ChinaBird

Guess what today is? Yep! You guessed it! The day has finally come for me to fly home! Yay! I can not contain my excitement! China has become my home in these last 18 months that I've lived there and I can't wait to get home, and be amongst the kids, Zai and other loved ones at SFCV. Although China is my current home, Chicago will always be my home-home. I know that may not make much sense to most of you; however for those of you who have lived in 2 places or have served in other parts of the world, then you should know what I'm talking about. I've mentioned this intense feeling before, it's a feeling of having my heart in two places at the exact same time, loving where you're at yet still longing to be in that other place as well. It's complicated, yes, but good. It's a reminder to me that I'm loved and desired in 2 places by people who love and care for me immensely. It's always hard to leave Chicago or China (which ever in the scenario) bu...

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 ...

Hey Y'all! FIRST OF ALL.....It's cold out there Chicago (and everyone else!)... Let your heart be warmed by these precious faces! PLEEEEASE look at how cute these kids are!! I can NOT get over how adorable they are nor can I wait to get back to them! OK, now that all of our hearts are all filled with the Joy and warmth of their smiling faces... here's the update I have for y'all! I'm finally  going back to China! Woohoo! HOWEVER... It's not going to be this week as I had planned. Just a little Hiccup! I'm waiting on 1 final document that, sadly is talking terribly long to be processed and should be done next week (fingers crossed and prayers prayed!). Once that document is in my possession, I just have to take it to the Chinese consulate to have it authenticated... and THEN it's wheels up! The new  plan is to head back within the next 2 weeks (feel free to be praying all goes well ;] ). I'm still in need of lots of funding, bu...

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...