ChinaBird

Ever have one of those moments where you feel as though time has frozen, the world is moving all around you, yet you're stuck in a realm of calm and silence? It doesn't happen to me often but when it does, it's always a surreal moment. I had one of those this morning as I woke up. Just like every morning, I woke up to the sound of Zai shifting around in her cage,  as I opened my eyes and looked at my pup then glancing outside at the sunrise with it's orange and pink hues, it hit me like a ton of bricks...I'm in China. Yes, I know it may sound crazy, but it still hits me every once and a while...I'm living in China, working my dream job...my family is 6,585 miles away...I've left my home...yet everything I've done in life has led me to this very moment in my life... led me to this very morning!  I felt like I was still dreaming and trying to wake myself up except I couldn't because this is my reality not a dream. It's pretty cool, yet very humbl...

Hey All! I'm so excited to share today's post with you all. I'm dying to tell you all about my 10 1/2 year old friend, Xander. This kid is amazing! When he first came to SFCV back in 2008, Xander struggled to control his Autistic "meltdowns", he couldn't self soothe nor did he know how to effectively communicate his wants, needs, or feelings. Although a sweet boy, he was at times aggressive. At our first meeting, back in 2013, I was greeted by Xander with a slap on the cheek and him throwing spit on me. Now, if you've met anyone with severe autism, then you know that these are common behaviors. Xander wasn't being rude or mean, nor did I think he was, but I will admit that I was surprised by his aggressive behaviors. Nearly one year later, I came back to volunteer at SFCV and I saw Xander. This time I was greeted by a waive and a high-five! I had to make sure I was greeting the same kid! His negative behaviors were gone and he was a very well- manner...

One of the best parts of living and serving in a foreign country is that....it's foreign...well, to me it is. There's nothing I love more than a good adventure. Throughout life we all have adventures: graduating high school, buying a car, going to college, getting married, having a baby, etc. Even though some of those examples apply to my life, the biggest adventure in my life to date has been moving here to China. At times is scary and daunting, but I wouldn't trade it for anything! It's been one crazy and absolutely amazing ride. Living and working as a volunteer staff member has allowed me to have adventures in several different areas of life: adventures in my professional field, adventures in my spiritual life, and physical adventures. Recently I've had the incredible opportunity to visit 3 amazing cities around China with 2 of my good friends. First Stop: Ji'nan... Vicki (now Libbi) and her Forever Family! A few weeks back one of our young girls,...