Showing posts with label Faith Fu Ju. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

THANKS-FOR-GIVING, A STORY OF SACRIFICE

Mary Marcia
American's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/

"Thanks-For-Giving!"

my six year old daughter,

Sarah Zheng-Kang,

said on her first Thanksgiving

in the United States of America.

Of course, it's pronounced Thanksgiving,

but I like Sarah's version:

Thanks-For-Giving!

Food was a big issue for both my

chosen children,

Sarah Zheng-Kang and Faith Fu Ju,

who lived in orphanages in China

until they were adopted.


This photo of child # 151 was printed in the Children's Hope International newsletter.	I began weeping when I saw the photo. GOD spoke to my heart that she was to become my daughter. I wrote on the side of the photo: "This is Sarah Norwood 2-13-99." Nine months later we flew to China, and met Sarah ZK.

Sarah Zheng-Kang

was 5 years and 11 months old

when she became our daughter

through the miracle of adoption.

"What took you so long to come get me, mommy?"

my daughter, Sarah ZK asked.

"I was hungry every day until you came.

I had a bowl of rice in the morning,

and a bowl of rice at noon,

and that's all unless a farmer brought us vegetables."

Orphanage in Changsha City, Hunan Province, China. Copyright 1997 Marcia Norwood. Our Sarah Zheng-Kang is the second from the right holding up the spoon in the air. This photo was taken by a family from Switzerland who visited Sarah ZK's orphanage every year. The family gifted us with photos of Sarah ZK from their visits throughout the years. What a precious gift these photos are to us! Most orphans have no photos of the years they spent in orphanages! We are so grateful to Daniel and Evelyn for these photos!

Marcia and Sarah ZK: Our first meeting at the Grand Sun Hotel in Changsha City, Human Provence, China. I showed Sarah ZK her photo that I kept for nine months while we waited to adopt her. Copyright 1999 Marcia Norwood

The first evening meal Sarah ZK ever had

was the day we adopted her.

Sarah ZK and waitress pose in front of the fantastic gingerbread house at The White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, China.

Sarah Zheng-Kang Norwood one year after she became our daughter through the miracle of adoption. Her Chinese name, Zheng-Kang, is written in Chinese characters in the right back of the photo. Copyright 2000 Marcia Norwood.

Faith Fu Ju ate bugs and paper

when "mean men with guns"

came to her orphanage

and stole food meant for the orphans.

Sometimes the aunties (caretakers)

would take their own money

to buy more food for the orphans.

Faith was 8 years and 3 months old

when we adopted her.

Our friends Dale and Janice and Steve and Sherrie and our girls enjoy a meal in the lobby of the New World Hotel. Marcia and Jenny (our Holt Children's Services interpreter and Faith and Sarah at the airport in Shengyang City, Liaoning Provinge, China. Copyright 2002 Marcia Norwood.

Faith Fu Ju had only been my daughter for a few months

in 2003, when I had to take my granddaughter, Megan Jewell,

to the hospital for some labs before her surgery.

Faith cried: "I think you won't come back, mommy."

I assured Faith and Sarah that I would be back.

I understood how hard it would be for them when I left.

It takes a long time to learn to trust

when you have been abandoned.

"It's hard. I know.

It will be a sacrifice

for you to let me go help Megan,"I said.

"What's a sacrifice?" Faith asked.

"Sacrifice is helping someone,

even if it costs you something."

The next morning, Sarah and Faith woke up early.

"What do you want for breakfast?" I asked them.

"I'll make breakfast for you before Megan wakes up."

"Sarah and I decided not to eat breakfast

since Megan can't eat either before her tests.

It's our sacrifice," said Faith.

I cried.

When I could speak I said:

"Sacrifice is hard...but it's so worth it

to show your love.

What a gift of love you are showing Megan."

"This sacrifice stuff is hard," said Faith.

Faith Fu Ju and friends at the orphanage on a field trip. Fu Ju is fearless as she touches the crocodile! All children at the orphanage were dressed alike. They didn't have their own clothes. Everyone at the orpahange took turns wearing the clothes. This photo was a gift from Fu Fu's foster family. Copyright 2000 Marcia Norwood.

Are we teaching our children

the importance of making sacrifices to help others?

Are we showing them

how to sacrifice by our own example?

As you celebrate

"Thanks-For-Giving" at home

ask our Heavenly Father what sacrifice

you can make to help others.

Some children still go to bed hungry

every night.

Some children still eat bugs and paper.

This sacrifice stuff is hard,

but it is what we are called to do,

in Jesus' name.

Religion that GOD of Father accepts

as pure and faultless is this:

to look after orphans and widows in their distress,

and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 1:27

The Holy Bible

(New International Version)

Are you willing to sacrifice to help?

We are not all called to adopt,

but we are called to help widows and orphans, and the poor.

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and invite a friend!

Mary Marcia
American's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

OVERFLOWING

Mary Marcia
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

November is National Adoption Month.

Our family celebrates the miracle of adoption!

OVERFLOWING

We adopted our first daughter, Sarah Zheng-Kang, from China, in 1999, through Children's Hope International.

CHI

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://www.childrenshopeint.org/

We were in the process of adopting our second daughter, Faith Fu Ju, in the summer of 2002. We kept pictures of Fu Ju, on the refrigerator during the nine months we waited to adopt her through Holt International.

Holt International Children's Services

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://holtinternational.org/

I prayed for the little girl we would name Faith. We kept her Chinese name, Fu Ju, as her middle name to honor her Chinese heritage. I talked about Faith Fu Ju as if she was already a member of our family, even though she lived thousands of miles away at an orphanage in northern China, very close to the border of North Korea.

“We’re getting used to her face,” said our four-year-old granddaughter, Megan Jewell, as she walked past Fu Ju’s picture on the refrigerator.

Our 30-year-old-homemade (bio) daughter, Kristin; our five-year-old grandson, Joshua; our seven-year-old, chosen child, Sarah Zheng-Kang; and our three-year-old granddaughter, Emily, were in the kitchen with Megan and me to get a drink of water.

“Will you still love me and play with me when you bring Fu Ju home?” asked Emily.

I knew Kristin, her mother and our first-born, wondered the same thing because we talked about it before we adopted Sarah ZK.

ME: "Oh! Yes! Emily! I have enough love for you no matter how many children I love."

I used the pitcher of water in my hand and some multi-colored plastic cups to illustrate.

EMILY: "I want the pink one."

MEGAN: "I want the purple one."

SARAH ZK: "I’ll take orange."

JOSHUA: "I don’t care which color I have. What are the extra cups for?"

ME: "There is a cup for everyone it our family."

I put out extra cups for our son, Benjamin; our son-in-law, David; my parents, Jewell and Natalie Bush, and one for Faith Fu Ju.

ME: "The pitcher is me. The water is my love. I have lots of love to give to each one of you."

I poured cold water into each cup.

EMILY: "What happens when you run out of water?"

ME: "Watch and see!"

I refilled the pitcher with water from the faucet, and refreshed each cup with cold water until it overflowed all over the counter and on to the floor. The kids were surprised and thrilled that I made a mess on purpose.

ME: "If I need a refill – if I need more love – I go back to the source: God is Love. God is like the faucet. The Bible says that God has “poured his love into our hearts,” and we are to give a cup of cold water to the little ones in His name. Do you understand?"

EMILY: "Yes! Let’s get out some out more cups for Aunt Gloria and Uncle Bret and Aunt Gail, and Uncle Terry and Aunt Lisa..."

MEGAN: "...and Conner, and Taylor, and Lacey and Jeramy!"

JOSHUA: "It’s my turn to dump the water in their cups."

SARAH ZK: "No. It’s my turn."

KRISTIN: "Let’s take turns."

ME: "Learning to share takes practice."

Faith Fu Ju became our daughter through the miracle of adoption in October 2002.