Waving "hello again"

Today has been a day full of blessings... I found my misplaced bike, my favorite dish was served for lunch, and an awesome thunderstorm has been refreshing my soul for hours. And to top that all off, this week I get to play the big sister role for a few really great orphans. Yet even still, something else was the highlight of my day...

John Mayer sings a song called "Wheel" and the bridge goes like this:

"If you never stop when you wave 'goodbye,' You just might find that if you give it time, You might wave 'hello' again... You just might wave 'hello' again..."

Those words ran through my heart as I saw a little girl named Maria today.

Maria is an eleven year old orphan I met last year at camp. We hit it off when we discovered we both loved soccer, and that's when she let me see how beautiful of a person she is. I learned that she has lived a very difficult life; her parents died in a fire when she was younger. The burn marks on her body testify to how much she has dealt with. Yet she has pressed on.

I didn't think I would ever see her again when I left China last year, so I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw little Maria's face looking up at me today! I did a double-take, realized it was her, then scooped her up in my arms. What a wonderful, unexpected blessing! I can't wait to spend more time with her this coming week...

May God bless you in unexpected ways today as well...

Love and hugs,
Kristen.

July 27th - End of the 2nd week

This afternoon the second week of camp came to a close!
It's hard to believe that we've already reached the half-way mark!

After the kids left back for their orphanages today, our staff realized how tired we were.
Many are still enjoying an extended nap, or are chilled out watching a movie...
I'm listening to my ipod in my bed and writing to all of you back home...

Shawn MacDonald's song, "Open Me," lyrics had a particular relevance to me.
I feel like his words are the prayer of my heart towards this whole endeavor here in China...

He sings,
"I want to serve you, my God.
I want to give you everything.
I want to serve you, my King.
I want to serve you, my Lord.
I want to give you everything..."

May that be where my heart is continually drawn to...

~Kristen.

July 24th - 2nd week of camp

Hey all!

Thanks so much for your prayers...God has been majorly on the move!

I've had a number of opportunities to share Christ with the Chinese translators at camp...
It's been amazing how open and honest they are. Please pray that their hearts would be open,
and that they wouldn't be blinded to the Truth of God!

As for the orphans, they know that we are Christians, and our hope is to continue building relationships with them. The kids have been really receptive to us, and I praise God for the international language of love, fun, and smiles, which you can see from this recap of our first
week at camp...

Happy trails!

Love,
K.

Movies from Camp

Howdy all...

Thought you might seeing some short movies from our camps...
Check 'em out here:
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=Bring+Me+Hope+Diaries&search=

Peace,
Kristen.

First Week of Camp

Thank you all for praying for me and the camps going on with Bring Me Hope right now.
We have felt your prayers, and are encouraged knowing that so many stand behind us in this.

Yet this week has gotten to a rough start. I feel like Paul who said, "Even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn..." But he goes on to say, "But the God who comforts the downcast, comforted us." (2 Cor. 7:5,6)

I haven't faced as much spiritual warfare as I have during the first few days of camp.
Yet I know that Satan won't prevail in his plan, and that the Father of all has ultimate victory.

Please do continue to pray for us all! We need God so much right now! And how kind He is to welcome us in to find grace whenever we need it. :)

Anyway, guess where we went yesterday?!


Thinking of you all!
Love,
Kristen.

Friday in China

Hey all!

We've been busy here trying to get last minute details worked out for camp, but I managed to sneak away for a bit yesterday to do some exploring...

I biked over to a nearby village and had fun interacting with the locals and shooting some pictures.
Here are some shots from the morning. Hope you enjoy!

Love,
Kristen

I'm here !

Hey friends!

Here's a big apology from me to you for not updating since I've gotten here.
It's taken some time to get settled in, but I am here in Beijing safe and sound.

I've been so surprised by how pretty the location of our camps is! Lots of green grass and beautiful trees...Who knew I'd be blessed with such a great surrounding in the middle of one of the biggest cities.

Our team is busy getting ready for camp... yet we've been able to have some fun building unity of our staff.

It's been fun so far, and a smoother transition than I thought.

Yet please continue lifting me up to the Father. You can pray that:
-I would feel God's presence and hear Him speaking clearly to me.
-For a greater passion for the Chinese orphans coming to camp.
-For continued health.
-And for my parents back home.

Thank you all so much, and I will update more frequently now that I'm all settled in.

Last Night Home

Well, tomorrow's the day!

I'm excited to go, yet I'll be honest that at times, leaving can feel bittersweet...

For instance, I'm psyched to be in China, but don't look forward to the half a day plane ride to get there.
I'm ready for new adventures that come from being in another country, but know I'll long for American comforts like air-conditioning, and pizza.
And I'm looking forward to seeing the other staff in Beijing, but know I will miss my friends and family here.

And yet I'm reminded of verses like Hebrews 12:2 and Philippians 3:13 that call me to lay aside all I cling to and run the race God has set out before me.

Sounds simple enough, but most things are easier said than done. ;)

So please pr*y for me, that I would lose myself as I seek to serve others on this trip.

And on a less serious note, please also pr*y that God would work a miracle that I'll sleep through most of the plane ride tomorrow! (Wishful thinking?...)

Thanks so much, and I'll write again once I'm in China!

~Kristen.

It's a little late, but happy 4th!

This fourth of July was rather wet & soggy which was not quite what we had in mind...

All the same, we found our own ways to have some holiday fun. Like...enjoying Pete's (nearly) famous food, taking a 'walk in the rain' round Philly, watching fireworks on a bridge, and of course shooting some pictures. Hope you enjoy some snapshots from the night. :)

Busy Weekend

Only one week to go!

I've been busy preparing for Beijing...Ok, and been having some fun with family and friends too. :)

Check out some photos from this past weekend:

Friday: NYC with Dad. :)

Washington Square Park

The view from the Empire State Building

Having fun in Times Square


Saturday: My friend's Grad Party

Renjini, Rena, & I
Suzanne & me

I just love these girls...

Me with Ryan, one of the most adorable babies ever


Sunday: My Dad's 60th B-day!

Dad with the Blue Rocks Moose

Yes, that's Suzanne & I on the field doing the dizzy bat races...People are impressed when I tell people I came in 2nd...until they find out there were only three of us, haha.

The whole gang

Lotsa love to go around... :)


And there's more pictures here: http://community.webshots.com/user/philly_kc