~The Journal of Lucy Lyn Hart~

June 2nd, 2011.  2:30 PM Ch*na time and 1:30 AM America time.

We are halfway into the flight to B*ijing. 

On my right is Mama, and on my left is Daddy.

In front of us is an absolutely adorable little girl and her mama and daddy...this girl is like a number ten on the cuteness scale!  She's probably about five.  We met this family in the airport.  They live in the states but are visiting their family in B*ijing.  They haven't been since their daughter was born.  Her name is Emily.  She is five years old. 

Behind us are two student girls, probably about seventeen.  My guess is they are coming from another part of Ch*na where they go to school to Beijing to visit their family for the summer.  Or maybe they are exchange students on their way back to Ch*na. 

I have a secret...we stuffed Bibles into our carry-on bags!  If we had put them in our checked baggage, they would have, ahem, disappeared.  Mama and Daddy gave me permission to try to slip the student girls some Bibles.  I don't know what their reaction will be, but I'm hoping all goes well!

I'll write as soon as I can from B*ijing.  Here come the snacks and drinks!

Faithful Fridays~The Dating System

Hi everyone!

Welcome to Faithful Fridays!  My mama and I started this so that Christians could post about their Christian Faith; prayer requests, praise reports, etc.

If you participate this week, please let me know in your comment, and I will stop by your blog!  And don't forget to grab the button above for your post! 


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Mama has been reading two books aloud to me.  One we have finished and one we are working on.  The first, which we have finished, is Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally.  This one is great for younger girls, say, nine or ten up to about twelve.  The second, the one we're working on, is When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric and Leslie Ludy.  This one is better for older girls and boys.  Both are great!  What I'm about to write is based off of these two books. 

Have you ever thought about the dating system? 

"Um, duh," you reply. 

Have you ever really thought thoroughly about the dating system? 

-You "ask the person out," which makes girls become WAY too bold and forward.

-And then you date for a while.  You go strong, and during that time, people have a knack for giving themselves away--both emotionally and physically.

-And then, usually, the breakup comes, and both people are heartbroken (or maybe just one) and they become rather depressed for a while.

Repeat.  Repeat.  And repeat. 

How is that preparing teens for marriage?  It is teaching them that you marry, go strong for a little while, then you "break up."  You divorce.

And, when you give yourself away--emotionally (spilling out your dreams, emotions, desires, and sorrows to the person) and physically (Because once you give yourself away emotionally, the physical things are not far behind.  Things such as holding hands, kissing, and more) what does that leave for your marriage?  For your husband or for your wife?  You are stealing something that doesn't belong to you--it belongs to your future spouse. 

And it starts so young.  In the past, thirteen or fourteen and on up have been the usual dating ages.  But it has slowly sunk and sunk and sunk to where now, eight and nine year olds are in the dating game!  And that's all it is--a game.  They use the dating terms--"going out," "breaking up," "hot," and "ex."  When it starts at eight or nine, it slowly grows and grows, until, at the ages of fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen, girls and boys are completely giving themselves away. 

And there are so many things that influence people to do this. 

TV is a big thing.  Ugh.  I am SO glad we got rid of our Direct TV.  There is SO much romance on TV...specifically Disney.  Yes.  The one TV channel you think your kids can watch and corrupt things won't enter their minds. 

Well it will.  It will sneak in slowly and soon, they will be slowly slipping into the pattern of this world. 

Another thing is music.  I would say that 50% if not more of songs these days are about love, boyfriends/girlfriends, and dating.  Some are ok, but I think that the majority of them make kids want to date or at least have a boyfriend. 

And one thing, something that probably isn't expected to produce bad results--having friends that are guys.  I'm not saying that girls should shun boys.  But, when you start emailing, texting, calling, and hanging out with guy friends too much, your attachment--romantic or not--will grow without you realizing it.  And you tend to give yourself away, especially emotionally, during close friendships with a guy.  Don't be fooled by people who say it will help you understand guys.  It's dangerous.  Stay at a fairly distant length. 

And, may I add one more thing?  Grown ups--please stop asking kids, tweens, and teens if we have a boyfriend or girlfriend.  I know you don't mean harm, especially when you make a comment to a girl like, "You're so beautiful, I'll bet you have a lot of boyfriends" or something like that.  But, it doesn't help a girl keep her purity (both emotionally and physically). 

"What's this emotional stuff," you ask? 

Well, it's staying on the phone for an hour (or more) with the guy you're dating and spilling out your heart--your dreams and your sorrows--to him.  It's giving yourself away emotionally.  And after you do that, the physical stuff comes soon.  Take a look at this quote from a unmarried girl concerning a guy she had been "in love" with for years (I took this from When God Writes Your Love Story):

"I gave my heart to Matt.  I poured my life into him.  I couldn't imagine giving my virginity to anyone else--he already had the rest of me, so I decided to give him the whole package."

And believe me--that's what it is.  You--your physical self and your emotional self--are a package deal.  You give one away, and the other follows.  If you save your virginity, but pour out yourself emotionally and physically in every other way, you are not pure.  You may think you are, but you're not. 

Proverbs 31:12 says this concerning the wife of noble character. 

"She brings him good, not harm,
   all the days of her life."

All the days of her life.  All the days of her life.

Ok, has any woman ever been married "all the days of her life?"  No.

So, before you get married, all through your life, through the years that most girls are dating, you should consider your future spouse.  What if your future husband or your future wife could watch you--everything you did, everyday, all the time.  Would they walk away saying, "Man, she is truly saving herself for me," or would they come home wondering why you are acting as if they don't exist? 

Imagine this--You have saved yourself both physically and emotionally for your future husband or wife.  You see them go on a date.  They put their arm around this date, or they they lean there head over on this date's shoulder.  Maybe they even go farther.

How does that make you feel?

Here you are, saving yourself, and your spouse is giving himself away. 

How does that make you feel?

You want to be a Proverbs 31 woman?  Be a one-man woman.

The dating system encourages the exact opposite.  The dating system encourages you to date around and find the person you want to marry--after all, isn't that the only way you can find someone?  By dating around?

No, it's not.  First of all, God will bring you the man or woman you're supposed to marry, and he will confirm it. 

Second of all, when you date around, you give away pieces of your heart and pieces of the rest of yourself.

And thirdly, the pain that you experience when a relationship ends may seem like a natural part of the dating system, but it's not natural at all.  God did not mean for us to deal with that pain.

"So what do I do if I can't date?"  Have you ever considered courtship?  I know it sounds radical, but good Christian people are doing it these days...consider it! 

So all you girls out there--please, please be a pure pearl for your husband.  Be a one-man woman.  Do your husband good all the days of your life. 

The Many (Many) Faces of Luke...

It's like my mama has said before.  Around here, there's never a dull moment.  Luke has a full time job of entertaining us and making us laugh! 

He is always suprising us with his English.  He's been here for a little over a year now.  The other day, after leaving the bank, Luke plainly told us, "that's 'dickinus!" (That's ridiculous!)  He can spot buildings he recognizes from a mile off!  He pointed to a building the other day that had the emblem of where my dad works and said, "That's daddy's claim!"  He also commented, when he saw me on top of a dirt mound, "You da churchkeeper!"  He must think our pastor is the churchkeeper! 

And, he has VERY many facial expressions.  I'll leave it at that.



This is his "I'm not cooperating" face...otherwise known as "ornery."  :)



But then, it usually changes to something like this...so adorable!  Imagine this face saying, "Puh-neeeeeeese!"



"Look at my muscles!"



Awww...



I think he saw this on a movie advertisement...not quite sure what to put here!



I think this is a 50 on the cuteness scale!

Needless to say...WE LOVE LUKE!

Faithful Fridays~Adoption

Hi everyone!

Welcome to Faithful Fridays!  My mama and I started this so that Christians can weekly post about their Faith...prayer requests, praise reports, etc.  If you participate, please let me know in a comment and give me a link to your blog so that we can come visit you!

Now, you know me with my adoption craze.  I can't help it...those kids need homes and they need them fast!

I would like to share a few videos and a few of my thoughts on adoption and why we should pursue it, especially as Christians.

So this first video...by Eric Ludy (who, by the way, is awesome!  Mama has been reading the book that he and his wife wrote, When God Writes Your Love Story, aloud to me), is one of my favorites.  It's so worth it to watch it.  It will truly move you.



Next is a video by Randy Bohlender, from the Zoe Foundation.  I'm really not familiar with that organization, but I found the link to this video on an advocacy Yahoo group. 



I've shared some things about adoption before, but I would like to bring my points up again.

1.  Money

This is a BIG thing with people...they say, "I'd love to adopt, but we just don't have the money."  Let's rephrase that statement.  "I'd love to go get my child who is stuck in an institution on the other side of the world, but we just don't have the money."

"Now wait a minute," you exclaim, "that is NOT the same thing."  Are you sure?  When my mama and I saw my little brother's face in his referral photo, we KNEW he was ours.  He just was.  And he had been our child from the very beginning.  God had known all along, even if we hadn't. 

As Mr. Eric Ludy said, what if that was your child over there?  Your Emily?  Your Jacob?  Your Ellie?  Your Jack?  Your baby boy or your baby girl? 

Don't you see?  "I'd love to adopt" is the same as "I'd love to go get my child from across the globe."  And you wouldn't dare say that.  You would hop on that plane and you would fly over to your child as fast as you possibly could.  You would do whatever it takes.  You wouldn't worry about money.  Money would be nothing to your concern at that moment.  It would be your child. 

And if you are concerned about living expenses for when you get home...think about this:  If God wants you to have this child, won't he take care of living expenses?

Matthew 6:25-34 says

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 
  "And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lillies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that dot even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."

And if it is God's Will that you adopt, don't you think he'll provide the money? 

2.

Too old.

How many times have I heard this?  "Oh, I want to be around for them."  Yes, you want to be around for them.  You want to be there for them.  You don't want someone else to have to take care of them.  And yes, that's understandable. 

But even young people can die.  A 30-something year old could adopt and then months later die in a car accident.  You never know what will happen.

And don't you think that if God wants you to adopt, he will make sure that either you are around for them, or that they have someone there for them who can watch over them and train them?  Stop worrying!

3.  God's Will. 

Really, I can't argue much over this one.  Because I think that God's Will is different for each person's life.

So, you must seek God's Will.  You may find it by seeing a specific child's face and just knowing.  Or it may be that several events just happen to occur at just the right time (I don't call that coincidence, I call that GOD), or it may be that God makes all the pieces fall into place.  Or it may be something completely different.

But if it isn't any of these things, what if--well, what if you were to let the ball start rollin' and just see if God opens the doors?  If He closes them, you know that it is not God's Will that you adopt.  If he opens them, you know that He wants you to keep moving on.  He will show you.  You just have to trust Him. 

Really, in all of the adoption process--the consideration of adoption, the beginning of the process, the middle, and the end--through all of it, you have to trust God.  Trust the Creator of the universe.  The Deliverer.  The Savior.  The Author of Salvation.  The Implementor of Mercy.  The Giver of the Ultimate Happiness.

I think he can handle it.

The Simple Woman's Daybook 7/18/11

FOR TODAY 7/18/11

Outside my window... It's getting close to 10:00 AM and the sun is shining! 

I am thinking... That I'm starting to get hungry for lunch!

I am thankful... For air conditioning and life in America

From the learning rooms... Well, school's out, but today we're starting our Science.  It's Creation science curriculum from Answers in Genesis.  Awesome ministry!

In the kitchen... We finished eating breakfast about an hour ago. 

I am wearing... My pajamas!

I am creating... A story.

I am going... To Dragon China with my mom on Wednesday.  We're going to meet the lady residents from the nursing home for their ladies' day out!  And then probably on Thursday to the carnival with my friend. 

I am wondering... Why we can't get the font we want for my mom's blog!

I am reading... When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric and Leslie Ludy (read aloud with Mama), George Muller by Geoff and Janet Benge, and the Diary of Ma Yan by Ma Yan

I am hoping... To go to China.

I am looking forward to... The Ladies' Day Out on Wednesday and the carnival.

I am hearing... Barney's Camping Trip.  Lol!  Luke's watching it...I think.  :) 

Around the house... Mama and I are on our computers, Luke's watching Barney, Dad's at work, Colt's at work, and who knows what the cat's doing!

I am pondering... This world is so evil.  The whole deal with Casey Anthony and her family, teens these days, etc. 

One of my favorite things... Spending time with my Mama and the rest of my family. 

A few plans for the rest of the week: Tuesday we're working on the Cedar Loft, Wednesday Mama will teach piano lessons and we might work a little bit and maybe go to Lowes, Thursday we might work a little and go to the carnival, and on Friday and Saturday I'm not sure. 

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



Listen to your God GPS!

If you would like to join in the Simple Woman's Daybook, go to this URL: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Blessings,
Joy

Journal Entries from China-Part 2-

A while back, I posted entries from the journal I took to China.  Now I'm back with Part 2!  This is NOT the journal series that I started writing.  These are my REAL journal entries from while I was in China. 
This is where it got tough.  The delay to Bejing really got to me.  I was afraid of not getting to China and being stranded in Japan!  I was soo excited building up to getting to Tokyo, and then...erm....it all melted away in worry!  Lol.  I prayed and prayed and prayed and PRAYED that night, and God took us through it!  I wish I had it to do over again...maybe I could have enjoyed it a little more!

(Ok, now for the actual entries!  Continued from where I left off, within same entry)

Wow. The asian girl's nails are sooo cuuutee! Haha. Mom and dad are asleep. I slept on the plane to San Fransisco, so I'm not very sleepy. They are out cold. Lol. I can't wait until I can get wifi and email my friends! I also can't wait until we get to the Beijing Airport and see a Chinese Guide holding a sign that says "Jason and Tammy."  I'm pretty excited about Tokyo, too. 

Joy

Next Day, 4:01 AM 

Dear Journal,

Well the unexpected has happened. Due to storms in Bejing, our flight yesterday to Beijing was moved to 6:00 AM today. We are staying in the Port Hotel. It's so scary being in Japan. What with the tricked out toilets(they spray you afterwards! And the flush is WEIRD!), the people that speak all languages BUT English, and the signs are so weird...Bleh. But across the room from us is PING! We met Ping in the waiting area for our flight. She's like family now. She helped us with our Chinese because she was born and raised in China. She is a student in San Fransisco now, and has been for 7 years. She's soooo nice. We lost her and I was so worried but then someone was knocking on our door and I opened it a little and saw her and I flung it open and yelled, "PING!!!" and hugged her. She's over here using mom's makeup. She didn't bring any extra clothes or anything. She's soo nice. We got her number/email. Asian girls are like...Fashion icons. Gotta go,

Joy

Same Day 6:16 AM

Dear Journal,

On the way to Beijing!! It already cold, and we haven't taken off yet! There is a very fashionable young asian girl sitting on the right of me. Ping is a bathroom and 2 seats behind us. GEEZ people keep slamming the overhead bins....Gotta put my Journal away. See ya.

Joy

Same Day 11:27 AM

Dear Journal,

We just arrived in our hotel room at the WangFuJing Grand Hotel. Vanessa brought us here. Our actual Guide will meet us here at 1:30 PM. My stomach feels weird. I'm praying really hard I don't have a flare-up. I think last night in Tokoyo I got wrecked up because I was so scared. Now I'm worried about Ping. We had to leave her behind at the airport. We have her email and Chinese number, so maybe we can get in touch. I'm gonna go now. Bye!

Joy

June 20th, 2010.  3:36 PM
Father's Day
Gotcha Day

Dear Journal,

Within 45 minutes, we will be getting our new family member!  I'm so excited, hyper, happy, and loopy!  Luke is about to meet his "Foreign Mother" and "Foreign Father" and new JieJie in a matter of minutes!  I can sit int he window sill and watch the cars and bikes go by...it's so peaceful.  I have to go now...so excited!

Love,
Joy

Monday, June 28th, 2010. 

Dear journal,

We've had Luke for eight days, and I haven't written.  Sorry!  So instead of writing all this to look at latr in life, go to here:  http://www.journeytome.com/.  Then go find Luke w/BAAS.  I met a twelve year old girl at the museum then saw her again at Lucy's (good food!) and exchanged hotels.  She's being adopted and doesn't speak English, but we still communicate.  We're going on a cruise with them on Wednesday and going to a temple with them tomorrow.  I can't wait!  I'm friends with seven year olds (new big sisters!) Anna and Iris.  Our guide Aron is so sweet.  She's my buddy.  I'm also friends with an adopted girl (Laila)'s cousin, Katie.  David and Stacie and Kim and Chuck are here in Guangzhou. 

Love,
Joy



The breakfast bar at our hotel in Guangzhou...pretty good!

 Tuesday, June 29th, 2010.  2:33 PM

Dear Journal,

Right now I'm in Subway with Mom, Dad, Luke, Kim, Chuck, Shiloh, and Mr. YeYe.  Aron, our guide, came by at 1:30 to do some paperwork with us, then Kim and Chuck came by.  Some girls just stopped by the window at our table and took a picture with me through the window!  Ordering is taking forever!  We're going shopping soon, yay! 

Love,
Joy

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010.  12:00 PM

Dear Journal,

I'm on a subway with Mom, Dad, and Luke and everyone else and their mother!  It's so crowded!  Lol!  Ugh, I hate subways.  Luke does too.  I'm hungry. 

Love,
Joy

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Hope you enjoyed!  Keep checking back for more!  Part 3 will be starting with the train station where we boarded a train for Hong Kong. 

God bless you!

Joy

Happiness

I've been reading this book. 

The Diary of Ma Yan

The Struggles and Hopes of a Chinese Schoolgirl



It was published in America in 2005 and in France in 2002. 

It is a combination of the real diary entries of a Chinese girl from the time she is 13 to 14 and narrations of her and her family's way of life.  She and her family live in one of the poorest parts of China.  The Chinese government has actually declared this part of China uninhabitable because of its many droughts.  She is constantly commenting on how she must get an education so that her family can escape poverty.  She must reach university.  She must get a good job.  Here is an example:

Friday, November 10th.

This afternoon we made the trek home after school.  My mother was preparing noodles for my brother and me.  My father was outside, busy mixing water with coal dust.  With the mud it makes, we create coal cakes to burn.  My brother and I went off to visit our paternal grandmother, who lives at our fifth uncle's.  My grandparents live in the big room.  My undle has dug a sort of cave next to the house for his seven children.

By the way, his seven children are all girls.  I'm sure he's unhappy about that!  Sons are treasured over girls.  Ok, on with this entry from the book...

When we arrive, our grandmother is out.  Our cousin tells us that our grandparents are busy cutting fodder for the ox.  We go off to help them.  When he's finished cutting the grass, Grandfather feeds it to the ox.  Grandmother invites us into the kitchen and offers us brand and steamed potatoes.  I accept half a roll, and my brother has a potato. 

  My grand mother's almost eighty but she still works for fifth uncle's family.  So des my frandfather.  Old people who have an education certainly don't have to do this kind of work.  Surely when on ereaches old age, it's time to benefit from life.  Nowhere but here do you see old people serving the young like this. 

  It's obvious that one has to study these days in order to avoid the fate of my grandparents, who have to slave away into their old age.  They'll never taste happiness.

Ma Yan is associating education with happiness.  I know that education may help Ma Yan (and others) pull out of poverty, but after that, what is there?  Work all the time?  Always pushing on?  Never a moment of family time or enjoyment? 

Don't get me wrong.  An education is good and important...but it shouldn't take first place.  I know a girl who has spent all her time getting a good edcuation.  And she has it.  But she is living alone with a dog and no one to spend her holidays with.  She has commented before to us that her holiday would just be like any other weekend. 

But, even family and friends cannot give the Ultimate Happiness.  I know a man who was in the hospital.  He talked on and on about how he loved his family, cared about them, etc., but he never talked about Jesus.  And all the while, this was the most important thing.  Family and friends won't get you to Heaven when you die.

I wish that Ma Yan (and others) knew about this Ultimate Happiness.  Because all you have to do is this. 

1.  Believe that Jesus Christ, God's One and Only Son, came down to earth and died on a cross as the sacrifice for our sins (from our sinful nature which was handed down to us from Adam, the man who first sinned.) and that three days later, God brought him back to life. 

2. Repent of your sins.  "God, I know I have sinned against you.  I'm a sinner.  Please forgive me and was my sins away."

3.  Ask Jesus to come into your heart. 

"Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."  Revelation 3:20 (NIV)

And you now have the Gift of Eternal Life!  When you die (or if the Lord comes back to snatch us away from this evil world before you die--either way), you know that you will definately will go to Heaven.  There will be streets of solid gold, a crystal clear stream, mansions built for each of us, no pain, death, or sin, and--most of all--The Glory of the Lord will shine over everything and everyone.  The Glory of the Lord will shine so brightly that we don't need a sun, a moon, or stars. 

That's true happiness...that's the Ultimate Happiness. 

God bless you!

Love,

Joy

Faithful Fridays~Our friends at the Nursing Home

Hi everyone!

Before we started Luke's adoption, my mom and I went up to the nursing home with friends every Tuesday and helped out at bingo and visited with the residents there.  When we started Luke's adoption, we stopped.  We just got WAY too busy.  But, now, we've started back going on Thursdays.  We have special friends there.

There's Mr. Marvin, who is a WW2 veteran.  He was a cook.  He has cooked for President Eisenhower, General Patten, General Sumner, and more.  He told us that he liked Sumner better than he liked Eisenhower.  He was smarter.  But, Eisenhower had five stars, and Sumner had four.  He told us about what he called "booby traps" from the enemy.  They were attached to souvenirs.  They told the soldiers not to pick up the souvenirs, but some of the soldiers were hard-headed and they picked them up anyway.  He said he bet he could name two hundred men that he had fed that had died at his side.  They would be walking beside him and pick up the souvenirs and they just ripped them to pieces. 

Mr. Marvin told us about his wife.  "She wasn't what you call a 'party woman.'  Partying takes money, ya know, and we didn't have it!"  He said they never thought about getting a divorce.  They were married for sixty-five years. 

He told us that his Papa was born in 1894.  His brother died a little over a year and a half ago.  He turned eighty-eight on February 3rd, and he died on February 7th.  Mr. Marvin himself will turn ninety-four on November eighth!

We like hearing Mr. Marvin call out his bingos.  He announces so proudly, like a soldier would!  His entire room is decorated with little flags and he has a picture of him in the army hanging on his wall.  He always makes us smile!

We have other friends, too, like Mr. Richard. 

Mr. Richard was living by himself fine, with a friend coming over daily to check on him.  One day, his dog ran to the door like it heard someone, so Mr. Richard got up and went to the door.  Someone knocked the door down on him.  He fell back and hurt his hip, hands, and knees.  He actually broke his hip.  The person who broke the door down didn't even bother to come in and rob Mr. Richard.  He just left.  Eventually, Mr. Richard's friend came by and saved Mr. Richard's life.  Now Mr. Richard is in the nursing home until he can walk.  He can stand just fine, but he can't walk.  Please keep him in your prayers--he needs to walk!  He's also been sick, so pray about that too, please. 

Mr. Richard LOVES kids, but he and his wife couldn't have any, so they took several kids in to raise.  I don't think he meant that they adopted them.  I think he meant that they fostered them. 

Mr. Richard has met two movie stars.  One of them was a man who was with his brother.  Their car broke down in front of the place where Mr. Desmore worked.  Mr. Desmore also showed us a picture of him when he was younger.  Mom said he looked like Clark Gable!  He had that little black mustache. 

Another friend of ours, Mr. O.D., LOVES his music.  We've brought him Marty Robins music before, when we were going regularly, but it's been a year since then, and the CDs started skipping.  So we brought him some John Denver.  He likes Rocky Mountain High.  When we brought him the CD, we turned it on for him and we all just sat there and listened to one whole song.  It was one of those good silences.  :)  Mr. O.D. was just taking it all in.  He sort of looked like he was going to cry! 

Mr. O.D. is a big man who ALWAYS wears a cowboy hat.  He's lived all over Texas. 

Mr. O.D. has a very good memory.  He remembered what my dad did for work.  He remembered what birthday I came up to the nursing home for (that was my tenth.  I thought it was my eleventh, but he had a better memory than I did!  Mr. O.D. is so sweet--he gave me money on that birthday!).  He also remembered part of my last name.  He said that one of the best things about John Denver was that he wrote all his song himself.  He wrote Rocky Mountain High.  He said that the plane he was flying when he died (plane crash) was one he had built himself.  He said that he heard that John Denver got drunk, so he may have been drunk during that accident. 

Another friend, Ms. Wanda, is very upbeat and smart.  She has the reddest hair!  Before she went in the nursing home, she told her son that she would go in if he made sure she kept on getting her hair fixed!  She had us arrange her pictures for her when we were going before, and now she had some more for us to arrange.  She mentioned something about making a collage, and so we asked my dad to make a big wooden frame for us to collage all her pictures into.  He went above and beyond and made it look like a house with a chimney and roof!  So we collaged all her pictures together and it looks great! 

Ms. Viola is another great friend.  She is in her nineties and she gets up every morning before six and makes up her bed and cleans her bathroom.  The only reason she is in the nursing home is because she can't walk.  She offered, though, to mop her hallway from her wheelchair if the staff would give her a mop!  She doesn't like "any of those inside games (bingo)," she likes being outside!  When she was eighty years old, she was up on a ladder helping paint her house.  She never drove.  She always walked to her work. 

Still another friend, Ms. Ruberta, LOVES jewelry.  She's a sweet lady and the assistant activities director told us that sometimes she will wear just ALL of her necklaces at one time. 

There's a Chinese lady at the nursing home, Ms. Shun.  She is unresponsive.  Her family owns/operates a local Chinese resteraunt.  They have a Chinese TV channel set up for her and her bulletin board and wall is decorated with Chinese things.  Her daughter was in her room once (or we're guessing it was her daughter) and we met her. 

This week, we're going on Friday to help out with manicures...fun! 

All in all, we go into the nursing home with a goal to make the residents smile, and by the time we walk out, they're making US smile!  It's true: It's more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35)!

God bless,

Joy

~The Journal of Lucy Lyn Hart~

Hi Everyone!  I decided to start another journal series!


June 2nd, 2011. 

We're on a Delta Airlines airplane, on our way to Seoul, South Korea.  From there, we will fly over North Korea (that's somewhat scary), and into Beijing, China, where we will begin learning basic Mandarin Chinese.  Then we will fly to a little village close to the China/Mongolia border and begin our mission work. 

My name is Lucy Lyn Hart, and I am a Christian girl.  I am 12 years old and am going with my mama, daddy, and little brother to China to be missionaries. 

My mama, beautiful and godly, is named Faith Noelle Hart.  She is a faithful Christian who has a big, loving, compassionate heart. Taking care of and loving her husband, Luke, and her kids, Elijah, Hunter, and me is second to being a Christian and she takes it very seriously as her calling. I love her SO much! She's very godly and faithful, and she's zealous for God. When my daddy told us that God was calling us to China, she accepted it eagerly with excitement and kindled a fire in her heart for the people of China that is burning true and bright.  She has beautiful red higher-back length hair that has summery golden streaks in it. She has cute sidebangs and a ready smile, along with sparkly, deep chocolate eyes and silken lashes. She has a thin figure and is about 5'7.

My daddy, Luke Lee Hart, is a strong, supportive, and hard working man. As my mama does, my daddy takes taking care of his family in a very serious way. He works hard and also took up God's call to us with excitement and eagerness.  He has black hair, green eyes, and a strong build.  He is a tall man at about 5'10. 

My older brother, Hunter Yong Hart, is a 22 year old man from South Korea.  He is staying in the U.S. since he is married and his wife, Morgan, is expecting their first child--a girl, whom they will name Rebecca.  Hunter has thick, coarse black hair, tan skin, and dark brown eyes.  He is little, like most Koreans, at about 5'6, almost 5'7. 

(Here I shall leave a blank space, where I hope that one day I can tell about another brother or sister of mine!)

I am a 12 year old Christian girl who loves God more than anyone and her family more than any other person on earth.  I am so very excited about accompanying my family to be missionaries to China.  I have blonde-brown hair, chocolate eyes just like my mama's, medium skin, and a thin figure.  I'm about 5'. 

I just ate lunch...bleh!  Airplane food makes me nauseous.  There are some neat things that my parents tried out--seaweed peanuts!  We saved some to bring home. 

There's been a bit of chaos during airport security for our family.  First of all, it's hard to handle getting three people, two adults and one child, through security when you have to take out your passport, hand it over, take it back, put it back where you had it, take your shoes off and put them on the conveyer belt, take your belt off and put it on the conveyer belt, take everything out of your pockets and put it on the conveyer belt, put blankets on the conveyer belt, put carry-on bags on the conveyer belt, take your camera off and put it on the conveyer belt, walk through a metal detector, collect everything off the conveyer belt, and get it all situated, all the while staying together.  Plus, there's been some mishaps.  For instance, I left my camera and when we came back to get it, it was laying under the conveyer belt on the floor.  It had been laying in the lost and found and had gotten knocked over.  Once, the laptop almost fell off the belt.  And again, dad had a piece of metal in his back pocket that was sending off the detectors...and he couldn't locate it!  It took about ten minutes for us to figure it out!

I am seated next to my BEAUTIFUL mama and an ADORABLE little Korean girl...her name is Hyun Lee Taek and she is five years old. 

We're about to land, so I have to put up my journal for now.  I will write once we're on our way to Beijing. 

Hope you enjoyed! 

God bless you!

Love,
Joy :D

Faithful Fridays~Life's Like a Piece of Paper~By Joy

Life's like a piece of paper.

It's written on by ourselves and others.  Those we spend time with write their names on our paper, and the things we do mark our paper, too.

Some people throw their paper away.

Some people's paper is thrown away for them. 

But, some make it beautiful.  They let God write HIS name all over their paper. 

He cares.
He loves you.
He has the answers.

So, will you let Him write His Name on your paper? 

A Note to Luke...

Hey Luke,

I just wanted to let you know that you are beautiful, little brother.  At night, I lie in bed beside you and study your face.  Low, wide-bridged nose, beautiful carved-of-wood-like-eyes, those precious, soft cheeks.  Your eyes look like they have no eyelids-just eyes and the skin above them.  You also look like you're wearing eyeliner.  If there ever was a pretty boy, it was you. 

You've grown out of calling me "Jiejie," sadly.  :)  I like how you say everything just a bit different than how it's supposed to be said.  You have an altered version of the English language which we have slowly figured out and can now speak pretty fluently!  I nuv you!

You're a cutie pie, and you're so sweet.  You always want to sleep in my bed and "keep me warm," reasoning that "daddy can keep mama warm."  Sometimes I'm pretty and mama's beautiful, and sometimes mama's pretty and I'm beautiful.  It changes from day to day! 

I can't imagine your sweet face lying in an orphanage crib.  I'm glad you're here with us!  Thank you, God!

I love you, Luke.

Love,
Joy

Homeless Korean Boy...This is Awesome!

Our friend from the Ozarks, Ms. Betty, sent my mama and me this...it's just so sweet!

Click HERE to see a video about a homeless Korean boy that'll make you cry.