It took about 10 days for him to “get” that we pray. He started by imitating us, sitting down at the table spontaneously, folding his hands, and practicing a “Dear Jesus.” At dinner, he sits right down and folds his hands, looking around to see who is going to pray this time. He always gives a little giggle during when he hears the mention of his name. He has decided in the last few days that the word “Amen” must mean something along the lines of “this looks really good.” He has started using the word random times; picture him filling a cup with water and then he looks over at me and says “Amen” emphatically. Or, he is enjoying a bowl of ice cream and he looks around the room to all of us and says in a long drawn out way, “Ameeeeeeen.” Or, maybe he actually gets what it means and he’s giving thanks for good things. Could be.

At bedtime tonight, I sat on his bottom bunk with him while Mark leaned stood so we could pray with Drew and him. As Mark prayed, he repeated each phrase after him on his own accord. After Mark was finished, he motioned to me that it was my turn. And, so I prayed slowly hoping he’d be able to somehow understand a few words. I prayed specifically for him and for his two best friends by name, that they’d find families soon. After my “Amen,” he said something, then said it again. When I clearly didn’t understand, he took my phone, opened Google translate, and said into it “there’s two more.” What? What do you mean? Two more what? He acted out writing in the air, so I grabbed a scrap paper and pencil closeby and handed it to him. He proceeded to write each of the other hosted children’s names. Then, one by one, he said their names a few times while I repeated after him. There were two more I hadn’t mentioned. There are 5 host kids in all, not just the three boys who are best friends. And, he wanted to make sure I prayed for each one of them and didn’t leave anyone out.

_____________________________________

These 5 children are all currently being hosted until mid-July. You can click HERE to follow along with “Shane’s” hosting experience and HERE to follow along with “Jennifer’s” hosting experience via Facebook. If you feel the nudge that to learn more about any of them, email me and/or the social worker at Madison who is working hard to find families for all 5. Note that there are grants available towards each one of their adoptions.

In the final hour, dear friends of ours stepped up and committed to bringing the last of the three buddies into their home to be advocated for as well. He wasn’t left behind. As we pray for the right family to find our little Chinese friend; we are praying for him too. We don’t want any one of these boys left behind.

10 days into hosting “Jasper,” here’s what they’ve learned so far about him:

– His favorite song is a song called “Punctuation” featured on a LeapPad system, and he giggles when he raises his voice with a question mark. “Happy Day” is definitely rising in popularity though given that it’s his buddy’s favorite song.
– He was deathly afraid of his host family’s dog when he arrived but has since become a sweet helper for the “hǎo gǒu.”
– He has mastered riding a bike in one week after never having ridden one. It is one of his favorite things to do. And, he looks super cute in a helmet!

– He says “thank you” without prompting now with the cutest little accent that you have ever heard.
– He surprised his host family with his willingness to help with chores that their kids don’t even do—folding laundry, clearing the table, bringing in the groceries, and making his bed daily.
– He is happy…all the time. And even when he falls (which he does sometimes because of some weak balance), he never cries or throws tantrums.
– He loves Fruity Cheerios, ice cream, spaghetti, and cheese curls—all of which he can house in 5 seconds flat.
– He goes to bed well and sleeps through the night, waking his host family up with the “pitter patter” of his new light-up Lightening McQueen sandals, which he loves.
– He’s an “early reader” but definitely can read his own name as well as the name of his best friends.
– He cares for his host siblings but is especially concerned when their 4 year old cries.
– He is a strong lefty who loves running with a kite trailing behind him.
– He has conquered his fear of the pool after he jumped in without hesitation the first time he saw it. Now, with guiding hands, he loves the water.
– He laughs when they dance in the kitchen, he laughs when they sing, he laughs when they try to copy his Chinese, he laughs when they laugh, actually, he laughs almost all the time.
– He is tough with free, unstructured time because he doesn’t know how to use it or what to do.
– He loves to play with other children rather than by himself; he doesn’t like to be alone, though he’s already getting much better with it.
– He loves music and will repeat lyrics instantly.
– He needs a family with kids who will love him well and play hard!

_____________________________________

We are currently hosting the boy MAA calls “Brett” for advocating purposes; our friends are hosting “Jasper.” If you feel the nudge that one of these boys may be your son and you would like to learn more about him, email me and/or the social worker at Madison who is working hard to find them families too. Note that Madison is offering $3,000 in grants towards each boy’s adoption with possibly more available!