MaryBeth

Processing Earthquake, Holding Babies, Going to the Market and High Blood Pressure!

 

 

OK....This has to be brief again, but I need to ask for your prayers.  I LOVE CHINA and wish you could all be here.  I have experienced more in two weeks that I can't even begin to download....But I was seriously going to try....until...I started feeling a bit weird...so being at a Healing Home (Hope and Maria's Big House) where there are Doctors.....I was urged to start taking my blood pressure.  Unfortunately it has been running high (at least the bottom number is) and I have been asked to try and rest in between outings...I'm also swollen like a blimp (which is kind of nice because I can blame water retention on my weight gain!  LOL), and a weird neck and back stiffness beyond what is a normal kink in the neck.  All of that to say....I am asking for prayer and apologizing for not blogging a bit more.  I've added links in previous posts as to where you can see others that have blogged about our trip, but please keep me in your prayers.  This has been just an inconvenient set back, but this trip has been amazing!  The above pictures are from the earthquake zone.  Again, as soon as I feel up to it...I'll blog more!

hugs,

Mary Beth

P.S.  Anyone (especially my sister who reads this) that know my mom and dad....I wouldn't mention the high blood pressure thing/needing to rest....it will just worry them needlessly...I'll be fine!  This is when it is nice to know that mom and dad don't own a computer!  LOL!

More from China!

Blogging is a challenge here in China!  Just wanted to let you know that we do have some updates on both Emily's Blog and the Show Hope Blog.  Click on over to check out.

July 8th, Gotcha Day for Maria!

For those of you wondering....yes, we are still in China and I have SO very much to share with you and show you...We just tonight returned from and incredible experience in the devastated earthquake zone of China.  I have so many stories and so many pictures...I can't wait to share some of them with your.  It is late here and I am tired, but we have all day off tomorrow, and I plan on downloading my pictures, picking out some great ones and writing a post about all of the emotion and all of what God is up to in  the Earthquake region of China! 

I have however had this on my mind ALL day long here today.  July 8th, 2004...Steven, Shaoey and myself were handed the youngest Chapman.  Gotcha Day for those of you who don't know...is the day that you receive your child in China.  Sometimes the official adoption day is the same day, and sometimes it is a few days later.  At any rate, July 8th, 2004 was Maria's Gotcha Day....She was adopted a few days later....(obviously I'll blog about that on the day) and our lives were changed forever and for the better!  This trip to China while incredible and good and full of God's love and grace in our lives, has also been full of memories of Maria being here, and all of the "What Ifs".....that the enemy would like to throw at me.  I gotta be honest, I've seen some HARD things the last couple of days, and the empathy that I could have with these people because of my loss was an incredible gift, for the reason of being able to relate, but i found myself also being so angry at the simple question...."Why God...Why SO much suffering in the world?"  There are so many broken lives everywhere!  I just would like to say....I am so sorry for anyone reading this that is suffering in some form or fashion.  Be it health, spouse, child, financial, whatever the reason....LOSS and suffering is hard and very unpredictable.  I still trust in the ONE who gave us Maria to love for such a short time, but I am also a person who trusts while doubting at the same time.  I am just being honest. I pray to God that would build my trust and that my doubting would turn to rejoicing in time.  If I knew on July 8th, 2004 that I was only going to get her for a short period of time....I would have savored every minute differently.  I am tired, and I have two other little ones needing me to snuggle and cuddle....so until I have the time to write a long blog with some sweet China pictures, know that the Chapmans love you and we are blessed to have you following us along on our lives and our trips.  Prayers please to finish this trip strong and be fresh for team 2 who is coming!!!!

Hugs,

Mary Beth
P.S.  Maria, You are and will always be my sunshine who makes me happy!  I love you, mommy

A Day at Maria's Big House of Hope!

 

 

I wish I had the exact words to describe the emotions and thoughts that were flooding through me as we pulled up to Maria's Big House after all the business and excitement of the Grand Opening was over and it was just us.  Our little (or big depending on who your talking too!) group from Tennessee pulled through the gate in the morning with nothing on the agenda but to play, hold, sing, pray, bless, experience this place that has been honored with Maria's name!  There are so far about 40 children transitioned into the House, with room for about 90 more!  They will transition in groups over from mostly the Luoyang city orphanage.  Some will come from other areas for surgeries and special care.  We took tons of pictures, cried lots of tears, and sang lots of praise songs through the halls of this special place.  We walked into every room singing praise and worship over the entire place ending on the roof!  We read blessings that Show Hope sponsors have written for the children and prayed that God would do a mighty work in this place.  We ended by going to the Tinker Bell room and sang Big Big House as Loud as we could while the children who are with us started a train through the room.  A pretty special day, none the less a hard one.  I spent some quiet time alone sitting under the mural of "Cars" painted in one of the rooms.  Maria LOVED Mater.....she used to say all the time...."My name is Mater as in TOE Mater except without the Toe!"  When Shaoey and Stevey got cuddly princess and hello kitty blankets once....Maria wanted a Mater one!  She was definitely outside the lines in her likes as a precious little girl.  As I sat there quietly, I tried desperately to here her sweet words saying that phrase....She would have loved all the rooms, but the one that would have made her giggle and found her returning to over and over again would have been the Mater room as she would have called it, and the Tinker Bell room.  All girl with a little tom boy was my sweet Maria!  Oh to hear that sweet little voice again.  All I heard was silence as I begged God to let me hear her...nothing....until in the far distance (The Cars room is currently empty), I began to hear the voices of the little ones living in Maria's Big House of Hope.  Whether it be a giggle, cry, or babble, I began to realize that it was up to me to make a choice.  I'm not going to hear Maria's voice again this side of Heaven.....unless I choose to hear it differently...in the voices of these little ones that are going to receive life giving care in this facility....she is here....I have to believe, cheering us on because she SEE's fully what we still struggle to SEE.  That God is working ALL things together for good for those that Love Him....she knows how this story ends, and what it will look like when we are all together again.  But until then, her voice will carry on in these precious, broken, little people that are in the care of Maria's Big House of Hope!  I hope you like a few of these pictures that I posted.  I wish I could bring you all here to SEE it for yourselves...KNOW that I so appreciate the ongoing prayers for this Mom who is still working the loss and pain out of loosing her sweet daughter, while also SEEing the good that is blooming through the little flower that Maria left for us to remember her by.  I Love You All,

Mary Beth

Local Chinese Paint Store!

Went shopping today to buy the paint for the SHOW HOPE team coming on the 15th. We are going to put some special touches throughout Maria's Big house!

Join the Chapmans in China (sorta)

Jim here for Mary Beth. At times, it's been impossible to blog out of China. 

She wanted to invite you to join the team on the trip to China... well, virtually at least.  Here's a link to the blog of a photographer there with them as they open up a special needs orphans facility, Maria's Big House of Hope.  

Thanks for your prayers!  http://www.austinmann.com/trek/

A Few First Looks at MBHOH

These pics were taken before the Grand Opening and immediately afterwords.  There is so much more but these will hopefully wet your appetite!  We are spending the entire day at MBHOH tomorrow and I am going through it with a fine tooth comb....find every child and take their photo...as well as take pictures of these amazing rooms that have been painted. My brother, along with team #2, arrive in Beijing on the 16th of July and I will be staying to help paint the foyer and landscape some of the outside!  I will keep you all posted.  We also got to visit Luoyang City Orphanage, which was a MIRACLE....we weren't supposed to be able to do that because of the Swine Flu scare!  I am going to post a "Day at Hope Healing Home pictures" and a "Day at Luoyang City Orphanage" tomorrow.  It is getting late here tonight, and I can hardly keep my eyes open!  Thanks for following me on my journey.

Love to all,
MBC

Morning News AND Evening News! Maria's Big House is Salt and Light!

The Day after the Grand Opening, the morning news and the evening news covered it with stories!  I thought it would be a kick for you all, my favorite blog followers to let you see something written about Maria's  Big House in Chinese!  God is so good....I can't even tell you how wonderful it has been.  Definitely bittersweet at times, but Beauty IS going to rise from our personal tragedy!  I love and appreciate you all so much....Keep praying!

hugs,

mbc

Maria's Big House Grand Opening....The ceremony

 

Maria's Big House officially opened today!  The government, Nationally and Locally were there to honor Show Hope's efforts to help the special needs orphans of China!   We really felt the spirit of God there as we stood there in front of Maria's Big House and dedicated it back to Him and in honor of Maria, who was a special needs orphan herself!  There were several speeches....certificates given to us to commemorate the day....Steven sang, of all songs....."YOURS", which was so awesome standing there on a stage saying....It is all God's!  Right there in China!...A ribbon cutting ceremony and finally a tree planting tradition where Joyce, Robin, Steven and Myself along with some city officials threw dirt on the first tree planted on the grounds!  I'm sorry to sound so much like a reporter, but it is LATE here and I am trying not to fall asleep as I write.  I will so post the Good stuff tomorrow....Pictures of the BABIES that we get the privilege to help!  More later....Sorry it has been so hard to communicate...Not sure what is up with that.  Thanks SO much for your prayers...They were answered in a BIG way!

much love,

Mary Beth

Maria's Big House....Here we come!

After the events of the day....We loaded luggage as fast as we could and headed ourselves to the airport to fly to Luoyang so that we could be at the Grand Opening on July 2nd!  We are grateful to be flying when we are.  Big House Grand Opening Pictures are next!