One of my favorite hymns growing up was “Because He Lives.” The words were a sweet reminder that “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, life is worth the living just because He lives.”

I haven’t heard this hymn in years, but on Easter morning the words came to mind and I thought about what this means in my life and in the lives of the children I live with at Maria’s Big House of Hope. It is often difficult in the midst of such physical suffering to remember that He holds the future and that hope is ever present, regardless of what things may look like. As I thought through this hymn, I was reminded that because He lives we have the promise of redemption and that one day He will make all things new. And despite the suffering, we get glimpses of that every day through the lives of the little ones here.

Although most are yet too young to understand the true meaning of Easter, the activities I got to do with our preschool children over the past week reminded me of how their very lives are glimpses of this Easter hope…the hope of restoration, renewal, and ultimately resurrection and life with Christ. These are all children who at one point may have had little chance of life, but I watched with a sense of awe and gratitude as they ran around in laughter hunting eggs for maybe the first time, decorated and enjoyed an Easter cookie, and sat mesmerized by an egg changing color.

As you look through these photos, I hope you too will be able to see past the smiles and sheer cuteness (and don’t get me wrong, they are cute!) into lives that represent the great hope we are all given, because He lives.

QUESTION: How did you celebrate Easter? What glimpses of hope have you seen this week? Answer in the comments section below!

Hope has called Maria’s Big House of Hope her home for more than two years now. You may recognize her from previous blogs, print pieces, and this recent video Sponsor Update. Hope has come a long way since she first arrived at MBHOH, during which time she was severely malnourished in addition to her diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Cerebral Palsy is a group of multiple brain and motor skill condition. While symptoms vary depending on the type and severity, Hope’s CP results in her body being very rigid and her radiant smile being her primary form of communication.

She attends preschool every day and loves coming. Her nanny recently shared that when she picks Hope up each morning and says “sheng ke!” (class time), Hope gets a huge smile on her face. Each morning as she comes into our classroom, her face immediately lights up as she realizes her surroundings and begins to hear her classmates’ voices. Although Hope is unable to speak, her smile seems to say it all. One by one, her classmates walk up to her chair and greet her with “good morning Hope” and a kiss to the hand.

Although it would be easy to talk about the ways in which Hope has been impacted by the care she has received, an aspect you may not realize is how Hope has impacted those around her because of this care. One of my favorite things each morning is to watch Dr. Steve’s youngest daughter, Charlotte, come in and go straight to Hope’s chair. Hope obviously recognizes Charlotte’s bright blonde hair and gentle voice. If Hope is looking the other way, Charlotte will patiently wait, holding her hand, until Hope looks her in the eyes. I have loved watching this bond develop for over a year now. I truly believe this friendship will leave an irreplaceable mark on each of their hearts forever.

To be honest, I often wonder what Hope would say if she could speak. As I look into her deep eyes, I can’t help but wonder if there is a beaming life just wanting to burst out of her; to dance, to sing, to jump and play, to leave behind this limited earthly body. I wonder what her future holds and whether she will ever know the love of a forever family. But despite these unknowns, I cannot deny the fact that on a daily basis I see what love and compassion look like because of Hope. Her classmates are so tender with her and consistently look out for her. They watch her to see when she is happy and make sure she doesn’t miss her snack. They lovingly touch her hands and give her toys to hold during play time. They like to push her around in her chair and make sure she doesn’t miss a bit of the fun. And these are 3-year-olds doing these things!

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” - Matthew 19:14

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. Please join us in prayer for Hope and all children who face this condition without the love of a forever family.

Help make Hope’s care possible by becoming a Show Hope sponsor today.

If you have been following the Show Hope blog, chances are good that you recognize Judah. He was made “famous” by a post a few years ago called “MBHOH has Bieber Fever” which is one of the most-viewed posts in Show Hope blog history (if you haven’t already seen it, check it out here). Besides being a great singer, Judah is an incredibly bright little boy with a truly unforgettable personality. There are few who come through the doors of Maria’s Big House of Hope without leaving with some endearing story or memory of Judah.

Judah loves coming to preschool and becomes quite sad on days when we don’t have class. As you can see in the video at the top of this post, he has learned nearly all of the letters (and thinks “Hui Li,” who you may remember as Jessica, is the Queen. She left quite a regal impression on the MBHOH class before she joined her family!). Judah also enjoys identifying letters he knows in environmental print (books, words on clothing, letters on billboards, etc).

As his preschool teacher, I continue to be blown away by the way that Judah has learned to overcome and compensate for many physical limitations without losing an ounce of life in the process. He is not afraid of trying new activities and loves engaging new people with his charming personality. In fact, just a few months back, we took some of the older preschoolers to McDonald’s for lunch. As we sat and ate, Judah greeted every woman that walked by our table with “Ni Hao, Ayi!” (“Hello Auntie”). It caught most of them off-guard until they saw Judah’s beaming smile looking back at them.

Recently, I met another little boy, James, whose perseverance reminded me so much of Judah. We hope that our blog readers will grow to love James just as much as Judah!! Like Judah, James’ physical limitations do not stop him from enjoying life and trying new things. He has learned to stand up on his own and walk, despite difficulty in bending his knees. James (pictured below) thrives in pre-school and loves to learn and do crafts in class. James was originally admitted to our Show Hope Special Care Center in Jiaozuo, but was moved to the Beijing’s Hope Healing Home for more acute care. He is a sweet little guy and captures the heart of anyone who goes into his nursery. We hope that both of these remarkable boys will one day know the love of a forever family!

Help make care for children like Judah and James possible through Show Hope Special Care Centers. Become a Show Hope sponsor >

On Valentine’s Day, many people have love, chocolate, flowers, and hearts on their minds. Here at Maria’s Big House of Hope, our preschoolers took a short break from the Chinese New Year festivities to celebrate Valentine’s Day. We learned a song about “Haley Heart” as we painted hearts, did Valentine-themed alphabet activities, made Valentine cards, and decorated heart-shaped cookies (and then ate them, of course!).

Hearts are something we talk about and have on our minds very often at MBHOH and our other care centers, not just on Valentine’s Day. It’s not the heart-shape that may initially come to mind this time of year, but rather the physical, beating, life-giving heart. This week, we were not only celebrating Valentine’s Day, but we were also particularly mindful of children all around the world living with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD).

Many children with CHD live in our very own home… children such as Fahlin, Maria Claire, Nathalie, and Dante, and many others whose photos appear at the bottom of this post. Today and every day, we celebrate that these children are given opportunities to live and thrive. We pray for healing to come to their physical hearts, but also for their emotional hearts to be tended to and molded as they are loved and cared for.

To conclude Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week, we are trying to raise the funds to provide a surgery for a child with CHD. Give a gift from the heart!

Every year in March, children across America celebrate the birthday of an iconic children’s book, The Cat in the Hat, and its author, Dr. Seuss. As a preschool teacher, Dr. Seuss has become a beloved author to me, and his stories have a way of reaching children in a unique way…even for children half-way around the world!

I recently came across a few Dr. Seuss books in our preschool classroom at Maria’s Big House of Hope. It seemed nearly wasteful for them not to be read, so I started researching some fun projects we could do to incorporate some of his stories into our class time and also cross the language barrier (non-sense rhyming words don’t translate quite so well!). Come to find out, Dr. Seuss is great in any language, and kids love it!

We read Green Eggs and Ham in the older class. Although they were a bit confused the first day, by the second day of reading they caught on to the fact that he did not want green eggs and ham. Each time I’d turn the page, they’d call out “ta bu yao!” (he doesn’t want!). By the end of the story, they agreed that he in fact did like the green eggs and ham and that trying new things is good. So, we gave it a shot and tried green eggs and ham… it was a hit all around! Judah especially loved the ham!

With the younger class, we enjoyed several readings of Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? I am sure I was quite the spectacle the first day as I made all sorts of ridiculous sounds, but Weston was gracious enough to join in. By the second day, we were all mooing, crowing, slurping, and stomping. Maria Claire was still a bit hesitant and wouldn’t make the noises, but she had a huge smile on her face the entire time. Hope smiled as she listened to all of the crazy sounds coming from her classmates. We later used this to explore more noises with musical instruments…they made quite a band!

Thank you for making these moments possible at the MBHOH pre-school through your monthly sponsorship!

Weston and Hope

The MBHOH pre-school band!

Everyone LOVES green eggs and ham!

Laundry has always been one of my favorite “chores.” I didn’t start doing my own laundry until I was in college and I never grew to dread it as a chore, as many do. Since moving to Maria’s Big House of Hope, laundry has become an even more endearing activity for me.

One of my favorite things is to walk into the laundry room in the evenings and see countless little articles of clothing hanging on the line. I love seeing little footed pajamas, knit sweaters, and tiny dresses. The thing I love the most about it is that each time I see an article of clothing, a face pops into my mind. This isn’t just any article of clothing, its Quincy’s shirt or Wendy’s pajamas, And as I think of each one, it brings my heart such joy to know that they are in a place where not only are their physical needs being met, but they are also loved and cherished. Thank you to the sponsors who make this possible!

Over the past several months, I’ve also had the privilege of having some help with my laundry. Three little friends from the Jungle Book room, Jaelynn, Arrayah, and Lulu started coming in and helping me. I usually sort and fill the machines and they gleefully throw the clothing into the appropriate washers. They also love getting picked up to close the lid when they are finished.

I love that we are not only making memories together, but that in someway this is also preparing them for their forever families. They are learning what it means to help and work together, to share responsibity, but also having fun while doing so. One of my little helpers, Jaelynn, recently joined her forever family. Although her presence with us is greatly missed, we cannot wait to see how she blossoms and grows in the love of a family. And I can’t wait to hear what a good laundry helper she is!

Leander was at Maria’s Big House of Hope for nearly a year in the Tinker Bell room with Jessica, Judah, and Fahlin. Due to his congenital blindness, he is a bit shy at first, but once he knows you he opens up and is a ton of fun. When Naomi’s family came to visit MBHOH during their adoption trip, Leander quickly found his way over to Naomi’s mom, climbed up in her lap, and just smiled and laughed with her.

Leander is very active and adventurous and seems to really enjoy jumping and exploring his way around the room. He is particularly drawn to bright areas by the windows where he can see differences in light and shadows better.  Leander is extremely ticklish, and it is fun to hear his infectious laughter spread throughout the room.

Recently Leander was transferred to the Show Hope Special Care Center in Zhengzhou, where Mikey and I had a blast playing with him on our visit last month. While his personality was sometimes overshadowed by the more outgoing older kids while he was at MBHOH, he quickly became the king of his nursery in Zhengzhou. Ednalyn, his nurse, says that he has made great progress in the last few months since joining the preschool class in this unit.

As with all children under care, Leander’s progress has been made possible by the generous giving of Show Hope sponsors and donors as they seek to fulfill God’s calling to serve “the least of these.”  Please pray that Leander will find permanency and love in a forever family of his own through adoption.

A few months back, a request was made on our blog asking for anyone willing to knit slippers for our nannies. The response to that post was overwhelming, and the literal amount of slippers we received was even more so. Church knitting groups, families, and individuals spent many hours lovingly making these slippers by hand. During a trip to Nashville in November, I stopped by the Show Hope office to pick up the slippers and was floored by the amount that had come in (thank you Cathy and Melissa for graciously holding these in your office). We returned to China with two very large (and heavy!) suitcases full of knit slippers.

As we celebrated Christmas at Maria’s Big House of Hope, what a joy it was to be able to give heartfelt gifts to the ladies who care for our children every day. And these gifts would not have been possible without the help of countless people who were willing to use their time and talents to bless these women this holiday season.

In total, we wrapped and distributed more than 400 pairs of slippers! These slippers were gifted to our staff at Maria’s Big House of Hope including our nurses, office personnel, laundry and cleaning staff, and of course the ladies who tend to our babies. With such an outstanding response, we were also able to send slippers to our nurses and nannies at our other three Show Hope Special Care Centers in Zhengzhou, Jiaozuo, and Xinyang! Show Hope sponsors and their families were also invited to send in Christmas coloring sheets that said Merry Christmas in Mandarin, which we we included with each package.

Thank you to our sponsors and volunteer knitters for loving our staff and children in this way. These ladies give so much love and care to our children, and it is a blessing for us to be able to do something for them in hopes that they would know the love and appreciation we have for them.

One of the hardest parts of our work here at Show Hope Care Centers like Maria’s Big House of Hope is saying goodbye. And yet it is also one of the best parts of our work here, for often that goodbye is imparted with the knowledge and hope that our children are getting ready to meet their forever families.

Over the past year, we have had the honor of seeing many children leave our Special Care Centers to enter loving families, often children who have been with us for some time. They are children we have loved, cared for, and watched as they have grown and blossomed. As Show Hope sponsors and donors, you have also followed their stories and have grown to love them as well. Some of you who traveled on short-term trips have even met them, held them, and played with them.

Many of you know Jessica and Jaelynn… both of them have been at Maria’s Big House of Hope since opening in 2009 and both were recently joined to their forever families!! We are overjoyed as have prayed and longed for the day when these two precious girls would know the love of a forever family.

We were also thrilled to find out that Moses and Brielle were being adopted. Not only were they adopted, but we recently found out that they were adopted into the same family! So now, not only were these best buddies re-united, but they will forever be brother and sister! Most recently we said goodbye to another little one whom we have all come to know and love dearly, Kitt. Kitt was by-far one of the friendliest little guys at MBHOH and his sweet smile and personality will be missed on our fourth floor.

As we welcome a new year and say a bitter-sweet goodbye to these children and to those who have joined their families in 2012, we are reminded that many remain who are still in need of life-giving care. Some of these children you have met, such as Hope, Janice, and Judah, and others  we look forward to telling you more about! We hope you will continue to pray with us each month, and to consider becoming a Show Hope sponsor to help make these miracles possible for more children through the amazing care at Show Hope Special Care Centers and adoption aid grants!

Watch the amazing slideshow of children who have been welcomed home from the care of Show Hope Care Centers in 2012 below!

Our Maria’s Big House of Hope preschoolers are onto something new…cooking class!

With fall arriving and temperatures dropping, we’ve taken to more creative indoor activities. Fridays have now become cooking days. The kids really look forward to this day, as we take them on a “field trip” from their usual preschool classroom to our 4th floor kitchen. They love getting their hands dirty and most of all, love that they get to EAT!

So far, we’ve made chocolate cake (with icing and sprinkles, of course), rice crispy treats, and Jell-O jigglers (these were a huge hit!). Our favorite week though was when Abby taught us to make apple bundles, to celebrate fall. We got to roll, stuff, taste, and most importantly make a mess with a lot of flour!

We’d love some ideas for more cooking classes! Please leave your favorite kid-friendly recipes in a comment below (please keep in mind that recipes with minimal ingredients are best, as many food items are not available to us in China).

Help make more moments like these possible for orphans with special needs. Become a Show Hope sponsor >