This is the third entry in our “TOP TEN Highlights From 10 Years of Ministry” series. Click here to read previous entries>>>

3. Seeing Our Flagship Special Care Center for the First TIme

I was absolutely awestruck in 2008 when we first pulled up to the construction site of Maria’s Big House of Hope, Show Hope’s flagship Special Care Center in China. It was humbling to stand there next to six stories and sixty thousand square feet dedicated to providing life-giving care and love to the least of these. The legacy of precious Maria Chapman certainly lives on and has grown through the three other care centers we have established in Jiaozuo, Zhengzhou, and Xinyang. More than 1,000 orphans with special needs have received care, and more than 100 of them are already in loving forever families!

Read blogs from our Special Care Centers>>>

SEE Maria’s Big House of Hope with your own eyes! Contact David Trask about joining his September trip.

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 >

In most parts of the world, the New Year holiday has given way to Valentine’s Day and will turn to St. Patrick’s Day later this week. New Year’s resolutions have run their short course and we are back into the habits of everyday life.

That’s in most parts of the world….But here in China, the excitement of the Chinese New Year (also know as the Spring Festival) is just beginning! This Sunday, February 10th we celebrated the Chinese New Year with a very literal “bang” as amateur firework enthusiasts like myself lit up the sky with questionably-produced pyrotechnics to ring in the Year of the Snake.

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important traditional holiday for this country of 1 billion plus residents (and many other Asian countries). In the coming weeks, Chinese people will travel home to be with family, enjoy copious amounts of dumplings, and light off more fireworks than New York’s Fourth of July extravaganza.

Here at Maria’s Big House of Hope, we also joined in the excitement and celebrations. In preschool, we made dragon masks and painted pictures of fireworks to hang up around our home. Maria Claire, Weston, Judah, and Hope among other children smiled and laughed as they colored, painted, and glittered (is that a word?) each piece.

We also had the privilege of traveling to our other Special Care Centers this week – Zhengzhou, Xinyang, and Jiaozuo – to prepare for the New Year with some of the other kids you have recently met through the blog, like Dante and his friend Debby.

May your Joy be full this Chinese New Year – Chun Jia Kuai Le!

————
Did your family celebrate Chinese New Year? Leave us a comment with your tips and ideas for teaching kids about this holiday!

Become a sponsor and help make more moments like this possible for waiting children at Show Hope Special Care Centers!
————

Today, we invite you to meet Dante. As we mark the beginning of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Awareness Week (February 7-14), we wanted to highlight a child with a heart condition who is currently under care at a Show Hope Special Care Center. Dante was diagnosed with irreparable CHD when we was admitted to our care as an infant, and was not expected not to live more than three years. We are thrilled to celebrate Dante’s fourth birthday this weekend!

Dante attends pre-school five days a week at the orphanage, and his teacher says he is a very good student. His nurse, Erma, shares that Dante has a great vocabulary and is active in spite of his heart condition. In fact, he recently won a class award for running! He also loves to assist the nurses and Dr. Steve as they do rounds and check on the other children in his care center.

Mikey and Rebecca first met Dante while they visited Jiaozuo at the end of last year. Rebecca shares, “Dante quickly caught my attention because he immediately smiled and waved as we glanced into his nursery. His smile was a familiar one, reminding me of one of my sweet Maria’s Big House of Hope preschool kids who also has CHD. During our latest visit, we had the opportunity to spend a bit of time with Dante in his preschool class, which he attends daily with his friend, Debbie.

“That day, the kids were learning how to use scissors. As a teacher, my initial reaction is to want to see what they are doing and join in, so I picked up some paper and together we started cutting. Each time his scissors would snip the paper apart, a huge grin spread across Dante’s face. Then, he picked up the next piece for me to hold while he cut. We shared lots of laughs as we did this until there were no large pieces left.”

Please join us in prayer for waiting children with CHD, like Dante, to remain healthy enough to join forever families and receive life-saving medical care. Thank you to the sponsors and donors who make his care possible! We encourage you to leave a birthday greeting for Dante in the comments section below!

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!

The Hope Smiles team left the United States on June 28^th for our second dental trip with Dr. Phillip Kemp and the team he assembled.  The dental staff consists of two American dentists, two dental hygienists, three dental assistants, and a fourth year dental student. Dr. David Chua joined us from Melbourne, Australia. Two of Dr. Kemp’s sons have also been helping the team this year and we have three people helping with translation. On our first day at Maria’s Big House of Hope, the team set up eight portable dental chairs and got all of their instruments laid out, and afterward we toured Luoyang’s Old City before going to a Chinese duck restaurant.

The next day, it was wonderful to see the hall filled with waiting patients here on the fifth floor of Maria’s Big House of Hope. We know that going to the dentist here in China is somewhat of a luxury, especially in this province. Most of these nannies have only been to a Chinese dentist once or twice in their lifetime, if at all. Dr. Tesa Reeves said that she was surprised to realize that many of the reservations and fears the women have expressed here are the same worries she sees when she does free clinics at home in the United States. However, the nannies seemed much more comfortable overall and less fearful about having their teeth worked on this year, as several of them had been to our dental clinic last year and knew more about what to expect. Because of this, the team was able to see many more patients this year.  The doctors and hygienist saw 35 patients on the first day, and each day they had a full schedule, working about 10 hours each day. On two of the clinic days, the team treated two busloads of nannies who traveled two hours from the Show Hope Special Care Center in Jiaozuo, in effect extending dental care and education to another city through these nannies.

On July 2, we celebrated the third anniversary of Maria’s Big House of Hope being open. We have all enjoyed playing with kids on short breaks from the clinic throughout the day. Cheri, my good buddy from last year, isn’t so sure about me this year. She has a stink eye that is so funny and adorable when she gives you the look.

It has been an awesome time serving with Dr. Kemp and his staff. The new team members who joined us this year have fit right in like they were here with us last year. The nannies are so appreciative, and the impact the team has is clear. We will be doing some sightseeing and shopping in Beijing before Melissa from Show Hope’s Communications Department leads the team home on July 7th. I will stay on for another trip that arrives on the 11th.

Thank you all for your support of Show Hope. I wish I could bring everyone over here to SEE this little piece of Heaven on earth!

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.

By now the excitement of Christmas is wearing off a bit and hopefully is fading into a wonderful memory for all. As we turn our attention to crossing the threshold into a new year, before we do, join me in rejoicing in what we have been able to accomplish as the body of Christ in 2011. Whether you are a donor, an adoptive parent, a volunteer, a missionary, on staff at SH, a board member, an influential voice, a partner, one of our prayer warriors, or a vendor, I am grateful for the part that you played that resulted in life change for hundreds of orphaned children (now former orphans) in our country and around the globe. Your steps of obedience to play your part as one of the cast of characters in the life story of these kids that we have been a part of strengthen us as an organization. At times, you may have felt like an “extra” or a “stand in” but the stories of change are epic and the impact is beyond us. God’s plans are bigger and better than ours and while I don’t have time to recount all the miracles of 2011, below are a few headlines to recap.

Adoption Aid: In November, we surpassed our 3,000 adoption assistant financial grant helping qualified families adopt children from over 50 countries! Wow, I remember when we hit three hundred and I thought “someday there will be an extra 0 at the end and we will hit 3,000.” Dare we dream 30,000 someday (will need your help if you have major donor capacity ☺ )
Outlook 2012: The number of applications still outpace our funding and the volume of applications are projected to be similar to this past year so join us in one of our greatest joys which is to help fund forever families.
Read more blogs about Adoption Aid >

Show Hope Special Care Centers: We launched two more special care centers in China adding more than 75 orphans with special needs to our care. Obviously another full year of care at MBHOH for over 130 orphaned children and some of the greatest miracles to recap is that it is our understanding over a dozen children (as far as we know…maybe more) have been adopted by families who have been cared for at MBHOH. That is what I call a major circle of blessing and the main thrust in our purpose of our Show Hope Special Care Centers – for children to be put in a greater position to be adopted.
Outlook 2012: Possibly a couple more care centers in the Henan province! Stay tuned.
Read more blogs about Show Hope Special Care Centers >

Pre/Post Adoption & Empowered to Connect Conferences: We are grateful to have organized two conferences in 2011 which brought roughly 1300 people including hurting families, counselors and church partners. Furthermore, we implemented FREE resources for our adoption aid applicants to educate them about some of the prospective challenges ahead of them to better equip them with this life breathing information.
Outlook 2012: more free resources for applicants, the addition of a third ETC conference and a prospective new strategic initiative for training purposes. (Stand by)
Register today for 2012 Empowered to Connect Conferences >

Short-Term Trips: Roughly 200 people from around the country and different groups step foot into MBHOH this past year. Two additional surgical teams to make it three (from 1 team the previous year) unique medical trips to provide life changing surgery for 35 orphans combined throughout the year. Additionally, we had a dental team work on our nannies and several student and donor teams bring their energy and passion to Luoyang, China!
Outlook 2012: Another full year of trips!!
Complete the 2012 trips application >

The Movement Club: Our first Movement event took place in Nashville earlier this year as the catalyst towards a dozen or so Movement Clubs in high schools being launched in the Nashville region. Various service projects were executed and we begin to move into a National Launch phase with a new website just recently going live and now other clubs being formed throughout the country. We are excited for students to go beyond themselves and separate themselves as leaders in their school and community. Students can’t adopt, but lets not underestimate their passion to care for orphans today as we invest into them to become the adoptive families of tomorrow.
Outlook 2012: Watch out College students, Show Hope is coming to a campus near you!!
View video updates from The Movement Club >

Awareness and Events: Year 2 of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella was incredible! The orphan cause was lifted on high in Nashville community through this theatrical performance with Class A Broadway actors and actresses, not to mention Class A directors, local sponsors and supporters. Nothing like a unique event to piggy back a cause!
Outlook 2012: Tickets on Sale now!

SCC Concerts: “I came to one of Steven’s concerts three years ago and as a result of that night, my wife and I have gone on to adopt three children.” – Show Hope Volunteer
Enough said! Don’t miss an SCC concert this coming year as we have seen the Lord use his voice and platform for God’s purposes. Thank you to all the 400+ volunteers
Outlook 2012: Saddle Up, SCC is at it again in February. Purchase tickets today >

Cry of the Orphan Media Blitz: Year 5. Thank you Focus on the Family, Family Life’s Hope for Orphans and our new partner, James Fund (Family Christian Stores) for another successful year. We reached over 20,000,000 impressions with our combined media voice and roughly 250,000 people viewed the “Answer the Cry” video in support of Orphan Sunday.
Outlook 2012: Discussions have begun already for next year.

Well, those were just a few headlines and we are forever grateful for your role in making life change a reality in 2011 for hundreds of orphans and as you can tell by the outlook comments for 2012, we need you to join us in the endeavors that He has called us to do moving forward.

If you are a donor considering a year end gift, or planning your giving for 2012 you are necessary; if you are prospective adoptive parent praying or contemplating adoption, you are necessary; if you are a volunteer seeking to volunteer for the orphan cause, you are necessary. To steal a line from our media blitz campaign, “You are God’s plan for the orphan.” Don’t let the enemy deceive you to think you are not!! Just like we learned in the parable of the lost sheep, for if even one comes into the family we should rejoice. Your steps of obedience TODAY, set in motion forever life change for someone tomorrow! Thank you for a joyful and adventurous 2011; may your pursuit of God and obedience to Him bear great fruit for His Kingdom in 2012.

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 >