Emy came under care of Show Hope’s Special Care Center in Jiaozuo, China in August 2009. She was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a congenital liver condition. If corrective surgery is received within the first few weeks of life, children born with this condition have a 30% chance of recovery without the need for further surgery. If surgery is not available within these early weeks, a liver transplant within the first few years of life is necessary for survival.

Recently, Emy’s nurses noticed that she was developing a yellow cast to her skin. Because of her history with biliary atresia, the nurses were understandably alarmed. Lab tests were quickly ordered and to the great relief of the staff, all results came back completely normal. After a little investigative work, the nurses were able to determine that Emy’s skin color had changed simply due to a recent increase in Emy’s intake of carotene foods like carrots. It is this same level of care and attention that makes it possible for children like Emy to thrive. In fact, Emy’s nurses celebrated since her skin color changes were actually the sign of beautiful, healthy skin.

Emy loves to play with balls and is able to follow simple instructions well. She attends preschool every day and is doing well in class. And like many toddlers, she is also learning not to put everything in her mouth. Emy sometimes gets jealous of the other babies but this sweet little girl is adored by everyone she meets!

As we celebrate Emy’s upcoming adoption by her forever family, please pray for her and the other orphans under care with this same condition. Orphans like Thea and Zarek (pictured) who need a forever family in order to survive. With treatment, children with biliary atresia can have an excellent quality of life.

“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” ― –C.S. Lewis

Retelling…it is one of the greatest privileges we have been given in this work of caring for orphans. As you look through the following photos, they retell and reflect many things: the generous and selfless giving of Show Hope’s sponsors and donors who make this work possible; the tender, loving, and often life-saving medical care that is provided to these waiting children with special needs; and the hope that is now possible for so many of them — the hope of a forever family through the miracle of adoption.

Thank you for making it possible for these miracles to be retold…watch the slideshow below to see just a few of these miracles!

There are so many things I love about the work of Show Hope. While there are constant reminders of the heartbreaking needs of the world’s waiting orphans, there are also sweet reminders of how God is actively at work to bring these same waiting children into a new hope and future through the miracle of adoption.

Earlier this summer, Show Hope celebrated the 2nd anniversary of its Special Care Centers in China like Maria’s Big House of Hope. On the heels of that celebration, it is only fitting that we would also have an additional celebration in the office of sending “Welcome Home” packages to the children who have overcome the greatest of odds and now find themselves thriving in the love of forever families through adoption. These packages include all the early photo history we have of each child who has been under our care.

As the mother of four children who each came home through the miracle of adoption, I understand how precious any piece of our children’s early history can be – not only for us as parents but also for our children as they grow and learn more about how God protected and provided for them before they were ever in our arms. As a result of Show Hope Special Care Centers’ integral role in the beginning of these children’s lives, we have the distinct privilege of being able to provide some of this early history. It is one more way to celebrate all that God is doing to bring “beauty from ashes” for these beautiful kids and their families.

Welcome home Elmer, Libby, Lakeisha, Martina, Jim, Elaina, Zane, Kelsie Rae, and Carolina!

Become a Show Hope sponsor to help provide life-giving care to orphans through Show Hope Special Care Centers >

As I continue to replay in my mind the memories made with family and friends over the holidays, I can’t help but be reminded of the children who spent this same season continuing to wait for families of their own. Every child who enters the care of Show Hope’s Special Care Centers like Maria’s Big House of Hope comes as a result of a great need. For many of these children, their need comes in the form of tender and loving hospice care as they await their ultimate healing and entrance into a heavenly family that cannot be taken from them. For other children, the needs they enter with are able to be addressed through medical intervention in the form of surgeries, therapy, good nutrition and the loving care necessary to find the healing they so desperately need.  Children like Oliver, Susie, Victoria, Asher, and now Dylan, have all been able to join their forever families in the last few weeks!  Yet, another group of children still remains – those who have found great healing in the care of MBHOH but whose conditions make it much more challenging for them to enter the love of a forever family because of the needs they will continue to carry with them throughout their lives.

In a desire to advocate for these harder to place children, we are asking that you join us in praying that forever families would be raised up for these beautiful children. Children like Isaac who has a deep and abiding joyfulness about life but has been paralyzed from his waist down as a result of Spina Bifida. Carissa, with her beautiful smile and love for affection, was admitted in great need of care and diagnosed with a form of arthritis that had twisted her little body. Children like Judah, who despite having a condition that has affected his joints, has not been deterred in his enthusiasm for life or the encouragement he showers on others. And sweet Jessica, who has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and yet moves through life with all grace and sweetness of a beautifully written poem.

As you visit Show Hope’s website and read about all the work that is being accomplished on behalf of thousands of orphans worldwide, don’t forget that these statistics represent real children. These children, the ones we now know by name, continue to wait for the permanency and love of a family. Visit our “Pray For” page to find out more about these and other waiting children.

One of the best gifts that comes with being involved in the work of Show Hope is the opportunity to see children, once struggling and in need of critical care and healing, come not only to a place of survival and health, but also to the place of permanency in the love of a forever family.  Last night, as the rest of us were sleeping (or in my case, should have been except for the excitement), four families held their children in their arms for the first time, children who were helped by our special care centers!!!

Asher, Oliver, Susie and Victoria are the little ones who just met their families for the first time.  We are endlessly thankful to see this day come at last and wanted to pass this wonderful news along to our Show Hope sponsors who had such a big part in their journey to a forever home.

It is easy to sometimes forget that each one of us directly contributes to this work and makes a life-changing impact on the lives of these orphans.  On behalf of the Chapman family, the staff of Show Hope and Maria’s Big House of Hope, and the families who have welcomed these children at last, we want to extend our deepest thanks.

As you pray for the transitions of these four precious children into their forever families, please remember to pray for other children who have been matched and are awaiting the arrival of their own forever families. Pray, too, for children like Isaac, Carissa, Theo, Judah and Jessica who face additional challenges in their adoption because of their special medical conditions and age.

Thank you for your part in seeing these little ones home safely!

Isaac turns 4 tomorrow!

As so many of us continue to reflect on the Thanksgiving celebrations we shared with our family and friends last week, I wanted to take a minute to share a little glimpse into the celebrations that happened at Maria’s Big House of Hope as well.

We have much to be thankful for…and today, I find myself especially thankful for the smiles on the faces of these beautiful children. As you watch the slideshow and join us in giving thanks for the  the lives of these children, we ask you to pray that each one of them might one day experience the love of a forever family. We also particularly celebrate the life of Isaac this week, who will turn four years old tomorrow!

It was a beautiful way to begin my day.  Recently, when I came into work, a note was waiting in my inbox from Mikey Shook – Show Hope’s liaison to MBHOH.  Mikey’s note was short…just long enough enough to tell me that the Newlin family had just visited MBHOH.  Having that little bit of information immediately brought an unexpected joy to my heart that hadn’t existed moments before.  Through that little announcement, I was reminded of one really beautiful aspect of this work….seeing children, who once hung on the edge of even their most basic survival, now coming to a place of hope, security, permanency, and a future.

How did the Newlin’s visit bring all of this to mind?  If you look closely at the face of their daughter, you may start to realize that this little one in their arms is actually someone you may already know….MAE!!!

Mae holds a very special place in the history of our special care centers as she was the first child at MBHOH to have completed the full cycle of care offered having received pre-surgical care, necessary surgery, and post-surgical care while at MBHOH.  In March of this year, Mae left MBHOH’s care in order to be processed for adoption.  Now, that long-awaited day day has come!

As you can imagine, it was a sweet gift for all the MBHOH nurses and nannies who had earlier loved and cared for Mae to now see her in the arms of her forever family.

WELCOME HOME TO YOUR FOREVER FAMILY, MAE!

PLEASE NOTE: While this blog was originally posted in November 2010, the Show Hope supplies wish list found below is updated as needed. The last update was May 2011. If you have any questions, feel free to comment on the post.

Now that Adoption Awareness Month is upon us, November provides a perfect opportunity to help raise awareness for the plight of orphans worldwide. Gathering these supplies is also a great activity to help bring the holiday season to life.

Around the world, millions of orphans live in institutions that are unable to care for the special medical needs of the children under their care. Millions more remain homeless and are left to secure their own shelter and comfort. These children are certainly among those Christ refers to as the “least of these.” Through Show Hope’s Special Care Centers in China, you can make a difference in the lives of some of these children!

As Show Hope’s flagship special care center, Maria’s Big House of Hope has already provided life-giving care and hope for hundreds of orphans with the most severe medical needs. Now, two additional centers have opened in Jiaozuo and Zhengzhou, extending this quality of care to waiting children.

One of the sweetest gifts in this work is the ability to see children who once sat on the edge of hopelessness find new hope. You can be a part of making this a reality. In addition to becoming a Show Hope sponsor, you can help provide much needed supplies for these special care centers. A short list of supplies is posted below, as well as a link to the full list of supplies needed.

(We are over-provided at the moment with blankets, shoes and clothing for older children, and toys. If you have already collected these items, please consider donating these particular items to other organizations that may have a greater need for them. If you have not yet purchased, please use the list below to provide the greatest impact for children in Show Hope Special Care Centers.)

Join us today in this exciting opportunity to transform the lives of these beautiful children. Join us in showing hope!

Needed Supplies – medications may be store brand or name brand
· Cough medicine for infants and children; expectorants
· Infant Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen
· Antibiotic ointment or cream
· Infant liquid multivitamins with iron
· Preemie diapers (not newborn but specific diaper for preemie babies)
· Oral Replacement Salts Flavored Powder – (Pedialyte® or other brands)
· Teething Gel
· Micropore tape (various sizes needed of this lightweight tape used to secure bandages or dressings)· Cough medicine for infants and children; expectorants
· Infant sleepers, one-piece, footed – size preemie up to 12 months
· Toddler one-piece footed pajamas – boys and girls – size 18 months, 24 months, 2T and 3T
· Onesies – size 12-24 months

Items can be shipped directly to Show Hope to the attention of “Special Care Centers Donations.” Please also include a Wish-List Packing Slip inside your package for ease of reference as we move these items to our special care centers. The shipping address is provided on the Packing Slip.

SH special care centers packing slip (.xls file)
View the complete Show Hope supplies wish list > (.doc File)

Other ways you can get involved:
Become a sponsor and help provide life-giving care to orphans with special needs every month!
Go on a short-term trip to Maria’s Big House of Hope!

Today we celebrated the birthday of Show Hope’s social media guru, Melissa Wheatley! Melissa keeps this blog (as well as any number of other things at Show Hope) going strong. As is our office tradition at Show Hope, our birthday celebrations culminate in a fabulous dessert! Today, much to everyone’s delight, Melissa chose to go to Nati*creme, here in Franklin, for her birthday treat!

Naticakes (now expanded to also include Nati*creme) recently worked to raise funds to build a playground for the children at Maria’s Big House of Hope in China. The mission of Naticakes/Nati*creme is to support the Natalie Wynn Carter Foundation through the proceeds of the business. The Natalie Wynn Carter Foundation’s focus is two-fold: 1) to enrich the lives of children through providing spaces for them to play, as well as, 2) to come alongside other organizations that do great work in the lives of children. Having Melissa’s birthday there seemed particularly fitting since 23 years ago today, our sweet friend and co-worker was born in South Korea. Only four short months after her birth, she traveled home to her forever family here in the U.S.

Through my work at Show Hope, I am often reminded how God continues to work on behalf of the more than 140 million waiting children around the world, and encouraged by how so many are joining hands in this movement to care for orphans. Whether you are adding to your family through adoption, becoming a foster parent, setting aside a portion of your business’s profits for orphan care, becoming a Show Hope sponsor, or any number of other ways people are becoming a part of this work, God has given us a unique opportunity to see his kingdom break through in the lives of these children. You can be a part. Join us today…

Sunrise from the roof of MBHOH

I have always been an early riser, and perhaps that has played a part in developing my deep love of sunrises.  Just over two years ago, my husband and I moved back to Tennessee with our children.  We had moved here from a neighborhood on the far north side of Chicago called Rogers Park, and the school our children attended was located in the South Loop.  Our school commute required an early morning trek down Lakeshore Drive, and while the distance from our house to school was only 12 miles, the trip took around 45 minutes.  Although this extended time in the car allowed us to practice spelling words and memory verses while we were all held captive by the commute, there was also another upside…

During these early morning commutes, our conversations were often interrupted by a breathtaking sunrise over Lake Michigan.  I always found myself compelled to have the children stop what they were doing to take a moment to share in its beauty.  Like a well rehearsed dance, my children always knew what would come next:  my question to them about what verse the sunrise drew their minds toward.  Upon my question, the children would begin to recite the first two verses of Psalm 19 to me.  Hearing this small section of scripture seemed to be the only sufficient remedy to my heart as it worked to process the beauty and splendor of what was before us:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

When I visited Maria’s Big House of Hope in March, I had the opportunity to watch the sunrise from the rooftop.  Although its appearance was much different than the sunrises I had enjoyed over Lake Michigan, it communicated a deep and abiding beauty I hadn’t seen before.  This same sun that gloriously worked to claim the day in Chicago was now working to give light to the children at MBHOH now waking to a new day.  I was further reminded of the beauty held within the walls of the building below me…the precious children, each made in God’s image, and in so, declaring God’s glory through their very existence.  With these truths in mind, that sunrise still stands as one of the most beautiful I have ever witnessed.

3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.