M&M Reunited!

288 Days (1 more than we expected!) and lots of Skype calls later, Maggie Morrison has finally arrived in China...we can't begin to describe the joy as they hugged at the airport and then shortly after that got into a conversation about fish tacos (just picking back up right where they left off!)

Thanks for sending her for a month Keith & Lynn!

Baobei Internship

For the last two weeks of school, Concordia has the Junior class go to 'work' with internships. Kelly had the great fortune to intern with the Baobei organization - the same one that has sponsored Joseph since he was just two days and provided for his surgery & healing homes. Baobei translates to 'precious child' and how true it is! It was an amazing experience as it completely took hold of her heart and her passions! The work ranged from meeting babies as they came off the train with the ayi's from their orphanage to holding babies at the hospital to helping at the medical clinic to organizing sales of Baobei gift items for the Concordia teachers. I think the best way to sum up the two weeks is to include some quotes from Kelly's daily reflections (that were written for school/Baobei):

• When we got to the hospital today, we were told that two new little boys had arrived. Nick and Caleb, they both are recently abandoned. Nick is almost 5 months old but Caleb is only 19 days. When I look at them I think about how incredibly hard it must have been for their mothers to say goodbye.
• At the medical clinic today it only confirmed for me that I do not want to go into medicine!
• It was really cool to hear how all of these babies’ stories start in the orphanages. As the director was talking she mentioned that they had to say no to lot of babies. I got the same feeling that I did seven years ago when I first visited an orphanage in Beijing on my first trip to China. Jesus again broke my heart for the Chinese orphans, particularly the sick and disabled ones. It makes me feel so helpless when I think of all the kids who need operations and families and it makes me sad to know that I can only help so much; but at the same time it gives me so much hope that I can help in little ways.
• First we went to the hospital to visit the babies and give their ayis a break! I love how something as simple as going in and sitting with a baby while their ayi showers or go grabs something to eat is so helpful to them. I don’t feel like it’s doing a lot but it makes a significant difference in the long run. As we were sitting in the hospital room today we made use of our time by washing the floor, or rather wiping them down with a wet wipe.
• Another thing that I loved today, while we were visiting the kiddos, especially the boys, I was taking pictures of them. Photography and kids are two things that I have a passion for so it was a perfect match. The kids had such sweet smiles! That’s why I love photography, I want to show the pure beauty that God has put into things, not beauty as the world sees it, models all dolled up and cars, but as God created it to be. Like a precious child smiling, or even their tears. There is a beauty in the children that Baobei supports that cannot be captured in words. Each little life is so valuable and has so many possibilities in their future it is amazing. Their stories blow people away because they are the stories of young and weak children many of whom theoretically should not have survived considering the conditions that they had and where they came from. The only explanation for this is that God is working in it. God saw each of the children’s value and directed them to Baobei, he protected them through their surgeries, and he provided the care and love that the child needed to begin to grow.
• It is sad to see our internship come to a close. Having a Baobei baby being adopted to my home, it was really neat for me to see how Baobei functions under the surface, and it has also been rewarding to be able to help out with the ministry that saved my brother’s life.