Didn't I say "No Cat Zone"

Well, as you can see the idea of a "no cat zone" failed. However, Lara really did not mind. This big boy is Pinkey and he is quite cozy in Lara's bed. Yes, I know you are asking yourself "why would they name a monster cat like that Pinkey?

Well, it was easy. First, he was supposed to be a she. Second, he was this little tiny, cute, white ball of fuzz when we met him. He had a pink nose and ears. We fell in love and the name made sense at the time.

Lara seems to be settling in. She is a delight. Lara is very personable, curious, and her English is excellent. She is open to trying new things and really enjoys cooking. We cooked together today. I told her we were having salmon, asparagus, and salad for dinner. She immediately wanted to help. She had never had asparagus steamed. She said they fry asparagus in Spain. So, we steamed half and fried half. The asparagus was a hit. We all enjoyed both types. I think the next few weeks will be a lot of fun.

Still no news about our adoption.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Still waiting,
Elizabeth

Passing the Time by Hosting Another Exchange Student!

It has been several weeks since I posted. We have been very busy; it seems sometimes there are just not enough hours in the day! We are preparing for another exchange student. This time a girl, 16 years old and from Spain. She called us Sunday to introduce herself. Her name is Lara and she speaks English very well. We have a sense this experience will be different from our experience with Fred.

I have been preparing her room - I wanted to make it more "girly" than it was for Fred. I moved around the furniture, dug out some angels, teddy bears, and dolls to put on the shelves. Next to her bed, I have a round table with a pretty heart shaped doily and a vase of fresh flowers. Lara arrives tonight and I hope she will feel at home. She will be here for 3 weeks.

She told us on the phone that this will be the first time she has been away from home without her mother or father. We are praying that she is comfortable in our home. We also have 4 cats and she has never been around animals. Cats are a challenge in that they do what they want. Cats are not as easy to train as dogs, in my opinion. Our bunch do respond to words and commands such as:

• "do you want a treat?"
• "out"
• "get down"
• "your're bad"
• "good boy" or "good girl"
• "lay down"

We will have to work on keeping them out of her room. We have designated Lara's room as a "no cat zone". However, our cats are very lovable and they may just win her over. Afterall, Fred liked them.

I will try to keep this blog more up-to-date. However, being busy is a "good thing" when you are a PAP (preadoptive parent). We are still waiting to hear some news regarding Russian accreditation updates and NGO status of our adoption agency. We have been told everything slows down in Russia during July and August due to vacations. Sooooooooo, keeping busy is good for us right now.

We have faith that everything will work out according to God's plan. In the meantime, we are on our knees praying.

I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God. Psalm 38:15

Patiently waiting,
Elizabeth

American Food and Cats

Our experience with Fred (our Chinese exchange student) has been wonderful. We have learned so much about the Chinese culture and have been surprised by many differences and similarities.

One of the major similarities is the strong family bond. Fred spoke of his mother and father frequently and the importance of family. He has called them several times to update them on his experiences.

Fred shared with us that education is very important to the Chinese. I haven't decided if this is a similarity or a difference. However, I thought it was interesting to share. Apparently, many families work hard to be able to send their children to specialized high schools that prepare the students to get into the BEST universities in China. Fred attends one of these high schools in Shanghai which is over 1000 miles away from his home. The curriculum is very stringent and, although there are some sports activities available, the focus is on academics. Fred wants to major in some type of math or science; he thinks probably physics. When we asked him what he and his friends do on weekends to relax, he looked at us with an incredulous expression and responded, "we study."

The major difference for us has been related to religion and politics. As I discussed previously, we just cannot imagine living without the freedoms we enjoy in America. Don and I are Christians and we took Fred to church with us. He went without hesitation but made it clear to us that his religion was science. Of course, this opened the door for Don to have a discussion about creation versus evolution. I am not sure who enjoyed that "debate" more Don or Fred. Regardless, we hope we planted seeds.

The students had an assignment to write an essay about their experiences here in America. We were very surprised that Fred wrote about the food and our cats. Apparently, many of the students really did not like American food. Fred has eaten everything we prepared. He wrote about eating hot dogs and cracker jacks at the baseball game and said he really liked hot dogs. Here is what Fred wrote about our cats:

There are 4 cats in my host families' house. All of them are lovely. In China, I've heard American's regard their pets as their own children. That's true. However, in China, especially in some poor areas, some people feed cats only for catching mice. So maybe cats in America are lucky. I like cats and these days, I spend a lot of time playing with cats. They don't speak English that good.

We really got a kick out of his essay.

Last night we attended the farewell party. The Chinese students put on a show for the host families that included karate demonstrations, games, art, and singing. It was wonderful! Fred gave us a photo of the three of us (taken at the welcome party) in a beautiful frame. Fred leaves us on July 10. I think we will be very sad. We have enjoyed this experience immensely and are considering hosting another student later this summer.

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Independence Day and Our Freedom

Last night we took Fred, our exchange student from China, to a minor league baseball game. He thoroughly enjoyed the game, hot dogs, and cracker jacks. We stayed for fireworks after the game. The songs played during the show were all patriotic as well as those dedicated to our armed forces. I found myself wondering what Fred might be thinking. How does this celebration compare to how he would celebrate a national holiday in China?

In chatting with Fred, we have tried to learn about his culture and life in China. I asked him, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" He looked at me and said, "In China it is illegal to have more than one child." Da, I knew that! But it is a question we Americans ask when trying to get to know someone. We take so much for granted in our country - most of all our freedom.
I cannot imagine not being able to have freedom of speech, religion, or having children!
Lord, I am so grateful for this wonderful country I live in.

By the way, Fred loves ham & cheese sandwiches and Cheez Nips!

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12

Praising the Lord everyday!
Elizabeth

Waiting

Webster's New World Dictionary defines "wait" as to remain (until something expected happens); to be ready; to await; and act or period of waiting.

As we continue to wait, we decided to host a teen age boy from China. You may ask, "Where did this come from?" We are asking ourselves the same thing! However, we are sure God put it on our heart to do this.

We met someone on June 10, 2006 who mentioned being a host family for Chinese exchange students, we said that it sounded interesting and we would like more information. June 15 we received a call with more information and June 17 we had a home visit and signed the papers! Our exchange student arrived on Friday, June 30, 2006. Whew!

Now if adoption was this easy, think of how many orphan children worldwide would have forever families sooner!

At first, our student did not seem to speak much English but as he relaxed, we discovered he is quite proficient. He asked us to call him "Fred". Apparently, all of the teens in this program have adopted American names. Interesting! We spent the weekend getting to know each other and he started his classes today. Fred will be with us until July 10, 2006. He is in class Monday - Friday 8:00am-12:30pm then his group will go on field trips 12:30pm-6:00pm. His days are very full.

My major dilemma has been what to fix for meals. Fred has never been anywhere outside of China. Saturday, we all had coffee cake prior to meeting the group of students for a picnic with hamburgers and hotdogs. Sunday, Don fixed pancakes and we had roast beef w/potatoes and carrots for dinner. Today, Fred had cereal and milk. Again, we were not sure how he would like this but he really enjoyed his Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal!

Host families are responsible to send the students with a sack lunch everyday. That was another challenge for me but I decided to pack a usual American style lunch. So, Fred will have a ham & cheese sandwich, Cheese Nips, fruit salad, Capri Sun, and Mini Chips Ahoy. I hope he likes this. We will see! I am planning on making macaroni and cheese (my favorite comfort food) and lasagna. We will probably go to Taco Bell and McDonalds at some point also. So far he likes everything (I think his parents told him to be polite so he wouldn't tell us anyway). Who would have thought something we take for granted could be such a challenge!

We took Fred to church yesterday. We were not sure how he would react, but there were actually two other families hosting Chinese students also. I think that helped Fred feel more comfortable. We gave him a Chinese/English New Testament so he could follow along. We have a very contemporary service and he joined in singing and clapping. He told us he has never been to a church before. When we asked him what he thought about it, he responded, "I always thought church was serious, this church is fun!" Praise the Lord for our opportunity to witness to Fred.

This evening we are going to a minor league baseball game (pray it doesn't rain). There will be fireworks after the game. We thought it would be a great introduction to America.
Baseball, hotdogs, fireworks! I might even bake an apple pie!

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5: 14-16

Making the time pass faster in the waiting room,
Elizabeth