ChinaBird

Hellloooooo! Wow, wow, wow! So, as I'm sure you all know, it's been a while since my last post. It's been a very busy time since my arrival back here in China. Despite the craziness, the big take away from that sentence is that, I'M BACK IN CHINA!! YAY!! I've officially been home for 2 weeks today, and It's sooooo good to be back: back with the cutest and most adorable kids in all of China (I'm biased - i know), back with my awesome co-workers, and of course back with my sidekick Zai! From the day I got back until now, it's really been a sprint and playing "catch up" but I have NO complaints! Have I been insanely busy? Yes, but I love what I do, where I do it and the people with whom I get to do it with - I'm so blessed. Ok, so in case you're wondering...here's what's been going on... Cathy 1. Therapy. Things could not be going any better! ....well, ok, they could be, but currently things are great! We have had sever...

Hey! Hi! How are ya?! Ok, ok, ok, enough already. I can't contain my excitement.... I'm going home !! Yay! My flight is booked, my bags are packed (well....almost!) and on Feb 23rd, it's Beijing or bust! Just a quick shout out to everyone who has donated and helped me along the way! So grateful for you all, your love, support and prayers they mean the world to me; I can't do what I do without them, so Thank you! Love this City! As some of you may know, in addition to waiting on funds, I've been waiting to receive a legal document from the IL state government that needed to be submitted to the Chinese Consulate here in Chicago prior to my return to China. After waiting 3 long, long weeks, I finally  received it in the mail last Saturday. Early Tuesday morning (of course there was a holiday that pushed me back yet another day - yay President's day!) anyway... Tuesday morning I took this document to the IL Secretary of State's office on State street in ...

Howdy, Howdy, Howdy!  I've got some important things to share with you...so listen up! ;) So, I'm taking a little bit of a different twist with this post. Normally, I like to write, discuss, & talk about how awesome, amazing and blessed my China life is and how much I adore the kids and my job at SFCV. Let me reassure you, NONE of that has changed in the slightest; however it is time for me to discuss the down and dirty logistics of living the volunteer life in a foreign country...$$$. Ethan and Flynn are the two newest additions to the SFCV family! I can't wait to meet these little guys! For those of you that have served on missions trips, lived as a missionary in a foreign country, worked in missions or other volunteer positions, then all of you know the trials, up & downs of fundraising. It's hard, yet vital to the mission and call that God has for you. Well, this is currently where I am...anxiously waiting on the funds for my mission. Extending my...

"Thank you! Everything in me says “Thank you!”  Angels listen as I sing my thanks.  I kneel in worship facing your holy temple  and say it again: “Thank you!  Thank you for your love,  thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in;      you made my life large with strength." Psalms 138:1-3 The Message Bible Happy Thanksgiving y’all! I LOVE Thanksgiving! I don’t know about you, but I think there’s something so special about the family gathered together to celebrate all that we have to be thankful for! It warms my heart! As one would assume, this year, like last I will not be spending the Thanksgiving holiday with my family…well my immediate and biological family that is. This year, like last, I am celebrating my gratefulness and thanks to God with my SFCV family. I won’t lie, it’s hard to be away from my close knit family on days like today, but I ...