Fellowship

I have been amazed by how G0d has brought me such awesome fellowship with G0dly people even thousands of miles away from my home and ch*rch. He has been so faithful! Medical interns Philemon and Irene and SFCV staff member Sara welcomed me immediately into their circle when I arrived, making me feel so at home here again. The first few weeks I was here we bonded so much...cooking and eating together, laughing, going to ch*rch, doing puzzles, and, of course, playing with the kids. We loved comparing which child was on whose desktop background currently and talking about our favorite moments from working with the kids each day. There was such a shared connection over "our kids"...these 76 little beings that consume our time and thoughts and hearts. One day we sat around and someone said, "so who wants to adopt someday?" Someone else replied, "the question really is, who *doesn't* want to adopt someday?" :) It is so amazing to be around people with such a shared heart for the fatherless, people who really feel G0d calling them to serve these kids long-term, either through continued m1ss1on work or adoption (or both!).
One of the most special times Philemon, Irene, Sara, Kathy (a visitor from NY) and I shared in the first few weeks I was here was a prayertime one evening. G0d really filled us with His presence that night as we lifted up the concerns we knew to be close to His heart as well as ours...forever families for these kids, healing for broken bodies, unity among His people working here, and s*lvation and soft hearts towards the G0spel for the kids, especially the older ones. It was amazing how G0d knit our hearts together more as brothers and sisters in Him simply by crying out to Him together and bringing the burdens and needs around us to Him. I will never forget that time!

2 weeks ago we added some new fun interns to our group...Bekah, a speech therapist, and Melissa, who is teaching English to the kids with me. More people, including another intern named Hannah, have come since then and G0d has been so faithful to just give us all sweet times together and the ability to work and serve alongside each other. His grace in giving us all the sweet fellowship with each other that we've shared has definitely been one of the biggest blessings of my trip so far!

Irene and Philemon...we miss you already!! Thanks for some very fun and memorable weeks recently!

Irene, Philemon, me, Kathy and Winsome (fun visitors from New York), and Clay (who does guest relations here with his wife, Jewel)

Kathy, Sara, and I

Irene and I....the "Valentine's girls" going to ch*rch one Sunday

I loved seeing Irene play and do therapy with the kids

Roomies in coordinating scarves from Yashow market! Sara and I actually got the same exact one and Irene's is really similar.

Sara and I!

Going out for Peking Duck with Philemon and Irene before they left. We made a lot of memories here laughing at the waiters who kept coming in to look at me (blondes attract SO much attention here!), talking about food :), and getting freaked out every time the lights would go out (the fuse was broken so we'd be talking and then suddenly everything would go dark. So funny!).

Irene and I walked across the SFCV compound in a big China rainstorm...at night...to get this picture with Grady before she left! We had so much fun getting scared by the lightening, bumping into each other under the umbrella, and trying to avoid the deep puddles (unsuccessfully!).

Irene's last night. Roomies by our door.

We couldn't bear to erase Irene's name off the door sign, so I just fixed it.. :(

Our "missing-Irene" faces. :( So sorry to see her go...she was a great friend and a great roommate!

Hannah and Melissa playing cards with Grady outside