Emily Richards - A Brilliant Adventure in Northern Ireland

To the silliest goober I know!

 

Remembering you, Missy Moo, on your birthday today.  I love you loads!

 

China . . . the land of surprises and loads of fun :)

My goodness . . . it has been a crazy week since I last blogged.  I guess that most of you probably saw my Mom’s post on her blog a few days back that she flew all the way to China to surprise me and Tanner.  How cool is that?  We haven’t seen her since Christmas time!  I had absolutely NO IDEA that she was coming . . . it was a total surprise.  We went with our host here in China, Rob, to supposedly pick up some suitcases of donations for the foster home and much to my surprise my Mom came walking through the airport!  We were able to spend Mother’s day together, and even though her card was in the mail on its way to America, we still had a wonderful time together.

 

 Not only did we receive an awesome surprise in having my Mom visit, but we were also able to welcome some family friends to China and do a bit of in-country travel before heading to Nanjing, China to watch them welcome their new daughter through the miracle of adoption.  My Mom has lots of photos posted on her blog of that amazing moment in which an orphan became a daughter!  Woah . . . I still get a little teary-eyed just thinking about it.  Other than Shaoey’s adoption, this was the only adoption I have watched take place.  As I watched the nannies hand our friends their precious daughter, I was once again overwhelmed and overjoyed to know that I too have been adopted into a heavenly family. 

 

 

  It was a whirlwind trip around China, but Tanner and I are back in Beijing now and will head down to Maria’s Big House of Hope in Luoyang on Friday, May 14^th.  My Mom left this morning to head back to America and get ready for the big Cinderella event that Show Hope is hosting.  Please check out www.showhope.org for more information!  It is going to be a spectacular event on Friday, May 14^th and Tanner and I are bummed we are going to miss out.  We taught pre-school this morning and had an absolute blast!  I have posted some photos for you all to see what kind of pre-school day we had today.  We started class off by all dressing up and doing a scavenger hunt! We had a blast.  Then, we had snack and lesson time and learned about animals J  After coloring for a bit, we then decided to make kitty cat masks which was hilarious.  All the kids were running around with their masks scaring Tanner and I and making cat noises.  To be honest . . . I left pre-school this morning feeling really special to have spent those few hours laughing with those kiddos.  And, I have to brag on my husband.  I have always said that he is better teaching kids than I am.  He just really has the ability to get on a kid’s level and teach them in a way that is fun and beneficial.  He has been a total hit with all the pre-school kiddos!  All of the kids know his name now, and so we will be walking down the hall and hear “Tanner Laoshi” which means “Teacher Tanner.”  Some of the kids even call him “big brother” and when they see me without him their first question is always, “Where is Tanner?”  He has been doing a bit of gymnastics with the kids because that is his background.  No, no, no . . . we haven’t been doing flips or anything like that but just simple stretches and such on the floor in the pre-school.  The kids LOVE getting the exercise and they pay great attention to Tan.  Honestly, I am really thankful for how hard Tanner has worked and how much effort he has put into this pre-school time.  Some might see it as a small thing, just four or five kids in a pre-school with a wife who knows little about teaching, but I believe he is really making a difference even by just laughing with these kids and affirming them in their talents and gifts.  Wow . . . I just have to say that I am one tremendously blessed woman J 

 

 

 

 

 Like I said earlier, we head to Maria’s Big House of Hope on Friday and I think there are quite a few projects for us to be working on there especially as it relates to setting up the preschool there for the kiddos!  We will continue to post photos J  Thanks once again for all your thoughts and prayers.

Ni Hao . . . from China!!

 

 

Do any of you remember the T.V. Show, “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?”  Well . . . Tanner and I are beginning to relate with Miss Carmen herself as we jump from place to place around the globe!  But I don’t think we mind at all . . . actually we love it!  As of right now . . . Tanner and I are sitting in Beijing, CHINA!  We arrived here on Monday, May 3^rd and we will be here until June 10^th.  We feel privileged to be in this place to spend the next few weeks together loving on the precious children at Maria’s Big House of Hope.  We are currently in Beijing, teaching pre-school to a handful of the kids here at Hope Home.  In addition to Maria’s Big House of Hope, our friends and Show Hope partners, Rob and Joyce, also oversee Hope Home.  They have about 70 children who live here at Hope Home, most of whom have surgically correctable special needs, such as cleft lip and cleft palate, clubbed feet, congenital heart disease, etc.  We will be here, in Beijing, until the weekend and then we will travel down to Maria’s Big House of Hope to spend the rest of our time teaching the pre-schoolers there.

It feels so great to be back in China . . . I consider it my second home . . . or perhaps it should be my third home now that we have spent a significant amount of time in N. Ireland.  Oh . . . I don’t know . . .  I guess since I haven’t been back to my “home” in Nashville for about 8 months now, China feels even more inviting and home-like because it is familiar and holds a lot of precious memories.  I can so easily remember my first time visiting Robin and Joyce Hill in the summer of 2006.  Our entire family travelled here for about three weeks as a sort of vacation together.  It was so nice to be here . . . loving on others together as a family.  And, of course our precious Maria Sue was with us that summer.  My family returned to China the following summer; however, I was unable to come because I was working.  So, I hold many precious memories of my sweet little sister, who would have been turning seven in only one weeks time, here at this building of hope.  And all these wonderful memories only encourage me to make more fun memories while Tanner and I are here.  We have been given a treasure in these 6 weeks here in China.  I truly feel as if we have been invited into something very special . . . a time to know and understand our Father on a level different than we did before we came.  I hope I don’t miss it!  I hope I can keep my eyes open and take in every memory, every laugh, every giggle, every hug and even every tear.

Just this morning, we had the wonderful opportunity of teaching pre-school to the older kids here at Hope Home.  We had three kids, ages 3-5 and we learned about colors.  It was so fun to just hang out with these very special kiddos.  I know our Father has a very unique purpose and plan for EACH one of their lives.  I am always overcome by the true joy each one of these kids has . . . it just oozes out from their smiles!  I want to have that kind of joy . . . contagious joy J

I will try my hardest to stay up-to-date on my blog while we are here in China!  Please me gracious with me when there are no blogs . . . sometimes words are not enough . . . especially for the month of May.  Thank you for your continued support and prayers.