Ohana

 

 

 

Can you imagine growing up in an orphanage?  Although I'm sure in most cases the nannies and staff love the children and do the very best they can, it's not the same as having a family of your very own.  Children need parents to cheer them on, love them, guide them, discipline them, tuck them in at night, kiss their boo boos, celebrate their achievements, be a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear when things get tough.  The three boys that I will highlight in this post want what every other child wants and deserves; they want to belong.  They want to be part of a family. 

 

Three host families took these boys into their homes for one month.  Why?  Well, honestly, a hosted orphan has a much, MUCH greater chance of being adopted than an orphan who is just a blurb and a dated photo on a website. 

 

David Platt said, "Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names.  They are easier to ignore before you see their faces.  It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms.  But once you do, everything changes."

 

The boys will go back to China on March 14th.  Our greatest hope is that all three go back with a forever family pursuing them for adoption.  And that's where you come in.  WE NEED YOUR HELP.

 

Please share this post with anyone who might be even slightly interested in learning more about the boys.  We will be hosting a Chinese food luncheon THIS SUNDAY at noon, at West End Presbyterian Church, in Richmond, VA.  This will be an opportunity for anyone who wants to, to meet the boys, see them in action, ask questions about them, etc.  We will be advocating for them on different social media advocacy sites, too, but often times, word of mouth from a friend of a friend is just as effective!  To learn more about adopting from China, click here.

 

Yes, there are MILLIONS of orphans.  Millions upon millions.  We can't help them all, but we will do for one (or in this case, three) what we wish we could do for all. 

 

Now, meet the boys!  I'll go youngest to oldest...

 

This is Je Ti, and he is 8 years old.  Je Ti is deaf, and was fitted with a cochlear implant two years ago.  His language, as you would reason, is quite behind.  Je Ti is very smart, though, and very creative! 

He is energetic and loves to swim and ride a bike.  He's great at math, drawing, painting, and he's recently discovered Mickey Mouse and is quite a fan!  He's currently missing his two front teeth, so you'll know just what to get him for Christmas.  ha!

For more information about Je Ti, please contact his host mama, Heather, at heather.p.jarvis@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

Now, meet Ji Nuo!

JiNuo just turned 10 years old, and the only time he's not smiling is when he's sleeping.  I'm not kidding!  He is just a happy, happy little guy.  We have been able to communicate with him using a translating app, and it's worked out well.  He can read and do basic math, and he claims that his favorite subject in school is Science.  His 3 English words are thank you, goodbye, and iPad!  JN has CP and he is pigeon toed.  When he walks, it looks like he's wearing invisible stilettos.  He doesn't have a lot of coordination or strength, and he would benefit so much from physical therapy and treatments of some type.  He walks, goes up and down stairs, and even runs- he won't be stopped!  He is very snuggly and affectionate.  He loves soy sauce, bath time, and being tucked in at night.  He goes to bed without a peep and sleeps through the night.  Jackpot!

To learn more about Ji Nuo, please email me at tracy.scoggins@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

Last but certainly not least, this is Yangcai! 

At 11 years old, his time is running out to find a family.  In China, once you turn 14, you are no longer eligible for adoption.

From host mom:  "Yangcai is a great kid who likes to engage people with his sense of humor. He has a lot of energy but can focus and be still when needed. He is very willing to try new things. He is easy going and has been happy to go along with our family's routines. He loves to make things with his hands in a constructive and mechanical way and likes to figure out how things work.

He has moderate hearing loss in the right ear, but it does not hinder him. He communicates well and is picking up English words easily.  His repaired cleft lip/palate do not seem to bother his speech and he prefers soft foods, noodles being his favorite.

He does not appear to have much confidence in school work and struggles and or quits when he can't do something well. He doesn't have many social skills but that is to be expected and will require patience and attention to help him "catch-up" 

 

To find out more about Yangcai, please email his host mama, Ali, at alifogarty@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

I'm so hopeful that the right people will read/share this post, and that these boys find their Ohana.

 







 

 



 

 

 



An Inch is a Mile.

I was hoping to blog a little sooner than this, but I'm finding that hosting while working is a whole lot different than hosting while everyone is home on Christmas vacation.  Phew!  I fall into bed completely spent every night, but in a good way.  :-)

If you haven't read about the night he arrived yet, you can do so
HERE

My friend Kim is a ROCKING storyteller and photographer, and you'll feel like you were there at the airport with us!  :-)

Things are going really well with our smiley guest- I can't believe he's been here 5 days!  He is a precious little treasure, for sure.

I was so worried about hosting again, after hosting my little crush, JQ (swoon.)
BUT...I am happy to report that the human heart is capable of making room to love another!  Who knew?!?

They are very different little boys, but equally special. 
Ji Nuo (I'll call him JN) is so eager to please.  He does anything I ask of him (short of eating broccoli), and I never have to ask twice.  If you haven't noticed in the photos, he smiles CONSTANTLY.  My friend Deanna asked, "Does he ever stop smiling?!?!??"  I told her no  (maybe when he sleeps?!?) 

Much like JQ, at first, he wasn't very open to affection, and hugging him was like hugging a board.  Now?  Oh my- every time he walks into a room he comes right over for his hug.  It doesn't take long for them to figure out, "hmmmm... I like this.  I think I've been missing out!"

JN has CP and is pigeon toed.  He is very weak.  He can only get up stairs if he pulls himself up with the banister, or just crawls.  His upper body is very weak, too.  He can't lift a gallon of milk, or close the van door by himself.  His balance isn't good, and his coordination is even worse.  Bless.  Today Reid asked him if he wanted to play catch, and he replied, "No.  I am not good."  Ugh.  I told him that was ok, and that Reid would be very patient, but I think he is self-conscious.  We will definitely work on that, and celebrate the small victories!

He seems much younger than he is (just turned 10 on the 8th), but boy oh boy is he sweet.  And brave.  Wow.  these kids utterly amaze me.

He had a checkup at the dentist today, and he was SO GOOD.  He was nervous and maybe a little scared at a couple of points (the X-rays, mostly), but he listened to me and trusted that this was all for his good, and he did it!  AND...no cavities!!!  WOW!!!



the panoramic X-ray machine really freaked him out.  What a trooper!

Dr. Chris, checkin' out the chompers,

Done, and super proud of himself!

Before the dentist, my dad and I took him out to lunch at this little hole in the wall Chinese place called Wok and Roll.  (LOL) We were the only ones there, and the staff was falling all over him.  He was chatting away with one of the employees, and she said, "He just told me that he likes being with your family."  I said, "He does?  What does he like about it?"  His reply?  "Everything!" 
OK...my point here is this:  we have done NOTHING SPECIAL.  I took him to Costco.  I took him to Chickfila.  He has lightsaber battles with the kids.  We play Zingo.  We hug him and tuck him into bed at night.  We eat meals as a family.  He plays on the iPad.  We play outside.  We went to church.
I feel like we've barely done anything (an inch), but to him?  It's EVERYTHING (a mile)

If you've EVER considered hosting an orphan, but felt like you couldn't offer them much...please reconsider.  What you offer will be SO MUCH to them.  It will be more than enough.

We do have some fun things planned (we need to make sure he has some fun stories to tell when he returns to China!), but it will just be icing on the cake.  He is happy and content just being in a family. 

I'll close with this picture, taken at dinner.  (yes, I know- I shouldn't be snapping pics when we are praying, but I couldn't help myself!!)

Here We Go Again!

Time to blow the dust off the ol' blog...the Scoggins family is getting ready to host again! 

One week from today, we will be picking up little Ji Nuo from Dulles airport.  I wonder several times a day what's going through his head, as the day of his departure draws near.  All of the anticipation, excitement, fear of the unknown...can you even imagine??  He's been given a photo album filled with pictures of our family, and a letter of introduction, translated into Mandarin.  Other than that, he is stepping out into the great unknown.  These kids are so brave.  SO. BRAVE.

 

Ji Nuo turns 10 years old on Monday February 8th.  When he's here, Chris and I will have a 9 year old, a 10 year old, an 11 year old, and a 12 year old.  Bring on the crazy!

 

Two very dear Richmond friends are hosting with us, which has really upped the excitement factor! It will be so nice for the boys to have each other to see and talk to in Mandarin.   There will be lots of playdates over those four weeks!  (that will be for Ji Nuo's sake...and mine!)

Heather and Jon's host son, "Ben"

Ali and EJ's host son, "Jack"

 

 

This will look a bit different than our other two hosting experiences, in that I'm working at a preschool and I'm not allowed to bring Ji Nuo with me.  I have a sub once a week, but other than that, we have pieced together child care.  My friend Jennifer is keeping him 6 of the mornings, and I don't think I could bake enough chocolate chip cookies in a lifetime to repay her kindness!

 

And to the thirteen families that donated towards our hosting fees to even make this possible?  Well, there are just no words.  We might be his host family, but his "American Family" spans far and wide, as far as we're concerned.  It takes a village, each and every time.

 

To be brutally honest, we are all a little nervous about hosting again, after hosting JQ...

 

...not because we're worried about having our hearts broken again (the broken hearts have healed, and they were worth it.  He has a forever family that is AMAZING, and he is thriving!)  It's just that JQ made it so darn easy on us!!!  We were told to expect the kids to be jet lagged and off schedule for one day per hour of time difference.  That's 12 days.  JQ?  ONE DAY.
We were warned that they aren't used to western toilets and to expect some bathroom challenges.  Nope.  We were warned that they aren't used to driving around and to expect car sickness and/or dislike for the car.  JQ ate road trips for lunch!  He fell right into our family, from day one.  He ate anything we put in front of him.  He even got our family's sense of humor...and dished out his own funnies!  Seriously, we reeeeeeally lucked out with him.  Alyona was a teenager, so she was old enough to figure things out, and was easy in that way.  We really just don't know what to expect with Ji Nuo, and yes, it's scary!  So why the heck are we doing this again?  Why are we juggling schedules, paying a ton of money, inconveniencing ourselves and our children?  Well, it's simple.  Because we love Jesus.  That's it.  These orphans are God's kids, and He loves them madly, so, we better love them, too.  We are commanded in James 1:27 to "look after orphans in their distress", and that's what we're going to do. 

 

Please pray for us as we prepare for his arrival, and for the kids as they prepare to come.  They weren't born yesterday, and they know what this trip COULD mean for them.  Please pray that every last one of the children coming finds a forever family through their hosting experience. 

Every child deserves and longs for a loving family.

 

The next time I post on this blog...he'll be in my arms.  Stay tuned!