What a difference a year makes!!

One year ago on Orphan Sunday Lauren and I shared with our church that we were not adopting one child from China...we were adopting two!!! Not long after we travelled to China and came home the first week of January with Davidson He Yi Ayres and Elisabeth Ming Yu Ayres.  At 20 months DD fit in to the family right away.  He was a baby.  Loving him and feeding him captured his heart.  He fell in love with his Mother immediately and with the rest of us quickly enough.  He has continued to blossom, and has brought so much joy to our home.  Adjustment to a new life did not come so easily for Elisabeth.  At 13 years old she had no idea of the horrible future that she most likely faced.  Her physical needs were met in the orphanage, no one pressured her to learn or the work hard, and as far as she knew life would continue like that indefinitely.  She definitely didn't feel "rescued" by this crazy American family who claimed to love her before they ever met her. Since arriving home we have had many good days.  We have also had our share of bad!  What a difference a year can make. 

Yesterday, Elisabeth came to Lauren and told her that she wanted to accept Jesus into her heart.  Overwhelmed is by far an understatement. We have prayed countless times that her heart would be changed, but had no idea that God would answer those prayers yesterday.  For 13 years of her life Elisabeth was taught that Jesus was merely a fable.  In her country the most common religion is none, and she was in the majority.  But if you believe Ephesians, our God can do immeasurably more than any of us can imagine.  He could have saved her in China, but He chose instead to bring her to America, make her part of our family, and save her here.  You can't imagine how humbling that is for us.  All I can do is thank God that he chose to use my family for his eternal glory.  Elisabeth still has a lot of work to do in her English and the rest of her education.  She is also still learning all that family means.  She is about to experience her first Thanksgiving and her first Christmas.  Imagine that.  Last year on Christmas she knew nothing about the love of Christ.  This Christmas she will celebrate as an adopted daughter of the one true King!!! (As we say here in Gadsden, if that don't light your fire, your wood's wet!!!).  With all that she has to learn, she has made the most important decision that she will ever make.  However, she didn't want to stop there.  After asking God to forgive her from her sins and to save her from an eternity separated from Him, she asked if she could share her testimony in front of the church.  I have attached a video of her from church today. I'm a little biased, but I think she did a wonderful job.

Just a little about our current adoption.  We are still in the process of adopting Zheng Jian Xiang.  We were informed on Friday our dossier was sent to China.  Now we wait to be logged in with China.  We still anticipate that we will travel sometime during the Spring to get our son.  Prayers for his safety and our patience are greatly appreciated.

They have a name. (Watch out this is gonna get a little preachy)

"Are yall crazy?"  "Why?"  "Where are you gonna put him?"  "Are you gonna start driving a school bus?"  These are among the questions that my family has been asked since we announced that we were adopting another son from China.  Most of the time I try to respond with a smile or with a nice answer, but honestly that is becoming more difficult to do.  Sure, what we are doing is unlike most American households and their 2.5 children.  We hold no judgment against families who choose what many consider the "normal" path. Adoption isn't a calling for many.  We also aren't seeking recognition for our choices. We do, however, feel that we shouldn't be forced to explain ourselves or judged for doing what we feel led to do because of our faith in God.  The Lord set a path before us that may appear strange to many, but frankly I feel honored that He chose my family to minister to those in China and to bring 3 (at least) of these precious children home.

Not too long ago my focus was on following the American dream of obtaining more things, planning for the next vacation, building up my earthly castle, and pretty much looking out for myself and my wants.  I still struggle against this on a daily basis, but thankfully God has placed a desire in my heart for something more. One year ago Lauren, Maggie, Rebecca, and I travelled to China for the first time.  That trip changed our outlook forever.  Orphans were no longer the 147 million faceless children that were only a concept.  They were real.  They had a name.  They had needs.  Many of their needs were left unmet. In Radical David Platt writes, "We learned that orphans were easier to ignore before you know their names.  They are easier to ignore before you see their faces.  It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms.  But once you do everything changes."  This statement has been true for my family.  We are changed.  Our lives are different than they were 1 year ago.  I'm not boasting.  I'm thankful.  As Christians we are saved by the Grace of God.  In Ephesians, it is written that this in not of ourselves, it is a gift from God.  My new outlook is not from myself.  It also is a gift from God.  Instead of focusing my life on earthly things that won't stand the test of time,  I now focus on the eternal, and how I can participate in God's kingdom, for his glory.

Our God is known as a Father to the fatherless, and the 147 million fatherless need a family who will introduce them to the Father.  There are multiple places in the Bible that command us to take care of widows and orphans.  It would certainly be easier if my family did this by only sending money or running a benefit 5k.  These children and the ministries that care for them desperately need that money.  If that is where you feel led certainly give.  We feel led to give.  We also feel led to travel and use our God given gifts to serve.  We feel led to bring some of those children into our family.  Right now we have brought home two, and are planning to bring one more.  Will that be all?  I thought I was finished having children at 4, and now I have 7.  "No" and "never" are not words that I use anymore.

 Are we crazy?  Probably so.  Are we in the market for a school bus?  Not yet, but we will be driving a van pretty soon...a big one.  How are we going to put them through college?  I don't know, but I guess I will figure it out as I work for years, many years, to come. Why are we adopting again?  We feel drawn to a young man in Zhengzhou China that crossed our path over a year ago.  He has a name and a face, and we have held him in our arms. He changed us.  I don't think that was a coincidence.  I believe it was God ordained.  Again I don't want anyone to misunderstand.  I'm not bragging and I don't think I'm better than someone who does not feel led to adopt. Pray that you would find God's will for you and your family and embrace it.  He will be glorified.   If you feel led to go and hold those babies in your arms, I pray that you will take that opportunity and soak it up.  It is a gift from our Father.  A gift that will change you forever. 

By the way, this is our baby boy.  His name right now is Jian Xiang.  He will have an English name eventually.  We just don't know it yet.  We anticipate that we will travel some time in the spring.  Sooner would be great, but probably won't happen.  We would appreciate your prayers as we go through the process to bring our baby home. 

Lots of pics

The link below will take you to a slide show that Maggie and I put together from our recent trip to Beijing.  As you watch it remember that although these kids look healthy, they have a myriad of medical problems.  Many of them are waiting to have surgery right now.  Pray for their health, and pray that God will provide a family for them so that they will no longer be alone in this world.

 The slide show works best if you let the page load then hit the "Start Slide Show" link at the top of the screen. 

https://skydrive.live.com/redir?page=view&resid=6645301578547D84!187&authkey=!ADrsi2A4JOIkIBg

Coming home

As I prepare to go round on these precious babies one last time, I reflect back on our trip here in Beijing at New Hope.  We have had so many wonderful experiences.  We were able to go to The Great Wall.  We saw Tiananmen Square and learned a little about it's history. We went shopping in a Chinese Market (crazy fun bargaining and Lauren Ayres is a champ).  We saw the Beijing Zoo with 8 babies from New Hope. We have had wonderful meals with the Martins, Rebecca and Mikey, Jona and Kristine the nurses and New Hope, and Robin Hill.  But of all of this, I believe the most fun times and times that we will most remember we're the ones spent here in New Hope holding, treating, and playing with babies.

As I've said before, it only takes a second for these babies to melt your heart. At first when you see their circumstances being orphaned and so sick you are heart broken.  But then you spend time with them, and see how happy and loving they are,  then you fall in love.  You can't wait until the next baby climbs into you lap to read, play, or just snuggle a little.  These babies do not yet have a family except for the staff and volunteers at New Hope.  Some will be here for a long time, but others will leave tomorrow, or next week, or next month to make room for another sick baby.  They will return to their state orphanage where they will hopefully be loved and cared for until one day, by God's grace they are adopted into a family.

Our time here has been short.  I would love to have been able to stay longer, but that's not God's plan for our family right now. So we will pack up and head home this evening and arrive back in the US late Sunday night.  I cant wait to see Porter, and sleep in my own bed.  We will resume work, school, and extracurricular activities as soon as we get back.  I pray that as we leave that we have completed the purpose for which God called us here.  I also pray that as we get back to our "normal" lives, we don't forget to lift these babies up to our Father everyday.  We pray for healing, for comfort when healing isn't God's plan, and for families to step up and welcome these children into their homes. The Bible commands us multiple times to care for the fatherless.  I'm thankful that has used my family to carry out His command.  I also pray that we keep our hearts and minds open to further opportunities to share His love with more of the " least of these.".

Thank you to all who have prayed during our travels.  I wish you all could experience the joy of spending time with these kids. Please continue to pray for Joyce Hill as she recovers.  Pray for Dr. Steve Martin and his family as he cares for all of the babies in New Hope Special Care Centers. Pray for all of the nurses, volunteers, and support staff as well.  The lives of these children depend on their care.

Anyone can pray.

After being in Beijing for over a week now I have many observations from our time here.  While I miss Porter and am ready to get home to him, I am just getting  comfortable with the babies and what the needs are here in the Hope Healing Home. I will miss these babies and think about them everyday once we leave, wondering if I will ever get to care for them again.

The needs are so great and diverse here.   One child may be just need to grow following cleft lip repair, while the next is struggling for each breath striving to gain enough strength to have a major heart repair.  Bowel issues, urinary tract defects, cleft lips, cleft palates, extreme failure to thrive, complex heart defects.  These are "normal" here, and some of the kids have more than one of these problems. By all accounts these kids shouldn't be alive, but they are and many are thriving because of the care they have been provided.  Some will live to be adopted, some will stay in the orphan system until they are too old, and some will not make it.  These are the harsh realities of orphan life in China.

After making every reader sufficiently depressed now what is my point to sharing all of this. Jesus says in Matthew 9:37, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (still depressing but I'm getting to the point.) Everyone reading this can be a worker.  Not everyone can come to China, but anyone can pray, and that is what these babies need more than anything.

Early Saturday morning I was called to the room of one of the smaller heart babies.  The baby was blue, and was struggling for every breath.  Going to the Emergency Room is not really an option so we did everything within our means to make her better.  We gave her oxygen, nebulizer treatments, and a fluid medicine but she was still struggling. I had nothing else medical that I could do. However, I could pray.  I put my hand on her precious head and started praying that God would relieve her distress. I knew that He might relieve her by comforting her here on earth, or He might choose to comfort her in His arms in Heaven. Not long after her breathing slowed, her color improved, and she was slowly getting better. The doctor in me struggles not to say that it just took time for the medicine to take effect, but I know that it was certainly God's hand that was at work that day.  The next day when I went to check on her she smiled the biggest smile, and I knew that for now she was going to be okay.

I'm thankful that the Lord has led Lauren, the kids, and me here to spend time with these precious children, and I pray that one day we will get to return.  After we return home, and are not able to see them everyday, we will pray.  We will pray for the 33 month old baby who weighs 11 pounds and can't have heart surgery until she gains enough weight.  We will pray for the child who gets closer to complete renal failure everyday and has no surgical option for treating his problem.  We will pray for the baby with a cleft palate that has been repaired who just needs a family to see his precious face and choose to bring him into their home.

We ask that you do the same.  It would be great if you would give, and sponsor a child, and adopt, and travel here to love on these babies, but that isn't a reality for many.  Prayer is a reality, and these babies need to be lifted up to our Heavenly Father more than anything.

Below are pictures so you can see who we have been able to spend our time with.  I have to show a few of our kids having fun too!!!

It's our 4th full day here in Beijng, and I've wanted to post sooner, but honestly I just haven't had the energy. Adjustment to the time has been much more difficult for me this time. It may be because I'm old, or it may be because Davidson didn't want to sleep very much when we arrived!!! Our first few days have been relatively uneventful. I've been trying to learn each of the children and their medical needs, while Lauren and the kids have enjoyed spending time with the preschoolers and time in the various nurseries. As always some of the kids stand out more for various reasons  (Pictures to follow).  It's amazing how some of the babies just melt your heart instantly. Everyone asked before our trip how many I thought we would bring home.  The one good thing about the length of the adoption process is that it prevents us from loading up the plane when we leave next week.  Between Lauren and the girls they have exactly 47 "favorites". By the way there are 47 kids here.

A new child arrived Monday. Her case is a little different than most. She recently had surgery and is coming here to heal before returning to her orphanage. Also different is that her grandfather came with her to be dropped off, and that she is 8, much older than the rest of the kids here. She was tearful as the people she knew said their goodbyes.  We assessed her then her ayis took over, and she was made to feel at home quickly. It made me proud to see my girls immediately start trying to love on her. They took her snacks and candy, and before I knew it Rebecca was painting her fingernails.  Ming Yu was able to communicate with her as well. I'm pray that her fears were lessened by the love she received.

I ask that you continue to pray for Joyce Hill, the founder and medical director of New Hope Foundation.  While in rehab today she was found to have a complication of her recent cerebral hemorrhage.  My hope is that it is only a short term setback on her long road to recovery.