Friday is here.

OH MY GOSH!!! It is 9:18 am and the first group which included my two have already left. What can I say... I'll back up again and start at the beginning.

I woke up early (6:15) and posted photos to last nights blog. Then went upstairs and gather up gifts for the boys and one for Sarah. When I was gathering the gifts several of the other boys were in my room watching me ad wanted something. I ended up giving 4 or 5 beach balls to them. They all said "Thank you" in english. 

Just a word of advice. If any of you ever come to camp with me don't get too close in the morning. My last shower for the day has been at the pool around 4:00 pm. Then when I get back I get clean clothes and use them for the next day (including sleep just in case someone needs to come into the office in the middle of the night).

So, I went out the building and waited for Andrew. He came out about 5 minutes later. Billy came up to me and said "Good morning Bill", "Good morning Billy, how are you", "I'm fine, thank you very much" and then a big hug. Bob was walking with Andrew and then came over to me and grabbed my hand to help him walk to breakfast. Billy was very calm this morning. He new he was going to leave. Normally he rides on my back to breakfast but not this morning. On the way to breakfast he saw that I was carrying gifts. He told Andrew "All gifts are from God". WOW, this boy is just amazing. At breakfast he was sitting by himself until Sarah came in. He didn't really want me to sit with him which was fine. After Sarah came in though they called me over and wanted to get photos. If the camera makes it back from the trip you will see those later today. They wanted them of my group and Kates. Breakfast went fast and we were motioned to get ready to leave. We walked to the bus area and took a couple more photos. I gave Billy his gift there. He pulled it out of the bag and then QUICKER than you ca see put it in his backpack (protective instinct). I wanted to get a photo but that wasn't going to happen. Oh well. The bus showed up on time and was loaded rather quickly. We said our goodbyes.. wait for it... wait... Okay he is in the seat and looking out the window TEARS RUNNING down his face. OH   MY   GOSH! I COMPLETELY LOST IT!!! I ran up to the window and put my hand against his. He just looked at me with tears in his eyes. It just wouldn't stop... I think I grabbed whoever was next to me and just gave them a HUGE squeeze. TEARS everywhere. Sarah came over and gave me a hug with TEARS in her eyes. I will see her again soon. I think she just feels so many emotions for these children and especially Billy. I gave her my camera. I showed her ow to use it at breakfast but I am sure if she has a problem Billy will help. He figured the thing out in a couple of minutes.

David got on the bus and went and gave the kids hugs, Billy is also his favorite. He attached to both of us this week VERY STRONGLY. Then I saw them talking through the window. David came - Another BIG HUG and then he said to me, "Billy told me that Jesus Loves you" meaning me. WOW, just incredible. He looked out the window and me and David with our arms around each other and smiled and took our picture. I gave him the sign for Love and pointed to him - He did it back. I cried some more... and more... and more... This was terrible. There were still two kids missing and the bus was loaded and waiting for them. This was just torture for them. Other people were trying to put their hand up on the window with him and he would wave them off. Selfishly I LOVED seeing that. He only wanted me and David to do it. Andrew came back over to me and gave me a bunch of hugs. I think Mike got some good photos so I will see if  I can get them. The bus finally pulled out the gate as we all followed and waved. This was so the opposite feeling of the kids leaving for church camp. To know that this may be the last time I will ever see this boy. Did I do enough, say enough, show enough... All I could do is let him know that God loves him and so do I. I had to go and take a minute by myself.....

I came back and found Chris. Tears were still in his eyes. I gave him a HUGE hug. If you haven't  noticed there is a pattern here at camp - can you see it yet? That leads me to the office where I am typing this now. I could go to sleep or maybe explore like some of the others but I don't feel like I am done yet. I think I am going to go off and find the rest of the kids that are still here and try and have some fun with them. Hopefully that wont make things worst for me but if it does and also makes the kids happy then it is 110% worth it. I love these kids so much and I want to see some of the other off that I have been talking about and be there for Kate, Alan and Byron and some of the other volunteers. Again, selfishly, I was glad that our group left first so that I didn't have to think about this all day. 

Off to find my silly hat and go play with the kids....

Love you all. Thank you for the prayers. Pray hard for Billy and Bob.

PS - I know some of you are probably thinking "What about Bob?" He actually wanted to go back. He was not sad at all. He did have a smile on his face when he saw me but he just doesn't have the capacity to understand. He is a SPECIAL boy created by God. He will be a prince one day in Heaven. I truly believe this.

XOXOXO

Thursday - Day 4

Post coming shortly... It has been a long day... Stay tuned.

Okay, here it goes. Day 4. I slept in the office last night. I have the whole place to myself with the exception of the mosquitoes. Me and Sam and his sister and Chris were up until 1:30 watching the making of the video for the kids and picking on Chris. He is a good kid. I called it quits at 1:30, Chris left at 2:00 and Sam stayed up until 4:30 - 5:00 am. He is a great guy and worked himself hard to get this video done and perfect for the kids. We were able to watch it with them tonight in the cafeteria. They loved it. 

I woke up at 6:00 am this morning. Steve came in around 6:30 - 6:45 and we got to talk for about an hour. It was great. He is an amazing guy that has a big heart and a love for God. He and Tilly have a daughter, Sarah - 9, that has been here the whole time. I have been able to buddy around with her during the down times (lunch). She is a sweet little girl. Steve and I have been able to have devotional type conversations at several times. 

We went to breakfast first - no pig blood - too bad. I think maybe RICE again. Me and Byron and Adam have been joking about that a lot lately. Oh, great - more rice... I've been spreading around my peanut butter and cheese crackers with a few people. I was able to get another PBJ this morning. We had another fun assembly time this morning. the kids love to sing and dance. We went to craft time next while group a went to the pool. Craft time I had Andrew translate some words for me 'compassion for people'. This is part of a motto at our church. Passion for God, Compassion for People. I had him do this because he personifies that statement. Every time I think about him I will think about the compassion and serving heart that he has. I have already said this before but I will say it again, He is the most amazing person I think I have ever met in my life. I have never seen someone as self sacrificing as he is.

During the craft time I started to day dream and just look around the room and SEE all of the volunteers that are here. It was one of those revealing moments when I truly saw the hearts that these people have and the sacrifices that they made to be here and serve these children. I, again, teared up. I struck up a conversation with Kate and had asked her how many times she has cried since she has been here (of course telling her that I as a guy I haven't cried at all - NOT.) It ended up being a great conversation. We both ended up talking about how neither of us expected to find God here. I just felt like he was walking down the streets by my side the whole time. It is the most AMAZING  and AWESOME feeling I have ever had. I don't think I could ever explain it with words. I have to say that Kate has been a great inspiration to me. I have never seen her without a smile on her face as she watches these children. Her, along with half of the volunteers here, are half my age and yet I can be inspired and humbled by their actions. They really are a great group of "kids". I know Debbie, they are not all kids, I'm just older now. She was able to open up to me during the conversation and I felt bad because she hadn't really cried and I felt like I made her start. Pray for direction in her life and guidance. She really is a wonderful girl. I have a photo that I will post at the bottom. During craft time I was able to get Andrew to translate some letters for me to the kids. We all wrote letters to tell the kids about the week or what we learned from them.

Next stop - Water park. I went back and changed but wasn't planning on getting wet. Well, that didn't work out too well. I think Joy got me from behind, again. She is the little girl with the burns on her face. You might have seen her in the photos or videos. Since I got wet I decided to go all out, found a bucket and was playing with her for a little bit. She came at me one time and as I was running backwards I stepped on a pair of broken glasses. The frame went about 1/4" into my heal. That felt good. I called the paramedic, Pete, to fix me up. I am now calling this my literal battle scar on top of my emotional scars. The boys went into the water park today but the girls, except for joy, decided to stay out and either play cards on the side line or make bracelets.  Pete has a good photo of this that I will get from him.

Next stop - Lunch. I did eat this. I think it was Tofu and some rice of course. I got to talk to Byron a little during lunch. Another great guy. He is here for two weeks. He wants to be a test pilot. I have seen him interact with some of the kids and I think he will make a great dad some day. 

Next - nap time - Whoo hoo. Don't get me wrong, I love these kids but nap time is a very important time for us. This is the only time that I can go get a Coke and snickers (or Oreos). I have to leave the campus and I am not allowed to have the kids with me. Me and Sarah (Steve's daughter) sat and talked and ate Oreos during nap time. She is really cute. She likes to catch me day dreaming and walk up to me and go "Are you thinking about Bring me hope again?" and laughs. 

After nap - the pool. I wasn't going to go into the pool today but I needed to take a HOT shower and the pool is the best place for it. I am glad that I went in. It was fun and I got a few more underwater shots of Billy.? He loves to look at himself on the camera. The floor around the pool is made of granite - not the best choice, huh? After getting dried off from the pool we had to wait for Sarah (Billy's crush) to come out so we could walk together. I had the chance to talk to her a little. She is a commercial English major in her Junior year. She told me that Billy said he wants to become a scientist. I wouldn't doubt it. 

Next stop - Family time. I went to the office to get the family time materials. This time we were to make a life map (or something like that). There wasn't much interest from my group so we decided to play cards. It ended up being great fun. Billy started cheating, then I did and then Andrew. We were laughing a lot. Next part is rough so get the tissues now:

Andrew and Billy started talking about christians and asked if Pete was one. I said yes and Billy did not believe me because Pete has tattoos down his arm. I told him that the tattoos had meaning about his family. Pete heard us from the other room and came in and gave Billy a photo album to look through. He saw that Hannah, Pete's daughter, is Chinese. Andrew told him that she was adopted. In the meantime I ran down to get my photos that Debbie sent with me. I came back and showed him the pictures of my four girls (Debbie included). He stopped an looked and then looked at Andrew and said "two Chinese"? Andrew told him how We adopted both of them to give them love. He then said that I was a good person /big heart to adopt two girls. Then he stopped again and then said with a serious but sad face "Why has nobody adopted me?" There was no way I was going to be able to hold these tears back. I put my head down to try and hide them from him. Then I heard them both talking and I heard Andrew say that I was praying. I lifted my head and said "No, I am just sad". Billy could see the tears on my face. He paused and then said, "Don't worry, God has adopted me". This is a 10 year old boy that said this. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, later tonight I got to share this story with the group. David is trying to turn me into a public speaker and coming back next year as staff to work the mic.??? We'll see... 

Next Dinner - More rice? - No thanks. I wasn't very hungry at dinner time. The Oreos could have something to do with that, maybe. I went off into a corner and wrote a letter for Andrew. I told him how special he was and that God has big plans for his life. He is the most amazing person I have met. The things that I do for others are nothing compared to him. Seeing him here at camp has humbled me. We did the assembly after dinner, which I was a part of. Oops, /i skipped a part. There is another girl here about 9 with her family that have been living in Beijing. She came over and was talking to me while I was writing the letter. We were playing around with going on the stage and singing. She actually did sing the night before. I was trying to get her up there but she was being shy.  We did end up standing in the front and doing the song motions. Good fun. The orphans from ZhengZhou performed again tonight. It was hilarious. They were singing the equivalent of Hannah Montana popularity songs for Chinese artists. First were two girls and not even a few minutes into in one of the girls that won a prize walked up to the the stage and gave one of the girls singing her prize. AWESOME. Then others followed. It was great. Her arms were overflowing.  Several others sang too. I have partial videos.

After this we sang and then put in the video that Sam made. The kids loved seeing themselves on the big screen (wall with a sheet). Then the translators left and we stayed with the kids and watched old Tom and Jerry cartoons. Most of these kids have never seen a TV before. I am worried about Bob and how he will do after he leaves. I have a chance to talk to Alan more. He is a good guy, still single at 38. I should have known but didn't and felt bad asking about kids. He is staying for a couple more weeks. He is here with Kate and Caleb and a few others. We then said good night to the kids and then went to a volunteer meeting. This is where D opens us in prayer and then Says "Bill, do you mind sharing your story now" - "Thanks for the warning D". I went ahead and stood up and shared the story from family time (while standing behind D. as a shield). Other shared experiences that they had with they translators or children. Then we went into a worship time. I have to tell you that there is little better than singing Amazing Grace while in China. Again, word for the week, AWESOME!!!!!!

This all leads me to know which has been taking me a couple hours to write this. The room is now clear and it is 1:54 am. Time for bed. O, I forgot to mention that Pete opened his Day 7 card from Hannah. As soon as he opened it an pulled out the photo I literally feel on one of the mattresses and started crying in a room full of people (Oops, forgot they were there). The sing she was holding in the picture said "You are my Hero!" I have to stop here or I will never get to sleep. I am going to try and share more in the weeks following getting home.

I love you all and thank you for your prayers. God worked some amazing things this week.

from XinZheng, China - Bill.

Wednesday - Video clip

Here is a merged video clip of Wednesday night. Hopefully more tomorrow.

Wednesday - Day 3 part 2

It is just about midnight. This was a long day. I think I left off at going to the pool. We did go to the pool next. On the way there Andrew asked me "How do you know God's will for your life". I thought this was going to be a tough question but with the day that we had it really was not that hard. There were several things that happened today that lined up for this question. I told him that I pray and try and listen for the answer. I gave him and example of God's answer to prayer. This morning when Me and Katie and Pam were dealing with the boy that was crying we stopped and just put our hands on him and prayed for him. Instantly after praying Andrews name kind to my mind and I think I told the rest of this story. I then told him how I believed that he was my answer to that prayer. That God had put him in my mind to come and help with this problem. 

The pool was calm today. It was a rainy day and the kids seemed a little tired. I was able to spend some time with Andrew trying to teach him how to swim. He was so excited and scared. It was so funny. He thanked me a bunch of times. It was really fun. I was also able to spend some time with Sarah. She is such a sweet girl. She asked me all about where I am from and my family. She actually goes to the SIAS Univ. She said that Billy has already asked her if she is coming back next year and that he wants to and would like for her to be here. She has helped me a lot looking after Billy while I stayed with Andrew and Bob. I hope to talk to her tomorrow about if she is a christian. 

Oh, lunch was a bust today. Baked pig blood but into cubes? Really? We are trying to get them to understand the food that we are use to. Dinner was okay though. Rice, veggies and pork (and bread). 

After the pool we went to family time. They gave us a deck of cards for this today. Andrew and Billy taught me some chinese card games. It was fun - Billy beat us both. We still had time left over when we were done. Billy asked Andrew if they could be the teachers and I be the student. They took the deck of cards and spent 30 minutes teaching me chinese. I am now able to count to 999. After that ?  I also learned words like dance and they helped me with words that I knew but wasn't saying exactly right. This really made them both happy that they were able to teach me so quickly. This actually continued into dinner. They were teaching me the names of the food that I was eating. 

Assembly time came next. This was amazing. The same kids that were so shy at the beginning of the week were now all volunteering to perform for us. The one girl that was hiding her drawings the other day was probably the most involved. They were all so great. They sang christian songs which the translator was confused (or surprised) about. I will try and post videos of these, maybe just portions. They all stayed behind when it was done to watch a movie while the teams had meetings about the day. The meeting was good. We were all able to share experiences of the day.

That was probably about it for this day. See photos and vids.

Bill

Wednesday - Day 3

Well, I made it to day 3. I walked into the room last night to four guys snoring, grabbed my stuff and walked back to the office. I stayed there by myself for one night. I think I am going to have visitors tonight though - we'll see. 

It is 1:00 right now - nap time for the kids. We did the same stuff this morning, breakfast, assembly time, crafts and water park. It started raining during the last part of the water park. I was going to stay dry today and just take video but this one girl came up from behind (very sneaky) and got me. You will her in some of the photos. She has burns on her face so she's hard to miss. What is funny though is even if she didn't she would be hard to miss. She always has a smile. I was sitting down last night (or this morning - lost track of assemblies) and she came over and just sat up against me and hugged me and stayed with me for a while. Her buddy is a "slightly" older lady than me. Very nice. It took everything that I had to hold back the tears. I just sat there with my arm around her rubbing her arm. 

Oh, before I forget. The other night when the "trains" went through I reached into my bag and pulled out my ipod. I hit play and "Orphans of God" came on. God is definitely here in all of this.

I was able to have a devotional time with Steve, Chris, and Katie this morning before the kids came down. It was more or less about the expectations that we put on others and how we are all imperfect and that God is the only one that we can fully rely on. 

Forgive me if my journals have changed from Awesome to Sad stories or about my breaking heart. I do not have time to journal by hand and on the computer and I want to make sure that I remember everything. You will probably hear a lot more about my breaking heart just because that it how I am feeling but do not mistake that for me not having and awesome time with these children. I am still having a blast and making a fool of myself. I feel like Scott when new people are introduced on Sunday. I am shouting and trying to help lead. When I come back next year I plan to do so as more of staff than buddy. I just love trying to meet everyone.

I could actually see doing something like this full time. I just feel like I am doing exactly what God wants me to do. I don't know if there has ever been a time in my life that I can say that 100%. Not a thing here is about me. You could take this as a sign if you want but one of the games that we played the first day with the translators was to run outside and find something that you can bring back that would describe you. We both had the hardest time and I almost said forget it and then just before I walked through the door I saw a piece of the clear plastic wrapper from a cigarette box. I know - you are all saying WHAT? I saw this and almost instantly thought about us as christians an how that is how we should be. Just like the clear plastic, that is how our lives should be. I want to be transparent - nothing fake. 

I have left this next part for last. At craft time I went to ask D. or C. what the boundaries are for words that we can and cannot use. Just before I asked Katie came up and said that one of the girl buddies was having a problem with a boy and if someone could help. D. was going to do it and then stopped and asked if I would, that the boys sometimes do better with "men". That was his nice was of calling me old. (haha D.) Oh D. is David and C. is Christy. So anyway, I went out and found out that one of the boys was upset with someone else there and wanted to fight with him. He was crying though which was confusing. Well, instinctively as a dad I just picked him up and hugged him almost trying to rock him. He was not receptive at all, scratching and trying to bite. I found out that he is also developmentally challenged.  This went on for about 10 or 15 minutes. It reminded me of a previous time in China which I will not go into detail. Anyway, Katie and I and the buddy, Pam, prayed for him right there. After praying I though about Andrew and asked if they could go get him. Andrew of course came out and within 30 seconds he had the boy out in the street kicking a small ball and playing. The guy is amazing. God has taught me so much by putting him across my path. He is the kindest person I think I have ever met. God has BIG plans for this guy. I went over to talk to Steve about it. He was talking to the number two guy from the univ. here and introduced me. Steve proceeded to tell him that Andrew would be worth any amount of money to have at his univ. Who knows what God will do. God gives special gifts to special people. This is truly a very special person. Sorry, more crying. I have to tell you that I never thought I would meet God so much in this place. 

I will try and post some more photos now, captions and vids tonight. I'm off to the cold pool. Talk to you all later tonight.

Love, Bill

Tuesday Day 2

Well, it is 11:30 pm. I just got to chat with Debbie online for an hour. I am not sure that I can stay up late enough to blog now. I think I will put more detail in tomorrow.

After the water park we had lunch, naps and then off to the pool. I think that is where I left off. I told Debbie already that I found out one of my buddies does have a Chinese name and it is Billy. Kind of funny. This girl Kate has a buddy named Katie also, which happens to be the one that has the translator, Sarah, that Bill has a little crush on. He is 11 and I think she is 22? She is very nice about it all. She has been looking out for him like an older sister.

So we went to the pool. I got a few more photos and videos. Then we had "family" time and then dinner. Dinner was good. they had brown noodles, white rice and a fried chicken. Andrew says I am good with the chopsticks - no forks here. After the dinner we did the assembly for singing an a skit which I was a part of. It was fun. The songs are semi-church related but the words are slightly altered since we are not allowed to tell the kids about God. What is funny is that the volunteers testified tonight that several of their kids say they are Christians. Billy was singing a song during craft time and then next thing I new Andrew was singing it with him (in chinese). It was a "faith" song. I tried to sing in Chinese God is so good but I could not remember the words correctly. Hopefully typing all of this wont get my blog blocked.

I learned that the pool shower is the best on campus and to bring shampoo with you and do the shower there. We are sweating all day so there is no reason to really worry about being clean and showering a lot. Bug spray or sun block on all day. We are so spoiled as Americans. These kids literally think of this place as Disney World - I think of it more like a Super 8. Kids have asked, what can I do to come here to school. Someone is actually investigating that.

Samples of songs at assembly time are Deep and wide, if your happy and you know it, head an shoulders knees and toes, etc... they are silly songs but the kids love them. Some of the craft times are coloring which many of the kids are very creative with. there are older girls (13-16) that are just amazing. There is one in-particular that the "world" would not consider pretty but if you ask me she is one of the most beautiful girls here. I am actually tearing up as I type this just thinking about her and some of the other girls. She is 15? I would take her home today if I could along with a couple others. They all have such sweet spirits and it is breaking my heart to type this about them knowing that they are going to finish their growing years in an orphanage and then just send out into the streets. she will draw pictures during craft time and sometimes cover over it in a protective manner. I do not think that they open up and "latch" on as easily as the smaller kids and boys. My goal is to find out more information about her and several other children before I leave.  Oh yeah, I think I am going to need to do a fundraiser for all of the kids that I want to bring home.

Billy is an amazing boy. He has started to speak to me in English (partially). He is so eager to learn so that he can get a job and a house (leaving the orphanage before 18). The said part is that the translator did not believe it was possible - how sad... I am going to make sure that he NEVER relays that message to this boy. What a terrible thing to say. The exact opposite of the Hope that we are trying to bring at this "Bring Me Hope" camp. I probably would bring him home too even though it would be difficult but I truly believe that he will do just fine. I would venture to say that he is the smartest boy here at camp. I nominated him this week for a Kindness award, which he won. I saw him doing so many kind things for the other kids from his place. Giving his last piece of chicken or helping kids find their translators, that kind of stuff.

Forgive me if I start to repeat things. I am forgetting what I typed (or what day it is). I am truly having a blast. I wish we could all be put into a situation like this just once in our lives. The best part for me is that I have been able to act like a complete fool around people that I don't know. I really shouldn't say that I don't know them though. I think every one of them knows who I am because of being on the board (which they had announced). I am still waiting for my sign that I can hang on my chest so that everyone treats me special and shares their rations.... This is tied to a joke from sunday night that I will post later. I have met several people that I was able to instantly befriend. Just amazing when you join a group of people from around the world for one purpose. 

Okay, it is midnight now. I think I will stop. Just continue the prayers for me and Pete and especially these children. Actually even more than that, the plan that God has for these children's lives. As I have already said, I would take several of them home in a seconds notice. This is something that I am not sure could really happen, even over time, but it is possible that God is sill working my family and what he wants it to be. How do you explain to someone, or at least someone who has never had children, how you can fall in love with a child in a day without hardly any interaction. I can honestly say there are at least two already that this has happened to with me. Please pray hard for me about this.

Thank you and I love you all.

Bill

Tuesday Day 2 - videos

Sorry, having a problem getting the uploads of the videos to finish. I will try again later.

Tuesday - Day 2 of camp - I think?

Hi Everyone. Before I forget, thank you all for the comments and encouragement. It is greatly appreciated.

Well, day two has been much better for me that day 1. I was able to sleep for several hours last night so that was nice, although the train is back. (sorry Pete). We got up (out of bed) around 6:30 am. Came down and blogged this morning and then off to breakfast. I think I drank two bottles of water before breakfast was done. I had peanut butter and cheese crackers and nutter butters. We had an assembly right after breakfast and then changed for the water park. See videos below. It was a blast. The pictures and videos tell he whole story.

After the water park was lunch. Mom and Debbie you don't have to worry, I ate today. The kids are down for their naps right now and then we are off to the pool. I went to the corner store for a coke and some snickers. Feeling a lot better. 

That's it for now. See photos and videos.

Talk to you all later.

Bill

Monday - First day of camp

Warning: there are 50 photos in the following slide, not exactly in order. I will post movies at the bottom of this post.

It is Monday night around 9:10 pm. I made it through the day but it did not start off all that well. Actually it started off well but once the kids arrived I got a REALLY bad dizzy spell. It lasted about 1 minute or more. It was bad enough that I had to sit down. Okay, Let me back the day up a little.

We got up VERY early. I think it was 5:15 am? Not really sure. Debbie can tell you, I gave her a call on Skype from here. Pete and I both tried to go to bed at 12:30 am. Pete woke up around 3:15. We were staying in the office because our room had 11 people in it. We gave up our beds for some of the translators. Excuse me if I already posted some of this. It has been a long day. By 6:30 am the guys unlocked our room so that we could get back in and brush our teeth, etc...

We met for breakfast and orientation at 7:30 am. I passed on breakfast. Well, I got a couple of slices of bread and some jelly. We did the typical going over the schedule and teams and then we did some team building exercises. It was great! You have to watch some of the videos. Unfortunately I do not have a video of the best game. I was in a group of ten guys that stood in a circle and then one guy in the middle would cross his arms and close his eyes and fall. It was called weeping willow but our group played it a little different. It should have been called the spinning top. It was incredible. We even pulled David over to do it once. The middle guy would fall back and then we were throwing him around in a circle while he was still lying back.

After that we hung out with the translators for a little bit and then came up stairs to do our blogs. Then Christy came in before I had the computer booted up and said the kids were here. PANIC. I ran down to the room and dropped of my stuff with Pete and then as I was leaving the room the hall started spinning VERY fast. I almost got sick (sorry). I had to sit down for a little bit. It did stop like it usually does for me so I got up and headed down the stairs to  see the kids when it started again as I was going down the stairs. Pete and Steve made me go back to the office and lay down. They got me an ice pack and water and some protein bars. I am not sure what happened but it was the worst one I had ever gotten and never twice in a row. I think the excitement, lack of sleep, poor eating and lack of water got to me. I stayed in the office for about an hour with Tilly (Steve's wife). She was a great help.

The kids were at lunch with my translator, Andrew. He is a great guy. He told me that he is a christian and that his mother has taken him to church since he was a boy. He told me that he wants to learn from me. HELP!!! Lord give me the words. So I headed down to the cafeteria and Andrew and the boys were coming out. One of them (they do not have english names but I am calling him Jack) came running saying Bill and gave me a hug. WOW! that is all I can say. The other boy (who we are calling Bob) has some mental disabilities. He has a bright smile on his face most of the time. Jack is a little  (hmmmm) wild. He is 12 years old and also told Andrew that he is a christian and that the church brought him to the school that he is at. (sorry, I had to pause, Nancy is singing and a few of us were joining in, lightly).... 

Andrew took the kids to his room for a short nap so that I could lie down. He has been a great help all day. After we woke up we took the kids to the pool. It is AMAZING. It is a brand new facility - indoor pool. It is not heated but after the walk across the campus it was welcomed. We had to lice shampoo all of them and then wear swim caps (see photos). I took some photos and videos in the pool.

After the pool we went straight to crafts in the cafeteria. None of us brought a towel. I will remember tomorrow. The craft time has an Olympic theme. Jack colored very good and drew a cross on his. After crafts the kids stayed for lunch with Andrew and I ran down to the Cafe to have a chicken burger (it had a fired egg on it??). I was okay. Then I ran back down to the cafeteria where they were having an assembly. Singing and Conga, etc... It was a blast. Debbie you would be proud of me. I don't know a lot of these people enough to worry about making a fool of myself yet. Jack was running all around the place. He found a squirt gun and which I got back from him. He is not really a trouble maker, just full of energy. He is a very smart kid. Sarah, one of the other translators told me that he is 12 but is very mature for his age. After the assembly I carried him on my back, running down the street as he was yelling in Chinese, faster, faster. He is 12 but weights about the same as Jadyn. I told him good night in the hall as he left with Andrew and I said "see you in the morning" and he repeated it perfectly and gave me a hug. Again, all I can say is WOW!

I wish I could put into words all of the emotions that ran through me today but they just wouldn't do them justice. There are so many special needs children here. You may see some of them in the pictures. It would break the hardest of hearts to see the faces of these children. They are all so sweet. As I was teaching one how to swim and they would go off another would be on my side with just huge smiles. Several are down syndrome children that have never been able to go in a pool before. Actually I left out that one of the female translators came running up to me as I came out to the pool and pointed to one of the kids swimming out past the rope with his life vest untied. He was starting to go under water by the time I got to him and no life guards jumping in. Funny part was that I never let go of the camera when jumping in. It is a waterproof one but still - what was I thinking. Oh well, it all worked out fine. Another funny part was I had to do this more than once today. There are slightly over 80 kids here but only about 40 in our group - Team B - Green.

Well, that's about it for today. It was a long one. Tonight I think we have a lot less people in the room. I plan on getting a good night sleep an making sure to drink lots of water and eat tomorrow. Please pray for these witnessing opportunities. 

Debbie, Tiff, Abby and Jade - I love you an miss you.

Mom - I read your post. I love you too.

We Made it to ZhengZhou

Hi Everyone. We made it to Zhengzhou. The flight was "okay". The a/c was not working until we got up in the air. I think there was a small riot on the plane about the a/c but nobody could speak english so we are not really sure. Everything went smooth at the airport, security and all - at least for me. I think Pete got strip searched.

David was at the airport to pick us up. He was towering over the locals waiting for people so he was easy to spot. It was about a 30 minute drive to the campus. I have to tell you without being negative at all that the campus does not look exactly like the website. The actual university is 10 years old but there are several parts that are brand new. We are staying in a part that is being refurbished. There is a restaurant down stairs that we can eat at during the week or we can have the cafeteria food. It has been suggested to go to the restaurant. The cafeteria is very Chinese. I actually had a club sandwich when we got here for dinner.

There is already a big group here - about 40 volunteers for the week. Christy, Patti and Steve K are here. I was able to talk to all of them about how the week has been so far. I was also able to meet Bethany who I have talked to for a year now but never met face to face.

The room is a dorm room. Tonight we have 11 people in one room but tomorrow will be better. I think we have the kids stay in the room with us. We have a meeting tomorrow morning at 7:30 downstairs and then the children will get here at noon. There are 80 kids coming this week. Several will have special needs such as down syndrome and learning disorders. I was told that the first week was a smaller group but an awesome one. I met one of the translators who accepted the Lord last year at a camp. Amazing things are happening here - Praise the Lord.

I will try and add some photos to the site and then fill you all in more tomorrow afternoon or night which will be Monday morning for everyone. Thank you, thank you, thank you again or all of your prayers. Everything has still gone smooth.

Love you all,

Bill

PS - Debbie, I love you and tell the girls that I love them. I might actually be able to get the iChat to work. Christy was able to get hers to work once.

One more post

One more quick post with a few more photos from the first day. I wasn't sure if I posted them or not.... Be sure to check Pete's blog for the "cross" photo. http://hannahsdaddy-petey.blogspot.com

Take care, Bill

Sunday morning

Hi all. It is Sunday morning around 11:30 am. The train did not come through as loud last night so I was able to sleep until 9:00 am. We probably would have slept longer if I didn't set the alarm. We got up, showered and good for us the breakfast at the hotel was open until 10:30 am. 

Today is our easy day. We have a flight out of Beijing to Zhengzhou at 4:50 pm. The hotel concierge told us we should leave around 2:00 pm just to make sure we had enough time and because of all the Olympic security and traffic. I think we are both ready to leave here and get to the camp. We are anxious to see what has been going on over there. If you get a chance you can see a little of what has been going on at the Nanchang camp at Kristen's blog:  http://kristensjourney07.blogspot.com/

Be careful though and have a tissue. I pray that all of you would keep Kristen in your prayers. She has such a sweet heart for these children. 

The next step for us is to get to the campus tonight and then I believe the children will start arriving Monday afternoon. I pray for strength and a open heart. I am sure that I will see things that will break my heart but I pray that I can be strong for these children and do what we are here for which is to "show them hope".

On a slightly different track, I have to say that I did see quite a few dads with little girls on the wall yesterday and it was so nice to see them happy. We often generalize things that we hear and think that all Chinese men only want sons but that is not true. These dads were having fun playing with their girls and running on the wall. It just made me really happy to see and at the same time a little homesick for all of my girls. Our tour guide Jackie has a 9 month old daughter and his face just gleamed when he was showing me her picture. She is beautiful but then again aren't all children. They are so precious and we all, especially dads, need to remember that EVERY DAY! The time goes by so quickly but as I am being reminded a lot lately, it is never over. Our children will always need us to be there for them even when they are grown and on their own. I can personally attest to that as I do not have that type of relationship with my Dad and sometimes envy other men who do. We all go through life differently and hopefully we all learn life lessons from the paths that we take. I am not bitter about the path that my life went down because I only feel that it made me a better Dad. I am not perfect and never will be but if I try my best and trust God then I have done all that I can do. Sorry if I got a little preachy there. I decided to just type my thoughts this morning rather than write them down so I am just letting this flow out as things come to me.

It has been a great experience so far, just to get away from the cell phone and distractions that I have in my life. I have not watched a television show in over 72 hours and I have had no desire to. Well, I think I will stop here for now or I am going to start preaching again. I would ask that you still keep Pete and I in your prayers for the flights today and the rest of the trip. I can absolutely see the results from them so far. I would also ask that you pray for our families as I am sure it has been hard on them with us being so far away. I think Jadyn is having a hard time so if everyone could give her some extra hugs for me I would appreciate it more than you know. It is literally bringing me to tears as I write this. I miss them all so much. My connection with all of the girls is different and I know that she misses me being there and reading her nighttime stories. I still believe that she remembers a lot of what has happened in her life. I am not sure if she understands why I am really over here. I just hope that she does not think I have abandoned her. I Love her so much!!!

Debbie, I know this is hard on you. Know that I am thinking about you all of the time. I love you so much...

Okay, I am really signing off now. I might post one more time from the airport. If not I will chat with you all tonight. Thank you everyone.... :)

Bill

Saturday - Ming Tombs, Great wall

Today we are touring the Ming Tombs, the Great Wall and a little shopping at the friendship store. Jackie (guy) is our tour guide who picked us up at 7:30 am. There was a couple at the hotel with us that was also going and then two other couples from different hotels (one from Tokyo and the other from England). Just before we got to the second hotel Pete was able to see a Fire Station. For those of you who do not know Pete is a Fire Fighter/Paramedic.

The first stop - Ming Tombs. It only took about 45 minutes to get there. This place was pretty cool. We got a lot of information from Jackie about the tombs and the emperors of China. I wont get into all of the details but there were some funny stories about how one of he emperors lost his title after only two years because of a woman and a fight with another royal family member.

Next stop - Jade factory. Not really too much excitement for me here. I have been to one of these in the past and it is a short tour followed by a store to purchase what you saw. Kind of like Disney dropping you off a ride into a store. This one was very expensive compared to others.

Next stop - Lunch at the friendship store. This is basically the same as the jade factory. hey give you a sort tour of how they make vases and such and then drop you into a store followed by lunch. There are a lot of neat items that you can purchase. This store is not for the locals, only tourists. The prices have gone up quite a bit since the last time we were here. I would say they have tripled. The lunch is a tradition Chinese meal with some American style items such as french fries.

Next stop - The Great Wall. This was only about 30 minutes from the lunch place. Pete and I went as high as we could go in the time that Jackie alloted for us which was about 30 minutes up and 30 minutes back. There is a lot of pollution so the visibility was not that great. he wall was crazy. It would go from 4" high steps to just a sloped walkway at probably a 50+  degree angle. Pete got a lot of looks and stopped a lot for the tattoos. They all wanted to read his arm. He got a lot of laughs too because he has ma ma (mommy) in Chinese on the front of his arm. We think they were laughing because he didn't know what it says  but they didn't see the back side where he has ba ba (daddy). It was a really cool trip and a good opportunity to share with other people why we are over here and also talk about our adoptions.

The plans for tonight are small - eat, blog and sleep. I have been very lucky with the computer to be able to videoconference with the family at home over the Mac. The internet at this hotel is great. I am not counting on the same when we get to Zhengzhou (Jung - Joe). hopefully we will have a connection but if not thank you everyone for your prayers. They are definitely working as we have not hit a snag yet (knock on wood).

Bill

Update - We went down to dinner. We had the buffet in the hotel. It was good. I had duck, fish and chocolate cake for desert. Think I am going to crash now. More to follow tomorrow....

Saturday Morning - Beijing

It's Saturday morning. I got about 5 hours of sleep last night. I think a train went through the room (or maybe it was just Pete snoring??). We decided to take a cab down to the Bird's Nest Stadium last night. We were not able to get in or even all that close because of all of the security but we did manage to get a couple of photos from outside the fence. There were literally thousands of people leaving the stadium as we were dropped off. We think they were there rehearsing for the ceremonies. It is amazing to see just how many people live just in this city of China. They have implemented an odd/even license plate rule for driving. If you have an even plate you can drive certain days and the same thing for odd. Even with this rule in place there is still a lot of traffic. There are 1300 new cars on the road in China every day - just amazing.

I'll back track a little and tell you that we went out to have an authentic Chinese dinner (Pete's choice). We had some interesting food. There was a shrimp dish that came out with the head, tail, shell and all. I tried ONE. Next was a mutton dish which was actually very good but very spicy for my taste. Last was a brown rice type dish with pork and duck (my choice). This was a very tasty dish. We spent about $15 for both of us including 2 cans of soda a piece. (Mark R, if you are reading this, Yes, Bill had two cans of Pepsi in China and I can tell you that they taste no better over here. I cannot wait to find a real can of Coke). What is really amazing is the service that you get at restaurants over here. They are constantly trying to please you and make sure you are 100% happy. 

Breakfast was good. They always have American style breakfast foods at the hotels. Scrambled eggs, pancakes, waffles, etc... Pete was a little more daring with the Chinese breakfast foods then I was.

Bill

We made it!!!

 

We are now in Beijing, China. The flight went great, the bags all made it and the Hotel shuttle driver was waiting for us. We are at the hotel and the internet connection is great (really fast). I believe we are on the 12th floor. The plan is to get some food and take a look around the area and then try and crash so that we can get on China time. It is 4:00 pm Friday afternoon.

Debbie, Tiffani, Abby, Jadyn - Hi, I love you and miss you.

123 miles to go...

We are almost there. I was able to sleep for 4 - 5 hours since my last journal. We should be landing in about 15 - 20 minutes. Last thing I remember was watching Batman Begins and the time left to China was 6 hours. The flight attendant must have come by and put my TV away and took my head phones off because I know I didn't do it. No complaints so far. The trip has been great.

Bill

1813 Miles down and a lot to go...

1/4 of the way there now and I am starting to remember being in Beijing - the sights, sounds and even the smells. It is a feeling that I have missed at times but now is starting to cause me to be anxious. The culture is so different there but nothing like I had first imagined. One of the goals for this trip is to try and take in more of that culture so that I can come home and share it with Abby and Jadyn. We sometimes feel that we robbed them of their heritage but at the same time know that it was not God's will for them to grow up in an orphanage. Debbie is probably getting a little scared reading this thinking that I am already thinking about adopting again and the plane has not even landed yet. I cannot say that will never happen because I have learned to never say never but I am not leaning in that direction, yet. I am praying that this trip will reveal more of what my goals are for my life and for that of my family. 1953 miles down and STILL a lot to go...

Bill

To Tiffani

I am 351 miles into the trip and you came to my mind Tiff. I want you to know how much I love you and how proud of you I am. I know that Mom and I may get on your case about the little things but when it comes to the big choices and decisions I am really impressed by the choices you make. You never cease to amaze me at how much you have grown over the years. No more "little Tiffani" but you are still my little girl. I know at times it may seem that I am too busy for you or that I have to spend so much time taking care of Abby and Jade but I want you to know that I am always here for you. You have grown so fast and I constantly tell mommy how unfair it is. I wish you could stay little Tiffani forever but that isn't that way life is. God has big plans for your life but I do not mind waiting a little longer to see what they will be. You are truly an amazing young woman and I am very proud of you.

Daddy.

Still Day 1

We are on the flight to Beijing. Pete started up a conversation with a couple behind us who ended up being one of the families with one of my websites. (www.weloveyougracie.com). I am constantly reminded of how small this world really is sometimes.

We made a stop at the Continental Presidents Club to grab a couple of snacks and post to the blogs before the flight. I think we must have snuck in somehow. They let me in and then stopped Pete. They told him that you must be flying first class or be a member to go in - which I am neither of but then she asked Pete if he was with me and said okay - go in. We think it might have had something to do with the Tattoos.

Anyway, we are on the flight and have the bulkhead row and an empty seat between us (way to go Pete). Distance for this flight is +7000 miles, 12 hours and 40 minutes.

Bill

PS - Pete saw Ann Currie (probably not spelled correct) in the waiting area. He couldn't get up the nerve to ask if it was her though.

PS #2 - Okay, I have to add another Ps right now. Pete is over there writing a book and making me feel that I didn't write enough so let's see - we stopped at the Pres. Club and got some bagels, I got a photo of the aircraft (777-200), oh and I got Pete to get out of his comfort zone and have him ask someone to take a picture of us. I am going to work on getting out of my comfort zone on this trip. I am sure the kids will have no problem helping out in that area. The plan is to let lose and have fun.

Bill.

Day 1 - July 24th

It's about 8:00 am and we are on the flight to EWR. We were able (Pete) to get exit row seating for this flight. I have the whole row (3 seats) to myself so I can stetch out. It was an early morning - Pete called at 2:30 am to let me know that the flight from TPA to EWR was cancelled and we could either fly to EWR from MCO (Orlando) or wait until tomorrow. I opted for MCO. Daniel (Debbie's brother) was a good sport. Debbie called him to see if he would be willing to drive me over to Orlando. I can always count on him to help out with the hard tasks.

All the girls slept through everything, the phone calls, the noise, the dogs... as I tried to get ready to leave for the airport by 4:30 am. My Mom came over to wish me a safe trip (or try and talk me out of going one more time). She is just being a Mom.

Pete was able to get us on the same flight to PEK (Beijing) with the same bulk head seats that we had already setup. We should have plenty of leg room for the long 13 our flight. It will be really weird for me to go on this trip without the rest of the family. I will miss them a lot.

Jadyn brought me to tears last night. We were talking (or she was talking to me) while I was packing for the third time about the kids at the camp and all of the stuff that I am going to do with them like swimming, etc... Then all of a sudden she took off - she came back a minute later with a favorite book of hers (it has lions which she is really into right now) and said that I could bring the book with me to read to the kids. It just showed me the sweet heart that she has along with showing me how much she values the night time stories that I will have to admit are hard to do some nights. (Dads take a lesson from this). I just love her so much and will miss her a lot.

All of the girls gave me 9 hugs last night for the 9 days that I will be away. Abby needed a few extra - that's Abby. I read the Cat in the hat to Abby and Jadyn last night and then they read The foot book to me.  They take turns reading each page. 

Then there's Tiff. She is at those teenage years now. I know she will miss me and I will miss her terribly. I cannot believe how much she has grown over the years. We didn't read any books but she helped me so much by picking up last minute things for the trip and the orphans over there. Hopefully she will be able to go next year.

Well, Debbie was a trooper this morning for getting up with me and getting everything ready and calling Daniel. This will probably be the hardest on her. I will be praying for her every day that God would help her with the kids and the house (and let's not forget about the dogs). I love her so much and thank God for her every day.

I brought two bags with me totaling about 75 lbs. They are stuffed with items for the kids and the camp. We are only allowed 44 lbs. total when traveling in China so please pray that we will not have any problems with that.

I also wanted to thank Tim, Jack and Pastor D for calling and emailing. I appreciate the support and prayers. I am so glad to be a part of a church that has strong Godly men that are committed and have a love for the Lord.

I guess I will sign off for now. Debbie, Tiffani, Abby and Jadyn - I Love You... (you too Mom)

4:32 am Thursday

Well, it's 4:23 am. I have been up for a couple hours now. I got a call that the flight from TPA to EWR was cancelled and we could wait until tomorrow or drive to Orlando. We opted for Orlando. Debbie's brother was kind enough to get up and come up get me and take me there. He is in route as I type this. I was talking to Tiff about some of the stress, etc that I was going through getting ready for the trip and it's Funny, but she told me that "someone" might be trying to keep me from going. She might be right. It should all work out. Pray that our flight from EWR to PEK (Beijing) is still good. They couldn't give us seat assignments over the phone....

Later from MCO (or EWR)...

Bill

24 Hours and counting...

24 Hours and Pete and I will be on the flight to Newark and then off to China. Pete was ambitious enough to call early this morning and get us some bulk head seats over to Beijing so we will have plenty of leg room for the extremely long flight. (You're the man Pete!).

The nerves are kicking in now. I am excited, scared, anxious, nervous, and everything else that we are told not to be about anything. I am almost all packed for the second or third time. I think one more time ought to do it. We have a limit of (2) bags/50 lbs each over to China but our in country flight only allows 20 kg (44 lbs total for two bags). I have a medium and small bag that weight about 50 lbs together. I think we are allowed to pay a small fee for the extra weight when in China but I do not remember from our last trips exactly how that worked. 

I am constantly reminded of the verse that the Pastor brought to us a couple months ago: Phillipians 1:27 "Whatever happens conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel..." Pete and I are being brought into a place where we can have a huge witnessing opportunity. I just pray that these children and translators will see the light in us.

I appreciate the prayers and ask that you continue to pray for me and my family throughout this trip. I will try and update this blog as much as I can.

Bill

Tiff is Home

Tiffani came home from camp on Saturday. We thought she would be all tired out but she was too excited to tell us about everything that she had done. Funny but all I heard was that she made more friends and some were boys ?? Not sure I am too keen on that yet. No, she did have an awesome time and told us all about it. She apparently went sleep walking one night without disturbing anyone - might need to tie a bell on her foot next year. We did miss her a lot and we are glad she is home. We surprised her by decorating her loft for her while she was gone. This room was started a year ago and never finished so we decided to just start over and give it a fresh new look. Thank you everyone for the prayers of safety while she was away.

Bill

Gone for 4 days now...

Well, Tiff has been gone for three days now. She did call us on Sunday and Monday but has since slacked off a little. I am hoping it is because she is having so much fun. We are all missing her and cannot wait for her to get home and hear all of the stories. We are in the middle of redoing Tiffani's loft while she is gone. We hope to get it painted and all furnished, time allowing. The projects never seem to get started on time. I will post some photos tomorrow or Friday of the progress that we make. Keep Tiff in your prayers as she is at camp and for the trip home safely.

Thanks, Bill

8 Days and Counting...

Well, plans have changed since I last wrote. The camp has been moved from Beijing to a city just outside of ZhengZhou. There were some issues with the Olympics and such. The camp is now being held at SAIS, which is an International University that from what I can tell is the first US owned University in China. Here is a virtual link to the campus (warning: it is in Chinese): Click Here. The campus looks amazing and I hear they have a brand new pool which will be great for the children coming. This is going to be an amazing witnessing opportunity to the students of this campus.

The change in plans mean that Pete and I are going to have to take a plane from Beijing on Sunday over to ZhengZhou and then back to Beijing on Saturday morning for our flight home. We opted out for the 5 - 8 hour train ride. I am sure the trip will be amazing now I just need to get packed. Keep praying for both of us as we travel along with our families while we are gone and the team that is already over there. We have already seen how much God is in control of this and want to give him all of the thanks for making this possible.

Bill.

UPDATED! Leaving for China in 11 days, Disney trip and Youth Camp

Well, 11 days and counting until me and Pete leave for China. It's getting more real every day and I don't think I am ready at all. I heard from David this week and the Nanchang camp is getting ready to start on Monday. He has warned me that is it really HOT over there right now. I am praying for a cold front to go through for us, hahaha. I am sure it will be a blast. We will be too busy to even notice the weather.

We just had a nice trip with the family over to Disney for a couple days. We decided to go ahead and get annual passes again. The little ones are at that age where it is really fun. We went on the new Toy Story ride at Hollywood Studios (MGM). It is a really good ride. We actually went on it three times, although it broke one of the times. Jadyn was brave and went on Dinosaur. She "kind of" liked it but said the dinosaurs were big and scary. Abby wouldn't have anything to do with it. She is definitely Mommy's daughter. No thrill rides for them. I still couldn't get Tiff back onto Tower of Terror but she is getting a little closer to saying yes. Maybe in a couple more months. We couldn't believe that she was their age when she first went on it.

Tiff is leaving for camp tonight. Three hours and counting.... Not sure what we think about this. We still cannot believe that we have a teenager. I look in the mirror every morning and tell myself that I cannot be old enough for this. I am sure that she will have fun but we will probably worry about it the whole time (you know those over protective parents). Keep her and the rest of the group in your prayers for travel, safety and that they will hear the Word. 

Bill.

Summer Camp Count down

Well, 22 days until me and Pete leave for China. We are both very excited about this trip and maybe a little nervous at the same time. Hopefully going with Pete I wont come back with a tattoo. ?? I am looking forward to visiting the country again although I am curious as to what I will feel like when we are there. Both of the previous trips we came home with beautiful little girls. I wonder if I will feel guilty being over in there without them? 

It should be a really good trip. We both would appreciate your prayers for a safe trip and for our families while we are gone. This will be really tough on the little ones being gone for 10 days (and the moms).

I will put in a little plug here for BMH. There is still time to donate to the summer camp. They are planning on being able to bring 400 - 500 children to the camp this summer. Obviously the cost for that is a lot. If anyone would like to sponsor a child for 1/2 day to 1 week you can do so via the following link: Click Here

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support - Bill.