Spring is Here!!!
We have lived in our new place for 4 months now and are still trying to get comfortable. We had a family meeting with all our children and asked them “highs and lows” of this place. One of the lows was that our yard is dirty, very dusty and had no fresh air because there was no grass. Thankfully, China has been working on getting more trees and grassy areas to help improve the air. Finding a sod company was not difficult and in 2 hours, we had grass for the kids to enjoy!!!
We also bought some benches to eat our lunch on. In our old home, we ate outside practically everyday, twice a day. When we moved here, no one wanted to eat outside because of all the dust. Now with the grass and the benches, the kids are outside enjoying the fresh air again!
Zoey and I sat outside one afternoon reading a book and watching the birds that came to play in the grass. It was a great relaxing time!
There are many local Pingyu people and companies that help bless our big family. This hair salon gave all our boys a free haircut. In China, when you get a hair cut, it’s no small thing. They wash your hair before and after the cut and style it for you. The boys all enjoy this special treatment. Our girls like Michelle to cut their hair as a few times they went to the hair salon, they came back with way shorter hair than they wanted;(
From top to bottom: Patch, Thomas, Jake, Davey and Wally getting their hair washed.
We try to encourage our children to get all their homework and chores finished by Saturday night, because Sundays are our fun-filled day. We either take them out to the park for a picnic or to fly kites, go skating, let them have iPad/computer time, and our new favorite activity is go to the trampoline park!
We give the children allowance money each week. The trampoline place is a 45 minute walk or about a 25 minute bus ride. We tell them that on the way home, Mommy and I will pay their way home, but they have to either walk there or use their own allowance money to use the bus on the way there. A lot of the children like the walk as it’s a good warm up before we start jumping. It’s also a nice walk with lots of time to enjoy each others company…45 minutes gives lots of time to talk.
We asked the children what kind of fruit they wanted to eat. A lot of the time, we only get what’s in season, but as the season was changing, we had a few different options. Jessica is our head staff member and has a huge heart to serve. She heard a few different requests from the kids about different kinds of fruit they wanted to eat, so she went out and got all the requested fruit and made fruit salad! This is the kind of servitude that we love to see our staff do…go beyond expectations for the joy and happiness of the children!
We love reading stories to the children at night. When we first opened our home, we went to each bedroom to read the bedtime stories. As our family started to multiply, we would end up spending over an hour reading the same story over and over again…barely having a voice left to tell the last story. So, we decided to invite whoever wanted to join the bedtime story to listen in our living room. As Jessica and I read the story, Michelle passes out different treats to the kids. Sometimes it’s cookies, a special drink, or special candy we picked up for them. We are HUGE Marvel fans and were excited when a friend mentioned he found these books at a bookstore here in China. The books have both English and Chinese making it easier for Jessica and I to tell the story. At the end of each story, we ask the children about their “highs and lows” of the day. This helps us hear our kids struggles and join them in their victories!
Michelle and I are still diligently working with the authorities trying to get our organization approved to be able to continue serving the underprivileged children. We thank you for your continued support in helping us spread love, joy and hope to such a great bunch of children.
Blessings!
Posted: April 19th, 2019 under Uncategorized.
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