Sibling Sweetness

It has been such a treat to have all 6 of the kids together for an extended period of time.





It's funny.

The kids range in age from twenty all the way down to five years old.

You might think that they wouldn't find much in common.

But, it's quite the opposite.

We have enjoyed attending Christmas parties together.





Watching holiday shows in the evenings.





And, we have more fun times planned before Abby heads south right after Christmas.


So thankful for days like this!

We are blessed indeed!
















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What would you do?

I promise that this is not a gloom and doom post.

But, what would you do if you knew that you only had 5 years left to live?

What about only one year?

One month?


No, I have not received any bad news about the future recently.

But, this thought will not leave my mind these days.



Would you be living your life differently?

Would you stay at your current occupation?

Would you travel more?

Or, maybe less?


What WOULD you do?


What is your dream?

Your God-sized dream that He has planted in your heart?



What is holding you back?

This is my anthem
My life for your fame
My every move bring
Glory to your name

I will follow you

The cross before me
The world behind me
I will follow
I will follow

No turning back
No turning back

Busy Saturday

Today was a great day!

We, along with 6 others, addressed and assembled all of the sponsor's Christmas packages.

It takes many sponsors to keep an incredible organization like the Foster Home running on a daily basis.

They are wonderful about the personal connection between sponsor and sponsor child.

Each package had a letter, a beautiful calendar and a piece of art from their sponsor child.

With so many packages, this process took most of the day with only a couple of breaks.

One of those breaks was when we ventured into the village on a mission to finally try a donkey sandwich.

Unfortunately, the stand was closed. But, the real adventure was in getting there.

Not only did we take another ride in the back of a cart, but we had a Texan driving it!








Don't worry! We were fine!

Although, we did turn a few heads. :)



After finishing the sponsor packages, we headed over to a long-term volunteer's apartment for dinner.

You know, your typical Chinese meal of Chicken, broccoli and mashed potatoes and gravy.

She wanted to show us that, yes, you can still have foods from home that you are familiar with even if you are half a world away.

And, it was quite delicious!

Tomorrow, we will travel into the city to attend an international church service and go out for a western lunch.

I'm looking forward to the experience.


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Baby Lovin!

Today was another day filled with lots of baby lovin'.

I also worked for a while in the office in helping to establish some different goals and timelines for the children with Down syndrome to be used when assessments are done.

During our group prayer time, we learned that a new baby would be arriving today.

He recently received brain surgery and will stay here to recover.

It is possible that he will stay longer after further evaluation.

I'm really excited that I will be able to stay with him tomorrow and help assess his needs.


It is getting late now and we are exhausted, but here are a few pics from our dinner out this evening.

Noodles!

Yummy!!










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Half A World Away

I lie here in my bed at 1:45 am with many thoughts swirling in my head.

(Hello, jet lag)

Heidi and I have been here at the Foster Home since Monday night.

We have had the opportunity to work with the babies on Tuesday and then the toddlers and preschoolers yesterday.

These children are precious and so well loved.

The latter is what I am so thankful for.

Within our family, we have witnessed the stark difference of a child being raised in an orphanage environment and a child being raised in a loving Foster Home.

These previous nannies and foreign long-term volunteers are changing lives.

For that, I am extremely grateful.

We are not allowed to share pictures off these precious children, but they are a absolutely beautiful!

I will close with a few pics of me and Heidi for your enjoyment. :)

Without Borders

This past year has been full of many ups and downs, to say the least.

Exactly one year ago, we met our precious Emma Claire face to face.

Just moments after meeting Emma Claire for the 1st time

Emma Claire was not a fan of transportation in China.

This sweet picture shows EC's personality! Just the day after Gotcha Day!

Having Emma Claire, our little caboose, join our family was definitely the highlight of our year!



But, along with extreme joy, this past year has brought about extreme loss and sadness.

Almost 3 months ago, we lost my dad.

We are still learning how to adjust to our new normal.

His loss is real and felt daily.



But, once again, we have been reminded that each day is a gift and to treat it as such.


We, as Christians, are called to live out our faith.


Living out our faith looks different for different folks.

Thank goodness!

I know I certainly wouldn't be called to live out my faith by singing a solo in the church choir.

Whew! (I know you are all relieved!)

But, I do know that God has planted a desire to work with children down in the very depths of my heart.

I love children! (I guess that is a good thing, since we have 6 kiddos.)

I have always loved children!

I was the girl who was always playing with baby dolls and "teaching school".

As soon as I old enough, I got a job working in my church's daycare center.

I loved it!

Actually, there is not a single job that I have held that has not involved caring for children.


God has shaped this calling over the years.


Beginning about 12 years ago, He opened my eyes to children with special needs.

Wow! Am I forever grateful for the time I have spent working and volunteering with organizations and churches that serve children with special needs and their families.

It is through this very experience, that our family was equipped to pursue three special needs adoptions.


Speaking of those three very special adoptions, God has taught our family many lessons and opened our eyes once again to His heart and His desire for these precious children.

Back in 2008, our entire family (at the time) was blessed to all travel to China for Maylee's adoption.

We were excited, but had no idea what God had in store.

We knew that God had called us to adopt this precious little 23 month old girl, who happened to have spina bifida.

What we did not know was how our lives would drastically change as a result of our YES to adoption.

As you know, once your eyes SEE things, you never forget.


You never forget...

Dozens of toddlers looking up at you with no twinkle in their eyes.

You never forget...

The solemn look and no emotion on your new daughter's perfect porcelain face.

You never forget...

The beds...the many, many beds. with nothing more than a thin blanket on a piece of wood.

You never forget...

How your precious daughter would gorge herself not knowing if more food was coming later.



You also never forget...

That first beautiful smile.

Or

The giggle you hear as your children, from near and far, play together on a hotel room floor.

Or

The first non-prompted hug!



It is because of all of these things, all these experiences, the good and the bad, that I choose to live where my trust is WITHOUT BORDERS.

God has clearly given me a passion of working with children with special needs.

He has also opened my eyes to things I never would have even dreamed about.


I am excited that God has allowed an opportunity for me to use some of the skills I have learned in working with children with special needs to serve some very precious children who live in Eastern Asia.

These precious children are orphans and it is with much delight that I have said YES!

YES, I will serve for 10 days at a foster home near Beijing in November and volunteer to help out in any way that I am needed.


I am also thrilled that my daughter, Heidi, will be joining me on this adventure!


Would you consider joining with us on this journey that God has laid before us?


We welcome your prayers.


Prayers for traveling mercies.

Prayers for my dear, sweet husband.

Prayers for our children, left in his care (delivered dinner will not be turned away) :)

Prayers that me and Heidi will follow His lead and serve in a way that brings Glory and shines a light.




You can also join in our journey by purchasing one of these awesome t-shirts. This will help offset some of our travel expenses.

send us an email with your size and we will send directions on how to purchase

We will only be taking orders through this Sunday, October 26th, so that we can have time to get them ordered and shipped out before we leave for our serving/volunteer adventure.

Just shoot us an email (phelpsbunch (at) gmail (dot) com) with the size you want and we will send the directions on how to make payment. Or, you can comment on this blog post with your t-shirt size and paypal address.

You can also donate through our site, www.youcaring.com/withoutborders

These super soft shirts with a super awesome message are only $20 (add $3, if shipping is needed)

We appreciate your support and feel free to share with anyone!!!



I would also love to hear how you are living WITHOUT BORDERS!

What has God laid on your heart today?

A Little Park Time

The youngest four enjoyed a quick trip to the park while Heidi was in a meeting this afternoon.

We had the place to ourselves.

And, we all had a mighty fine time!