Show Hope was honored to host the spring Empowered to Connect conference on April 8-9 in Denver, Colorado. The conference again featured Dr. Karyn Purvis, a renowned child-development researcher, speaker and author of The Connected Child, along with Michael and Amy Monroe, who are adoption ministry leaders from Irving Bible Church in Dallas. In addition, founding board members of Show Hope, Dan and Terri Coley shared from their hearts about their own experiences as foster and adoptive parents.

As we continue to receive wonderful feedback regarding the event, we are convinced more than ever how important it is to provide this valuable information and teaching to all those who care for these precious children. I read a comment on a blog post today about the event that stated, “[The Empowered to Connect conference] was so amazing and I’m so thankful that we were able to go! Our house has already changed for the better, and it’s only been two days since [the conference]. Wow, I can’t wait to see where we are in three months. I highly recommend this conference and I think every parent should go twice, both pre and post adoption.” This post made my day as it succinctly highlights one important aspect of the conference for which we pray—that families would not only feel encouraged and equipped when they leave, but that they would begin to see an impact and change at home.

We were delighted to have about 450 families, professionals, and church ministry advocates in attendance from all across the U.S. and there was even a strong showing of participants from Canada. I think that officially makes it an international conference! In addition, professionals who attended were eligible to receive 10 CEC hours for attending both days, and many foster or pre-adoptive parents were able to receive training credits for their participation.

As with any large event there are many who help make it possible. We are grateful to Mission Hills Church in Littleton who gladly provided the venue space for the conference. The church staff went above and beyond in helping our team prepare and in creating an inviting, comfortable environment for all. We are also indebted to the wonderful volunteers who came to serve alongside our staff, and their hard work is greatly appreciated. Lastly, we are blessed by the ministries and the staff of Project 1:27 and Focus on the Family for promoting the event and to Focus on the Family for the gracious financial resources provided.

As promised, you can download the handouts containing the text of Dr. Purvis’ conference slides here.

We look forward to the next ETC conference in Nashville on September 23 & 24th at Brentwood Baptist Church. Be sure to register here for the Early-bird rate and a special offer, again by Focus on the Family, which provides ½ off the registration fee for a limited time when you use the discount code: FOCUS. We hope to see you in Music City this September!

It was a great privilege for Show Hope to present the Empowered to Connect conference here in our own backyard of Nashville, TN this past weekend at Covenant Presbyterian Church. The conference featured Dr. Karyn Purvis, a renowned child-development researcher, speaker and author of The Connected Child, along with Michael & Amy Monroe, who are adoption ministry leaders from Irving Bible Church in Dallas.

We were delighted to have about four hundred families, professionals, and church ministry advocates in attendance, representing 20 states. In addition, more than 150 child welfare professionals or adoptive families received Continuing Education Credits or Adoptive and Foster Parent Training Certificates for their participation in the event!

On Saturday, special guest Regie Hamm, who is a singer/songwriter and adoptive dad of two, joined us to share his joys and struggles in the adoption journey. He also sang the hit song he wrote, “The Time of My Life,” made famous by American Idol‘s David Cook.

Rob and Rachel Meyersohn are currently in the adoption process and had this to say about the conference:

“As a couple starting out in the adoption journey, we found the conference was insightful, educational, and encouraging. We felt we were given many basic tools and resources to be successful in bringing our future child into our family. We also saw that we were not alone on this journey, but had many fellow believers taking the same steps and asking the same questions as us. We were very blessed by our experience, and look forward to hearing more from Show Hope and Empowered to Connect.”

Thank you to all who participated and to all who volunteered their time to make it happen! We are especially grateful to Covenant Presbyterian Church of Nashville for donating the use of their fellowship hall and facilities for our event.

It is our hope and prayer that all who came left the conference blessed, equipped and encouraged to care for these precious children for whom we all advocate. Free resources are available for families, professionals and church ministries at empoweredtoconnect.org and child.tcu.edu.

It’s hard to believe the kids are already back in school and that summer will soon be coming to an end, but this means that the Empowered to Connect Conference, scheduled for September 10-11 here in Nashville, TN, is quickly approaching! Show Hope is excited to be hosting this conference, and we are thrilled with the response thus far. At this time, we have registrations representing 19 states, with adoptive families and orphan advocates coming in from as far away as the states of Washington and Massachusetts, with many more in between.

It is truly a privilege for Show Hope to host this event. Since its founding, Show Hope has provided grants to more than 2500 families who have adopted children from 45 countries around the world, including the United States. It is a joy to receive the testimonies and pictures of these precious children, knowing that God provided the means for us to be a small part in their homecoming. Yet, when a child comes home, the family’s journey is really just beginning.

The presentation by Dr. Karyn Purvis, and ministry leaders Michael and Amy Monroe, includes invaluable tools and resources to adoptive or foster families, professionals and church ministry leaders alike. I am particularly excited about the breakout sessions for church ministries. The body of Christ is a critical piece of the support structure for adoptive and foster families, throughout the adoption process and beyond. Families need a safe place to come and be “real.” They need a place to share their joys and setbacks; a place to be loved, encouraged, equipped, and empowered.

If you have an adoption and orphan care ministry in your church or are praying about starting one, do consider attending this conference! Click here to read a letter from Michael and Amy Monroe encouraging church ministries to be a part of this special event.

The BA Team continues to serve the ministry at MBHOH, enjoy time with the kids, and even venture out for the afternoon into the historical district of Luoyang.

Robby Ker, student I enjoy how it is possible to have a day that is both busy and relaxed at the same time. Our schedule is very organized, but it goes about in a very lackadaisical fashion. After a quick breakfast, the artists of the group continued to paint the tree while we grunt workers worked our grunt by moving boxes from the sixth floor to the fourth, in order to bring mattresses up from the second floor to create an extra guest bedroom. Baby-playing time was available both before and after lunch. Being with the babies is a little out of my comfort zone, but if I stay in the room long enough I can ease into playing with them and having fun. Afterwards, Mikey took us to see the historically preserved part of Louyang, which is now a large market surrounded by an ancient wall. It felt like a strange cross between Opry Mills Mall and Mulan. A solid two hours were well wasted, and then we were off to tea time. Now I know how hobbits feel, having afternoon tea as a meal. The relaxing atmosphere mixed with the slight tinge of secondhand smoke was good preparation for our Melting-Pot-like dinner at Regius-Beef restaurant downtown. Instead of fondue, we fixed an assortment of beef, lettuce, noodles, and mushrooms into our boiling pots, requiring hard work for a good meal. The night closed, for many of us, with a long-awaited massage, including foot, arm, leg, and back massages. Tomorrow is our last day at MBHOH, and I hope to make the best of being with the kids. Pray for their safety and for ours on tomorrow night’s train. Thanks!

Joanna Franzke, Co-leader
I found him right where I left him. On the third floor of that big blue house in the Madagascar room. He had the same nannies. He had the same bed. He had the same smell. He had the same laugh. However, he is oh so different. The little baby Theo that I left here in July couldn’t hold his own head up. He couldn’t hold his own bottle. He couldn’t stick his tongue out at me or blow me kisses. He couldn’t even attempt to talk to me. But today, he could do all of those things. Surely these are all things that someone might be excited for a one year old to be doing, but Theo has been 2 since January.

When we pulled up to MBHOH, I saw that big blue building towering into the sky. I got goosebumps and tears in my eyes because I knew what was in that building. The most precious angels in all of China live here. It was almost like I imagined it would be. Goodness knows I have thought about this moment every day since I left Luoyang this summer. Holding that sweet, sweet boy in my arms again. I went into the room and the nannies immediately knew who I was. Theo was not in there, he was getting his bath. They rushed to retrieve him from the bathing room…because they knew why I was there. I’m the girl that shared that special connection with him this past summer. His nanny handed him to me and the tears started flowing. There is not one moment that I doubted he knew who I was. How could he forget? I had held him and rocked him and loved him so many days that summer. There are pictures of he and I together hanging in his crib. Yes, I was crying because I was so thankful to see him. But I was also crying because of how healthy he seems. I cannot express enough gratitude to the doctors, nurses, nannies, chefs, and sponsors that make Maria’s Big House of Hope possible every day. These fragile, little, broken babies have hope! Theo is just one story; the voice of the other children in this house whose lives have been improved and to whom dignity has been given.

I can’t wait to wake up here tomorrow morning. There is no place on earth like this. I can’t wait for Theo to grab onto my fingers and pull himself up with a look on his face that can mean nothing but joy. If you are reading this and take any part in this incredible organization, through “thoughts,” prayer or donations, please know what a tremendous difference you are making. The babies thank you. I know because they told me. Through their laughter and smiles today, they thank you.

Brennan Sehrt, student
Today our group arrived at MBHOH and I had no idea what to expect. I don’t think any of us did. One of the first babies that I played with was Isaac. When I walked into the bright yellow room, I immediately saw his beautiful, smiling face. He looked so happy. I went over to him and a couple of the other babies that were around him. We played for a while, and then I was ready to go to the next room and see more little babies. As I was walking towards the door, Isaac kept following me and rolling around towards me. He slowly reached his hands up and wanted me to pick him up. When I saw his eyes looking into mine, I had a “moment”— a moment that was full of peace, love, and happiness. I think at that moment I really realized why I was here. I think we are here to show these babies and kids that we love them, and to show what love is. To me, giving is a type of love. As we give to the babies and help the nannies, we are all showing a kind of love to them.

Here are the most recent updates from the team that is currently in China, en route to Maria’s Big House of Hope.

Joanna Franzke, Co-leader 
Our time is going by too quickly. We have had full days of new experiences. Yesterday we got to visit a special needs school. The headmaster told us (in Chinese with the help of a translator) that they were there to help the deaf, blind, and “mental problem” children achieve a healthy, happy “perfect” life. They interviewed Sarah Keaggy and I, asking us what we thought of their school and if it was different than our school. They asked if our children in America were “perfect”. It was difficult to explain the concept of standards, expectations and pushing our students to strive to do their best. We got out a sheet of stickers and the children mauled us to get one put on their forehead. I made the mistake of pulling out American pennies….wow, did they love that. They were obsessed with having their picture taken and then looking at it on the camera. The children acted like we were rock stars. How ironic, since we were in awe of them. We quickly learned that the sign for “I love you” was universal.

After we left there, we went to a bookstore beside the local university. There were many college students there waiting on us because they knew the “Americans were coming.” They practiced their English with us and expressed their desire to visit America. They thought it was hilarious how much we are all loving their country. A couple of the girls got proposed to! haha. American girls are a hot commodity here in China. Many email addresses were exchanged and we are all so glad to have new Chinese friends!

We will spend the day today playing with the precious children of Agape House. They are all suffering from osteogenisis imperfecta (brittle bones). The children here are so enjoying laughing with the BA kids and doing arts and crafts.

Through the devotions that our students have been giving in the evening, it is easy to see how hearts are changing. They know how blessed we are and they are learning to love beyond what they knew they could. I am so thankful for the opportunity to experience this through their eyes. Just a warning to the parents though: ALL of your children want to stay here. Don’t worry though, we’ll get them home

Tonight we will take the night train to Luoyang. Everyone who knows me, knows that my heart is there with a little baby boy named Theo. I cannot express the excitement that I am feeling knowing that this time tomorrow I will be holding him in my arms. I look forward to sharing this with you all.

Hope Healing Home  needed to transfer 3 babies to Luoyang this evening. However, they only had 2 nannies to help with this…so guess who gets the third baby?!? ME!!! I am anticipating that this will be a very interesting new experience and also the possibility that I will get very little sleep tonight. We’ll keep you posted. Keep us in your thoughts.  Sending love from China…

Katie Hogrefe, student
Hi! We’ve been having a lot of fun! Yesterday, some of us went to a tailor shop and got to design our own clothes. Shelby and I made our own prom dresses. Today, we got to play with the kids at Agape House. All the kids are awesome. They are all so cute! I found the cutest little baby that I would really like to take home with me. At first when I got close to her she would cry but after awhile, I got her to smile at me then blow me a kiss. Eventually she let me blow her a kiss. It was awesome, if I could take her home I would. 

P.S. Ms. Franzke would like everyone to know she gets a temporary baby to transport tonight!

Taylor Reece, student

Hi! First of all, I would like to inform everyone that I will not be coming home. China is amazing!!! We have had such a great time. Today, we got to paint the walls of the physical therapy room at the Agape House. We had a great time slapping paint on the walls with our hands and the brushes “donated” from BA. The result is absolutely beautiful, and it was touching to hear little Rebecca tell us how much she loves it. All the children here are so sweet. They are some of the most precious little kids I have ever seen. When we give them gentle hugs, their faces light up, and it’s so refreshing to hear them giggle and clap their hands. The past few days have been so much fun! I have even gotten the opportunity to play basketball with a new friend (I would tell you his name but I can’t pronounce it let alone spell it). The trip has been great so far, and I’m really looking forward to the rest!

The Brentwood Academy Team

Early Friday morning a team of 14 high school students, trip leaders and Cathy Troyer from Show Hope left Nashville for Maria’s Big House of Hope.  The team will spend time in Beijing with Robin and Dr. Joyce Hill at New Hope  Foundation and with another local ministry before heading down to Luoyang for a few days.  They arrived in Beijing Saturday afternoon, only to run into to Scott and David who were at the airport with the Geisinger medical team awaiting their flight home.

During their time there, the team will be sharing their experience and a few photos with us all.   Here is a little news from their first snowy weekend in China!

Joanna Franzke, Co-leader
Greetings from Beijing! Well, we have all survived our first full day here in China. The plane ride was LONG! The Brentwood Academy students were wonderful. This is my second time here and I must say, how strange it is to step off the plane in a different country (which in no way resembles Brentwood, TN)…and feel so at home. I can honestly say that there is no place that I would rather be. We have spent the past day attending an international church service (admittance only permitted with foreign passport), shopping in the markets (all the kids have learned how to bargain like pros) and of course, playing and loving on these precious children. The children are the reason I come here and most definitely the reason why it will be so difficult to leave. When I woke up this morning, I went into one of the rooms and picked up a tiny little girl, maybe only 4 months old. She has a cleft lip and palate. I played and sang to her, rocked her and made her laugh. That laugh was the most beautiful thing I’ve heard since we’ve been here. And her smile was priceless. Although she suffers from cleft palate, she smiles with her eyes and her so called “imperfection” disappears. I look forward to more moments like these.

If you are a parent of a BA child reading this, be proud. Your children are amazing…loving on these babies. Not one of them has complained about anything and they are representing our community so well. We will continue to take care of them.

Accommodations in Beijing

Madeline Dozier, student
We’re in China! Yay! We have had a great time so far, and it has been very different experience! The first night we stayed in the yurts, and it was soo cold! But tonight we got to move into the house because our heater broke! Tomorrow we leave for Luoyang! We are all very excited and will keep you updated!!

Shelby Sanders, student
We have had a wonderful experience and it has been such a blast. As soon as we got on the bus leaving the Beijing airport the bus driver started driving backwards on the interstate. That was definitely a great opening experience to how it is so much different here. The time change hasn’t been bad here, we have adjusted really well. The kids are adorable and so much fun to play with! It is awesome just to see them smile, even if they can’t understand what we are saying. They nanny’s are so sweet, and they love to see us playing with the kids. We have learned some Chinese words which always makes it fun to communicate with them!! Hope everything is going well back in America!!!

Shelby Tucker, student
We are having so much fun and it has been such a great experience so far! The plane ride was really long but we got to the Beijing airport and it was very cool. We got to New Hope around six and played with the kids. They are so cute! The yurts got really cold because its snowing here. We played with the kids again today and they are so sweet and they ate some of Taylor’s birthday cake for breakfast this morning. Hope y’all are well.

Olivia Meers, student
Today was an amazing day. I fell in love all over with a little boy named Ben and I hope he can find a family soon. Agape House is an amazing ministry in Beijing. I can’t believe the love they are sowing to these children with Brittle Bone disease and other disorders. They are doing so much for people who have so little. The bakery they have here, Bread of Life, smells sooooo good. I drooled over the menu of pumpkin muffins, cherry pie, brownies, carrot cake, and pig in the blankets that they are going to make for us tomorrow for breakfast. I have never had more initiative to wake up early before!

Taylor's birthday cake

The special needs school we went to is one experience I will never forget…We were little seeds blossoming into beautiful flowers (literally) and sang “wheels on the bus” but stopped after the translator looked at us with a horrified face saying “no more singing, please no more singing.” Taylor, whose birthday it was yesterday, was a rock star with her 6’ 2” frame and blonde hair. She played basketball for an amazed audience of 360 kids. Tonight I also got myself a “Chinese boyfriend” and a Chinese name, Wu En Huay. It means wisdom and grace from God. Translations between us and the university students were tough but interesting. All in all I had an amazing day and can’t wait until tomorrow.

Scott, David and Dr. Erica McElroy greet the team at the Beijing airport!

The team's first meal in China

The team was excited to finally arrive at Maria’s Big House of Hope after a 12-hour overnight train ride from Beijing. As we drove up, the big blue house seemed to stand out amid the gray surroundings; it truly seemed like a bright spot in an otherwise dismal, smoggy day.  We were in awe of the joy that seemed to fill the home as well as the children.

Just as our team members were drawn to specific children at New Hope, it was so fun to see God match making once again.  I had heard about some of the children from previous teams who had gone before us, and I was anxious to meet these little treasures myself!  One such treasure was named Theo–a few days before I left Nashville, his “American Momma” came to see me at Show Hope and asked me to bring him a picture of them together and some new clothes.  His Aiyis’ (nannies) say that he’s about a year and a half old, but he looks much smaller and younger than that.  I gave him the picture and we were all so surprised by how intently he looked at it and just would stare at the picture–taking it all in.  His nannies were also happy about the new little “one-sy” outfits and promptly changed him into his new Titan’s “one-sy”.  The Tennesse Titans have no idea about what a special, new fan they have!

In that same room was a tiny little bundle that I had heard a lot about from Mary Beth  and I could not wait to meet him.  I anxiously searched Hudson out only to find him sound asleep !!!  I had to exercise a lot of patience waiting for him to wake up so that I could finally hold him. In the meantime, I was able to present the little personalized blanket to his nannies, who loved so much to the gift for him and pictures that Mary Beth had sent along as well.  He is such a happy little guy with a big, expressive smile and lots to say.  Many of the girls on the team enjoyed spending time loving this little soul, when they could get him away from me .

One of the nights we were at MBHOH we learned that 4 new children had arrived and some of us had the chance to go in and meet them.  There was a small, premature baby whom the nurse estimated to be a few weeks old, weighing only 5 lbs. We met another little girl who had also been admitted that day. She was about 5 years old and had severe physical disabilities.  Some of the girls were immediately drawn to her, sitting next to her on the floor, comforting her and talking with her as her big brown eyes looked cautiously around.  As we all spent time with her, we realized that her physical body was not an accurate reflection of what was on the inside.  She is smart, talkative and is a little girl who knows what she wants!  After the children were bathed, fed and snuggled in for the night, a volunteer came in to check on them and asked those of us sitting there to help name give the new arrivals their English names.  I think at that point you could have heard a pin drop in the room as we all sat there feeling a great responsibility.  Who knew that naming a child could be so hard to do!  The four girls went to bed that night in their new home with new names such as Carolina, Ashlyn, Carissa and Jerusha.

When we weren’t playing with the babies, the team kept busy helping out around MBHOH by assembling new floor baby mobiles, sorting new donations such as the much needed medicine, clothes and toys.  Many of the clothes and toys came from the storage unit in Beijing that we helped to clean out and had been sent down to Luoyang by truck.  Soon after being sorted, many of the supplies the team hand carried over to China, were quickly put to use.  It was clear to see how important the medical donations are because as soon as we could sort them, the nurse came in and gathered some of the items she immediately needed. Our team was so grateful for those who had generously donated the items, seeing-first hand what a difference it truly makes. We also helped move furniture and other equipment into various rooms and spent one day painting the outside barrier wall.  It was fun to be a part of putting some finishing touches in the various rooms.

It was hard to say goodbye to the children and the other staff that we had the privilege to meet there.  It’s reassuring, however, to know that the children are in a place filled with joy and love, where their needs will be individually met.  And we are grateful for the gift of having had a few days to see what God is doing there.

We are now back in Beijing and it’s hard to believe that our time here is coming to a close, yet I know that the work God is doing in our hearts is just beginning.  We looked forward to seeing all the ways that God uses our experiences here in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Many of the children here at New Hope in China are healing from surgeries or waiting to have them, and it is such a privilege to hold a child and to be able to pray over them specifically or to pray for the nannies who care for them. In our devotion the other night, our team talked about how it isn’t by chance that God calls us to “visit” the orphan in their need, because as anyone who has held an orphan knows, the overwhelming statistic of over 130 million orphans in the world becomes 1 orphan in your world—you know them by name and love them—they are no longer a part of the nameless, faceless statistic we often quote. Those children are real, they steal your heart, and you are compelled to love as the Father loves.

We have also had the chance to do some work around New Hope Foster Home and spent a day cleaning out a storage shed that houses many of the donated items for this home among other things. At times the donations may not be needed immediately, things like old air conditioners or heaters, extra furniture, or various other item, and in recent months the large storage shed had become packed full of these types of things. One of the staff at New Hope said he had gone to the garage a few times to try to work on this, but realized about 15 minutes later there was just no way to do it! The 20 of us spent the day clearing out this shed, which was no easy task to undertake!

When they first opened the door, I thought it could potentially take us the rest of the week to clean it out! By mid-morning it became evident that we would have it completed by the end of the day! Hanna, a team member from Washington State, laughed and said at some point during our endeavors that “many hands make light the work”, and I don’t think that saying ever had more meaning to me than at that moment. That truly came alive to me as I realized all that we had been able to accomplish by mid-afternoon and seeing the end in sight. It was such a huge blessing for our team to be able to do this work for New Hope, enabling the nannies to get into the storage area to see what items they could use for the kids and hopefully lifting an overwhelming task off the minds of the staff.

Please be praying for our team as we continue to seek God and serve His children here in China!

The Show Hope “China 3 Team” (the third team Show Hope has sent this summer) met up in Newark, NJ for the first time on July 31 before our long flight to Beijing.  Our team, ranging in ages from 14-26, was traveling in from all parts of the United States to serve at Maria’s Big House of Hope in Luoyang and at New Hope Foster Home in Beijing.  We planned on having a team meeting the night of the 31st in Newark before heading to China the next day, but due to weather conditions, many on the team were not able to arrive in NJ until late on the night of the 31st.

Despite the many long delays that day, the rest of the team thankfully made it in! We were able to have a little time of fellowship as a group that evening, and it was clear that God’s hand was already evident by the ways in which He enabled each person to be a part of the trip.  I kept picturing each person as a part of that Verizon Wireless commercial with a whole network of friends, family, and church body standing behind them as they set off to serve in China.  The body of Christ is truly a beautiful picture to behold.

Since arriving in Beijing about 4 days ago, we have been spending time with the precious children of New Hope.  I have enjoyed watching our team members as they have each begun to connect to the children and the staff here.  God always seems to draw the heart of each person to a different child and we often joke that “someone” else is holding my baby right now. In God’s wisdom, He brings different giftings and talents and personalities together to serve His children, and I’ve loved watching the way in which He works as a matchmaker between servant and child.  We’ve also been able to get down and dirty, working and serving by cleaning out the shed, but I’ll write more about that tomorrow!

This morning we will spend the day with the babies here at New Hope and then set out to visit some local foster families who care for some of the older children.  Although we have been enjoying authentic, delicious Chinese food from area restaurants or food prepared by the wonderful cooks at New Hope, I think the team is looking forward to heading into Beijing tonight for some Tex-Mex in the “ex-pat” section of Beijing before we board the overnight train to Luoyang.

I am looking forward to visiting Maria’s Big House of Hope with great anticipation.  Having worked at Show Hope for 4 years now, I have been a witness to the vision for this care facility and God’s amazing provision through His people for this new aspect of our ministry that will change the world for many children in need!  I know from the teams who went before us that many, many blessings in the forms of little ones named Hudson or Theo will be there to greet us!  I will also be carrying some precious cargo in my luggage: a blanket for Hudson from Mary Beth, a few little onesie outfits for little Theo, a letter and pictures to drop off for a young girl in the process of being adopted from a local orphanage, and many many hugs and kisses as well from those who have gone before us.

As we were flying to Beijing a few days ago, the youngest member of our team, Elizabeth, from Michigan, tapped me on the shoulder and asked if she could share a scripture passage during one of our devotional times.  She said she had been just been reading and the Lord spoke to her heart saying, “This is what I want to share with you about this trip”; she shared Ephesians 3:14-21.  So, we pray this portion of scripture, confident that Christ is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Here is a quick slideshow of pics from the team!