Here is an update on David (volunteer Micah Crowe’s buddy from camp in Xi’an this summer!)… the awesome sequel to the post, “Ready to Belong”.  We are excited to pray alongside Jim and Kari Schott as they seek to bring David home to be a part of their forever family!  The following is a guest post by Jim and Kari about their “China adventure” to bring David home!
_________________________________________

“Smooooch!” The chapstick worked well for the principal as he bent down to kiss a way too cute pig at the school carnival. A highlight of the school carnival, there was also good food, lots of kids, and fun games. In the midst of all the candy and treats, one game was thoughtfully giving toothbrushes to the winners. Our little man came home with two new toothbrushes feeling very proud of himself.

As he handed them to me to put away, he said, “Mom, I want you to save this for my brother.” He has three older sisters. We have been praying about a brother to adopt. We began the adoption road almost three years ago. There is no doubt why God gave this little man the nickname “Hope-bug.”

Not that cross your fingers kind of hope. A wish. A dream. Known certainty is the kind of hope we can have. Lots of things we don’t know, but we can focus on what we do know. God is love. God sent His Son, Jesus, to adopt us into His family. God is with us! If we will put our hope in Jesus, we know we will be with Him always. Why? Because of who Jesus Is. We put ourselves in the very Hands of Hope.

Our little man is praying for his brother whom we have nicknamed “Peace-bug.” We pray that his prayers, and ours, will strengthen our faith as we have our hope in God, trusting God to work His plans in our lives and in “brother’s” life too.

Hope-Bug’s verse is Psalm 71:5-6, “Sovereign Lord, I put my hope in You; I have trusted in You since I was young. I have relied on You all my life; You have protected me since the day I was born. I will always praise You.”

Not too bad for a preemie who came 5 weeks early and his lungs were not ready. God knew this verse a year before our Hope-bug came. His first breath was absolutely in God’s hands. He’s a big Kindergartner now ready to run and play with his brother.

Two weeks after the school carnival, while checking out face book, I saw a post by Micah Crowe on the Bring Me Hope website. Micah wrote about a sweet, smiling little boy who needed a family. I could email Kelly to learn more about him. I did. We talked on the phone.

My husband and I talked to Living Hope Adoption Agency. We liked the “hope” connection. We sent our application in with much prayer and hope. We were so excited to learn that we had been matched and could begin our China adventure!

How did I read the post on Bring Me Hope’s Facebook page? My friend, who has four children adopted from China and whom several of our children are in the same grade at the same school and we go to the same church, took her oldest daughter to China last summer to volunteer at a Bring Me Hope Camp.

We walked to help raise money two years in a row with this beautiful family and were blessed to be a small part of their love and time given in China last summer through Bring Me Hope.

Since our being matched, we have met many special people who love our son. Pictures and videos have been given to us and much prayer has been said for us and for him.

Bring Me Hope has been a connection for many of these people and especially for the precious children the summer camp is meant for.

Who knew that a little smiling boy, often pictured right in the middle of a group of children, would attend summer camp for Chinese orphans, have his story shared by this organization by someone who loves him and prays for him to have a family, read by us just because we had supported and prayed for friends who volunteered at this camp? God knew.

Our son who waits for us in China has been given the nick name “peace-bug.” We have nicknames for all our children. And we also give each of them a Bible verse. His verse, picked out 12-4-2009, is Psalm 22:9-10, “You, Lord, brought me safely through birth and You protected me when I was a baby at my mother’s breast. From the day I was born, I have been in Your care, and from the time of my birth, You have been my God.”

We hope to complete one more major piece soon to complete our home study and then have all the paperwork put together and mailed to China.

My blog is www.growingforeverdaisies.blogspot.com.

Thank you for your prayers for us as we continue our China adventure to bring our son home.

______

Micah Crowe (the volunteer who worked with David in Xi’an) adds that she highly encourages everyone to advocate for all these amazing children who still need forever families.  Please continue to pray over every Bring Me Hope “Star of the Week” and spread the word about these kids!  Praise God that David’s forever family found him so quickly- now let’s help other forever families find their kids!

Name:  Peter – Age: 10 or 11 years – Favorite Things: Playing soccer, swimming, singing songs, reading, and writing – Status:  Needs a forever family!  (Read the full post for more information and photos/videos of Peter!)

“Peter is a 10 (or 11) year old boy with a heart looking for genuine love. Peter will quietly perform acts that show his desire for attention. He will give his last piece of candy, hold your hand all day, draw pictures of him being the prince and you the princess, and ensure that you are protected. He doesn’t smile quickly or give hugs readily, but you can see in all the small actions that he is waiting for love.

“Peter can play soccer, swim, sing songs, read, write, and feed himself.”

Watch Peter’s Video Here!

(From Hoping for Home- be sure to check out the other beautiful kids who need forever families on HOH!)

Name:  Jin Qiu –  Age:  12 years – Favorite Things:  Music, karaoke, playing on the playground, riding on cars and bikes – Status:  Needs a forever family!  (Read the full post for more information and photos of Jin Qiu!)

Jin Qiu is a 12 year-old orphan.  He is is very artistic and likes to imitate TV actors and paint pictures.  He enjoys music and singing karaoke and performing for an audience whenever he has the opportunity.

Jin Qiu is also a helper.  He helps to fold diapers for all the babies in the orphanage every afternoon.  He mops the floor and cleans tables when asked.

One of Jin Qiu’s favorite places to play is on the playground!  Here he enjoys running around, sliding, and swinging.  He also likes to jump rope and ride bikes and cars.

Most of all, Li Jin Qiu is very loving and sensitive to the moods and expressions of people around him.  When one of the other children in the orphanage falls, he is quickly by their side and helping them up.

Jin Qiu has Down Syndrome but has not had any heart or thyroid issues.  Because of this condition and his age, Jin Qiu needs to find a forever family before he is 14 years old.  Jin Qiu would be a wonderful addition to any family.  His engaging smile and sweet disposition would warm up any home and heart!

Please contact Joy Dexter at joyinchina78@gmail.com for more information about Jin Qiu.

Below is a guest post, written by one of our wonderful volunteers, Micah Crowe.  Enjoy her story about China and the little boy she met there.  Let’s find this little one a family!

“In July, my husband and I traveled to China to serve with Bring Me Hope to provide a camp experience for orphans. As prepared as you think you are with packing lists and immunizations and reading all you can beforehand, I wasn’t at all prepared for what God had in store for me.

My heart was broken. My heart was broken over each one of those children He brought to that camp. Broken.

During my second week in Xi’an, I had the tremendous blessing of spending 5 days with a sweet little boy [David]. I’ll never forget seeing him for the first time. He immediately reached for my hand and held it with a tight grip. He didn’t want to let me go. I noticed right away that he had some difficulty walking. And, as we walked to the edge of the room together to play, I became more aware of the trouble he had walking. As I walked easily in stride, I could feel his body shift from left to right as we walked hand in hand. He has scoliosis. I imagine that the years of little to no treatment and no family to help him get what he needs has contributed to his rhythmic gait.

But, his spirit is so bright. He smiled up at me with an excited grin and told our translator he was excited to come to camp. Every few minutes, he would shift his entire body to turn and smile at my translator and me. I remember consciously noticing what a beautiful smile he had.

That first afternoon, we played badminton until we could play no more. And, he laughed and played with joy despite the differences in how God formed his shape.

When I think about [David], I think first of his sweet spirit–quick to listen, eager to try new things and soak every bit out of camp that he could. He had two close buddies at camp. They all lived in the orphanage together, and it was very easy to tell that they were best buds, three peas in a pod. It occurred to me that they were probably the closest thing he has to a family, the closest thing he has experienced of what it feels like to belong.

He was made paper ready, made available for international adoption when he was only 5 years old.

He just turned 8.

And, for nearly 3 years, he has waited, paper ready to be adopted.

[David] seemed most happy when he was beside his two best friends. I couldn’t help but picture him home with a family, HIS family, and how happy he would be, how much potential he has, how much he’d grow and thrive. And, how tightly he’d hold the hand of his mother and father.”

Just a quick update on Silas and his upcoming surgery. For a while we have been trying to get a hold of Stanford and the neurosurgeon who said he would do the surgery for Silas. We were growing a bit weary of not knowing what was going on or hearing back from them.

This Monday God sent us a little ray of sunshine. We were able to get in touch with the neurosurgeon and he assured us that he is still waiting to hear back from Stanford about funding the surgery for Silas. Then we were able to contact those who are making the decision. They said they will be working on an answer for us and will keep us updated daily. After a few months of phone tag and feeling “in the dark”, this news has really lifted our spirits! God is always at work and our faith is ever growing. Please join us in praying as they assured us a final decision about financing the surgery will come soon.

Dr Mindia also gave us some more details about the surgery that he is planning for Silas. It looks like the procedure he is planning on doing is only done in five medical facilities in the States and ten worldwide. We are working with a real expert! He thinks there is an outstanding chance of complete lesion resection and long term brain stem decompression, with reversal of neuralgic symptoms!

Thank you for continuing to pray with us. We will keep you updated on all He is doing!

A beautiful video made by Kristen Chase about the visit she and some of the other Xi’an staffers took to an orphanage this summer.

God’s Heart: Chinese Orphanage Visit

These 2nd and 3rd graders from a church in West Virginia raised enough money to send a Chinese orphan to camp this summer. We’re very proud of them for helping out at such a young age!  Because of them a child had the opportunity to come out of an orphanage and experience a week of fun and love in a Christian environment.  Thank you, little friends.  You inspire us!

Hello everyone; Lacey Scott here!  I wanted to quickly update you on the Bring Me Hope tour going on right now. My brother, Colin, and I have been on the road for two weeks, traveling from Oregon to New York, speaking at churches and hosting house parties.  There have been some wonderful reconnections with old “BMHers”, as well as new relationships formed with recent and prospective volunteers. Tour has reminded me again that people are our greatest asset and treasure! We’d love your prayers as we head into the final week of tour.  It’s a great honor and responsibility to be a voice for the children in China.  Thank you all for your support as we continue to spread the Bring Me Hope love!

Take a few minutes to watch Scout Bassett’s amazing story!   She started life as an orphan, abandoned outside of an orphanage in Nanjing.  There was no explanation for her missing lower right leg or the burns and scars on other areas of her body.  At age six, she was adopted by a loving family in the United States.  Since then she’s grown into a beautiful young lady and talented athlete.  Enjoy her story!

Challenged Athlete Profile – Scout Bassett

It’s been six weeks since the last Bring Me Hope camp ended in China.  As we all settle back into our normal routines, it can be easy to forget the little ones we’ve left behind.  That’s why it’s so inspiring to hear about volunteers who have decided to intentionally advocate for their children after camp.

Rob Malloy, a student from Ireland, was a volunteer at the Xi’an camp this year.  Since coming home in August, he has made it his goal to find a family for his buddy, Lei Xiao Feng (Jacob).  With the help of BMH staffer, Kristen Chase, he put together an article (featured here ), YouTube video, and an email asking if anyone would be willing to adopt Jacob.  The response has been incredible! We are confident Jacob will soon have a forever family.

Volunteers and BMH friends, would you take a moment to ask The Father what you can do to help the kids?  It may be writing them a letter, supporting their orphanage, finding an adoptive family, praying for them…  We trust He will show you the way if you ask.  Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for the children!  God does amazing work through His people!

Rob and Jacob