CHINA!

in approximately 29 hrs I will be on a China bound plane. That thought seems crazy, amazing, and yes, SCARY. Even though I've known I was going on this trip since March 18th, I don't think it fully sank in. Not sure if it even has yet. Once I step off that plane and am thrust into a mass of chinese people in the airport, then step outside and lay eyes on Beijing (!!!) I suppose then it will sink in.

I've been doing really well with not worrying about things, surprisingly, cause I can usually be quite the queen of worry. This morning, however, I woke up a little paranoid. I'm going to be 8,000 some miles away from everyone and everything I know. If I get homesick, I can't whine about it and come home; I have to suck it up. Emotionally, I'm not sure how I'll handle it. I'm pretty good at holding stuff in, but this trip is going to push that to incredible limits. Seeing orphans in itself would be really sad, but these are not just orphans we are seeing, they are all special needs orphans. They all have something wrong with them in some way. One of the 3 orphanages we are going to is for only blind children. Another orphanage has a whole floor with children in critical and incurable condition. They are sentenced to death and the people are just making them as comfortable as possible until they pass... is that not heartbreaking? These precious children are dealing with so much more than most of us ever have or ever will. I'm praying I will be able to just love on these kids that don't experience love. I pray I'll come away completely changed from seeing children is such a sad state. I pray I won't just shut down or freak out from the overwhelming sadness of it all.

Prayer would be much appreciated, for myself as well as the whole team I'm going with.

Anyways, apart from all that, here is an itinerary of my time in China - in case you're curious :)

July 30th - Drive to Bismarck, stay in hotel (early flight time made this unavoidable)

July 31st - Fly to Newark, NJ at 5AM. Meet up with whole team, have a meeting and dinner, getting to know everyone. We're staying in a hotel near the airport.

August 1st - Fly to Beijing at noon

August 2nd - Get to Beijing, tour and get introduced to Hope Healing Home

August 3rd - Play with kids in the morning, tour The Great Wall of China (!!!) in the afternoon

August 4th - Play with kids in the morning, work on the orphanages grounds in the afternoon

August 5th - Same as the 4th

August 6th - Same as the 4th & 5th, except at night we will take an overnight train to Luoyang

August 7th - Get introduced to Maria's Big House of Hope (MBHOH), play with kids and get settled

August 8th - spend the day at MBHOH

August 9th - sightseeing in Luoyang

August 10th - day spent at MBHOH, evening spent out on the town

August 11th - morning spent at MBHOH, afternoon spent getting ready to leave, then catching the train

August 12th - Spend the day at Bethel, then back to Hope Healing Home

August 13th - spend the morning with children, the afternoon souvenir shopping in Beijing area

August 14th - Sightsee at the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. We're also visiting the street food market and shopping at the Silk market

August 15th - morning spent packing and cleaning, fly back to the US at 3:45. We get back at 5:30 on the same day (that is what you get for having a 13 hr time difference!) my flight doesn't leave till the next day so myself and a few other girls have a hotel this night.

August 16th - fly home, get into Bismarck around supper time

And that is it! Quite the schedule, huh? It's nice to known what we're doing and when we're doing it, ahead of time. Here are links to websites for the orphanages. Check them out, they are very interesting. On the Hope Healing Home website, make sure you go to 'tour' and click on 'Yurts' these are what we will be staying in while at this orphanage, are they not so COOL?!!

http://www.hopefosterhome.com/

http://members.shaohannahshope.org/site/PageServer?pagename=giv_luoyang

http://www.bethelchina.org/english/indexen.htm

myself and Eloise!

My macbook makes taking pictures with Eloise very convenient - hands free :) Here are a few shots from yesterday. I love the first one. She turned her face towards me right before the picture snapped. She already knows who momma is and I feel like I have a newborn baby. I went out to eat today with friends and left her with my mom and nieces. I enjoyed myself but I felt so unsettled. I realized it was me missing her. Sounds dorky but it's true. Anyways I think she is now up from her nap so I need to go snuggle with her before I have to leave her again to go to church! :(

My PUPPY!

I got my very first puppy yesterday! I've wanted a dog forever and finally the day came. She is a Boston Terrier and was born on April 13 of this year. I love her so much!! Oh, btw, her name is.... Eloise :) Or to be more specific.. Eloise Isabella Madeline Lawrence!

First time in a LIMO!

This past Saturday, me and 6 of my friends went in a limo to a concert in Williston. To backtrack a bit, my friend Alex won a limo for 6 hrs at the after prom party, to use whenever he wanted. A band we all like was playing in Williston so he figured then would be a good time to use it. I didn't take any pictures (which I'm really regretting now) but I did steal this one from a friend. From left to right it is myself, Kyle, Brook, and Hailey. Also in the limo was Marcy, Alex, and Michael. 

The ride up was entertaining, as we were all exploring the limo and all the buttons and whatnot it had. 

We got to the concert a little after 7. This was the part I was a little apprehensive of, showing up to a concert (which was held in a red barn, literally) in a limo, like we're trying to be all fancy. Sure enough, we pull up, and the headlining band (Midnight Suit, they are actually pretty well know in their genre) is RIGHT by where we we to be dropped off. We all filed out of the limo, and while doing so, the drummer states "Man, you guys show up in a limo, way to one up us" I was so embarrassed. Obviously he was joking, not mad or anything, but still. 

3 bands played before Midnight Suit. They were all, surprisingly enough, pretty good. Here's a picture of part of Midnight Suit. Once again, this is one I took from a friend. Man I wish I would have had my camera.

After the concert we went to Subway to grab some food, then headed home. The limo was even more cool on the way home. It had strobe lights inside and since it was dark outside by this time, it was like being inside a club or something of that sort. Needless to say, we were entertained. It was such a fun day and I can now say I have, in fact, been in a limo!

Quick China & school update

I figured it's about time for an update on China and my college courses. Not a whole lot to say about school, except I'm done with my courses for the summer. I really enjoyed them all but it will be nice to get a break. China details are really coming together, the main thing being I am done paying for the trip, 2 and a half months before it even happens. I paid close to half of the money needed myself, out of my own funds, but did not know where I was going to get the rest. My awesome pastor and church board members gave me the opportunity to speak in front on my church about my trip and afterwards they would take up an offering. I was absolutely terrified before going on stage, but once I was up there it really wasn't too scary and I got ALL my funds. Huge huge blessing. So now that that is off my mind, I can focus on preparing for the trip in others ways. I'm SO SO excited - only 67 days till I leave!