, day after day, in this hard place.

"and Jesus said, "let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." ~ matthew 19:14

this isn't going to be a feel-good-fun-and-games kind of trip. the babies we will be caring for will have a variety of special needs and sad stories. we know there is hope, but we also know going in, we will have to look very hard to find it. and we will have to dig very deep in our trusting the Lord for it. knowing my own daughter's story of abandonment, leaves me breathless already.

it's clear, i need some prayer, friends. y'all know this return to bella's birth country is going to be messy for me. i'm certain to become all weepy the moment our plane touches down on chinese soil. that part will be hard, but i know the situation we are going into will be even harder. honestly, i don't know how my heart won't break into a million little pieces while i'm there. this week our team met together to be prayed over by some of our church's prayer warriors. it was beautiful, sweet and encouraging, but even just hearing one man pray out loud for these fragile babies in china left me completely undone. i'm taking my typhoid and malaria pills, but i assure you, i'm taking my tissues and waterproof mascara too. 

the prayers this week were precious ... and i want to ask if you'd be willing to join in as well. would you pray for me and for my team in these next couple of weeks?

1. safety as we travel to and navigate in a place so far and so foreign.

2. stamina and good health as we care for these children.

3. peace and strength while we hold these fragile babies which will break our hearts.

4. protection for our families while we are away from them for these weeks.

5. extra encouragement in this land which can feel so void of the love of Jesus.

though i'll be using a vpn for communication, because of the sensitive relationship, i won’t be able to share pictures or write posts about what we are actually doing. i will try to relay something “safe” each day on social media or my blog.  i can't be sure how all that will work, but i'll try. it might look a little bit like i'm a tourist. =) whatever i post won’t tell the story of what is happening on that floor with these fragile babies, but it might serve as a reminder to keep us in your prayers. 

i am so grateful.

but He said to me, "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." therefore i will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

with much love and gratitude, jody