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Bring Me Hope News

Night Walk News!

May 1, 2012

Night Walk is coming up on May 18, 2012. That’s just a few weeks away! We can’t wait to show our support of these kids during this awesome opportunity. If you haven’t yet heard of Night Walk, keep reading to find out more!

Want to skip the reading and sign up now?? Head over to the Night Walk sign-up page!

This year, our Night Walk and camp theme is “Love Like an Ocean”. For many of the volunteers who have spent time with the orphans in China, for many of the families who have adopted these beautiful children and for many hearts that long to bring these kids love and hope… an ocean separates us. But love, deep like the ocean, binds us to them. We love them through the love God has given us… and He gives us a love that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:18).

Essentially what Night Walk does is it gives us another opportunity to show this “love like an ocean.” We have the opportunity to tangibly help these children who we love. We have the opportunity to share the kids’ stories with our friends, family, and sometimes complete strangers as we walk. At the beginning of the walk, we even get a chance to be on a call with some of the kids we are directly helping with the Night Walk. What a cool opportunity to be a part of something so huge! Be sure to share about it with your family and friends and let’s have thousands of people across the globe together for one cause!

For more info and to sign up, CLICK HERE! Sign up by Friday, May 4, 2012 and get an awesome official Night Walk t-shirt to sport for the Walk!

One hour. $30. The opportunity to change lives forever. Bring Me Hope Night Walk 2012.

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Hope Renewed, Prayers Answered

April 17, 2012

A few months ago, we published a blog post from Rob Molloy, a volunteer at 2011 BMH Summer Camp in Xi’an, China.

Jacob, Rob’s orphan buddy from camp, touched Rob’s life in an extraordinary way. When Rob returned home from camp, he did everything in his power to help find Jacob a forever family.

We are so thankful for Rob and allowing God to work through him… because now, Jacob will soon be Ian Straight as his family makes the trek to China in early May to bring him home.

The whole story about Ian’s adoption is pretty amazing! Check out Ian’s forever family’s blog at http://myshelbybaby.blogspot.com/2011/10/ians-story-finale.html for the whole story (and more to come as they bring him home!).

Praise God! Ian has a forever family!

Posted in Bring Me Hope News, Camp, Kids, Volunteers | No Comments »

Star of the Week: CongCong

April 12, 2012

Meet CongCong, the Bring Me Hope Star of the Week. Please read his story and let it touch your heart. In the days ahead, join us as we pray for and encourage CongCong, an aged-out orphan who is fighting leukemia.

Taken from www.congscongscare.blogspot.com

Simply try to imagine.

An 8-year-old boy living in an orphanage in Xi’an, China. He is not an orphan but a son of an ayi there who now lives and is growing up with the children his mother also cares for.

Everyday, he lives among these children who have no family. He eats with them and plays with them but gets to leave the grounds to go to school as “normal” children do.

There is another young boy in that orphanage about the same age who doesn’t have the same life as Kobe. He is an orphan, but one different from many of the children there. No “special needs;” but an orphan nonetheless. He wasn’t entirely alone—his older brother and younger sister had come to the orphanage with him after their parents had died. And, that is where they stayed, not ever even eligible to be adopted because they had at least one living relative.

This boy, CongCong, became a big brother to Kobe and his closest friend as they grew up side by side.

When Kobe left the orphanage to live with his father at their home in Baoji, their hearts hurt. But, every summer, he still came back to the orphanage in Xi’an and joined his brother CongCong until one summer when he was no longer there. He had aged out at about 15 years old and was somewhere on his own.

Years later, Kobe is now a man, a man doing life again with orphans as he works in Xi’an with Bring Me Hope. A few months ago, when he saw an old friend from the orphanage, he heard news that broke his heart. His dear friend CongCong is dying, suffering of acute non-lymph leukemia. Alone. Kobe wrote, “It’s just like when you find a lost precious thing but it turns out to be broken.”

Since then, every Saturday he has spent with CongCong. Encouraging him through their Heavenly Father, the only Father CongCong knows, and caring for him. His treatment is expensive, too costly with no guarantees. At last visit, he had 300 yuan in total, the equivalent of under $50.

Kobe knows he cannot do anything to help. But, he can pray. And, he has—though he has struggled to continue to trust through it all.

And so, now, we are joining him, praying with him, holding the arms of Kobe up and holding this young man CongCong up as he prepares to meet His Father who created him.

And, we are asking you to do the same. Pray. For easy breathing. For strength. For the ease and supernatural removal of pain.

Please also consider caring for CongCong in a tangible way. Send him words of love and encouragement; send him messages of hope (check out www.congcongscare.blogspot.com to do this). Each word will be read and translated to him by Kobe himself. And, consider giving financially even if only a small portion to help him spend his last days differently than he would be spending them otherwise.

Together, we can help CongCong spend his final days knowing that he will not leave this world with no one knowing his name.

Visit www.congcongscare.blogspot.com or www.myoverthinking.com for more information on CongCong!

Posted in Bring Me Hope News, Kids, Star of the Week | 1 Comment »

Hannah’s Story

March 22, 2012

We’re happy to have “Hannah’s Story” up on the website, free for you to view and share with everyone! We want to make people aware of what these orphans face and the reality of their dire situations.

Click here to watch and share Hannah’s Story!

But we at Bring Me Hope want to not only bring awareness, but a chance for you to respond. Pray for these kids, sponsor a kid to go to camp, or come volunteer with us this summer! Advocate for our “Star of the Week” and ask families you know to adopt these beautiful kids.

Together, we can change the lives of these orphans!

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Star of the Week: XiaoXi

March 14, 2012

Name: XiaoXi (XiXi) – Age: 3 years – Favorite Things: Drawing, coloring, giving hugs, showing love, riding on cars – Status: Waiting for his forever family! (Read the full post for more information and photos of XiaoXi!)

XiaoXi (XiXi) is a three year-old orphan who has been at the orphanage since infancy. He loves to love and is very affectionate with anyone who has his trust. He runs toward people with outstretched arms, ready to give a hug and in return, get a hug.

XiXi has Down Syndrome but he is high-functioning. He likes to draw and show love to everyone around him!

XiXi has been a calm child in the past, though he is gradually becoming more exuberant. He is gentle when he plays and enjoys riding around on cars.

When XiXi laughs, everyone around him has to laugh. When he gives you a dimpled smile, you can’t help but smile. He would be a huge blessing to any family who would want to adopt him.

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On the Road to Belonging!

January 30, 2012

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!
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“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.

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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!

Posted in Bring Me Hope News, Kids | 5 Comments »

Star of the Week: Jin Qiu

January 6, 2012

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.

Posted in Bring Me Hope News, Kids, Star of the Week | 2 Comments »

Ready to Belong

November 14, 2011

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.”

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An Update on Silas

November 9, 2011

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!

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God’s Heart

November 3, 2011

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

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