Why did my mom not keep me?

It's hard to believe it's been 6 years since we were in China. Allie, is the oldest of the Tongling 12 and she turned 8 on September 20. Tomorrow, Sept 29, is the day that she was found. I think about her birth mom a lot this time of year.

We have had some interesting conversations about our family. One day Allie asked questions about her older siblings (age 31 and 27). She asked, "what is a step sister?" I explained that she and her older sister, Sarah, have the same dad but a different mom. Allie was quiet than asked, "Do I have a step-mom in China?" I replied, "No, you have a biological mom in China." We talked about how Jeff, our 11 year son, grew in my tummy; but Allie do not grow in my tummy.

Then she asked the kicker. . . "Why did my mom not keep me?" WOW

I paused and said, "I don't know...I believe that she loved you very much, but maybe she couldn't take care of you." Then I told her story about another mom who loved her baby boy very much, but the government was trying to hurt the little boy. The mom, and the boy's bigger sister did what they could to protect the little guy, but the mom eventually let another family raise and care for her son, so that he was safe. That little boy was named Moses.

My husband does a lot of teasing inn our family. One day, Allie teasingly called me, "My not real mom." I laughed at her and responded back, "yes, my real daughter!"

She's beginning to grasp the concept of adoption. Just interesting conversations that often leave me "pondering things in my heart!"

Connection Studio comments

Today was a great day and the kids did really well with response time. As we were wondering today a child, who used to have major behavior issues, asked, "So these stories are, like, real? They really happened?"

We talked about the Bible and told them all the stories in the Bible are real, that they really happened. The little kid said, "Cool!" It was really cool!

What kids are saying

Here's a funny convo of stuff said in the Kindergarten room yesterday.

Aubrey (Devine): My last name is Devine.

Me: Do you know what divine means?

Kids: Noooooo

Me: It means "wonderful". As in, THIS CHOCOLATE CAKE IS SIMPLY DIVINE!

Another girl: I want chocolate.

Lisa (the teacher, Noah's mom): Get used to it honey, you're a woman. You'll want chocolate your whole life.

Other girls: mmmmm I love chocolate. I want chocolate too!

Noah: I don't get what the big deal is. I like chocolate, but not as much as all of you.

* Laughter*

I just thought it was so cute!

I was also TOTALLY surprised when Noah first came up and started talking to me when I first entered the classroom-he's never really opened up to me before or wanted to talk at all!

Showing up is huge! Laughter, fun, learning life together! You have to be there to have a relationship!

Psalm 23

Who would have thought that when we choose Psalm 23 as the scripture for January that it would touch so many individuals’ hearts. A mom asked her 2 grade son, what was his favorite part of Psalm 23. The kid said where it says, “even if you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” When the mom asked her son why that verse was important to him, he replied, “because when I’m afraid, I know that God will be with me.

Another family just began coming back to church after the death of their mother/grandmother. Psalm 23 was her favorite verses. Another young girl just lost her uncle, and another family just lost their dad/grandpa.

Even though I don't like to have Psalm 23 associated with death and funerals it has a way of speaking to those who are hurting. It provides hope! and that is a good thing.

Connection Studio

. . . one of our teachers shared. My 3-year-old daughter has been in the Connection Studio each week. She has never been great with taking care of things. However just the other night in the bathub I caught her folding her wash cloth and saying "this edge can go to this edge and this edge to this edge. . ." (This is how material is put away in the Connection Studio) I've also noticed that my daughter's artwork is changing. Before her art was not recognizable, but lately I've seen her drawing images that represent the stories she has heard in the Connection Studio.

What we are doing is sticking with our kids. I see it everyday with my daughter. Thank you, all of you for working so hard to bring God and Jesus into our kids' lives. You are awesome!

. . . another teacher said, "my 3-year-old daughter did a painting (at home) and then said, 'now we need to think about God and look at it.' She wants to bring the painting to church and 'think about it'!

Kids Listening to God

Our new Connection Studio for preschool age kids began on September. We have lots of 3-year-old kids who are just beginning to grasp the idea of preschool.

. . . "just wanted to let you all of you know about one of the things that happened this weekend. While we were learning the "listening to God" segment, the part where you talk the kids through "seeing Jesus" with phrases like "Jesus is coming. . . he picks you up and puts you on his lap, He hugs and kisses you," one of the little ones said, "I see Jesus."

How cool is that? Love it, Heather

Kids Prayer Wall

Help the people that are losing their job and if they have to move I hope they have a good house. Emma - age 8

I pray
. . . for my auntie to make the right decisions.
. . . for my sister that she will be nice to me
. . . for my dog that died
. . . for my dog that ran away
. . . for uncle Doug, his wife passed away
. . . for my new bed

What Kids are Saying

. . .other night we were eating dinner and talking about Westwinds. My husband and I were both saying how happy we are that Seth has gotten started in such a great kids' program at the church. We told him that he was a Westwinds Kids, which repeated over and over again much in the fashion of a two year old!

Then he looked at me and said, "When Mommy grows up, will you be a Westwinds' kid?" We got a good laugh out of that!

What Kids are Learning

In the K6 Experience Studios in June we taught about the Holy Spirit. While playing with a parachute we talked about how Jesus said that the Spirit is kind of like the wind. Then I asked the kids, "In what ways are the wind and the Holy Spirit alike?"

A second grader said, "You know how the middle of a hurricane is really calm, but at the same time, the outside is really blowing hard and knocking down trees? Well, the Holy Spirit can do calm things and really big powerful things at the same time!"

And ALL of the groups came up with up "you can't see the wind, but it is still very powerful, and you can see what it does." The kids seem like they are starting to understand that our culture doesn't recognize the real-ness of the God they cannot see, but He is just as real as their friends and their favorite famous people.

AND...He is way more powerful than any of them! I think that they feel excited and secure when we talk about this. God bless them! They are so precious! What an honor to be one of the people who get to watch the kids begin to realize the best news they will ever hear!