About 8 months ago, on an ordinary day in September, I taught a class with Isaac as the only student in attendance. On that particular day, one of his roommate’s family sent him a package. During class, Isaac told me a little about it, and then informed me, “I do not have a mom and dad.” As I froze and subsequently began floundering around for a word of reassurance to offer him, he just kept shaking his head and saying “mei you,” the Chinese word for “don’t have.”

Today, I had the profound privilege of watching Isaac as he received his first package from his family. The sheer joy of watching his face light up as he opened his package, saw his new clothes, and talked on his new toy cell phone was like a dose of good medicine. Those sweet little eyes completely disappeared while his big smile and laugh took up his whole face.

The part that will forever stay with me, however, is when we flipped through the photo album his family sent him. As we turned each page, I told Isaac who each smiling face was – his mom, dad, brother, and two sisters. After we flipped through it once, I asked him who each person was the second time around. With every question, his response was the same. He looked at me, smiled and put his hand over his heart and with a voice full of confidence and sincerity Isaac simply said “Mine.”

Although he has never been in a family before, and has watched many of his friends leave to be taken home by their forever families, this sweet little four year boy has no hesitation or doubt when I ask him if he has a family now. In fact, just about every day he tells me that he has a mom and dad that are coming to get him soon. Whereas 8 months ago Isaac knew with certainty that he did not have a family, it is amazing to watch as he says with pride that yes, now, he most certainly does.

Help more miracles like Isaac’s become a reality. Become a Show Hope sponsor today!

“Today is our last day at Maria’s Big House of Hope. Our team’s time here has been filled with laughter, tears and hope as we have experienced our Father in a new way. The Lord does not need any one of us to care for the orphan, but He’s offered us the invitation to be His hands and feet. God has revealed Himself as Protector, Comforter and Healer.

“As we finish various work projects and give last hugs to these precious children, we begin to process all we have seen, heard and felt. Now that we know these children, we have a responsibility to them, to become advocates on their behalf in our homes, churches and communities. My prayer is for God to grant each member of this sponsor team His heart, wisdom and perfect peace as we pursue the call to care for the orphan at home.”

-Megan Flaker

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“I spent part of yesterday morning in the preschool classroom here at MBHOH. We spent time laughing, painting pictures and making messes. Making messes with kids has got to be one of the best ways to have fun with them! There is something about hearing and seeing these children laugh that makes the cleaning up afterwards a joy.

“You know the saying that laughter is therapeutic? It’s more than that with these kids at Maria’s Big House of Hope. When I laugh with them I get a glimpse of God’s delight for these children. I’ve been singing the song ‘Jesus Loves Me’ to them and instead of saying ‘me’ I’ve changed that word to ‘you.’ Through time at MBHOH, God has given me a powerful glimpse of His love not only for these children but also for me.”

-Crista Hobbet

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“I am on this trip to honor my dad who was a huge supporter of Show Hope. In fact, he wanted to visit MBHOH but unfortunatley passed away before he was able to come. I am continuing in his desire to care for the orphans of the world by taking this trip with Show Hope.

“God has been teaching me so much in the past few days! One thing that God has taught me is that although everyone has a role in caring for the orphans of the world (James 1:27), not everyone is called to care for them in the same way. Some are called to directly care for orphans first-hand like the head nurse Mariah Bywater. Some are called to be a forever family to a child. Some, like those of us on this Show Hope sponsor trip, are called to assist financially with orphan care or to go on short-term trips to spend time with the kids. Others are called to advocate for those who do not have a voice to speak for themselves. Whatever the means, God has invited us all to join Him in caring for orphans. This is a way to know and experience Him.”

-Rachel Singer

“The April Show Hope sponsor team met up in Newark on Friday and flew together as a team to Beijing.  As we got to know each other on the 13 hour plane ride and through our team building exercise of climbing the Great Wall, it has been evident that God uniquely placed each team member on this trip.  Our team consists of fifteen Show Hope sponsors from 12 different states and various walks of life who share a common heart for caring for orphans.

“We arrived at Maria’s Big House of Hope late on Sunday night after it was dark, and woke up this morning ready to explore. Most of us were up around 6am thanks to jet lag, but that meant we had a head start on meeting kids before breakfast! The hard part was deciding which room to visit first, with so many sweet little ones all pulling at your heart. What a joy to make a child smile and let them know they are loved.

“Since it was still Easter in the United States, we decided to celebrate here with the kids. We had an Easter egg hunt, colored eggs, enjoyed a beautiful cake, played pin the tail on the bunny, and even had face painting. Jessica was a good sport to sit still for this precious Maria flower design. Day One at MBHOH has been a joy and we are all so thankful to be here together. I truly wish every Show Hope sponsor could come a see this place with their own eyes. Thank you for your generous support that is making a huge impact!”

-Katie and McKensey, Show Hope team leaders

We love seeing new videos of the kids at Maria’s Big House of Hope, but we get even more excited to share them with you! Their sweet smiles are simply irresistible!  Because of the amazing support of our Show Hope sponsors and donors, children at Show Hope special care centers receive the highest level of care and nurture. Be sure to share this adorable video with your friends and pray that the babies you see here will be welcomed into forever families soon.

The orphans at Show Hope’s Special Care Centers are well known for their unconditional love. They don’t care what the world thinks of you, whether you are cool or not, or whether you win awards. Unfazed by Justin Bieber’s new haircut, which has stirred up controversy with his fans, or his loss of the Grammy for Best New Artist, the children at the special care centers still love Bieber!

In fact, Judah, who is at Maria’s Big House of Hope (MBHOH), won’t let his lack of understanding English or his Arthrogryposis, a condition that limits the use of his joints, prevent him from singing and dancing along to one of his favorite songs! In this video, he is joined by Jessica, Jaelynn, and Isaac. Even non-Bieber fans’ hearts will be warmed by their beautiful rendition of Justin Bieber’s hit song, “Baby.” Thank you to all the Show Hope sponsors who are allowing these children to thrive in this loving and fun family atmosphere!

As your heart opens to these MBHOH super stars, we encourage you to pray these children will be matched with forever families so they can experience a lifetime of love!

As we celebrated the new year in the United States last month and heard about the Chinese New Year celebrations in China last week, we became excited about the year to come at Maria’s Big House of Hope and the Show Hope Special Care Centers in Zhengzhou and Jiaozuo. We wanted to take a moment to give you a more intimate glimpse into the lives of the children that you read about on this blog. The orphans who are cared for at Show Hope special care centers receive the highest level of care and nurture because of the amazing support of our Show Hope sponsors and donors.

In the past week alone, a team led by David Trask visited China to prepare for a summer medical/dental trip, and at the same time The Movement kick-off was raising funds for MBHOH! We can’t wait to see what God will do at MBHOH in 2011! Enjoy this January video recap of the sweet kids at Maria’s Big House of Hope!

We first introduced you to Jessica through an MBHOH spotlight more than a year ago.  She has grown up so much since then! In the past year, Jessica started preschool and is doing phenomenally. She speaks Chinese well, but as she nears her fifth birthday, Jessica’s English vocabulary is also growing rapidly. She enjoys repeating the English words she finds in books, and often asks for the English words of pictures and objects around her. In addition to knowing the English words for several colors, she has learned that saying, “Please!” will get her just about anything she wants! Caitlin Ruff, our MBHOH preschool intern, shares that Jessica is a bright student who always comes into the classroom eager to participate in the day’s activities.

We are thankful for the continued support that Show Hope sponsors provide to Jessica. Because of you, Jessica’s ability to thrive continues to increase with the therapy she receives at Maria’s Big House of Hope for her Cerebral Palsy. In Jessica’s first spotlight, we shared that she was learning to sit up with a pillow. Now, with the excellent and loving care she has received, she is strong enough to support herself without the aid of a pillow! She also opens markers, colors, flips through books, eats snacks, drinks out of a cup, and peels the backs off stickers all by herself. Each of these tasks is a huge victory in her development! Jessica is currently featured in the “Pray for” section of our website, and we encourage you to join us in prayer for a forever family for this sweet girl!

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.

Daily Prayer: Emmanuel, God with us, thank you for breaking into history to redeem all things.

Merry Christmas from Maria’s Big House of Hope and all of us at Show Hope!

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!