Our Sweet Zachary
After being with us for almost a year, Zachary has moved on to another family, a wonderful Christian Chinese couple who have had experience with kids like him. It's been rocky for him, to say the least, but he is brave boy. For more about Zachary's beginnings, read
here. He would have been with us longer had it not been for our need to return to America, a trip he cannot take with us. The transition has been hard not only for him but also for us, as we all attached to him. However, we are still able to see him Sundays, when we take him to our house so his family can go to church.
The most recent plan for Zachary is to move him into a group home situated closer to our apartment complex, which should be better for him as we'll be able to visit him more often. We want him to know we're still part of his life, that we haven't abandoned him. It is possible that in the future we may try to adopt him. However, currently his orphanage refuses to process his paperwork because they have dubbed him not adoptable and unwanted.
Sad and not true. Please pray for the wonderful little boy.
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| Zachary's 1st day with us. You can see how unhappy he was. |
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| Where Zachary is from: Gulin area. |
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| So skinny and still trying to figure out what is happening to him |
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| Just hanging on |
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| How he looks now |
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| How he looked before |
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| So happy! |
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| Checking out what Matthew is doing on the iPod |
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| Walking with a purpose |
Returning To America
One of our good friends put this video together for us called miracles. Please take a look.
The past three years and ten months in China has been a truly amazing journey for our whole family. So much has been accomplished since we stepped off the plane in August of 2010. One of the most wonderful life-changers was, without a doubt, the addition of a beautiful boy, Matthew, to our family. The adoption was completely legally in March, but he's been a part of the family since November 2010, since he was three months old.
The two biggest reasons we wanted to live in China were to share about our Lord and Savior and to work with orphans. Our long stay here, God has used us in many ways to accomplish both these goals. Many have heard and seen. I (Rick) have spoken at the local church and a local business. Many of the fatherless have come through our doors, short-term and long-term.
By just living here and talking with people, we have developed many lovely relationships. Our friendships range from local store owners, guards in the apartment complex, and workers who clean around our complex (we've even baked them fresh bread). Even the employees at Metro and Ren Ren Le recognize us when we go shopping. There's an opportunity to talk to someone every time.
All of this has been made possible first and foremost by God, and second by our friends and family at home and around the world. Without their prayers and financial support, none of this would have been possible. We are grateful beyond words to all who have been involved in our journey.
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| View from our apartment |
Our visas expire at the end of July, so our plan is to return home before then. Matthew has to be back by September, when his immigrant visa expires. However, all this is still unknown. Please pray for God's plan for us and the next step in our journey.
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| The day we arrived in Xi'an |
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| The Bell Tower downtown Xi'an |
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| Easter 2014 |
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| Cheryl & Jenna |
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| Shanghai |
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| Local |
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| Da Yan Ta |
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| Rice fields in Guilin |
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| The Big Goose Pagoda |
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| Rickshaw on top of Xi'an's city wall |
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| Tofu |
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| The break of a fast (end of Ramadan) |
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| Our friend's Grandmother |
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| One of two weddings we were invited to |
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| Wedding toast |
