Filed under: Daily Life Blurbs
So, a couple of days back, I told Jason I was going to write a post that went something like this: “I awoke this morning to a sinus infection and cold…and a headache attached, found my daughter with eyes matted shut from outrageous amounts of weird mucus….put in a load of clothes, only to have the washing machine water leak out and pool in our entire kitchen–for the third wash load in a row!….and, ….a good morning to you too!”
However, after some thought, and added perspective after a couple of days mulling it over, today is a better day, and I choose to write a more positive entry of sorts.
As Jason mentioned, I had a birthday last week; my mom came to visit us and stayed for the past two weeks, so that was awesome. Most often I am excited to have family and friends come visit us, but this time was different….I was 100% ecstatic to have my mom come! I don’t know why, really….just felt almost silly-excited to welcome her into our home and our lives this time. Ezri got sick 2 days after she arrived, and is still not well—although she is much much better–and my mom left this morning.
This leads me to my next thought: as I was riding the bus home this morning from dropping my mom at the airport, I became overwhelmed by life….and then, moments later…overwhelmed by God’s grace, Jesus’ sacrifice and sufficiency, and the fact that HE IS IN CONTROL!!! Life is overwhelming, but it is not ours to live all alone. Scripture is clear that we are poor—we are weak. God is rich—he is strong. Although he demands perfection, he supplies his own demand via Jesus Christ. We believe in Christ and trust him as our savior and he sends us a helper–Holy Spirit to live in and for us! Now, that is overwhelming! Overwhelming Joy!
So, that hit me pretty hard….needed to be reminded this morning that God sustains me. When I am at the end of myself…this is the beginning of God’s working in and for me.
more on that later….
–Mel, for the Cases
Filed under: Daily Life Blurbs
Yesterday was Melanie and her mother, Karen’s, birthday (yes, they were both born on tax day). Ezri has been sick and we’ve taken her two different doctors for diagnosis so she has taken even more time, care and attention than usual. It seems she has the flu with a sinus infection, she’s got mucus coming out her nose, eyes and ears. Well, we went out to eat at our favorite Malaysian-Thai restaurant nearby, we made it through the dinner and the food was good, but Ezri was not feeling good and she was letting everyone know about it. We got back by Ezri’s bedtime and were able to enjoy some wonderful chocolate cake after getting Ezri down. Then Melanie and I headed out to do a bit of shopping, finally deciding on a pair of pink tennis shoes straight from the 1950s. Please wish Mel a belated birthday if you get a chance and pray that Ezri will recover quickly and that Javi’s adoption will finalize soon.
Filed under: JAVI's Highlights | Tags: eagle's nest, guatemala adoption, solola
Update from the Orphanage:
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Weight: 13lbs 2 oz
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Height: 23.5″
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Head size: 16.5″
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Foot: 3.5″
Cristian “Javi” is doing great. Very happy baby boy and as you can see he is really starting to gain weight fast. He plays with his toys…and loves to be held. I think you might have a basketball player on your hands. He is also eating and sleeping well.
Melanie will post more about the adoption soon…
Filed under: Tantalizing Travel
View of a town square in Yulin from the restaraunt. Saturday night is skate night
Ezri makes a friend during our after dinner walk through the square.
Ezri gets in the groove to Chinese techno.
Filed under: Tantalizing Travel
Riding the bus out to the park outside Yulin.
Walking to the lookout with some kids we met along the way.
View from the lookout spot of Chinese farmland.
Walking past some cows to get back to the bus.
Filed under: Tantalizing Travel
So, as previously mentioned, the three of us headed off on a trip to mainland China during Jason’s spring break. We began our adventure early on Wednesday morning of last week, and, about 12 hours after stepping out of our door, we arrived at our destination to visit friends! It took about 1 hour on our local train to arrive at the Chinese border, and then getting through customs and immigration (interesting to exit one country, and take a few steps to enter another…something you don’t really get to experience when you travel by air), and taxi ride to the bus station was another hour, and then we embarked on a 10 hour bus ride! I know, I know…..crazy with a baby, right?….RIGHT!! But, really, Ezri did fabulous. We took along a few of her favorites: coloring book and crayons, books, magazine, blueberries, cheese, yogurt drinks, gummies, and the ever-important dvd player! She slept about one hour each way, and the other nine, we just entertained as much as possible–a full-time job.
It is fun to note that the bus was fully equipped with what we will call a ’squatty potty’, so-called b/c you have to squatty as you go to the potty….unlike a western-style toilet. These are quite common in China….and other parts of the Asian world, as we understand.
As you can see from our pictures (posted earlier) mainland China is quite different from Hong Kong. There are villages surrounding the city we were visiting, so we took a bus ride out one day and took a scenic walk that allowed us to look out on the rice fields and other crops that the people are busily planting this time of year. We spotted some water buffalo, cows, chicken farms, duck farms…..quite interesting. One day we walked around the city and checked out this massive Buddhist ‘museum’…..looks like a temple to me! It was quite impressive. There were brass dragons on the gate outside of it; Ezri ‘roared’ at them out loud!
Of course, Ezri enjoyed the crazy attention of the waitresses at restaurants and of other people we met during our trip. The young girls go especially ‘ga-ga’ over her, and she eats it up! One of our waitresses gave Ezri her pen with which she was to write down our order!….and then actually went to get another one, so as not to upset Ezri by taking her pen back!
Oh, and if you are planning a trip to mainland China, know that there will be no signs or anyone anywhere speaking English (many of you already anticipated that, I’m sure…but it was a shocking reality)!! Luckily, we were with friends who got us around town with no problem…..otherwise, we’d have been out of luck!
