tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45033324959290922762024-03-18T21:25:26.296-07:00This Side of Eternity Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.comBlogger529125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-22193458540912598212017-12-26T12:51:00.002-08:002017-12-26T13:46:02.928-08:00Christmas Miracle 2011<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In October 2011 while chatting with a fellow adoptive mom, future adoptions came up in conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were in the process of adopting two children from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> with Down Syndrome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing they were a large family I asked lots of questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I soon discovered that it was possible for large families to adopt children with special needs from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She shared with me some children waiting for families at an orphanage in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> that their agency was working with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was immediately drawn to a couple of the kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just out of curiosity I contacted the agency for more info.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The agency had not received the files from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> but they said they would contact me when they did. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the same time God had provided an increase in our monthly income.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He provided just enough income for us to meet the USCIS income requirements to immigrate two more children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made sure I informed my husband of this new tidbit. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two months go by and I had not heard back from the adoption agency so I called again.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, at this time, I had not said anything to my husband.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It doesn’t hurt to just get information, right?</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They still had not received the files on the children I was interested in but they again said they would let me know.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Out of curiosity I asked if there had been anyone else call and ask about these two kids.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She said, “let me look at my list”.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was surprised when she came back and said, “you are first on the list to get information on both those children”.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What???</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had not even told my husband I called and we were FIRST on the list. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I decided it was about time to gently tell my husband what I had been thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His first response was, “we don’t have room”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I couldn’t really argue with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few days later I came across a blog post by a fellow adoptive mom titled, </span><a href="http://www.millionsofmiles.com/2011/12/do-you-have-room.html?spref=fb"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Do you have room?”</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This blog post is so powerful I am not even going to try to paraphrase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to go read it for yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, I shared it with my husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After having a long conversation we decided we could not use “we don’t have room” as an excuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did get a “we will talk about it if the kids files become available”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s progress!!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is where God really knocked our socks off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had already seen God paving the way but I didn’t expect this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several weeks before I had two separate individuals contact me and ask if they could send our kids a few Christmas presents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, I said yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have made it a policy to never turn away a cheerful giver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God placed my children on their hearts and I am not about to take away the blessings the giver may receive by following God’s prompting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One was a former coworker of mine that I have not seen in probably 9 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has stayed connected via facebook and has followed our family’s crazy journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other giver is the company where my sister works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every year they sponsor a family for Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Typically it is a family they do not know but the owner had heard about our family and decided to do things a little different this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The week leading up to Christmas, Darren was given a monetary gift from the individuals in one of the departments in the hospital where he works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Darren is very humble and rarely talks about our family at work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When asked he will talk about the kids, but he always makes sure he adds, “ALL glory goes to God”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Darren works closely with the people in this department and they wanted to bless our family at Christmas.</span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When the Christmas presents came from the generous givers I about passed out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think I have ever seen so many presents. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made sure I told my kids several times that they would not be receiving this many presents every year.</span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although the old saying is “it is more blessed to be the giver than the receiver” I can say that we really felt blessed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Darren and I both felt like God was saying, “don’t worry I will take care of all your needs”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, came the icing on the cake!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember when we said “we have no room”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God made sure to He let us know He had that taken care of too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Christmas Day later in the evening the doorbell rang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I opened the door there was a beautifully wrapped present on our porch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I opened the box inside I found $1,500 in CASH!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The card said “please use this gift to help in the purchase of your new home whenever God makes it available to you”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PS. “We pray that God will find a way for this gift to be multiplied for you and the He will be glorified!!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, guess God has the house thing under control too!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After that we really did not have any excuses left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Darren and I walked around in a daze the rest of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked the next day and decided that if God made these children available to us we would be “ALL IN”</span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Needless to say God provided. We committed to adopting two beautiful children with down syndrome. During the process of completing the mountains of paperwork we were informed that our home was not large enough to meet the agency requirements to adopt more children. So guess what we did? We built a larger home! God provided and as crazy as it sounds because yes it was crazy we built a house and adopted two children at the same time. </span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In November 2012 we moved into our new home ONE week before we traveled to China to adopt Lily and Isaac. </span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Never underestimate the power of faith to move mountains. </span></span><br />
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-63164419413413197952017-12-01T08:11:00.003-08:002017-12-05T14:52:37.919-08:00God's Vision BoardI have been holding off writing this post for several days but today satan has really been attacking me mentally, telling me how inadequate I am, how none of my dreams will actually come to be, that I really didn't hear God, so I am thinking it is time to write. <br />
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A few months ago I created a new vision board. I prayed over it. These are all things God placed in my heart. I was given a clear vision for each of them. I got excited about it. I hung it where I would see it constantly. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXxK_RoG0mfoE6cFHAZl8UiNTpJLt5RXSERAam3OGugQRO0SnluAOEcIVG5YqCBS82C1AibMh6dKIq_bx0E9Zepm3OVw1_zZNWxaJEXMM2iwgSjX3ux-VIn5YfHwYJvTEWP6HV3UQnlU/s1600/IMG_4027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXxK_RoG0mfoE6cFHAZl8UiNTpJLt5RXSERAam3OGugQRO0SnluAOEcIVG5YqCBS82C1AibMh6dKIq_bx0E9Zepm3OVw1_zZNWxaJEXMM2iwgSjX3ux-VIn5YfHwYJvTEWP6HV3UQnlU/s320/IMG_4027.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Suddenly I started hearing "that will never happen", "you are not good enough", "you didn't hear God right", "You just need to be happy with your life now". The negative talk became so ingrained in my head that every time I walked past my vision board I started to cry. I would grieve. It became not a vision board but a failure board. It got to the point where I could no longer look at it and I threw it away. <br />
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You guys those are not words from God. God is never a God of discouragement. He will never tell you that you are not good enough. Those words were from satan. STOP listening to those negative voices. They are not your future. Every time you hear a negative thought in your head you need to say "Back off satan! Not today you don't!"<br />
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If God put a passion in your heart and no matter how hard you try you can not get it out of your head THAT IS A GOD THING! If it's absolutely crazy and seems impossible then get ready to see some crazy miracles. God created a vision board for you a long time ago. It is up to you to claim it as yours.<br />
<br />Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-58326002187766088722017-11-26T10:41:00.001-08:002017-11-26T10:41:05.515-08:00I'm back ........ Hey, I'm back!<br />
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I am not going to try to go back and rehash all of life's craziness. Just trust me when I say life has been crazy. It has been good. It has been hard. It has been painful. It has been beautiful. It has been redemptive. <br />
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This now hangs on my bedroom wall. </div>
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A reminder of God's faithfulness.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYlkR0DYbMh2C_NknObIn7RgclVVfccKA-dSlAjbkaiYy5idmC4qVqYgbvNSTen3HVfbotIWDvAwOjXdnZpsXC6O3_tTfwvQUyziY1F09U5zwfER_QhKoAo7k07tr_IXZh3kmx_8QLtrA/s1600/IMG_2947.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYlkR0DYbMh2C_NknObIn7RgclVVfccKA-dSlAjbkaiYy5idmC4qVqYgbvNSTen3HVfbotIWDvAwOjXdnZpsXC6O3_tTfwvQUyziY1F09U5zwfER_QhKoAo7k07tr_IXZh3kmx_8QLtrA/s400/IMG_2947.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For now I will leave you with some beautiful pictures taken by Make A Wish</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwd2I5UsbzPcypggO3gJG7aoJPcKjXojj2dRhdUV0PQSYpI4fT_IlcGKznSQiS9UfvT2IWqr28wBo2-DLeI0ScjnsTdoLsEIDlsT9r_nKAO0iZcnCaqjmwC8ank38aU24889dBpnQCimA/s1600/IMG_1941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1440" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwd2I5UsbzPcypggO3gJG7aoJPcKjXojj2dRhdUV0PQSYpI4fT_IlcGKznSQiS9UfvT2IWqr28wBo2-DLeI0ScjnsTdoLsEIDlsT9r_nKAO0iZcnCaqjmwC8ank38aU24889dBpnQCimA/s320/IMG_1941.JPG" width="320" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-89474212307830035722016-07-01T18:16:00.000-07:002016-07-01T18:21:53.942-07:00Make A Wish Disney Cruise <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We were keeping a little secret. Thank you Make A Wish, Southwest Airlines, Xtreme Transportation, and Disney for making Joshua's wish come true! </div>
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-17587422272937189612016-06-08T16:58:00.002-07:002016-06-08T17:05:25.572-07:00Happy Birthday Elshaday<div><br></div>Today is Elshaday's 14th Birthday. She has recently become very interested in cooking. She loves watching kids cooking videos on her Kindle. Today she got an apron and was able to help make her cake. She was very excited. We have a lot of practicing we need to do with cracking eggs though. <div><br></div><div>She is a hard worker and never gives up. Elshaday has such a sweet spirit and always wants to help. She is a blessing to our family. <br><div><br></div><div><br>
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<br></div></div>Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-14624456047452216752016-06-02T17:52:00.002-07:002017-11-26T16:46:18.461-08:00Joshua's Story UpdatedAs I sit here in the hospital and watch one thing after another being pumped through my son's body I am reminded of the miracle that is my son. Please humor me as I feel like sharing his story again. I guess in a way sharing gives me some peace. I pray it touches your heart. <br>
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Joshua was found on the side of the road. He was bleeding from the nose. His body was covered in sores. He had very thin fine hair. They estimated him to be 2-3 years old. It was hard to tell because he was so tiny and developmentally delayed. I wonder what his first few years of klife was like?Considering the condition he was in when found I don't think I want to know. He was taken to the hospital and then transferred to an orphanage. The timing of the rest of his story is a little fuzzy but here is what I do know. <br>
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A group of women had been working in an orphanage for several days. Every day they would hear screaming and noise but could not locate where it was coming from. One day they saw some children hanging out of a window and began to ask questions. They were told “those children are crazy”, “we cannot understand what they are saying”. The women continued to ask about the children. God moved mountains and they were lead to the secret door. The door was locked and held shut by intertwined red and white pieces of scrap material.<br>
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Behind that door they found a few very malnourished children, mostly older children. It was unclear how long they had been locked in that room or if they had ever been out of the room. One little boy really caught their attention. His age was unknown. There was something about this little boy so they begged to take him out of the secret room. Their request was granted.<br>
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He was so fragile that his legs quivered when they tried to stand him up. His lips were drawn and he had wrinkles like an old man. However, to everyone’s surprise he had the sweetest smile and the most infectious laugh. He was so hungry. When he was fed he would lunge towards the food for more. It was obvious he had not been getting enough food.<br>
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How did he survive? It was only by the grace of God. I don't even want to imagine the nights. I will never know what he enduring physically and emotionally the first 5 years of his life. I can only imagine. I touch the scares on his body and weep. When I raise my voice he falls to the fetal position and covers his head. Oh sweet baby you are safe now. <br>
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You would think how could a child endure more? Then I went to pick up my sweet boy to complete his adoption. When I arrived in country to pick up my very malnourished son I was handed a paper with a recent blood test. I hadn't even met him yet. I was advised to speak to our doctor back in the USA before we met him in case we didn't want to follow through with the adoption. The numbers were scary. I spoke with my husband and we both agreed no way in HELL we were leaving him here to die. <br>
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I met Joshua the next day. He was pale and sick. He was very tired most of the time. We immediately took him to the hospital and very scary medical diagnosis were thrown at us. We were advised that we could not fly with him in his current condition. We had to take trains throughout the country to complete the adoption. As we went from city to city we searched for a temporary treatment so we could fly home. He would bleed a lot. He became more and more lifeless. They would not treat him. He needed a platelet transfusion in order to get on the plane and fly home. I was so afraid he was going to die right there in my arms but God is so good. I happened to be a perfect match to give him platelets. He got platelets and we got on that plane. I have never prayed so hard. It was a risk to fly. I was advised he may not survive the flight. I was not leaving him behind though. <br>
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When we arrived in the USA he was immediately admitted to the hospital where he was diagnosed with Evans Syndrome. Joshua's immune system kills his red blood cells and platelets. As if he hadn't fought enough in his young life. Now he has to fight his own body. As we are discovering in our current crisis any virus can cause a life threatening situation. Getting a virus just throws his immune system into crisis. Seriously?? Hasn't he been through enough. It's just not fair. He is so brave. He is the sweetest boy with a beautiful smile and infectious laugh. He is one of my heroes.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNi2uq1oVHI_SjBb2QmYLjdiNykpkiLfb14DNlk70oe8pyBXkWpANpveG2K8Pww7VBscThSo_zaw5xw1lruLTOBEwWfRnofMCoSk2yfHofpWF9YY6EUsGGJy2dFd4CHr3-tBqfSgRY7c/s640/blogger-image--1174079120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNi2uq1oVHI_SjBb2QmYLjdiNykpkiLfb14DNlk70oe8pyBXkWpANpveG2K8Pww7VBscThSo_zaw5xw1lruLTOBEwWfRnofMCoSk2yfHofpWF9YY6EUsGGJy2dFd4CHr3-tBqfSgRY7c/s640/blogger-image--1174079120.jpg"></a></div><br>
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<br></div>Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-90754209828841118202016-05-11T09:57:00.000-07:002016-05-11T09:57:16.522-07:00Are your friends asking where did they go? I think as large adoptive families there is a stigma to not share the hard stuff. When we do we get a lot of “you asked for it”, “it's your own fault”, “you should have known what you were getting in to”. There is no shame in doing the hard stuff. We should be free to share the hard right along with the good. We need to walk arm in arm through it all. <br />
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I can’t speak for everyone but at least for us choosing to parent children with medical, physical, or emotional special needs required sacrifice. Please don’t hear me wrong, I am not boasting or claiming recognition for our parenting choice. The sacrifice has been an honor. We are the ones that have been humbly blessed. I guess I just want to share a little of what most don’t see behind the closed doors, puffy eyes, and fake smiles. <br />
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We used to be really active in our community and church. We had lots of friends. For a while we tried to keep it up but honestly it was just too much work. Relationships require a great deal of work from all parties involved. There is a lot to be said about the phrase, “out of sight out of mind”. I miss having face to face relationships. I miss having stuff in common to talk about. <br />
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When we do leave the house as a family all our focus is on maintaining emotional and physical control of the kiddos. It is very easy for our kids to get discombobulated. (Learned that word from my daddy. It’s become one of my favorite descriptive words.) Having conversations with others while out is impossible most of the time. You will see us laugh a lot. We will probably even make it look easy. Usually we are holding our breath unsure of what behavior will sneak out it’s ugly head. We laugh to keep from crying. Deep down inside we are just praying we don’t disrupt the entire building and we all make it back home alive. <br />
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When we get out of the house without kids we try to enjoy our time but always in the back of our minds is what drama has happened while we were gone. How much time will it take to get everyone regulated again when we get home. <br />
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You will hardly see me in a dress or skirt in public. I absolutely love fashion and would dress to the hilt every day. Reality is there are a lot of bodily functions happening around here, vomiting, blood, poop, drool. Yep really glamorous :) Four kids have to be lifted, carried or chased. As you can see fashion has been put on the back burner. Oh but sometimes I try.<br />
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I used to have hobbies, enjoyed just talking to friends, and blogging. Now days my brain is so full I can’t even think to write. Conversations with friends are too hard because we just can’t relate to each other. It just feels fake. <br />
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When someone asks “how is everyone?” And I respond “we are doing great!” That usually means we are still alive and no one has “quit the family” today. My new definition for doing great. <br />
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It’s not all ugly. We get to see our kids reach goals everyone said they would not reach. We have the honor of cheering them on. We see the Grace of God every day. We get to hold there hands during tough medical procedures. We get to laugh with them. We get to see God healing their little hearts from all the trauma they have experienced. <br />
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So if you have friends or family parenting children with special needs please extend them some grace. They may not return phone calls. That doesn’t mean they don’t care, probably means life got so crazy they didn’t have the emotional energy or they forgot. If they stop attending social events it's not because they don’t want to be there, but because what it takes to get there may feel overwhelming. <br />
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That’s what is on my heart today. I am going to try to start blogging again. This time more of the day to day real stuff. I am not great with words. I am not a writer. Please give me grace in that area. <br />
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-32327282470554463782015-09-06T15:36:00.002-07:002015-09-06T17:22:35.484-07:00Happy 6th Birthday JoshuaToday is the day we celebrate Joshua' s life. It is not likely that today is his actual date of birth but it is the date given to him. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">"there is an abandoned infant against the BOC in XXXXXX road of XXXXX city. After receiving call, the policemen on duty, and the student on duty came to the scene, found that the abandoned infant was about 2-3 years old, gender: male. The child was taken to the hospital for treatment. According to the growth and development we judged his date of birth as September 6, 2009"</span><br />
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Although he was listed as "abandoned" we know that God never left his side. Joshua was known and loved from the moment he was conceived.<br />
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-40584176181329084852015-07-21T09:44:00.000-07:002015-07-21T09:44:09.956-07:00A time to grow <br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This little guy has been busy over the last 5 months</span>. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He has learned to .....</span></div>
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Walk</div>
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Drink from a straw</div>
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Feed himself</div>
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Talk</div>
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Beginning to learn sign language</div>
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Climb stairs</div>
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Play</div>
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Trust others</div>
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to be Loved</div>
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How to love</div>
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-3075952343470201422015-07-14T05:41:00.001-07:002015-07-14T05:41:30.867-07:00Family = HOPE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was made available for adoption when I was about 9 months old. </div>
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My future was bright!</div>
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Two and a half years go by. I am growing into a strong little boy. </div>
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I am still hopeful that I will find my forever family. </div>
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Hope was fading. Why haven't I been chosen? </div>
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The orphanage began completing paperwork to declare me unadoptable</div>
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because I had become too weak and frail. </div>
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FINALLY it was my turn. I was Chosen!</div>
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HOPE returns! </div>
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(home 3 months)</div>
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I begin to grow and thrive. Joy returns. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxj0JKYl1MfYFlDF9DvjcAQ07faULvpYCRj3ctwfZUTjJHBBW-aQz99jiOO8ES8FtIW0ah6-YYP74hMth7S7Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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(home 5 months)</div>
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Why Adopt? </div>
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Family Changes Everything!</div>
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When we adopted David he weighted a little over 16 pounds at 4 years old. He gained 5 pounds in the first 2 weeks. Five months later and he has doubled his weight. He has learned to walk, talk, and feed himself. David has had no medical intervention or therapy. The only thing we have done is feed him and love him. Family changes everything! Family gives HOPE!</div>
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-29814498820726460022015-07-12T12:43:00.003-07:002015-07-12T12:43:50.488-07:00This is an outrage!!
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My husband
and I have adopted several children with disabilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do have private insurance, however, as you
may already know or have experienced private insurance does not provide a lot
of the services children with significant needs require.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we
discovered each child’s needs we advocated for them and were able to get
Kentucky State Medicaid Waivers for each of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These waivers provide in home services,
community services, and Medicaid insurance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our children have had these waivers for several years now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recently, at
the advice of several providers, we applied for SSI for the children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To our surprise our children’s Medicaid was
immediately discontinued upon filing the SSI application.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They lost all in home services, Medicaid
insurance, therapy, and medical supplies they received through the State
Medicaid Waiver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After making
many phone calls and doing research online I was informed that there is a policy
that states a person cannot have an application with DCBS and SSI at the same
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were never informed this prior
to making the application.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">MS 4650 “An application for SSI
pending with the SSA is also an application for Aged, Blind, or Disabled
MA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deny any duplicate application for
Aged, Blind, or Disabled MA made with DCBS”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was also
informed that this is an automatic computer generator procedure in which there
is no room for interpretation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the time that the SSI application is
being reviewed Medicaid will be discontinued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we all know the application process is not a quick process and could
take up to 6 months or longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During
that time our children will not have any needed services provided by Medicaid
or the Medicaid Waiver. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is my
opinion that although this policy makes sense its generalized application does
not. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes if my children were applying
for SSI and Medicaid at the same time it would be a duplicate application. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, in the case of my children they
already had Medicaid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was NOT a duplicate application.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
service that they qualify for and have been receiving for several years has
been stopped. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can no longer
receive therapy and they no longer have in home services. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have in home medical supplies which Medicaid
has been providing, which includes feeding tube supplies that will no longer be
covered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have
since discovered other children have also lost their Medicaid due to this
policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something needs to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where is the continuance of services?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Medicaid should not be stopped on application
but should continue until SSI is approved or denied. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please help us spread the word!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-37342779786656929652015-03-06T16:07:00.000-08:002015-03-09T16:28:00.582-07:00Fit and Energized Mama<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A year ago I began a journey to get healthy. I had become tired and worn out. I was not feeling well and having a hard time dragging myself out of the bed. I feel amazing now! So much energy. I would be happy to share more information with you individually if you are interested. </div>
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Just shoot me an email! </div>
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<a href="mailto:maasfamily1@gmail.com">maasfamily1@gmail.com</a></div>
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<br />Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-23562499184187263002015-02-18T06:44:00.001-08:002015-02-18T06:44:45.109-08:00China Day 4 GOTCHA DAYLet me clarify before I continue, this is an expedited adoption. The in country adoption process was also expedited so what you are about to read is not typical for GOTCHA day. <br />
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Had breakfast at the hotel and prepared to meet Joshua. We went to the store to pick up a few things. This was something I had never done, escalator for your grocery cart. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgB9akNbVbJvKxxxDyHQCdqAom_aziZ9ex5T40t8E-VrmeGn-ppKMjFe_MGdPVDd2VKSzaYrJXA-GhEUm7Ru9YPrWhlw0mBXDLnUXhvbZcvvi6PkDiRvF0uZehPW395EBq7_vyeAi5EQ/s1600/20150126_102712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgB9akNbVbJvKxxxDyHQCdqAom_aziZ9ex5T40t8E-VrmeGn-ppKMjFe_MGdPVDd2VKSzaYrJXA-GhEUm7Ru9YPrWhlw0mBXDLnUXhvbZcvvi6PkDiRvF0uZehPW395EBq7_vyeAi5EQ/s1600/20150126_102712.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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We had to complete some paperwork this morning before we met him. We arrived at the Official Office to meet Joshua and he had not arrived yet. We were the only family there at the time. We scheduled an early appointment so we could get Joshua to the hospital right after we met him. <br />
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As we waited they walked around the corner. Joshua was a little smaller than I expected. He was quiet. We went into the officials office for the "official" meeting. He came to me easily. He fussed a little after a few minutes. He threw a little temper tantrum. All in all it was a pretty easy transition compared to some I have experienced. <br />
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We went straight to the hospital to hopefully get some guidance on his current condition and another blood test. Unfortunately, all we got was "he needs to be in the hospital for a long time so we can run tests". Well, that was not going to work for me! </div>
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We headed back to the hotel to find food and prepare for the next day. That evening we headed out to People's Park for a little stroll. We took lots of selfies. </div>
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-9503439309025777762015-02-15T11:07:00.000-08:002015-02-15T11:07:06.607-08:00China Day 3Looking back on this day is kinda a blur. It was that morning I realized we were in for an interesting trip. I consulted with our pediatrician back home and she advised me on the seriousness of Joshua's current condition and that it would not be safe to fly without him using oxygen. After research we discovered that oxygen was not an option on flights within China. <br />
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We met our guide after breakfast to head to Nanning, Guangxi to meet Joshua. On the way to the airport I shared with her what our pediatrician had advised. We had to come up with a quick plan as we were to meet Joshua the next morning and then fly with him the day after. <br />
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I know they were a little concerned about us but sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do. The ONLY other option than flying was a 18 hour overnight train ride alone without a guide. Our agency guide said she would take care of everything and explain it to our guide in Nanning.<br />
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Miranda and I hopped on the 3 1/2 hour flight to Nanning.<br />
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Our wonderful guide met us at the airport, helped us settle into the hotel and get some groceries. We had a little extra time so we walked around People's Park. It was nice there about 70 degrees. A far cry from the freezing weather of Beijing. <br />
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-88761391398401064842015-02-15T10:33:00.001-08:002015-02-15T10:33:04.928-08:00China Day 2We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and then headed to THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA!!!! I was so excited to share this with my daughter. Oh by the way it was FREEZING and very windy. We enjoyed our time but we were ready to get back inside too. <br />
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That evening we went to an Acrobatics Show. Sadly you could not take pictures of video. Miranda really enjoyed the show. <br />
Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-41647179399062674222015-02-11T03:12:00.000-08:002015-02-11T03:12:53.303-08:00Day 1 Part 2I had to add a part 2 to day one. When we arrived in Beijing our guide picked us up from the airport. On our way to the hotel we had time to talk about David and Joshua. This is where our adventure took a drastic turn. It was then that the magnitude of our "rescue mission" really hit me.<br />
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I was told the orphanage had been in the process of taking David off the available list and deeming him "unadoptable" when we requested to adopt him. Our guide said she had to convince the orphanage that a family really wanted to adopt him. God's timing is perfect. If we had waited even a day more to say YES David's life may have been on a different path right now. UNADOPTABLE. I am so thankful that God prompted our hearts and we did not hesitate. <br />
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We started talking about Joshua and she handed me a piece of paper giving results from a recent blood test. She stated that the doctor was concerned by the results and the orphanage wanted me to have the information before we met Joshua. She asked me to please consult with my doctor back home as soon as possible. I really didn't think much of it. I knew Joshua had been severely malnourished so I expected some abnormal test results. Our guide went on to explain that when Joshua arrived at the orphanage they didn't think he was going to live. The orphanage decided to not waste any more resources/nanny's time on him and moved him up to the second floor. That was a gut check right there. <br />
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I think my emotions were all over the place at this point. . <br />
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Grateful </div>
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Angry </div>
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Disbelief</div>
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How is it possible that a life no longer has value? How it is possible that a child is no longer worthy of a family?<br />
Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-79787205207681588932015-02-11T02:45:00.001-08:002015-02-11T03:14:28.518-08:00China Day 1Well it was a rollercoaster ride and the internet was unreliable. We are home. I am going to post our daily adventures now.<br />
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DAY 1</div>
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The ransom has been paid. We are headed out on a rescue mission. We are breaking our boys out of the hell they have been living for the last few years. </div>
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We left Lexington around 6:30 a.m. Flew to Detriot and then to Beijing. The flight to Beijing was 14 hours long. I have to say it was the smoothest flight I have ever been on. Miranda did great! The view from the sky was beautiful that morning. We arrive in Beijing in the evening. Got some dinner and headed to bed. <br />
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-3392967370764439222015-01-21T11:52:00.003-08:002015-01-21T11:52:34.371-08:00China BoundI can't believe we leave in the morning!!! Lots going through my mind right now. Leaving my husband and children is one of the hardest things I have to do. <br />
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Here is our schedule!</div>
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Jan 24th TOURING<br />
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Jan 26th GOTCHA for Joshua<br />
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Jan 28th GOTCHA for David<br />
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Feb 7th HOME!!<br />
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If internet works well I will try to post daily about our travels!!Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-6724245569745373572015-01-16T16:27:00.002-08:002015-01-16T16:27:36.324-08:00Happy Family DayOne of my favorite parts of adoption is our "Family Day". I know everyone celebrates "Gotcha Day" but I LOVE "Family Day". So you are probably thinking, what is family day then? <br />
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Family Day is the day a new family is born at the airport. The day when mom, dad, newly adopted children, and siblings are finally all together for the first time. It's probably one of the most beautiful things you will see this side of Heaven. So many raw emotions, fears, and excitement all rolled up together. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today is our 5 year Family Day with Grace and Sera!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We love you Grace and Sera! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are so blessed that you are a part of our family. </span></div>
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-62658267413449186332015-01-01T06:48:00.002-08:002015-01-01T06:48:19.716-08:00My Word for 2015 is HOPEWhen you tell someone they have value an amazing thing starts happening. HOPE infiltrates every part of their life. <br />
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God placed the word HOPE in my heart yesterday. Immediately after a picture popped into my head. This is my sweet Jacob when we accepted his referral 6 years ago. <br />
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This is a picture of Jacob they day we first met, four quick months after we decided to make him our son. <br />
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Do you see it? Someone invested in Jacob. Someone told him he had value. He was wanted. Jacob was given HOPE and he started to thrive. <br />
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Now fast forward to 2014. We saw a picture of a little boy who broke our hearts in ways we never thought possible. A little boy who was told he had no worth. <br />
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Then someone invested in him. Someone told him he had value. He was wanted. He was given HOPE and he started to thrive. <br />
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In just 15 days I will travel to meet our two newest sons. The first thing I will tell them is "They are wanted and they are loved". <br />
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My word for 2015 is "HOPE". I don't know what that is going to look like but I do know that God has placed it on my heart this year to #behope and #showhope to others.<br />
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Won't you join me? <br />
Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-6042492730169487332014-12-31T17:39:00.001-08:002014-12-31T17:57:51.527-08:00Reflecting on the Highlights of 2014It's New Year's Eve and I am taking a nice long bath, thinking about 2014 and dreaming for 2015. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">God has truly blessed our family this past year.</span></div>
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In January 2014 I made the decision that I needed to start taking better care of myself. I started out with a goal to loose a few pounds. I got so much more than I expected, 12 pounds lost, gained energy, and healthier skin. Now I am doing something I haven't done since college. This spring I started working out and lifting weights.<br />
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We were blessed with the opportunity to vacation with 50 of the best families you will ever meet. We attended our first ever Reece's Rainbow Reunion. <br />
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This summer with the help our church, Southland Christian Church, and Carpenter Bus we were able to purchase a 15 passenger wheelchair bus. <br />
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Twice this summer I was given the opportunity to share how adoption has blessed our family. <br />
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This fall we fell in love with two little boys across the ocean. Both have some unknown medical issues and severe malnourishment. Due to their fragile health we were able to expedite their adoption. They will be coming home January 2015. What a great start to our New Year!<br />
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<em>The first pictures we saw of the boys</em></div>
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-29355516984026130432014-11-30T13:06:00.002-08:002014-11-30T13:06:51.484-08:00CyberMonday Shopping I will have lots of updates to share this week so keep watch on our blog. <br />
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We have set up an Amazon Associate account to help us raise the money we need for some items for our boys coming home in January. If you plan to do some shopping online please consider using our Amazon link. <br />
<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=thisidofete0f-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=thisidofete0f-20</a><br />
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Thank you!!Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-28281905953280052042014-10-13T13:29:00.002-07:002014-10-13T13:29:41.955-07:00We are adopting!!!!We recently started the adoption process to bring home two precious boys. I will post pictures when we get approval. For now I will be putting ALL adoption updates on our Facebook page. I will post our travel log to this blog though. <br />
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<a aria-haspopup="true" aria-owns="js_4k" class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/group.php?id=1518744561700856" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1518744561700856/" id="js_4l">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1518744561700856/</a><br />
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Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-81416064376627512232014-10-04T12:22:00.000-07:002014-10-04T12:24:56.766-07:00The Boy Behind the Secret Door<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disclaimer:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
the story of one little boy but there are an undocumented number of children
living in the same conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
not isolated to one child, one orphanage or one country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The Boy Behind the Secret Door</span></strong></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In an orphanage on the other side of the world there is a
secret door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This secret door leads to a
secret room, a room that no one wants you to know about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day a miracle happened and the secret
door was opened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the story of
that day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A group of women had been working in an orphanage for
several days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day they would hear
screaming and noise but could not locate where it was coming from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day they saw some children hanging out of
a window and began to ask questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
were told “those children are crazy”, “we cannot understand what they are
saying”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The women continued to ask
about the children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God moved mountains
and they were lead to the secret door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The door was locked and held shut by intertwined red and white pieces of
scrap material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Behind that door they found a few very malnourished children,
mostly older children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was unclear
how long they had been locked in that room or if they had ever been out of the
room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One little boy really caught their
attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His age was unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was something about this little boy so
they begged to take him out of the secret room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Their request was granted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was so fragile that his legs quivered when they tried to
stand him up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His lips were drawn and he
had wrinkles like an old man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, to
everyone’s surprise he had the sweetest smile and the most infectious
laugh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was so hungry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he was fed he would lunge towards the
food for more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was obvious he had not
been getting enough food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The little boy will never have to return to that secret
room. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will never again be hungry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will now know the love of a
mother and father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that it is only by God’s divine
intervention that our son is alive today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No one wants you to know about the secret doors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t want you to know about the
children who are silently dying behind those doors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, God sees them and he loves them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day God will judge each person for their
actions or lack thereof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think of
those children daily and pray that they feel God’s love even in the most
destitute times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-DdHYPEeiBz0Afyiw3xv8p2ZVZtxz-58ks2jl2I8hBYf76vDirZzhodBLMOof1_IlTtd-aksbkzwUChgaay2g4qsQDfgSHtKK9PaKCi32rN3bBSglC05h02Zc3a4WT85W5HnHjVSiEE/s1600/Door+with+ribbon+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-DdHYPEeiBz0Afyiw3xv8p2ZVZtxz-58ks2jl2I8hBYf76vDirZzhodBLMOof1_IlTtd-aksbkzwUChgaay2g4qsQDfgSHtKK9PaKCi32rN3bBSglC05h02Zc3a4WT85W5HnHjVSiEE/s1600/Door+with+ribbon+2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4503332495929092276.post-46075192876615325042014-10-03T06:18:00.004-07:002014-10-03T06:18:43.766-07:00Our Family Video<div style="text-align: center;">
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/101296614" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br /></div>
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/101296614">The Maas Family Story</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/southland">Southland Christian Church</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Rebecca Maashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10536928945001484162noreply@blogger.com1