It's about people...

The delay in my posting has been due to not only a huge Thanksgiving dinner for 40...but, also, some complications from my neck injury (or neck long-term status of a nearly totally degenerated disc)...anyway, for the past 48 hours I'd had neck and headache.

 In 2006 I had a bout of viral meningitis that hospitalized me for a week.  I'd never been truly sick before and the experience frightened me and my family severely.  I had endured about one week of headaches before the full-blown, can't move, must crawl up in a ball and beg for some relief-pain hit in my head and neck.  It was the pain in the neck...and the base of my skull that was so punishing.  I've had a few times since then that I've felt pain reminiscent of that same pain, a few times in the States...and now my first time Here.  The fear that rushes through me is the worst part.  When I was There, I worried about how hard and terrible it would be again to be sick like that...how awful for my family...  But Here!  I was starting to feel panic set it at the thought of the type of care I could get Here if I was sick like that again.  We all know what stress does to pain...so...it has been a tough couple of days. 

We had teammates lifting me up, a co-worker who paused to lay hands in pryr on my neck before I left the school yesterday...and a family who loved me enough to send me to bed last night at 6:30...

And viola...I feel recovered this morning!  I give Him all the thanks for this!

I've been so eager to post to tell you about our Thanksgiving meal.

The event after two days of baking and cooking came off quite well.  Only two sets of guest arrived 1 hour late...as we were trying to keep the food warm...and our hearts cool.

We have a tradition at the table to ask each person to relay what they are thankful for this year.  As for some of our guests, this was their first ever Thanksgiving, Daddy suggested that I give them some time to prepare and that I take time to fully introduce everyone around the table to each other and to say what they mean to us.

Person by person, family by family, I went around the table and talked about why they were significant to our lives.  We had a wide-range of persons represented, from our school-bus driver, to a wealthy man about to begin his own high-tech company.  When I got around to our "Chinese Family,"  I took the time to fully introduce our dear friend/brother who has cared for us for over 5 years now.  (He is the one who has helped us maintain the relationships with all our children's foster families.)  His younger sister, Xiao Mei, was also at the dinner.  She has been the person who, on our behalf, has taken care of the details and management of Qian Qian's care and surgery. Knowing that most of the people at the table didn't know about the project to help Qian Qian, I took the opportunity to tell about our first meeting, the subsequent arrangements, the rallying of those of you who have come to his aide, and the fact that his first surgery was completed last Thursday.

They all sat in rapt-attention. 

I was a little teary-eyed at moments as I shared the story...periodically it was translated to those who only speak Chinese at the table.  I was so excited to fully share what He has done with all these guests.

Then the time came for us to go around the table to share what we were thankful for in our lives.  I was positively astounded by the openness and candor with which everyone spoke.   It is culturally so unusual! The wealthy business-man, with tears in his eyes, spoke of Qian Qian's story and how deeply touched he was by it.  He said that his eyes had been opened to ways that he and his company could help those in need Here! 

Each person shared generously about the blessings in their lives and how much our friendships now meant to them.

Then it was Xiao Mei's turn.   She spoke about her thankfulness for our relationship and how it had given her the chance to help someone else.  That for the first time in her life, she felt proud of herself, that she made a difference in some one's life.  Her eyes, rimmed with tears, as she thanked us for enlisting her help with Qian Qian.

I took that moment to share how the Book teaches that when we give of ourselves and help others, those we help receive a blessing...but that we who are the givers....receive the greater blessing.  I told them this creates such joy in us that we cannot wait to give again!

(Later her older brother told me, with misty eyes, that it was the very first time in his life that he'd ever heard her use the phrase of "being proud of herself"...that she has had a very difficult life, and has had sort of a hard heart, but that he saw a great softening in her heart through her eyes, as she's spent hours helping Qian Qian's family.) 

Then the school bus driver (who I will dedicate an entire post to soon) spoke.  He shared that he'd had no contact with foreigners before our family.  That he had negative opinions about people from our country...he thought it was wise to be fearful of Americans...that they are not to be trusted....perhaps to simply be hated.  (I reflected at that moment about how many in my home country feel fearful of my host-country.)

He spoke that after seeing our family, watching us through the adoption process with The Bruiser and The Singer, that the only word he could use to describe Americans now was...loving.  He said he had seen great Love...and that he was so thankful he'd seen such a thing.

We were so blown away.  It was so encouraging, and satisfying...to see that hearts were softened...that the message of Him...LOVE...was reaching the hearts of those He's placed around us Here.  We felt positively exhausted...and thrilled as we went to bed that night.

The first Thanksgiving Here, people came to dinner like they were visiting an exhibit at the zoo.  In hindsight, they were not very comfortable, they were pleasant and very entertained.  The second year they came, they chatted more, stayed longer, and we felt that we'd come a long way in their acceptance of us.  This year...this year we felt as though our FRIENDS had come to dinner.  They shared deeply and lovingly with us.  We talked of what we mean to each other...there are so many more wonderful examples to write about...but I have no time to do so.  They stayed, and stayed, and stayed after dinner.  We had dinner at 3 pm, none left until nearly 10 PM.  We laughed and chatted and shared stories and watched kids playing joyfully.  We broke out some jigsaw puzzles and kids and adults both got around our now THREE plywood tables covered in bedsheets, to play together.

Today I am going to see Qian Qian in the hospital where he is recovering.  I will take news of your prayers and support of him.  I am so excited.

At our meal, as I spoke about Qian Qian, I talked about how a single stone thrown into a still pond makes ripples that expand and expand to touch further and further reaches.  I am overjoyed to see how this is true in the matter of Qian Qian.  So many lives are now being touched by His love for this boy.

I nearly gave money and walked on by.

I very nearly missed the beauty of getting down on the pavement, of sitting with his mother to hear her story...the deeply spiritual experience of looking into his eyes and seeing my Lrd staring back...inviting me to wrshp him by helping this little one, the least of these...in need.

This is only the beginning.  We've only just begun to see the ripples...how far will they reach into the lives of the people around us?