Bamboo Project Update Three

The Story of the Earth Suit:

     When I was preschool/early school age I was obsessed with space. With astronauts. With the space shuttle. With the stars. With all of it. In fact, at the height of NASA's shuttle program, I remember being allowed to stay home and watch the televised shuttle launches. That was going to be ME. I was going to be an astronaut! TO THE MOON!!!

     At the same time, there was a teenager in my church by the name of Danny. Danny was cognitively delayed and with his bad 70s haircut usually congregated with my age group...and scared the living daylights out of me. In hindsight, he was always very kind, trying to get my attention and be a part of my little social circle, but anytime I would see Danny in the church foyer, I remember running to hide behind any set of adult legs I could get to fastest. Danny was different, and scary, and I didn't want to be anywhere near him...until, I was given The Story of the Earth Suit.

    One Sunday, one of the church dads in the foyer saw me hiding from Danny; he also knew I was a 4 year old space freak. He bent down gently and looked me in the eye:  "Desiree, when an astronaut goes into space and his space suit gets dirty or ripped, does that mean he is a bad astronaut?" I remember being absolutely shocked at the insinuation.  "No. He is still an astronaut on the inside!"  Duhhhh. (I'm sure I rolled my eyes) He smiled & proceeded, "Well...Danny's earth suit got dirty when he was born, but he is still Danny on the inside and we love him because God made him."

Me & Danny on my second birthday.
He was my special helper to open up all my gifts too. :)

 

     The light bulb went on that very moment. It was the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart a concept that ultimately would guide the course of my life. God does not look at the outward appearance; He is not hindered by a broken Earth Suit; He looks at the heart He so perfectly created with a plan & a purpose even as He was putting the stars in their place.  (1 Sam 16:7, Ps 139:13-17, Ps 8:3).

     FOUR Bamboo kids have found their forever families, and we are expecting the official match of a couple more very shortly. I can't tell you what joy that brings my heart! By virtue of their outward appearance each one of these children are not with their birth families BUT I know God has seen their hearts and knows their future with their forever parents even as He knew Danny's...and Isaac's...and mine. Please continue to pray for these sweet ones and their potential forever families. And continue to spread the word!  The more that hear about these precious children, the sooner every one of them will be HOME!! Please contact china@bethany.org for more information.

 

 

 

Not an astronaut but OVER THE MOON for this little boy!

Staycation

     We took a couple days off this week to just stay home, sleep-in (7am baby!!), work in the yard, visit with local friends, and enjoy the most magnificent summer Seattle has had in a long time!

 

Day 1: Too tired to actually follow through on any plans we made, we stayed home, enjoyed the Tacoma waterfront and watched Annie (Isaac loved the dancing!).

THIS is why I love living here!

Watching for seals



Watching for other people's seals??  I'm not quite sure.



High tide in Commencement Bay

 

 

Day 2: Gramma's birthday! 

Three of the four grand kids



Not sure Gramma wanted anything more than this.

Day 3: A visit to our Adoption Cousins to the north. The VanderKooys and their new son Andy were in our travel group to China last August and even though we spent little time with each other in country, I picked up on Shelby & Jason's sense of humor pretty quick and  knew they were keepers. :)  A year later Isaac & I finally drove up to their farm and while Shelby & I chatted for 7 hours straight, the kids (Isaac & Andy included) played in the yard, wrestled with the dog, climbed in trees and rode the horses...all while the glory of the Cascade & Olympic mountains shone around us. It was a good day and a treasure to share our hearts for adoption. While I'm still sans-camera, Shelby took some GREAT shots of us loving the farm life. THANK YOU, Shelby!!

Adoption Cousins!  Andy & Isaac.

Not sure what to do with Mr. Jason's beard. :)

Meeting Bunny the horse

Andy's big sister Maddy was kind enough to take Isaac out for a ride.

Cowboy Isaac!

Isaac wasn't too sure about the cows.
From the looks of it, cow # 558 had something in mind for us!

It did not take Isaac long to figure out that a dog will do anything if you feed it pretzels from your diaper bag.
(So do toddlers, buddy, but don't tell!)



Chewing on some hay



There is my sweet boy

Thank you for a wonderful day, VanderKooys!
See you again SOON!

 

Day 4: We worked in the yard and enjoyed the sun. Isaac was DETERMINED to figure out the hose & the sprinkler. I'm proud of how he observes and figures things out, both developmentally and as a part of his character. It's my goal to teach him to stop & listen to the Lord when he doesn't understand a situation or know what to do. Figuring out a sprinkler is the first step!

Yes, that is a pocket hose.
Don't judge me.

Mission accomplished!!

Day 5: Lots of snuggles & playing in the hose, then a dinner/play date with church friends. Isaac is just learning how to play WITH others rather than along side them and this was a good group of kids to practice with. I must say, watching four boys play tea party was especially entertaining!

 

A gentleman's tea.

Dinner presents...noodles in a bowl ala Isaac!

     I've said it before and I'll say it again...I enjoy our life as a family. We've hit a stride of health & growth, play & rest that is working well for us. Even now as we've been together for a entire turn of the calendar, I feel as if I'm just getting to know this little human and what makes him tick. Our hosts asked me tonight, "Does Isaac like carbonara?", and I had to answer honestly...geez, I don't know.  (Clearly he does!) So,  as we figure eachother out, here is to more firsts and seconds and thirds together: to walking the waterfront, and riding horses, and story time with Gramma, and figuring out the sprinkler and big bowls of carbonara in the summer time.

Happy Summer!
(Thank you Cassandra Hamilton Photography for another fun family photo!)

 





Bamboo Project Update Two

     God is doing GREAT things in the Bamboo Project.  There has been a lot of interest, significant number of family leads and now TWO sweet ones have forever homes!  These little ones that otherwise would have been institutionalized the rest of their natural lives are now going to know the love and care of a forever family. They will know what it is to play in the grass  (Isaac didn't!), and to be celebrated on their birthday, and be smothered with kisses by a grandparent, and to fall asleep safe in a momma's arms as she rocks them to sleep and hums the Lord's eternal Love over them. Two of OUR Bamboo kids will always know they are safe, and loved, and wanted, and their is a hope for their future. I am so very happy for these two children...and for their forever families. The road won't be easy, but the blessing of following the Lord through adoption is INCREDIBLE.
      Please continue to pray for the remaining twelve children. Their forever homes have yet to be found, but we stand firm on the Lord's promises that He will: provide justice for the fatherless (Deut 10:18/Ps 10:18), sets the lonely in families (Ps 68:6), provide mercy for the orphan (Hos 14:3), and He will NOT leave us as orphans (John 14:18). God has a plan and a hope and a future for these precious ones (Jer 29:11) and we can be a part of that amazing plan!

      There are some exciting fundraising plans on the horizon that I am eager to post soon.  In the mean time, please consider giving directly to the Bamboo Project by contacting china@bethany.org . The funds raised go directly to cover the adoption costs of these fourteen sweethearts. The cost of adoption can be daunting (nearly $40,000 for our adoption!), but it should not be the reason that a child isn't brought home to a loving family!  As we wait to post the formal fundraising, please prayerfully consider the following:

• Giving directly out of the excess of your finances.
• Many have an extra paycheck in August, consider giving the tithe from that check.
• Work an extra shift or schedule some overtime.
• If you are a small business owner or self-employed, consider donating the profits from one job/project/sale. (or two or three...)
• Choose a time frame to fast from a regular 'habit' (ie: Starbucks, pedicures, restaurants, movies, etc) and donate what you would have spent.
• Dedicate your coupon savings or other reward savings to bringing these children home.

The amount may feel small, the act may seem minimal, but please know EVERY amount helps bring a child home!!

 

 
 
 

 

ONE YEAR TOGETHER!!!!

365 days. 52 weeks. 12 months.

One whole year with my boy!

Ahhhh--mazing!

 

 



Getting prayed-out into motherhood

August 12, 2013

 When I think back of what this day last year held, the memories are so fresh they are tangible. In the middle of a communist country airport, the other families in our travel group spontaneously prayed over me as my mom, Jessie & I separated from the group to fly to the Guizhou Province alone. I can't tell you what confirmation & peace that gave my heart! They would have to wait another day for their children, but Isaac would be in my arms that very evening. Ultimately, we were delayed three hours desperately attempting to communicate our way through the Beijing airport. We arrived in Guiyang thirty minutes after Isaac was already supposed to be in my arms, running to get into a van with a Chinese woman I only hoped was our guide & translator. Then we entered a building that Mom was convinced is where the actual Chinese Mafia was housed! (It was scary looking). The elevator ride up 14 floors was the longest & shortest of my life...and then the final flight of steps, walking through the door, turning to the left...and there was my sweet boy. A tiny bald-headed little boy, dressed in mint-apple green, looking like a jolly rancher, wearing bright blue squeaky shoes. Then he waddled right to me! (And proceeded to poke me in the eye.). It was perfect. And HOT. And tearful. And overwhelming. And wonderful...it was God's plan joyfully fulfilled.



      That little waif of a boy, that could barely hold himself up 1 year ago, now runs & jumps & throws & kicks & wrestles like a toddler boy that has never known anything else. The pack-n-play in my room is now put away as he doesn't need it to be corralled anymore. And we have finished the last of the formula, because he has gained 8 pounds, grown 4 inches and added 16 teeth in the last year! His therapy reports are now splattered with phrases like: phenomenal growth, spectacular improvement, advanced problem solving ability, and age-appropriate social skills (!!). I never could have imagined this for him especially in such a short amount of time...but I know our God did!  Our Father has know since He was  knitting Isaac perfectly together in his birthmother's womb. He has known every breath my boy will take.

     We have celebrated our family all year, but this weekend we took a special field trip to ride Seattle's Great Wheel over Elliot Bay. I'm sure I could come up with some circle of life metaphor, or something about how far God has brought us, but mostly it was just a lot of fun. We took silly photos and banged on the windows and looked for fish from 175 feet in the air, then we got ice cream and watched seagulls fight over french fries. It's what we do. It's our life together.  

Family Day at the Seattle Great Wheel!

      Below is a video of our first year together as a forever family. The sheer number of experiences we've had in 12 months looks intimidating!  But even as Isaac rested in my arms yesterday in church, surrounded by our spiritual family singing Great Is Thy Faithfulness, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by God's hand in our lives. His faithfulness IS great...just look at us!

 

Fifty-One Weeks Together: THE BEACH!

     I love going to the beach. I grew up going to the Oregon Coast for summer vacations & weekend get-a-ways so there are few sensations I am more familiar with than the feel of sea & sand on my face or the taste of a sand-crusted hot dog.  Those are good times to be shared. So for this weekend, we were off to the Washington Coast to meet up with Gramma & Auntie Tavia, Uncle Caleb and the cousins. (Sadly, my camera met an untimely death in a sand dune. I'm thankful for cell phone cameras, but very much looking forward to a new photofriend to capture fun weekends like these.)

 

My little road-tripper. 
He is getting good at this!

 

He decided he wasn't going to wait for the rest of us.
Off to the beach pulling the wagon by himself...

This cracks me up...he pulled it up the little path 5 feet, apparently decided it was too much work, then crawled into the wagon to be pulled the rest of the way.
That's my boy!!

Cousin Magdalene
We found the ocean!!

We are BIG into sandboxes right now.
I'm not quite sure he could compute the size of this AMAZING sandbox he could play with.

I wish I could capture the sound of his belly laugh when he realized the freedom he had to run on the beach!  

He ran and ran and ran.

Only two rules: don't drown in the ocean & don't bite the seagulls.

Checking out the waves with Cousin Magdalene

Climbing Mt SandHoleMinJaro.

This boy had sand EVERYWHERE!

Supervising Cousin Magdalene's hole digging.

Ummm, you missed some right here.

Found the perfect lot of sand to dig.

Not gunna lie...this makes me giggle.

Cousin Vaughn on sandcastle duty

Mommas are the ultimate wind breakers.

Sand quality-control check with Gramma

Gramma & the cousins

Attempting to stay warm in the exo-womb

Pacific Beach, WA
August 2013

     We chased birds and threw sand and found seashells and dug holes and ate junk food and watched movies and grilled hotdogs and waved to China across the sea. It was the first of many beach trips to come.