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!

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, presented as Show Hope’s Spring Celebration 2010, made for a magical evening in Nashville! If you were a part of the sold-out audience, we want to thank you for joining us in raising awareness for the plight of orphans. Watch this behind the scenes video to see clips from the rehearsal and the show!

You may be wondering what your next steps are now that you have learned more about the mission of Show Hope to care for the most pressing needs of orphans in distress. We invite you to:

• Join hands with us in this movement by donating to Show Hope.
• Sign up for eNews updates to stay up to date on Show Hope’s projects
• Share your photos of the evening on the Show Hope Facebook page

Thank you to all who attended this enchanting event. We hope many more will be able to join us next year! Be sure to bookmark our home page, www.showhope.org, and check back often for updates on the 2011 Show Hope Spring Celebration!

This day holds a lot of emotion for our founders and the extended Chapman family. As someone who has had the privilege of walking alongside them during this season, I am astounded at how they have become even more committed to the orphan cause than what I would deem to be an already highly committed family. As it has been said, they would have every right to hang it up and call it quits, but as SCC often quotes “For Christ’s Love compels us…” (2 Corinthians 5:14). Considering we know where Maria is with a perfectly new body and the best seat in the house, may we take this opportunity to rejoice in the beauty that has come from the ashes as a result of God’s sacrificial, compelling Love.

Her legacy of hope and healing is just beginning and is far-reaching beyond what we even know and can imagine. I am not even referring to a building being named after her and the profound work inside it, but rather the work that took place and is taking place inside the hearts of hundreds of people through her story then and through her story now. She left an enlightening message behind for her family. Not just her immediate family, but for the body of Christ family at large. SEE! “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” To SEE the unseen, means to insert faith when the clouds have not yet parted. When the pain in our suffering goes beyond what our frail “self” can bare, insert faith as the bridge builder to healing. Then, faith becomes our compass always pointing to True North navigating us through the land mines of this earthly life. There is a secular saying which is “seeing is believing” and while there is truth in it, the greater truth is that ‘faith is believing’ – believing in what you cannot see which brings so much into focus, including the 20/20 vision we acquire when we experience the goodness of the Lord through trials and sufferings.

Remember with us!

Motte and Beth Brown had always talked about adopting, even before having their first two children biologically.  During their lengthy process to adopt from China, Motte and Beth soon became convinced that they were actually being called to pursue a sibling group from Ethiopia while continuing to wait for a match from China. They were quickly matched with two Ethiopian siblings between the ages of five and eight. Two weeks later, however, they were astounded when their agency called to inform them that this was actually a sibling group of four and that twin infant siblings had just been found. If they wished to continue with the adoption of these two children, they would have to adopt all four siblings together.

The Browns went through weeks of praying and seeking the counsel of people in their church, and while they were a bit scared and unsure of how they would fund this adoption, they decided to move ahead and accept the placement of all four children. Two families, who each had adopted sibling groups, were of particular inspiration to the couple. The Browns recall,

“There was really nothing extraordinary about these two families or their circumstances that uniquely qualified them to adopt a sibling group…I suspect that mainly, they were just willing. These families prove to everyone around them that children are a blessing from the Lord and that adoption is close to God’s heart. We realized that despite our fears and feelings of inadequacy as parents, God was calling us to this – to lay down our lives for these orphans; and to trust Him to be our provider.

“Before we even began applying for grants, we knew God would raise up his saints to cover the expenses to adopt four orphans from Ethiopia. And by far, our biggest gift came from Show Hope. It is our great privilege to be able to thank you,  Show Hope sponsors, for helping give our adopted children a new chance at life and for giving us a new family.”

Last Friday’s Spring Celebration presentation of Cinderella: Enchanted Edition was a grand affair! Despite the late change in venue due to flooding in downtown Nashville, Cinderella was performed in front of a sell-out crowd of over 2,200 people at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena. The Nashville Symphony Orchestra, along with the cast, which encompassed Broadway stars, an American Idol finalist and several GRAMMY^© winners, gave performances of a lifetime! Thank you to everyone who attended this event and helped to raise awareness for Show Hope’s mission to care for orphans, while commemorating the life of Maria Chapman.

BroadwayWorld.com contributor, Jeffrey Ellis, enthusiastically reviewed the show by commenting, “No matter how you look at it, Cinderella was a completely magical and enchanting success…the opulent and sumptuous staging for Cinderella underscored the magical, mesmerizing and time-honored tale of the orphaned girl who searches for happiness, love and the realization of her lifelong dreams.” His review goes on to say that, “[Matt] Logan’s artistic vision was evident throughout the concert (which featured the cast off-book, performing the songs beautifully, with choreography, costumes and minimal scenery – augmented by some wonderfully evocative videos to set the scene) and his sheer chutzpah in bringing such a star-studded cast together to bring the musical to life is laudable and, clearly, it raises the bar higher for Nashville theatre. With a sizable onstage ensemble and an offstage chorus that featured some of Nashville’s most capable theatrical names, Cinderella: Enchanted Edition boasted an overabundance of talents that ensured its success with audience members.”  You can read the full text of Ellis’ review here >

If you were a part of the audience, you may be wondering what your next steps are now that you have learned about the mission of Show Hope to care for the most pressing needs of orphans in distress. We invite you to join hands with us in this movement by donating to Show Hope. You can also sign up for eNews updates on our organization to learn more about what we do through both Adoption Aid and Orphan Care. We would love for you to help us raise awareness online by sharing your photos of the evening with us on the Show Hope Facebook page!

If you missed the show, be sure to watch the slideshow below of the evening’s highlights and exclusive behind-the-scenes shots of the cast during rehearsal!