My Days in China (4th and 5th days)

The morning of the 4th day was very exciting because it was "pool day" for a handful of the children. "Pool day" takes place in blow-up pools on the roof of the building. It was so fun playing in the water, getting splashed by excited little kids. I loved watching some of the children react to the water. Some had to be held the entire time because of their needs, but nonetheless the expression on their faces said that they were just as happy as the more independent kids.
I spent the remainder of the 4th day going into different nurseries, comforting different kids, and building relationships with different team members. I loved every moment that I got to spend in the nurseries. The rooms were so peaceful, the children so ready to be held. Recently I have read about how simply holding children with disrupted beginnings nourishes them. Every moment that they can be touched helps heal a little part of their life. The goal of Maria's is to minister to these children and heal their bodies, and I feel so blessed that I got to take part in that for one week.
At Maria's, there are several children with very disabling needs. I spent several minutes stroking the arm of one such boy, but sadly, I was not receiving any feedback. I was nervous to pick him up, afraid I'd disrupt or hurt him, but finally I asked his caregiver if I could. After I was given permission, I lifted him into my arms and received a big smile from him in return. That is just one of the sweet moments that happened during my first days. I realized that every child longs to be held and touched in an affectionate way, even when they can't or don't express it.
Everyday, my team had a devotion together and a time to learn about orphan care, mission work, and adoption. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by so many teenagers and young adults who had the same passion and desire to help the needy as I do. In our sessions, we discussed how to help people without hurting them (think "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime). Many things I learned in our sessions will benefit me in the upcoming years as I discover God's plan for me regarding mission work and orphan care.
On our fifth day in China, we took a short excursion and went to some shops in Luoyang. While there, my team and I randomly caught strangers taking pictures of us--the foreigners. We were all honored that they'd want to take a picture of us, even if it was just because we had light hair and light eyes ;)

After looking around in the shops, we went out to have lunch. We ate at a fancy restaurant where I tried both duck and duck brain for the first time. I was surprised to find that I really liked the duck, and the duck brain wasn't that bad either!

Did I tell you I learned how to use chopsticks? 

Many have asked what special needs are present at Maria's Big House of Hope, so I'll take a moment to share what I know. Many children have Congenital Heart Disease and heart defects--some of which are operable, some not--, cleft lip and palate, Down's Syndrome, Apert's Syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, other spinal issues, malnutrition, breathing troubles, premature babies, jaundice, intestinal and digestive issues, and a number of other things. The children receive the best care possible while at Maria's Big House of Hope. I and a number of others are so thankful for the volunteers and sponsors that help make this care possible. After seeing the work firsthand, I can definitely say that Maria's Big House of Hope is making such a difference for these children.
I'm nearly crying as I write this post--I have so many emotions while looking through my pictures, finding the ones I can share here. I so miss China, my team members, and all the kids. And I am still grieving for one little girl that caught my heart. I'm still processing everything. I continually just want to look at my pictures and remember each child, each name. I love being home, but part of me wants to be back in China. Thank you a million times once again to all those that supported me and helped make this trip possible. Every day I see why this trip was so important for me to take.
~Allie

First Days in China

First of all, I'd like to apologize for not updating everyone while in China. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to open blogger, along with some other websites. But I'm home now so I decided I'd update you on my trip! It was an absolutely amazing experience, and I'm sure it will take me many weeks to process everything I learned and saw while there. It will definitely take more than one blogpost to share everything I saw, heard, and tasted :) So this first post will serve to tell you about my first few days.
I spent all of Friday the 1st traveling, starting with a short flight from Tulsa to Chicago, spending several hours in the Chicago airport, and then enjoying a thirteen-and-a-half hour flight to Beijing. Because of the time change, we actually didn't arrive in Beijing until 9:30 at night on August 2nd.
By this time, I was already realizing how much I was going to enjoy my team. I traveled with seventeen other team members and two team leaders.
The next morning we got on a plane to fly to Luoyang, where we'd be staying the majority of the time. While waiting in line, I befriended a group of little Chinese girls. They were obviously intrigued by us Americans, and spent time practicing their English with a few of us. One little girl gave me some Chinese Chex snack, which I keep as a momentum of my first full day in China :) Right before we got ready to leave, one girl asked if she could have her picture taken with me. Before I knew it, all of the mothers had their cameras out and I had about seven pictures taken with seven little kids. I knew already that I was going to like the people here :)
That evening, we arrived at Maria's Big House of Hope, the medical facility I would be my spending time in. We learned all about what Maria's is, how it came about, and what it does to serve orphans in China. Basically, it serves to help the neediest children by giving the medical and emotional support they need until they are healthy or are too big for their cribs (they are equipped to serve children up to five years old). It serves as an amazing temporary home until the children are adopted or returned to their orphanages.

Maria's Big House of Hope, the amazing facility I got to spend my time in

That night, I got to spend a little bit of time with the kids. One little girl shyly came up to me and put my hair into two braids. I didn't want to take them out :) It was a great start to my time at Maria's!
I wish I could share pictures of the children with you. But for the privacy and protection of the children, I am not allowed to share pictures online. However, I can and will post pictures of the excursions I went on! I will update more in the upcoming days. Thank you for reading!
~Allie

Here I Go!

And here I go! I am waiting to board my plane to Chicago, where I will meet with the team members that I will be spending my time with in China. After that, I'm off to Beijing! I won't be on Facebook for several days, so if you want to stay updated on my trip, remember to check back on this blog. If you sign up for the email updates on the right side of this entry, you should get an email every time I update here. I'd love for you all to follow my journey!

I'm off! Right before my mom and I parted ways...

I want to say a special thank you to all that supported me.  I am so thankful for my church family and youth group that came together to help me in my efforts to raise money for this trip. New friends and old friends alike helped! I was so amazed and touched by the generosity of people I haven't seen in years. Even people I didn't know helped me significantly. At one of my bake sales, a man I didn't even know donated $400 for a couple brownies and rice crispy treats (and I must mention that this happened only a few minutes after praying to receive encouragement for my fundraising efforts. God is good!) Really, from all that is within me, thank you, thank you, and thank you some more. I feel so blessed that you all came together and supported me. 

Goodbye for now~ or zài jiàn! 

-Allie