It’s nearly 9:30pm right now. I can’t believe I’m not in bed yet. It’s been beckoning to me since a little before N.J.’s afternoon nap. And, that was over 8 hours ago. Somewhere along my journey of motherhood, I got caught up in the elementary and middle school seasons and forgot how physically demanding a toddler can be. It’s been a while, and my left arm and back are readily reminding me of that…as is the wooden play food strewn across my living room floor that I’m choosing to leave there so N.J. can pick up tomorrow where he left off.

When our kids begged us to host a child without a family (yet) for Christmas, it was one of the reasons I came up with for why we might not want to do that. It’s been a long time since we did this. Our life is really different now. We’re in a good parenting season right now. They promised they’d help. They promised it would be their ministry, their way to serve, their gift this Christmas to offer the King. They wanted a little one around here who they could help take care of and help find a family for. They were compelling, though Mark and I wondered what that would end up actually looking like in all practicality.

Only a couple days into this commitment, let me give you a few glimpses of what it looked like today.

Interested in learning more about this little guy we’re calling “N.J.”? He’s currently available for adoption through Living Hope Adoption Agency. He’s “special focus” which means that any family, regardless of if they have any paperwork ready, could adopt him. Email Sarah at Living Hope to learn more.

No international trip happens without a wee bit of chaos. Apparently, the journey of 12 orphans and their caregivers is no different. When the translator and director of the program received a call from an immigration officer asking what was up, we knew there’d be a slight delay in his arrival plans. Turns out, that slight delay put him arriving at our house at 2:30am Saturday night. Our four so wanted to stay up to welcome him. We finally coaxed them to go to sleep only when we promised we’d wake them up to tell them he was finally here.

I’m beginning to get a little insecure about my scary factor because just like Lydia did when we first met her, when N.J. came in, he shooed me away and went right for Mark, saying “Baba” as he did. By the time we introduced him to four sleepy children and gave him some food though, I must have moved up on his acceptable list. By 3:30am, he was bundled in footie pajamas and cocooned in my arms on the couch. There he and I stayed for 3 hours, both of us in and out of sleep. Let’s just say that by 7am, he looked pretty cute, and I looked like I needed a few cups of coffee.

Despite his crazy adventure getting here, he has done beautifully, joining us for church and his first Sunday School class (the bags under my eyes and I stayed with him) and for Lydia’s Chinese class Sunday afternoon (he genuinely seemed to enjoy hearing Mandarin…and me letting him rip up paper at his desk).

And, let me tell you this, people. This boy breaks all stereotypes of the petite Chinese child. At about 3 1/2, he easily weighs more than Lydia. Could have something to do with the fact that he thoroughly enjoys food, like kind of all the time. We got no problem there, people. In fact, when he’s not eating, he is playing that he’s eating. Yup, his favorite toy here so far is this play pot filled with pretend food that he stirs over and over again and then pretends to eat.

Interested in learning more about this little guy we’re calling “N.J.”? He’s currently available for adoption through Living Hope Adoption Agency. He’s “special focus” which means that any family, regardless of if they have any paperwork ready, could adopt him. Email Sarah at Living Hope to learn more.

A little 3 1/2 year old boy just braved a very busy airport, went through security, had papers checked and double checked, and then walked down a funny little hallway to board a big plane for his very first plane ride. There are 11 other children with him all anxiously anticipating what will be at the end of that plane ride. There are also 4 orphanage directors and some other caregivers too accompanying them, no doubt excited and anxious too about what the place they literally call “beautiful country” is really like.

I can only imagine the scene of getting those children ready to go with only small backpacks on their backs with whatever someone saw as essentials. I wonder if the staff made them all hold hands, weaving through the crowds of the airport like the tail of a kite. Did the wealthy people in their fashionable clothes there in Beijing point at them and try to take their picture? Did the staff put their hands up, gesturing for privacy? Or, did the staff proudly line the children up, appreciating the attention to this brand new exchange program for their orphanage?

N.J. is the youngest child in the group. The oldest is nearly 14. I hope all of their seats are together so that oldest boy or one of those children can show N.J. how to watch a show to pass the time. There’s a lot of it to pass—13 hours after which N.J. will get in a car (and a carseat for the first time) for another 2 1/2 hours before he arrives at our door.

We’re all going to stay up past bedtime to welcome him in a quiet way. No signs. No fanfare. No big hugs. We’ll let him wander around a little to see this place that will be his home for this season. We’ll show him where the little potty is (the one I couldn’t believe I was buying yesterday). We’ll show him his bed and loosen the sheets for him and show him how to pull them down (so much is so different). And, then we’ll just sit and pray that he eventually will want to get in them and sleep so the rest of us can too.