Every year in March, children across America celebrate the birthday of an iconic children’s book, The Cat in the Hat, and its author, Dr. Seuss. As a preschool teacher, Dr. Seuss has become a beloved author to me, and his stories have a way of reaching children in a unique way…even for children half-way around the world!

I recently came across a few Dr. Seuss books in our preschool classroom at Maria’s Big House of Hope. It seemed nearly wasteful for them not to be read, so I started researching some fun projects we could do to incorporate some of his stories into our class time and also cross the language barrier (non-sense rhyming words don’t translate quite so well!). Come to find out, Dr. Seuss is great in any language, and kids love it!

We read Green Eggs and Ham in the older class. Although they were a bit confused the first day, by the second day of reading they caught on to the fact that he did not want green eggs and ham. Each time I’d turn the page, they’d call out “ta bu yao!” (he doesn’t want!). By the end of the story, they agreed that he in fact did like the green eggs and ham and that trying new things is good. So, we gave it a shot and tried green eggs and ham… it was a hit all around! Judah especially loved the ham!

With the younger class, we enjoyed several readings of Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? I am sure I was quite the spectacle the first day as I made all sorts of ridiculous sounds, but Weston was gracious enough to join in. By the second day, we were all mooing, crowing, slurping, and stomping. Maria Claire was still a bit hesitant and wouldn’t make the noises, but she had a huge smile on her face the entire time. Hope smiled as she listened to all of the crazy sounds coming from her classmates. We later used this to explore more noises with musical instruments…they made quite a band!

Thank you for making these moments possible at the MBHOH pre-school through your monthly sponsorship!

Weston and Hope

The MBHOH pre-school band!

Everyone LOVES green eggs and ham!

“When Dillon and I began talking about marriage, he told me that some day he wanted to adopt. After we married, the Lord granted us two children by birth, Hailey and Caleb, but Dillon again brought up the possibility of adoption. We sought the council of older families who had adopted and prayed that the Lord would give us guidance and direction. In 2008, we started raising money and began the paperwork to adopt from Rwanda.

“Even though it felt long to us, it was in God’s perfect timing that we received Adeline’s referral. We booked our tickets and planned to leave April 30th. However, a few days before our flight, Dillon received a call that Adeline was sick and being taken to the hospital. We were advised to leave as soon as we could in order to be with her. It was a mad rush to change plane tickets and get our other children settled, but we ended up leaving that same night.

“Although Adeline was still sick when we arrived, we were very thankful to finally meet her. It was wonderful to be able to take care of the one we had been waiting for for so many years. We stayed in Rwanda for two weeks and then traveled with Adeline to Ethiopia to process her visa. Africa was truly beautiful and we felt so blessed to be able to spend time in our daughter’s birth country.

“Praise the Lord, Adeline has made a full recovery, and we are thrilled to have her home with us. The grant from Show Hope was a blessing in the deepest sense. We know that we would never have been able to complete the paperwork and send in the required funds to bring her home if it weren’t for the Body of Christ holding us up and giving us the means to continue.

“Adeline is thriving at home in the loves and care of a family! She loves to play with her older brother and sister. She is a beloved daughter and a living picture before our eyes of what Christ has done for us. We look forward to meeting each and every one of you in Heaven and thanking you personally for the way you helped bring our precious daughter home.”

-Dillon and Adrienne Stengel

“Imagine 50 acres of land and 10 million blooming flowers. Rows of red, yellow, pink, fuchsia, coral, orange, gold, blush, and white racing out ahead of you like ribbons in the wind. At times, the intensity is so great it’s helpful to divert your gaze to the monochromatic blue of the Pacific Ocean nearby. The prospect of exploring something so vast is overwhelming. You have a desire to get up close and personal with each bloom, but that’s not possible. You love flowers, so walking away is not an option.

“This was my Easter morning at the Carlsbad Flower Fields in California. I had seen the fields on TV and in photos, but nothing prepared me for their enormity. Immediately, I envisioned an entire show of these flowers. Choosing which blooms to paint would be a challenge. So I approached the task, one flower at a time.

“Now imagine the 153 million orphans of the world. Children who, through no fault of their own, are parentless. Red, yellow, black and white, from every nation. The enormity of the problem is overwhelming. It would be easier to look away. How can you make a difference, how can you get up close and personal with each child?

“For me, walking away is not an option. Maybe, together, we can transform lives, one child at a time.

“Adoption is personal to me. Mine is a life that was forever changed when the Walker family took me home to be in their family. I will always be eternally grateful for the sacrifice my biological parents made, and the commitment my parents made all those years ago.

“The flowers in my upcoming show represent hope. These new compositions are infused with color and passion, and are meant to bring joy. I will donate a portion of the sale of each painting to Show Hope, helping transform the lives of orphans by helping families with their adoption costs.

“One flower at a time. One child at a time. It’s personal.”

-Dyana Hesson

Dyana Hesson is an artist and Show Hope Advocate. For several years, she has used her talents on behalf of the world’s waiting children by holding gallery events to benefit Show Hope. Dyana often invites local adoptive families and Show Hope grant recipients to speak at her shows. Through ticket sales, silent auctions, and the sale of her art, she has raised more than $11,000 through her annual fundraisers.

Are you interested in using your passions and talents to transform the lives of waiting children? Become a Show Hope advocate today!

photo by Sandi Bradshaw

Wendy is a very vibrant and energetic little girl who was admitted to our care at just 4 days old. We rejoice that she just celebrated her second birthday!

Wendy recently moved to one of our first floor nurseries where she has really come out of her shell. She has become great friends with past focus children Weston, Judah, and Quincy. Being around the older kids has been great for Wendy’s speech development. She has gone from babbling to repeating many of the words that the older children are saying, including the names of anyone who walks in the door. Although she is still hesitant when a new person enters her room, she is quick to warm up when she sees the other children interacting.

Please join us in praying for Wendy and our medical staff as they seek wisdom concerning care for her complex diagnosis. We pray she remains healthy during the wait, and will be able to join a forever family of her own.

Wendy was featured as our January prayer focus child. View past prayer focus children, or sign up for Show Hope’s monthly prayer email. Our February prayer focus will be emailed out this week!

Laundry has always been one of my favorite “chores.” I didn’t start doing my own laundry until I was in college and I never grew to dread it as a chore, as many do. Since moving to Maria’s Big House of Hope, laundry has become an even more endearing activity for me.

One of my favorite things is to walk into the laundry room in the evenings and see countless little articles of clothing hanging on the line. I love seeing little footed pajamas, knit sweaters, and tiny dresses. The thing I love the most about it is that each time I see an article of clothing, a face pops into my mind. This isn’t just any article of clothing, its Quincy’s shirt or Wendy’s pajamas, And as I think of each one, it brings my heart such joy to know that they are in a place where not only are their physical needs being met, but they are also loved and cherished. Thank you to the sponsors who make this possible!

Over the past several months, I’ve also had the privilege of having some help with my laundry. Three little friends from the Jungle Book room, Jaelynn, Arrayah, and Lulu started coming in and helping me. I usually sort and fill the machines and they gleefully throw the clothing into the appropriate washers. They also love getting picked up to close the lid when they are finished.

I love that we are not only making memories together, but that in someway this is also preparing them for their forever families. They are learning what it means to help and work together, to share responsibity, but also having fun while doing so. One of my little helpers, Jaelynn, recently joined her forever family. Although her presence with us is greatly missed, we cannot wait to see how she blossoms and grows in the love of a family. And I can’t wait to hear what a good laundry helper she is!

Are you looking for a way to join the movement to care for orphans? Not sure where to begin? Become a Show Hope Advocate and get creative with ways to raise awareness, funds, and hope! Here are 10 of our favorite ideas to get your project started:

1. Host a benefit concert. Invite local artists, musicians, and worship leaders to showcase their talent. Play Show Hope videos between acts.
2. Donate your birthday! Simply invite others to give to Show Hope in lieu of presents.
3. Host a Zumba-thon event!
4. Commit to making a monthly donation of one day’s profit from your business.

5. Hold a bake sale or a yard sale. Hand out flyers with every purchase that share about your passion for Show Hope.
6. Ask a coach, teacher, or church leader to shave his head when you meet your fundraising goal.
7. Put together and sell a cookbook of favorite recipes from your church or community.

8. Sell your artwork or handmade crafts. Use the opportunity to tell others about the importance of overcoming financial barriers to adoption.
9. Partner with your church or a local business to hold a car wash.
10. Host a charity softball tournament.

Millions of orphans all over the world are waiting for their forever family. There is so much you can do to help! God has given each of us unique gifts and talents, interests and creativity. Prayerfully consider what ways you can get involved by raising awareness and funds to impact the life of an orphan. You can use one of our suggestions, or come up with something completely your own.

Visit www.showhope.org/advocates to get started today!

Do you have a unique new idea? Share it with us in the comments!

Our inspiration to adopt came at a local adoption seminar after years of prayer and infertility. At the seminar, we met an adoptive family and fell in love with the thought of a child who needed us just as much as we need them. Our daughter Ava was adopted from China on February 16, 2005. She is the sun in our lives.

The next few years were spent learning to juggle parenthood and work. When we decided to take a leap of faith and start the process again in the China program, we didn’t really know how we were going to pay for it. We trusted that the then three year wait would give us the time to gradually save up the money as we moved along in the process. After a year of unforeseen expenses, we ran out of money and put the adoption on hold. A year went by and our dream of adoption was slowing fading away. We made the decision to sell our home to get the adoption back on track, only to find that our program was now taking much longer than we anticipated. Even though the cost was more, we made the switch to the Korea program to bring our child home sooner. Over the next eight months, we encountered one financial setback after another as I got laid off and we looked for a new place to live…But God had a plan! We committed to continuing with our adoption process trusting that God would provide…and he did!

Thanks to a Show Hope Adoption Aid grant, we were able to welcome home our son, Eli Seong jun Harris from Korea. He is a perfectly fitted piece in our family puzzle, and the joy he brings to us is indescribable. The love Eli shares with his sister is heartwarming and simply amazing! We knew God would provide and he did through Show Hope!

Thank you to the sponsors who support this wonderful ministry – you have been the answer to our prayers!

Rick & Wendy Harris

One of my favorite things about my job is helping people who are passionate about caring for orphans engage with Show Hope in meaningful ways. One of the ways that you do that is through your monthly sponsorship. Each and every month, you’re helping children like Asher come home to their forever families!

To extend the impact of your sponsorship, we’re asking you to do three things:

1) Share this video on your social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. We encourage you to include a sentence or two on what you love most about being a sponsor.
2) Sign up for our monthly prayer updates. www.showhope.org/pray
3) Consider becoming an advocate this year, and using your hobbies and talents to raise awareness, funds, and hope on behalf of the fatherless.

Leander was at Maria’s Big House of Hope for nearly a year in the Tinker Bell room with Jessica, Judah, and Fahlin. Due to his congenital blindness, he is a bit shy at first, but once he knows you he opens up and is a ton of fun. When Naomi’s family came to visit MBHOH during their adoption trip, Leander quickly found his way over to Naomi’s mom, climbed up in her lap, and just smiled and laughed with her.

Leander is very active and adventurous and seems to really enjoy jumping and exploring his way around the room. He is particularly drawn to bright areas by the windows where he can see differences in light and shadows better.  Leander is extremely ticklish, and it is fun to hear his infectious laughter spread throughout the room.

Recently Leander was transferred to the Show Hope Special Care Center in Zhengzhou, where Mikey and I had a blast playing with him on our visit last month. While his personality was sometimes overshadowed by the more outgoing older kids while he was at MBHOH, he quickly became the king of his nursery in Zhengzhou. Ednalyn, his nurse, says that he has made great progress in the last few months since joining the preschool class in this unit.

As with all children under care, Leander’s progress has been made possible by the generous giving of Show Hope sponsors and donors as they seek to fulfill God’s calling to serve “the least of these.”  Please pray that Leander will find permanency and love in a forever family of his own through adoption.

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.