We had a fun morning celebrating Mercy's birthday this morning! She loved the streamers. She loved her gifts. We told her she could pick dinner for tonight. She wants KFC and soda pop. We still have a surprise birthday cake in the works.
Meredith and the kids made an event out of Mercy's birthday, too! We were all so touched by their love from back home. Mercy's smile stretched so far to hear her siblings singing in Mandarin. They posted it on facebook if you have access. It is so beautiful. They made our special family birthday cake. They decorated the house including Mercy's bed. They gave her a tour via our Facetime session. Allie even made her a special photo album of the China trip. She has been collecting pictures we are sending home each day.
What fun to celebrate this girl!!
We also spent some time in Zoey's orphanage this morning. We made an agreement not to post any pictures of the children. We can tell you that this is one of the better orphanages we have seen and still the ratio of caregivers to children was sad. There are no words to express our hearts in what we saw. There were many babies laying in cribs. It seemed clean. It was colorful and yet it is no home for these precious children.
Jen held a little guy with Downs Syndrome. He was precious. He just ate up the attention. He coo'd and smiled. He cried when she put him down. We tried to touch them and stare into their eyes. We tried to take it in and pray over the children. We tried not to look away and run away. We have been in a few orphanages, but it was still so hard. We could not restrain the emotions and tears. It caught us off guard today.
Would you stop and pray for the children around the world in orphanages? PLEASE stop and pray for them. Pray that Christians around the world would care, invest, get involved and open their families. We had a very difficult time walking out of Mercy's orphanage. We knew the faces and some of the names of the children still waiting. Today, the same thing happenned. We saw for ourselves, the faces - the precious little babies- laying in cribs all around the rooms. This is not God's plan for these children. We wish we could post pics so you could see for yourselves too. PLEASE pray. If anyone reading this has questions about adoption or feels a call to adopt, we would love to answer questions or support however we can. The road is not easy, but it is blessed and beautiful. We pray these children ALL find forever families.
Zoey became so quiet and tense as soon as we got out of the car at the orphanage. She didn't want Baba to put her down. We explained to her through our guide several times that we were there to give gifts to all the children. She did not cry but she was so different. Once we left and got back into the vehicle, she immediately relaxed and giggled/played again. Our hearts are filled with compassion for our precious Zoey.
Thanks for praying & caring about our family,
With love,
Art & Jen
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