I Didn't Forget About This, I Promise...
Well...I know I told everyone that I would update about my trip to China as much as possible and here I am, back in the U.S. since Sunday night, without a single update given. I apologize for not keeping my promise, but there are several good reasons why I couldn't bring myself to get on my phone and string together words to describe my experiences. First, there was very little to no time. Our schedule for each day was packed since we only had around nine days to get so much in. The "free time" I did have was definitely spent sleeping because jet lag is not something that can be easily conquered. Second, the internet was spotty and my phone decided to not work for a part of the time I was there, so it was hard to access the internet anyway. Finally, and this is really the main reason, there was SO MUCH to process that even the few times I sat down to write, I had no idea what to say. (Honestly, you should be relieved that I did not post and spew all of my emotions, confusion, and thoughts into your lives before I understood them myself.) Now that I am back and have had some time to think about everything, I can put into words what I experienced and what I learned while I was there.
Instead of writing one painfully long post to capture everything that went on during the time we were there, I have decided to take the next 10-ish days to reflect on each day I was there--the experiences, the high moments, the low moments, and what I learned. There was so much learning every single day and so many lightbulbs turning on that I wouldn't know where to start without taking one day at a time.
For now, I will say that Maria's Big House of Hope is EXACTLY what it sounds like: a safe, loving, beautiful, amazing, place that is full of so much hope amidst heartache and tragedy that it is truly miraculous. My team and I traveled to China to serve and pour into the kids' and the staff's lives, but what we didn't know is how much we would be poured into ourselves. I don't think there is a single person on this planet that could go to Maria's and not have a change of heart...even if you think your heart has already been changed.
Another thing that I can't go without saying is how evident God's work in the lives of the staff and children are and how great of a reminder it is that He is at work in ALL of our lives. Taking care of children that have lost their parents and everything else they know is not an easy thing, but it was amazing to see the amount of trust in God's plan that the staff had and how genuinely they cared for and tried to make everything as easy as possible for the kids. We were constantly reminded of how each child has a different, personal story of which we can't assume anything or try to understand because we haven't experienced it ourselves. I hope that over the next several days, I can accurately convey what I experienced, what I learned, and why I think it is so important. If you have any questions about the trip that you are dying to know the answer to, feel free to comment and I will answer if I can! Thank you to those who have waited patiently for an update and even to those who gave up on me after a few days of nothing. I hope the next several posts make up for it!
Instead of writing one painfully long post to capture everything that went on during the time we were there, I have decided to take the next 10-ish days to reflect on each day I was there--the experiences, the high moments, the low moments, and what I learned. There was so much learning every single day and so many lightbulbs turning on that I wouldn't know where to start without taking one day at a time.
For now, I will say that Maria's Big House of Hope is EXACTLY what it sounds like: a safe, loving, beautiful, amazing, place that is full of so much hope amidst heartache and tragedy that it is truly miraculous. My team and I traveled to China to serve and pour into the kids' and the staff's lives, but what we didn't know is how much we would be poured into ourselves. I don't think there is a single person on this planet that could go to Maria's and not have a change of heart...even if you think your heart has already been changed.
Another thing that I can't go without saying is how evident God's work in the lives of the staff and children are and how great of a reminder it is that He is at work in ALL of our lives. Taking care of children that have lost their parents and everything else they know is not an easy thing, but it was amazing to see the amount of trust in God's plan that the staff had and how genuinely they cared for and tried to make everything as easy as possible for the kids. We were constantly reminded of how each child has a different, personal story of which we can't assume anything or try to understand because we haven't experienced it ourselves. I hope that over the next several days, I can accurately convey what I experienced, what I learned, and why I think it is so important. If you have any questions about the trip that you are dying to know the answer to, feel free to comment and I will answer if I can! Thank you to those who have waited patiently for an update and even to those who gave up on me after a few days of nothing. I hope the next several posts make up for it!
Comments
Post a Comment