The young adult team at Maria’s Big House of Hope is experiencing a time of growth as they care for orphans.

By: Ashley Longardner

We arrived at Maria’s Big House of Hope earlier this week, and being here has completely overwhelmed me. Every thought I previously had about orphans and orphan care has been challenged.  I have found that I am completely guilty of having no place in my life for these beautiful children.

In the church, we often hear, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress…” (James 1:27) One of the things I couldn’t stop thinking of once I got here was, why is there no real concerted effort inside the church to care for the fatherless? And what am I doing to tangibly care for those without forever families? “But don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the Word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what your heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” (James 1:22-25)

Orphan care is easily forgotten because we are so easily distracted from the needs of this group of 140 million individual children. But the God of all creation describes Himself as “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows.” (Psalm 68:5)

David, Oliver and Asher

There are so many children waiting for forever families. Do you have room at your table? Do you have the finances to start a fund inside your church to help sponsor families that have been called to adopt? Do you support an orphan care ministry like Show Hope? Don’t wait for someone else to take the first step…take a step in faith toward what God is calling YOU to do.

We are so excited about the response we have had to the new Show Hope store and “Purchase for a Purpose.”  We would love it if you would send us pictures of your friends and family wearing your Show Hope gear. E-mail your pictures to online@showhope.org, and we will put your pictures on the “Who’s Wearing Show Hope” section of the store site!!

I absolutely love this picture of Mark Hall from Casting Crowns and his family with Mary Beth Chapman at Maria’s Big House of Hope.  They look great in our Show Hope t-shirts!!  We are so excited for the Hall family….they just brought home their precious daughter Hope from China!!

Lindsey

Many of you know a little bit about my story, but I wanted to share how thankful I am to be a part of the Show Hope team!  I have always had a heart for adoption…it is something that God put in me at a very young age.  I remember holding babies in a Guatemala orphanage when I was in college and begging God to allow me to adopt one day.  Then, the Lord gave me a husband (Chris) who had the same desires.  I will never forget the first time we both went to Guatemala together…our lives would never be the same.  We fell in love with a little girl and felt the Lord calling us to start the adoption process.  There were so many twists and turns on our journey.  I ended up actually moving to Guatemala for a few months to live with our little Eliana until her adoption was finalized.  There are so many costs in adoption.  I will never forget the day we received our Show Hope grant in the mail.  Our agency needed a certain amount of money and the grant came the next day!! God provided for us every single step of our adoption journey.

It is so hard to believe that it has been 2 years since I lived in Guatemala.  God opened the door for me to come and work at Show Hope in January…and I am so grateful.  The team of people I work with are incredible.  I love that I get to sell merchandise so that we can give more families grants.  Know that when you are buying a Show Hope tote bag or a cute t-shirt….you are helping bring more children to their forever families.  I couldn’t imagine working for a better place!!  Thank you Lord.

Blessings,

Lindsey Wheeler

We received our first email from our team of young people heading out to Maria’s Big House of Hope to serve the children there!

By: Anna Haas and Caroline Greene

Thursday night the team met up in Newark where we ate dinner together and got to know each other. Then Friday morning we began our journey to Beijing. After 13 hours of flying we were greeted by Mikey Shook and Emily Richards who took us to Hope Healing Home. Upon arrival, Robin Hill gave us a tour of the home. We were able to spend some time with the babies before heading to the Mongolian style tents, called yurts, to sleep.

Early Sunday morning, we attended an international church service and then spent the afternoon at the Great Wall. At the Great Wall, we all got our first chance at bargaining and practicing Mandarin phrases. Below is our first team picture at the Great Wall.

That evening we caught the overnight train from Beijing to Luoyang, where many of us had to embrace the squatty potties and very friendly fellow travelers.

This morning we arrived in Luoyang and came to Maria’s Big House of Hope. We will be here for a week and have many exciting activities planned. We look forward to getting to know each other better as well as the babies and nannies!
These are our awesome team leaders Katie and Wendy that have been doing an awesome job at leading our trip.

Please pray for the team while they are over there!

40 women from St. Louis, MO joined JOY FM Christian radio station for a fun road trip to Nashville.  They were able to enjoy 3 full days of concerts, food and taking in the sights of Nashville.  The women made a stop by the Show Hope offices for a tour and to hang out with us on Friday.  What an amazing group!!  Thanks for supporting our ministry JOY FM and Sandi Brown!  We are so grateful.

Every single woman on the trip picked out a t-shirt from our new Show Hope merchandise.  What a blast it was to see them get excited about their new shirts!  We have recently added a few different designs to the store site.  Check them out…and spread the word!!

Lindsey Wheeler

In February, we asked for YOUR help, and you responded! Now, Emily and Tanner Richards are volunteering a month of their time at Maria’s Big House of Hope, and they are using your donations to set up an incredible preschool space for the children. Here, they share about the classroom.

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

The reality is that orphans do not receive much of any academic or social education. Schooling is oftentimes overlooked in light of the many pressing challenges orphaned and vulnerable children face. However, in the past three weeks that we have been in China, we have discovered that despite the many special needs these children have, many of the kids at MBHOH are eager and able to learn.

Situated on the first floor next to the green Jungle Book room, the bubbly kindergarten area provides many of the beautiful children at Maria’s Big House of Hope the opportunity to learn, play, and develop important skills they otherwise would not be able to. The room itself is cleverly painted with bright colors and captivating images, creating an enriching environment to further engage the kids.

We spent that last few days organizing donations and supplies given by Show Hope sponsors and supporters. From friendly puppets and colored pencils, to fun puzzles and educational toys, the activities offer an exceptional atmosphere for learning. Additionally, we are constructing a curriculum for volunteer teachers to use so the lessons taught throughout the year retain essential continuity.

We have already found that the children here, just like any other children around the world, love learning and enjoy expressing themselves through painting, block-building, reading and physical exercise. Currently, a few of the kids, Jim and Juliana, are learning their ABCs and how to count up to five in English! There is remarkable joy in seeing these children come alive in the classroom. As more and more volunteers travel to MBHOH and help with the preschool, these kids will have more chances to learn and grow. Show Hope ’s commitment to fully utilize MBHOH as a tangible expression of God’s transforming love is a powerful testimony and uplifting inspiration.

The Show Hope totes are here…be the first to wear one of these super cute bags!  Click here to order.  You will probably have a hard time deciding what color to choose.  They would be the perfect addition to your summer wardrobe…or would make a great pool bag!  Thanks for showing your support of Show Hope!

Lindsey Wheeler

Mark and Amy Mays were able to welcome home precious Andrew from Russia, thanks to the help of Show Hope sponsors who help provide waiting orphans with loving families.

“Amy and I have been teaching our girls Abby and Lydia that God loves all people of the world. They were delighted when we told them we were asking God to allow us to be a forever family for a 2 year-old boy from Moscow, Russia. As we thought about our family over the years, Amy had always prayed for visions of what our family should be, and I prayed about what our family should do. Our prayers were answered in unison when we decided to become a forever family for Andrew.

“We are so thankful to Show Hope sponsors! We are humbled and honored that there are people committed to helping families pursue the call of adoption that God has laid on their hearts. Friends and family saw God providing and because of that, were even more motivated to play a part in our adoption journey. Thank you!”

Asher is an active little boy who is always game for getting into some kind of “trouble.” One thing he loves to do is crawl over to the toy box and spill all of its contents onto the floor, only to move on to something else within moments. If the nannies leave the door to the nursery open for even a short period of time, Asher will quickly try to escape into the hallways to explore! He is now learning to walk and can take a few steps on his own, but he usually loses his balance and falls to the ground laughing.  Asher always has a sweet grin on his face as he attempts to get into everything possible.

In June 2009,  Asher was two months old and suffering with a condition with which far too many orphans must contend: a cleft lip and cleft palate. Though children typically have this repaired shortly after birth, an orphan simply does not have the resources available.  Subsequently, they may be forced to face the challenges of feeding issues, self-esteem issues, and other health complications. In November 2009, Asher’s cleft lip was surgically repaired, and he came to MBHOH in February to heal from his surgery.  With a surgical ward that will make these procedures more available to orphans like Asher, MBHOH is the perfect place for him to receive the love and care he needs while awaiting his next surgery to repair his cleft palate.

Asher with Lilybelle

Asher has developed a special bond with his nurse, Lilybelle, and often accompanies her as she is working on the second floor where the babies awaiting cleft lip and palate surgeries live. She insists that Asher can understand her when she says “Love Lily”…and whenever she says it, he will sweetly give her a big hug and kiss. We are grateful to Show Hope sponsors for giving children like Asher the ability to thrive in a loving environment. Please pray for him in the coming months as he awaits the embrace of a forever family.

When Lola was originally admitted to our care, she was 2 years old and had been diagnosed with a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) as well as other congenital health issues. She was quickly transferred to Beijing for assessment and in February of 2009, received successful surgery in the U.S. Thanks to Show Hope sponsors, Lola, now one year older, has returned to Maria’s Big House of Hope to receive the continued medical care and nurture she needs!

Lola is on the 1st floor in the Jungle Book Room where she has formed a great bond of friendship with both Isaac and Jaelynn.  They are constantly playing together and laughing at themselves. Lola also loves to visit the other nurseries and children when her ayi takes her on walks around  MBHOH. Because she is so active, she has discovered that Jim, Juliana, Ella, and Grace (who is featured in our next Sponsorship update) are also excellent playmates!

Lola is very creative and never turns down a chance to hang out and play in the kindergarten classroom. While many of the other kids dump all the crayons and markers out of the box, color for a moment, and then run off somewhere else, Lola methodically takes out the crayons she wants one by one, colors with them, and then puts them back into the box. This love of coloring and order has given us a precious glimpse into her personality. Mikey, our MBHOH staff liaison, jokes that she is more organized than he is! Lola also enjoys looking at books and delights in pointing out the animals and pictures on each page. Join us in praying for her continued health and recovery!