Life As We Know It

Feeling like doing a little bloggin' tonight. Not sure why, maybe I'm feeling like time is flying by and I need to write some more of the happenings of the Salvadors...maybe I'm just bored! Haha. Seriously though, I cannot believe it has already been a month since Christmas. I have battled strep throat 4 times since November and think I'm finally cured...praise God! Our church had another team just return from a trip to India. Oh how I longed to be there with them every time they posted a picture or wrote on the blog. I miss my friends there terribly but know that one day I will return to see them. I love that God has allowed me to stay in touch with my friends Soumen and Anjana at the Children's Home they run and He has chosen me to lead our orphans ministry to help these children and many others who just need a home and someone to love them. I love it and am so blessed!
Katelyn just went to her first high school winter camp with church this past weekend. Since returning home she has not stopped talking about it. I'm so thankful that my children have these opportunities to go for a weekend and worship God and be around others who love doing the same. I pray that these experiences and the friends she has a church will help keep her on the right track and stand up and say no to the overwhelming pressures our teens face. She's an amazing girl and I'm so proud of her.
Bradley is continuing with his guitar and enjoys it very much. He is taking a field trip next month to San Francisco, Mark is going with him, and he cannot wait. He's really enjoying his class and school. Next school year a new school will be built and is right by our house. This is the school our children will attend because of the new boundries. Although Bradley is apprehensive about having to switch schools again, it will be nice having him and Kennedi (and probably our new addition) all at the same school and it will just be a year Bradley will have to be there because then he goes to Jr. High (yikes!!). So some changes coming this year but I know he will do just fine, he's one that makes friends easily.
Kennedi, oh my Kennedi. What a funny little girl. She is constantly making us laugh by the things she says. She continues to blow me away with how much she has improved with her reading this year. She doesn't really care much about moving schools but would like her buddy Jacob to move with her. We'll see if we can manage that. So blessed to have her as our daughter!
In the months to come...Katelyn starts swim practice this week for the high school team. Oh the memories I have swimming on Kerman High's team! In April my mom and Charlie are taking us to Disneyland then on the Disney Cruise to Mexico! How exciting, we cannot wait! April also starts the Kerman Kickers swim season. I have only 5 regular classes to take at school then I get to start my credential classes! I am soooo ready to be done with these general ed. classes and move on to my teaching classes.
So that's life as we know it (plus quite a few other things I failed to mention), for the most part, here at the Salvador's these days. Praying that 2011 brings you many blessings! ~HUGS!~

Katelyn's First Winter Formal Dance!

~NorthPointe Friends: Emily, Katelyn, and Michael~


Katelyn decided to go with a bunch of friends to her first high school formal. We went a few weeks ago, along with Emily, and found their dresses. Yesterday she had her Rockstar nails done and today her hair done. Tonight they went to Popolo's for dinner and then headed to the dance. She looked beautiful and all grown up!




~Emily and Katelyn~







~At dinner~

~Group of friends at dinner~

~Katelyn and Ciara~

~Fabulous!~

~Don't forget the shoes!~

Thanksgiving 2010

Katelyn, Kennedi, and Bradley with Santa


Hayz, Bradie, and Zoey with Santa


Katelyn and her Nana

Katelyn and her rice pudding

Kennedi and Bradley enjoying their dessert

Zoey and her olives

Aunt Sue, Marcie, and Katelyn

Hayz!

Katelyn and Zoey

This Thanksgiving we headed to Los Banos to cousin Marcie's house. We had a good time with family. We ate, Santa came, had dessert, played some Mad Gab, and the guys played Texas Hold'em. It's always fun getting together with family!

First Video Shoot!

So today we headed over to the church office to do our very first video shoot to be shown during all 3 church services this weekend! Next weekend my dear friend Whitney and her husband Daniel (the college pastor at NP) are holding a Foster and Adoption Workshop at NP! YAY! They are working on starting a non-profit organization to help churches care for orphans and so they are using NorthPointe as their pilot. So Whitney asked if Mark and I would do a video clip of our adoption of Kennedi to promote the workshop. YIKES! Totally not my "cup of tea" but hey, if it gets people to consider adoption that's all that matters right? It actually turned out to not be as bad as I had thought it would be. The hardest part was narrowing down our adoption experience for like a 30 second clip. As those of you in the adoption world know, there are many things you can talk about when asked about your adoption experience! Anyway, it's all done and we'll get to see the final product this Sunday (along with about 1800 others) during church service. Praying that our video inspires many to come out to the workshop next weekend, and in turn many children become no longer orphans.

What are you afraid of?

So as I prepare to start an orphan care ministry at NorthPointe, I once again picked up my Seeds of Change devotional on orphan care and started reading it. This time I think it spoke to me in a whole new way. Today's reading was about fears that many people have when it comes to adopting or not. Honestly, even though I try my hardest to follow God's will for my life and do what He asks of me, I have had these fears from time to time. But each time I do, I remind myself that God will provide. If taking care of the "least of these" is what He asks of each and every believer of Jesus Christ (and it is), then He will provide. Here is what I read:

"Until we see these children as our own, nothing will change, not on a macro scale and not in and through us. So, why are we blind? Why do we not see orphans as our own flesh? Are we so deceived that we do not recognize some sin blinding us from seeing God's heart for the orphan and our role with them? Or are we willfully refusing to remove the idols we have before our eyes because of what it will cost us? Idols that feed our flesh: Lust of the eye-we want to keep what we have and accumulate more. Lust of the flesh-we strive to re-order our lives in our efforts to be comfortable. The pride of life-we are too important, self-sufficient, self-actualizing, self-focused. Are we blinded by fear? Is it a sense of being overwhelmed by the need? 143 million fatherless kids-is such a great need simply too much for us to comprehend that we become paralyzed? Do we believe the lie that says nothing we do will have any real impact? Or are we afraid of being broken in ways that we do not want to be broken? Is it that we think that these kids' lives are damaged, and we don't want that messing up our carefully manicured and safe lives? Are we afraid of what God is going to demand of us if we truly engage? Jesus himself took on our brokenness. It cost Him, and He never condemned us and never feared to take on what we brought. We must not fear what God would bring to us through these children if God is leading us to them. The Lord our God who summoned us by name will be with us every step of the way." ~Kerry Hasenbalg

Wow, those are some powerful words, but words I hear all too often when I talk to people about them considering adoption. I'm pretty sure some of my friends are getting tired of me posting about orphans and adoption all the time on Facebook. As I have been reading this book, I put on my status something that will possibly make them think; I pray that it will. I just have this overwhelming desire to see that people realize that this is what God has called each of us to do-care for the least of these. What are you afraid of? Do something! These children are counting on you!

Red Thread Necklaces

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break."

Shannon and Valerie brought both Jackie and I these necklaces and now all four of us have the same ones. We were "destined to meet" and the Red Thread "will never break"...

God's Masterpieces...

I can't even begin to explain to you how blessed I felt these past few days. I am in awe of the Mighty God we serve and how He had this all in His plans from the very beginning. I knew Kennedi was loved very much by Shannon and Valerie, her foster moms in China, but I was shown this weekend just how much they love and adore her. It was so clear, from the moment they saw each other, that that love had still remained. Shannon and Valerie arrived with gifts for everyone which was so thoughtful. The girls couldn't get enough of them and had to sit with them as much as they could. We enjoyed a barbeque dinner together and Shannon and Valerie shared some stories of the girls and the times they had together. Shannon said them getting the girls was definitely a gift from God. They were not suppose to have them. Shannon had requested to have Kennedi because she was a teacher at her school, then they got Caroline. She said they would pray often for homes for the girls and at one point thought a home wasn't coming for Carrie and they'd have to take her back to Bao'An (their orphanage). God is good though and He already had two families for the girls. Shannon and Valerie made the transition for the girls so much easier, more than we could have ever hoped or prayed for. Many of the issues that are common with orphans and adoption (bed wetting, hording, etc.), Shannon and Valerie had to deal with and spent many sleepless nights with the girls. Thank God for them both and their willingness to take in two girls who had no muscle tone and didn't know how to even play, give them patience and love, and prepare them for life with a family. I cannot express to them enough how much I appreciate them. After dinner Valerie had to head out and start the drive back home to Ohio. It was so hard to see her go. Lots of tears were shed but we knew we'd see each other again. We then watched the fireworks and enjoyed the night. On Sunday we took Shannon and her friend Jim (he drove her down from San Francisco) to church and then out to lunch to Red Robin. After lunch they had to hit the road back to San Francisco. More tears shed as they loaded their car. So thankful for the time we had with them even though it was short. When you adopt, you wonder where your child is as you wait and if they are well taken care of. It's such a great feeling knowing that your child was loved so much by many people. After Shannon and Jim left we went to the movies with Caroline and her mom Jackie and saw Toy Story 3, then back to mom's for dinner. Caroline and Jackie headed home early this morning. It was such a wonderful time seeing them again and getting to know them even better. The girls will forever be friends and we all will forever be FAMILY...

Back Together Again!

Valerie (Mama Li) and the girls... 2010 above and 2007 below

Shannon (Goo Goo) and the girls... 2010 above and 2007 below

China Reunion Is Here!

I am constantly amazed at how God works things out when you think it's something that would never happen! We have been blessed to come in contact with BOTH of Kennedi's foster moms through Facebook and have gotten to know them over the last 2 years. Her foster mom Valerie (Mama Li) has been back in the States for awhile now but Shannon (GooGoo) remained in China to continue teaching. By this evening she will be loading a plane to come back to the States to return to school for her Masters. She will be flying into San Francisco and then a friend of her's is driving her to Kerman to spend the 3rd and 4th with us! When Shannon told me her plans to drive down to see us, I mentioned on Facebook that we need Valerie here for the reunion, and she said YES! Valerie is on her way to San Francisco to meet up with Shannon and they are driving down together! Once I heard they both were coming, I again mentioned on Facebook the need for Kennedi's friend Carrie (Gigi) to come to make it a complete China Reunion, and guess what? Carrie and her mom are coming too! They are actually on a plane as we speak on their way to Fresno. We will pick them up at noon! Carrie and Jackie will be staying at my mom's today through the 4th and will leave early on the 5th. The last time all 4 of them were together was almost 2 1/2 years ago, before Kennedi had to be returned to the orphanage to wait for us to come get her. All this is something that is never heard of with China adoptions, most families never know who the foster parents were, so we are thrilled that God allowed it to happen for Kennedi! It's going to be an amazing time, with lots of tears I'm sure. Tomorrow we are taking Carrie and Jackie up to Yosemite, Saturday Shannon and Valerie come and we have our annual barbeque and fireworks in Kerman, then Sunday they will all come to church with us to NorthPointe and have lunch afterwards then Shannon will have to leave back to San Francisco. It's going to be GREAT! Will post some pictures in the next few days!

On the adoption front, nothing new. We are still compiling information for our paperwork. It's really like buying a house or something but nothing anyone can't handle. It's simple really, just lots of information. Our time has been consumed lately with swim practices and swim meets, but we hope to have it turned in sometime next month so that we can begin the classes that are required and then the homestudy. My thoughts lately have been consumed with adoption and the children waiting for homes. God knows which little boy will be added to our family and I just pray that he is well taken care of and safe. The sooner we get this paperwork and homestudy done, the sooner he can come home. Praying that other families will pray about their roll in helping these children here and around the world that need loving homes...

Adopting Again!

Well hello blogger land! Geeeez, it's been a long time! Since we have some new news I thought it would be fitting to get on here again and actually post! So, the news is...we're adopting again! Four years ago this month God clearly spoke to me His desire for us to adopt a child. I had never experienced clearly hearing Him speak to me like that before but I knew I had to be obedient and follow Him. During our church's VBS week (Vacation Bible School) that year I broke the news to Mark and prayed he would be just as willing to follow God's will. It did take him awhile but my prayers worked and we adopted Kennedi in March of 2008. Shortly after adopting her, I knew we were not done with the amazing thing called adoption and that we would adopt again someday, I just didn't know when or from where. Around the end of last year I felt the need to work on adopting again. I am so passionate about international adoption that I tried everything to make that happen-looked into different countries, programs, and agencies-but nothing seemed right, I never felt peace about it (because I was trying to make something happen that wasn't God's will). I went to India in February on my first missions trip and before leaving I KNEW (or thought I knew) we would begin the process upon my return. God had other plans. He had other things that needed to be addressed first, a road He needed for me to travel down first. A couple months ago I felt again the strong desire to adopt again and so I spent many hours praying for God's guidance and for Him to lead us down the path that was meant for our family. Every time I would think about international adoption, I would feel Him leading me back to the idea of domestic adoption. Just like with anything new, the idea of domestic adoption honestly made me nervous. I guess it was just the unknown. But I had to choose to either do nothing or to follow God's plan for our family. I would remind myself that I was nervous too about adopting Kennedi but God sure knew what He was doing because she is just the most perfect little girl for us. So I called my dear friend Whitney to ask some questions and she invited me for dinner. She explained the process more and calmed some of my fears. She also told me some stories which touched my heart-a story of a little black girl that needed a home and NO ONE in Fresno County would adopt her because she is black. They had to find a couple in San Francisco to adopt her. That is broke my heart. How could it be that in all of Fresno County, as big as it is, that no family could be found for her? Seriously? God was confirming that this was the road we were to take. The next step would be to pray for Mark to agree to all of this. Last night (it's VBS week again!) we talked about it over dinner and he agreed to start the process! Bradley is just beside himself-he has been begging for a brother saying "I'm the only boy in this area (meaning between the kids)!" He's already planning on sharing his room with him and everything. We are requesting a 1-5 year old of any race. God already knows and this little boy is waiting for us to get our paperwork done so he can come home! Some people may say we're crazy to have 4 kids, I say we are blessed to be given the opportunity! God is awesome and had this all in His mighty plans from the beginning-we just had to FOLLOW! Will keep you posted!....

February 25, 2010

We left Kolkata at 2:45am for our flight to Germany. When we loaded the plane it was like we were in a bad dream, there were mosquitos everywhere and I mean everywhere. It was horrible. But as soon as we got in the air, it was like they hid somewhere, weird. I managed to sleep some on this flight which was good. We landed in Germany and had about 3 hours until our next flight. We debriefed a little and I could barely hold my eyes open so I grabbed a few seats and slept for about a half an hour. We loaded the plane and I had a hard time on this flight for some reason. It had a lot of turbulance which I could do without but I managed to sleep most of the flight which was a huge blessing. We landed in San Francisco without any problems-good to be back on US soil. I think we had a couple hours in San Francisco and then loaded our little puddle jumper to Fresno. This flight was so short and we landed in Fresno 20 minutes early. Our homecoming at the airport was so wonderful-all the families were there. Katelyn, Bradley, and Kennedi made signs for us, so sweet. We said hello to everyone, grabbed our luggage, and we all headed home. It was sad to leave our team after being together for 11 days. We all bonded and became such good friends on this trip and I will never forget the time we shared together. What an amazing experience. Before leaving someone told me India stands for I'll Never Do It Again but I completely disagree. I hope to one day go again and see all these people we met. Just think-I almost backed out of going because of fear! These people have so little yet rely on God so much. They are much more blessed than I think we here in America are. We have too many distractions to keep us from leaning on God and relying on Him to take care of things. They worship so freely, it's so refreshing. I went to India feeling sorry for these poor people and came home wanting to be like them. I think they made a bigger impact on me then we made on them. They changed my life for sure and for that I am so grateful.

February 24, 2010

The monkey that freaked Kevin out!

Queen Victoria's Palace

Mother Teresa's House

Taking a bath on the street

Today was our last day in Kolkata. We left in the morning and went to Mother Teresa's Orphanage. This was a very overwhelming place. The children were not as happy as the children at Soumen's and it was very chaiotic. We saw the blind boy that Christy sang to when she was here last summer and we all recognized him right away. Melanie spoke to one of the sisters about adoption from the orphanage and she was told they are not open to adoption from the US because of our support of abortions. This was not what Melanie was hoping to hear. She really has a desire to adopt from India, she loves India, so hopefully God has it in His plans for this to happen some day. We then left the orphanage and headed to Queen Victoria's palace. This place was so big and it was so humid and hot today. We had a good time looking at all the history in this place and where India has come from. Afterwards we went out and saw the dancing monkey. This man has a monkey and if you give him money the monkey will do tricks for you. This monkey tried to climb up Kevin's leg, which he did not like one bit. It was pretty funny to see a big grown man get so freaked out about a monkey. We left the palace and went back for lunch at the Oberoi. After lunch we went shopping back at the market and got some more good deals. We had a good time. We then went back to the hotel and showered and headed to dinner with Shaji. It was nice to sit down with him for one last time. We then packed up our things to head out at 9:30pm for the airport. At the airport we said goodbye to our wonderful hosts. It was bitter-sweet. We were all happy to be heading home to our families but sad to be leaving this place and these people. We will never forget our time here.

February 23, 2010

Today at breakfast we learned that our flights have been straightened out, we switched airlines and are just arriving about an hour later than originally planned, so that was a blessing. We headed back to Soumen's for day 2 at his home. This time, Kevin and Steve were able to join us. The kids just loved Kevin, like all kids do. We did the English books again which the kids love. They love the picture of our team in their and love to point each person out (they call us "Auntie" and "Uncle"-so cute). They also loved the picture of Jesus and call Him Jesu. Kevin did the story of David and Goliath and picked out the littlest boy to play David. This boy is very broken. He was taken to Soumen's by his mother saying she could not afford him. Soumen then found out later that she had ran off and married another man. This little boy asks for him mom often. So it was good to see Kevin put a smile on his face. Todd then spoke to them about sanitation and the women were really interested in how to wash their hands properly. You never know how much to show them for fear of making it sound like they do everything wrong, but you could tell these women really appreciated our teachings and really learned something. Chenecua spoke about nutrition-all these children LOVED fruits and vegetables so I'm sure they will be just fine with nutrition. We went up to the terrace and played with beach balls which the kids enjoyed. After lunch everyone just sat and played with the kids, Hokey Pokey and just messing around. I was able to pull Diana (Soumen's daughter) and Soumen's wife aside and ask them about their needs. They are very reluctant to tell their needs and really just appreciate prayers, relying on God to provide the rest, but I wanted to know their true needs. They said they are struggling each month to pay for everything the children need: food, schooling, books, clothes, etc. They have to pay for all of the children to attend school and for their books. They said come April each child needs a new school uniform because the school has changed all their uniforms-the cost: about 1000 rupees or about $20 for each child. I managed to give them 2000 rupees and I think Stace gave another 1000 rupees but there are 34 children that need uniforms. I hope we can get them the money to purchase all of them. They also need a computer. They said that as the children have gotten older, they are learning how to use the computer but cannot do their work at home because they don't own one. I asked if this is something they can hook up at the home and yes, it is possible, but they don't have the money to buy one. They have had like 6 kids in the last week come to their door but they had to turn them away because of lack of money and space. All these things we could help them with and I definitely want to be a part of that. These children are so loved and are way better off then living in the slums or on the street, yet they need more. It quickly came time to say goodbye to them and we all left in tears. We taught them how to sign "I love you" and they all hung out the windows of the home saying goodbye and signing I love you. A sight I will never, ever forget. After leaving the home, we headed to grab our things and head over to our new hotel, the Oberoi. This place was amazing and we felt like we were at the Ritz Carlton. Security to even get in the place was overwhelming. Stace and I shared a room and fell onto the bed as soon as we saw it! A nice soft bed felt so good! The shower was wonderful and felt like heaven! We had a nice dinner, American food, which we all enjoyed! Our last night in India already.

February 22, 2010

Already Monday here in India (actually Monday night as I write this) and we had another eventful day! We left here at 9am to head out for an hour's drive to Soumen's Children's Home. This was by far the scariest drive we have had. On the way over, our driver was on the wrong side of the road and at about the 5th car we saw coming straight towards us (head on), we realized we were on the wrong side! Then he rear-ended the car in front of us which happened to be the rest of the team! On the way back it was much of the same, barely missing being in accidents. The Children's Home was absolutely amazing and my favorite stop of the trip. The kids welcomed us by sprinkling flower petals and giving us roses. Then they sang us some songs and danced. They were so cute. One boy who looked about 11 or so was taken in and was severely malnourished. They were told by the doctors that he only had a couple days to live. Soumen took him in and he is so alive and well today. He is very smart. Another child, they call her Baby (Fatima), could not walk or speak when Soumen took her in and now she is so full of energy. One day they were driving and the very first words she spoke was "Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!" Another little girl had burns so severely that you could see her scars. She once lived in the slums and her bed was over the stove. One day she fell off her bed when her mother was cooking. These children all have different stories but were all very broken and now are very happy and loved. The children were all so sweet and very smart. Stace taught them some English. She had some books she made with basic words but the kids knew just about all of them! I then taught them how to brush their teeth properly and about a dentist office. They dressed up by putting on gloves and masks and were so excited to pick out a toothbrush. The women who work in the home had me show them how to floss, they had no idea. We then played games like Simon Says and Duck, Duck, Goose. It was an amazing time. They LOVED our cameras and begged for you to take their picture and then show it to them. They thought that was so neat! Soumen's home is not open to adoption, which is too bad because I think every one of us would take at least one back home with us! While there we learned that Lufthansa is on strike and our flights have been cancelled. We all pretty much just had to laugh because we really aren't surprised after what it took to get us here! So Shane and Ronnie are back home as I write this figuring out a different plan for us. Hopefully when we wake we will have some good news.

February 21, 2010

Today was pretty much a down day. We left this morning and walked a block to the Baptist church where Kevin spoke. It was a nice sevice, only about 30 people and quiet, but you could tell they really loved the Lord. We then had a break between 10:30-3:30 so we rested. At 3:30 we headed to another church service where Steve spoke. This church was different and much louder than the morning service. As soon as this service was over, we rushed out and headed up stairs to the youth service where Kevin spoke to the teens about sex. He did a wonderful job. He really knows how to reach the young people. This serice was nice because it was all in English. Afterwards, we came back to the BMS and since it was 8:30 already, we missed dinner so we put all our snacks out on the table and everyone sat and ate. Now it is 11pm and we are showering and getting ready for bed. Tomorrow, Soumen's orphanage where I am teaching dental hygiene!

February 20, 2010

Stace giving her testimony

Melanie speaking to the women

Just when I think the days couldn't get any better than the day before, I am again surprised! Today was an amazing day, but different than the last two. Today we held a conference for the Indian pastors wives. We started off the morning in the pastors conference listening to Todd lead worship (they called him Toddy which we thought was hilarious!). Worship was amazing, listening and singing along with the people of India. What a blessing. At the conference Melanie spoke about the beauty of a woman, Stace gave her testimony, and Kim shared about being a woman in ministry. The women were all so touched by what they had to share. At the conclusion an Indian woman came up to Chenecua and said she could see the hurt on Chenecua's face (she did not speak to the women today so this lady did not know Chenecua). Chenecua was of course so moved to be all the way here and have that encounter and she broke into tears. It was an amazing sight. After the conferece we had free time so Doddy took us to Mother Teresa's home. We saw her tomb and where she lived. It was very neat. Then we went to the market place and this is where we got to experience city/night life in Kolkata. We walked the streets and bargained for good deals. I bought 48 bracelets and two hair clips for about $10! There are men here who work by riding bikes and taking peopl around and Kevin paid a man to drive his bike. He could barely fit on the bike and got a bunch of on-lookers. It was hilarious! On the way back to the BMS we saw many beggars which was so sad. To know that people and children live this way. We are so very blessed back hom and take things so very much for granted. Simple things like a pair of shoes, a piece of bread to eat, or a warm shower are all things these people never get. I wish each and every American had an opportunity to see this first-hand, it's so very humbling. Tomorrow, a day full of church services...