School Daze

September to December has flown by, largely due to a whole gamut of school related involvements:

• Surprise new arrival of Wadzanayi Magaba, our Zimbabwean University student, who has joined our family and is living with us until the New Year. She just finished her last exam today and is one happy girl! I've been warned that beds will be jumped on :) We are going to send the older two to watch a movie to celebrate tonight. They have both worked hard this semester and we are so pleased how well they get along as sisters.
• Kehlen began Kindergarten - so we have a new school bus schedule, food to pack, backpack to get ready, concerts, fundraisers, etc. He is doing wonderful in French, and is starting to speak in full sentences as well as sing songs in French.
• Isinino began grade 12 - and this year we get to be more involved in her education in parent-teacher meetings, career expo, etc. Now we are being enlightened with all things grad, like grad dresses, scholarship applications, etc.
• Korean School! Perhaps the most unexpected bunch of students showed up for registration day in September, when whity mom (me), Caucasian looking biracial Asian kid, and Ethiopian older daughter sign up together for the family discount. After we got the initial "Wha?!" and "What brings you here?" Isinino proudly tells them that their dad (my husband) is Korean and we are a part-Korean family. But you know Asians and their dedication to academics - we have been getting lots and lots of Korean homework every week! But we are loving the experience together!
• And after the language class, Isinino is in K-pop dance - a Korean hip-hop class.  Kehlen and I are both in Tae Kwan Do. I am the oldest in the class, including older than our instructors - but cherishing every minute as Kehlen is still at the age he things its cool to do it together. Don't mess with this mommy & son ninja duo :)
• Harold has finalized his thesis topic for his doctoral work and is fine tuning his rationale and research. Look out 2014! We are going to conquer this project once and for all! :) I say we, because where there is a spouse doing his doctorate, there is a spouse to edit, research, and keep the pressure on.
• Harold completed his training certification for Circle of Security, something helpful in his counselling of families.
• Harold and I (Wendi) also went back to school this Fall - this time to team-teach an intensive course at Steinbach Bible College related to adoption and foster-care. What a great experience for us to engage approximately 40 students and community members on a topic we have grown so passionate about. We realized that we enjoy teaching together, and are finding other opportunities to work with churches and families seeking to be informed or supported.
• Mikhala is the only one not in school, although she and Kehlen have started Sunday School in our new home church of Gateway. They are loving it. This past Sunday she wrote the letters of her name on her poster project by herself, which surprised us as we have not taken the time to teach her. I guess all this school stuff in the family is rubbing off on her. She has also enjoyed playing at the Family Centre, which happens to be right across from Kehlen's classroom.

As our school daze winds down for 2013, we are gradually taking our noses out of books and focusing on the blessings we have gained in the process. Things like: greater awareness, deeper comprehension, greater appreciation, and the possibilities in the future. By far, the greatest Teacher who has overseen all of our educational pursuits and Who has made these opportunities possible, is God himself. In hindsight, these past months suddenly don't seem like a daze, but with clear purpose and on a positive trajectory for His glory.

The Month of Hyphen

Soooooooooooooo... it just so happens that 2013 forgot to include the month of August. Gasp! Did you notice? Gone! Vanished! We must report this to the Missing Month's Unit! There was July, and then there was September, with a very quick hyphen in between. I'll call it the month of Hyphen, the pseudo-month that replaced the good old 31 day calendar page of August. :)

Let me share a few highlights of this past month of Hyphen:

1) NACAC: Within days of arriving from our road trip throughout Western Canada (see previous post), Harold and I found ourselves boarding a plane for Toronto to attend the NACAC (North American Council on Adoptable Children) conference and meet with more representatives within the adoption and foster care field across North America. All the kids enjoyed holiday time with family in Manitoba, so it made our trip that much more enjoyable knowing they were having a blast. 

The conference was a royal feast of information, resources, and ah-hah moments accompanied by hundreds of experienced professionals (gov't and non-profit), parents and teens whose interactions left the fingerprints of Christ on our hearts as we were further guided in our research and development. As mentioned in my previous post, the clarity is coming one step at a time and we know God is up to something big. 

I'm not hiding anything from you, honest, when I say we are still in discovery mode and that we value your prayers in this ambiguous, yet ever-so-clarifying journey. It's easier for us to be in a position of the learner now, rather than delve in and concoct a quick fix over-inflated ministry that could soon end up as "they meant well, and now they are burned out trying." No, if anything of God-size magnitude is going to awaken the Canadian Church to live the gospel through significant involvement in adoption and foster care, its going to require more than what is humanly possible on our own timeline. We are along for the ride, learning, asking, probing, yet with all hands on deck, as we experience God's Spirit move even within this month of Hyphen.

2) Celebrations: (we just kept the balloons and streamers up)

• After about 11 months of waiting, Kehlen turned 5! He enjoyed the company of his friends to celebrate this much anticipated day. 
  
• Isinino celebrates her first birthday with us, turning 21! By request, a Korean birthday dinner was prepared for her friends (with chopsticks), followed by a sleepover and henna.
  
• We celebrated the arrival of a new puppy with our friend Javad, along with many other guests who filled our yard for the surprise puppy shower. 
  
• We celebrated a surprise visit from Harold's mom and sister Shirley, who blessed us with a week of good cooking, spoiling the kids, and memories. So we couldn't resist the opportunity to celebrate Omoni's 70th birthday, coming up now in September.
  
• And, surprise! It's another girl! (well at least for the short term) We welcomed the arrival of Wadzanayi of Zimbabwe who has just started university and needed a place to call home for this semester.
  
• Last year we had no kids to send off to school. This year we have 3! Kehlen is thrilled to start Kindergarten at our local French immersion school, and counts it of highest honour to be one of THREE household school kids. This is Isinino's graduating year from high school, and Wadzi is taking her university 1. 

3) Homestudy!! Yes, the much anticipated milestone of doing our adoption homestudy with our assigned social worker is in progress! With about one more meeting to go, our report will be ready for her to write. And then we wait... Could be days, months, years - but quite realistically the latter, only God knows. You can never get too good at the waiting game when adopting. It's a virtue that really should've been included in Proverbs 31 - that is, if the woman was an adoptive mom! But God's timing is perfect, and we really are not sitting and twiddling our adoptive thumbs for things to happen. Significant things are happening, and its mostly within us as our hearts and minds are stretched in ways we couldn't have imagined - allowing us to further grasp, even if just a wee bit - "how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:18)

4) Epic Yard Sale: Inspired by Kehlen's desire to have "an expensive" garage sale to help raise funds for the adoption of his brother and sister, our month of Hyphen was further hyphenated by the collaborative efforts of family, friends and the neighbourhood. Thanks to all of you who gave so generously! Kehlen was director of operations, and also ran a lemonade and cookie stand. He must be catching the adoption fever, as he came up with the idea to have adoption information sessions at his lemonade stand for customers.

This past Hyphen, the obscure blur between July and September, reminds us that its not about how much we accomplish or do within our own control or strength. It's about how we embrace the One who gifts us each day in that indefinite hyphen that He gives us, from here until eternity.

God's Clues

Our youngest kids like to watch the adventures of a blue puppy and his enthusiastic friend in a green striped shirt. Ok, actually they LOVE to watch these thrift store VHS finds - Blues Clues. I'll admit, the videos have been known to even captivate me regularly as we search predictably for blue paw prints, record the clues in the Handy Dandy Notebook, and of course go to the Thinking Chair where all mysteries "unknown" are revealed, followed by an awkward victory dance of sorts. Go on, admit it, you likely could sing along with the song. "We've just figured out Blues Clues, we've just figured out..."

We've just come back from our own version of "God's Clues": Where are we seeing people respond to adoption and foster care needs? Who are active in adoption and foster care ministry? How is God stirring the Canadian Church? What are some common threads seen from those we encounter? What are some of the most prominent gaps?

We didn't wear green striped shirts, although we did carry around our handy dandy notebooks and jot down lots of clues regarding God's activity in adoption and foster care. Now that we are back from our 2.5 week Western God-chasing journey, we are sitting in our "Thinking Chair" as we reflect on all the many finger prints of God so evidently seen and experienced in the lives of individuals, couples, churches, and organizations throughout random places in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC.

While hitting a deer only hours into the trip was not our idea of a good start, the miracle of a healed van (read previous post), being blessed by family and professionals in Brandon, and being back on the road within hours--not days, only brought added delight to our journey. We call that clue in our journey "God has our back." Not a single whirring or thunka-thunking or honey-its-smoking to be reported for the entire rest of the trip. Thanks to all those who were praying.

Let me highlight just a few of many other clues of God's activity, seen on our trip:

• People from random places, with unique backgrounds and stories, have independently been responding to God's call on their hearts to personally get involved in ministry related to adoption and foster care in Canada. If you ever want a pick me up, just go out asking advocates on what gets them up every morning. While we have yet to see roaring flames of activity sweeping over Canada, we were greatly encouraged to discover sparks, flickers, and some more established flames that are emerging: Focus on the Family, Abba Canada, Spirit of Adoption Alberta, Centre Street Church, Rockpointe Church, Home for Every Child Adoption Society, individual pastors and families, to name a few. We also had meaningful encounters with ED's of secular non-profit organizations who gave insight and further resources: Adoption Support Centre of Saskatchewan, Adoptive Families Association of BC. So many "blind dates" (about 12 in all) as we shared meals and coffee with people that felt like long lost relatives with the same Abba God. Canada definitely has some dynamite people in the West to champion the cause of kids in need of care, although all would say more the merrier.

• We left our driveway July 9 not sure how God was going to blend our distinct, yet somewhat fuzzy, sense of direction with what is already happening on the Western Canadian front - if our Holy Spirity hunches and vision truly represented gap fillers that were in fact desired by those we were about to meet or if we would receive more understanding of a different direction we should rather be taking. The words "movement" "networking" "advocacy" "marriage and family support" held our interest and curiosity but we are just two Manitobans, coming out of nowhere, discovering how we are to join in with what God has already been doing. Now, as we roll back onto our driveway, we clearly see that only God could have placed those things on our hearts as they were continuously affirmed and clarified by those we met on our trip as much needed. Turns out, the clues we discovered along the way were far from random but perhaps, ok, not perhaps; rather something clearly orchestrated by God. We did not come back with a plethora of entrepreneurial ways to get involved, but a more clearer perspective of what has been distinctly stirred within us from the onset. We see God is on to something. "So what exactly are you looking to do?," you may be asking. I wish we could give you a nice glossy pamphlet, but we are learning to take one step at a time and allow development to occur as our partnerships and next steps become clear. As an ENTP (Myers-Briggs Assessment), it would be easy to try to jump ahead and lay out the whole strategic plans and vision, but I'm working hard not to jump ahead of where God has placed us in the moment. Keep checking in on this blog, as we will be sure to keep you posted.

• Another interesting discovery, thanks to encounters with some of the speakers, was of an upcoming NACAC (North American Council of Adoptable Children) conference being held in Toronto, August 8-10th  http://www.nacac.org/conference/NACACregistration.pdf.  What a great opportunity, only happening in Canada every 5 years. One thing leads to next and we find ourselves quickly repacking our bags to head East this week, giving opportunity to meet with up with Evangelical Fellowship Canada, and some others we anticipate connecting face-to-face with at the conference. While email, Skype, teleconferencing, etc is great progress in being able to broaden our circles, we continue to experience the value of meeting face to face and building deeper relational connections. An emoticon : )  doesn't always cut it. We look forward to more new connections to be made across North America and a wealth of informative and cutting edge presentations. Thanks to support from family and friends, whom God is using to supply our needs during this trip, our kids are looked after and our travel and accommodation needs met, just so. We are humbled by the generosity of time, financial resources and hospitality of those who willingly pull this one off in such short notice. You are part of our "God's Clues" story, which we are so grateful for.

So in essence, our "God's Clues" is not over. I only take this moment in my Thinking Chair to reflect on the sizable finger prints of God seen in recent weeks. The game's not done, only begun, although we can predict the challenging but ultimately victorious outcome. I look forward to the victory dance we can all share as a result of seeing more children in loving homes, more churches involved, more legislation in favor of building forever families, and more people understanding the heart of Abba God. We strongly believe brothers and sisters from across Canada will rise up and sing "We just figured out God's heart, We've just figured out God's heart..."

*(Stay tuned, we'll do another blog entry to share some personal family highlights we were able to balance our road trip with.)

Oh Deer!

We hit a bump along the road!

"Nice to meat you, deer." says Harold
Deer: no response

So we literally hit a bump along the road by running over a fresh road kill deer day one of our travels. Fortunately we were not injured and the accident happened 40 kilometers away from our aunt and uncle in Brandon. Who knew being related to angels would come so handy at 2am?!

The van was not drivable, nothing to show on the body as we literally drove right over it, but the van's belly valiently tenderized and seared the venison to rare, very rare at great speed. But we had no appetite for the meat shreds that remained attached to our van. The tow truck driver confirmed that there must be some serious damage as he tried to maneuver the van on and off the flatbed. Steering, brakes, floor panel, and who knows else what, all stopped us on our track in our journey in need for a tow truck and a very gracious aunt and uncle to take us all in. I mean, if you have a home of 2 people, what's another 6 in the middle of the night, right?!

So we sat in our injured rattling and seized up van and waited in the darkness of the night. Out with the glow sticks for the kids, we had a midnight roadside party! :) Turn up the music, make a few joke, but mostly wait and pray in our hearts that God would work all things out for His glory. And he did!

Long story short, God healed our van and we were on the road again the next afternoon! How??

Defying all odds and MPI's lengthy protocol (ok, and perhaps some assertive pro-action), we made our van insurance claim, estimation, and mechanical work done the very next morning within about 4 hours! Our initial advisory was that it could take about 7 days to process, estimation and approval alone, but God had other plans.

Did you know God can heal vehicles, not just humans? The night it was dropped off, the van had difficulty even getting into a parking spot, but next day the mechanic said it was working perfectly. They did a wheel alignment in the process, had several mechanics test it on the road and did various tests and could not find anything other than a dented floor panal (which did not compromise driving or our safety and will be done when we get back to MB). Wow, good to know we have proof that we were in fact in an accident (with the bent floor panal),

 not to mention the hanging meat, tuffs of fur, smell of a butcher shop and blood under the hood - otherwise no one may believe that we got into an accident. We picked up the van and the administrator said she'd never seen something like this and that we must have had many hands laid on this van to be driving off the lot in such timing. So for all you praying ones, we are truly grateful for your prayers as we know this trip is sustained by them.

So after getting the kids new car seats (compulsary by our our insurance coverage) and submitting all our towing and mechanical bills for full coverage, we were on our way, and made it safely to Papa and Mama's (my parents) in Hague Saskatchewan. We are enjoying our visit.

This afternoon Harold and I go into Saskatoon to meet with the ED of the Adoption Support Centre of Saskatchewan.

Tomorrow we "plan" to get to Edmonton to continue our exploration, with the first-hand knowledge that God is in charge of this trip and is our mechanical healer and provider.

.

God Chasing

Our life these days has been kind of random, a lot of this and that (kind of like this blog entry), but in midst of pure circumstantial chaos there has been increasing clarity and purpose to this phase we are in. We are embracing ambiguity, trusting God's timing is perfect and we simply need to take one step at a time. From dry-walling and building bunk beds to teleconferencing and chatting with leaders around the world, from rearranging the whole house set-up in order to accommodate more people to planning our itinerary on our upcoming exploration trip. We have been blessed to have Omoni (Harold's mom) out from Vancouver this past month, as she has been a good source of encouragement and help with cooking and bonding with the kids.

...Speaking of trip, we will be letting my tool belt rest a bit while we devote the rest of this month to God chasing. God chasing?! you may ask. Well for us, we have been discovering pockets of activity in Western Canada where people are activating the Church in the adoption and foster care through advocacy, education, and practical support. We have already been connecting with them and will be meeting with them on our trek to get a deeper sense of what God is already doing in Canada and how we are to collaborate with the things God's put on our hearts. Along the way we will also have the opportunity to meet up with family and friends in SK, AB, and BC. Not to worry, we are not taking a U-haul. We will be back, and are not looking to relocate. Much work is needed in our province of Manitoba. Please pray for us while we go on this God chasing exploration trip, for safety and increasing clarity as we meet with others in this field.

You know Kehlen and Mikhala are getting into this whole adoption thing, when they start emulating what we do. The have been pitching in to "help" with the renovations and yesterday they called their own kids meeting to discuss raising funds for adopting their brother and sister. It was cute to observe. Mikhala had a crayon and paper and was "taking notes", Kehlen lead the meeting with a kids devotional and then proceeded to talk to his sister about planning "an expensive" garage sale to raise more than $100. Meanwhile they had their dolls and stuffed animals in a separate room and insisted that their big sister Isinino babysit them during the meeting. Never too young to be part of a movement!

Good news! We finally heard back from CFS and are scheduled to start our homestudy August 21. This is a critical, and long awaited, step in the process of adopting. It will also shed more light into how our adoption journey will take shape. We discovered in April that DRC (Congo) is not a possibility any more, as political winds change as rapid as our Manitoba weather, so we roll with it and are certain God's desire to increase our family through adoption will not be thwarted. We now have another possibility brewing, and the boundaries of our hearts have been broadened. More on this later...

We have enjoyed the addition of Isinino into our family. She is adjusting well, and finally unpacked all her belongings. In fact, she is the only one with a room that is set up fully, as the rest of us are being rearranged into different rooms too. She is working part-time with Youth Peacebuilders, helping in fine arts which communicates with kids her life story and adjustments as a refugee teenager to Canada. Isinino is a very gifted writer, and one of her poems will be presented at Winnipeg's Fringe Festival in a couple of weeks. We are so proud of her! It is a poem she wrote for an English assignment about her connection with me as her Canadian mom. Very special. She is looking forward to going on our trip, as this is her first time out West.

We welcome you to journey with us in the weeks to come as we update you on some of our discoveries.

It's a Girl!

The Park family welcomes Isinino into our home! (Ee-see-nee-no) I won't go on telling you her length and weight and what time she was born, because she would say "Mom, that's embarrassing!" Lol, teenagers.

So many have been asking about this anticipated arrival, and yesterday marked the day we moved our newest member of the family into our home. Although we have known her for several years since coming to Canada and she has become our daughter/big sister quite naturally already, it was right that she would call this officially home. Isinino has just finished exams this week and is looking forward to her final year of high school next year. 

Some say you need documents to validate parent/children ties. We say we are family because God brought us together. Adopted? Fostered? I'm not sure a label is necessary. Besides, would my son go on referring himself as my C-sectioned child? Nope, we are simply family and Kehlen and Mikhala are so thrilled to FINALLY have her move in permanently. She still has her biological family, some in Canada, some in her birth country, which we openly maintain contact with. But for now, God knew she needed us and God knew we had a special place in our hearts for her, so let the good times roll: times of laughter, nurture, building for future, and lots and lots of hope.

We've already enjoyed sharing many memories and we look forward to further discovering all that God has in store for this wonderful jewel. Tonight Harold is being treated to a belated Father's Day celebration, and they are going on a bike ride to get ice cream.

 (At Isinino's high school track meet)

(At Kehlen's Korean School Family Sports Day - missing, Kehlen the athlete :)

Preparing for a New Arrival

This post was intended to be submitted on the 17th, but I was whisked away with family for a much cherished family getaway. We spend a few days in Pinawa, enjoying nature, games, and good food. This was a multi-celebration: our 8th anniversary, the new transition of jobs, Halmoni (Grandma) visiting from Vancouver, and of course celebrating the best Daddy in 'da house!

But Wednesday morning is different... Ahhh, smell the scents of drywall, lumber, and good ol' human sweat. Ok, maybe don't smell, but you get the point. We are in a crunch to complete the remainder of our basement project because word is out that we are anticipating the arrival of a new family member into our home by the end of this week! Talk about friendly chaos, playing fruit basket upset with our bedrooms, family members, and visiting Omoni (Mom Park). It's a team effort and unique memories are being created as drywall competes for space with Lego and diapers.

Today is laundry day, as in working on our laundry room, and as in making our clothes dirty so we have something to launder when I hook up our machines next week. Yay! We've had a wonderful relationship with our next door laundromat (and owner) for the past 2+ years, but it's time this mama gets set up proper for some serious laundry business as our family increases over the next years. We are also working on creating another bathroom downstairs, yay, no more 'gotta go' dances for the kids.

I'm no Micah Holmes and Harold is no Arthur Stewart, but doing renos become so much more doable when you crunch the numbers. It's slow going, but so worth it, and actually looking pretty awesome for rookies.

And it will be worth it! 

Ok, now back to work :)

Season Finale June 16th - and the start of a new Park-King series!

We call this time in our life a "Season Finale" but also the start of a new upcoming "Park-King Series." Coming soon to a Theatre (I mean, Church community) near you. 

Over the past year, God has given us a heart for mobilizing and equipping Canadian church communities and their families to thrive in caring for vulnerable children through adoption and foster care. Through God’s guidance, and while we are in process of adopting children into our family as well, we are taking the next steps in research and development to pursue what our hearts have been awakened to. 

While we are still discovering what exactly this all entails, we do know it will involve taking part in a movement across Canada, with vulnerable children, families, churches, organizations, and government. We do know that God has been at work within us every step of the way, so to this end, we are just simply taking another step of faith. The "Producer" has been good to us, giving us just enough info, the right people and resources for now, and we are accepting the new roles.

As such, Harold has resigned from his role as Pastor, effective June 16. It was not an easy decision, although it was an obvious one for us that we both knew was right. We will miss our home church of 8.5 years, which has been a huge blessing to us all. We will still be living in Winnipeg, but are making intentional steps in clearing our slate for this next season. Can't do both. So to all our Southlanders out there, we love you and will be cheering for you as you run the race marked out for you.

It was 8 years ago that we (Harold and Wendi) covenanted before God in marriage, with a wedding text found in Joshua 24:15 “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Service is a word of action, implying the fulfilling of someone else’s will. As our family seeks to serve God, we have been brought to the realization that God is calling us on from Southlands Community Church to a new ministry. 

We'll keep you posted for each new episode, officially starting June 17th. 

For those of you who like the spoilers, read below... The rest of you, check in with us next week for more :) 

Episode 1: Preparing for a new arrival (June 17)

Episode 2: It's a _______! (OK, can't spoil this one totally, check in June 24)

Episode 3: Exploring Orphan Care in Canada's Wild Wild West (July)

Thank you to all for taking interest in this blog and investing in us through encouragement and prayer. We'd love to hear from you, let us know how we can do the same for you.  

(Here is our self-made fashionista Mikhala taking her Mommy for a walk.)

 

What goes on in Nashville does NOT stay in Nashville...

Alas, my fingers have been given the task of translating our many thoughts and events that have transpired over this past month. For those that prefer a quick summary (I understand), it goes as follows:

"God is good and up to something good, all the time! and we specifically experienced this these past weeks. Thanks for checking in."

_____________________________________________________________________________
Now, for the rest of you (you know who you are :), you've been asking for the juice - details, plans, thoughts, what makes us tick, etc. And its a good thing you ask, because what God has put on our hearts may just splash onto yours in a contagious sort of way. (Disclaimer: Don't say I didn't warn you. Oh, it may not be love at first sight, but it may grow on you like it did ours.)

There is too much to share for one blog entry, so may this be the appetizer for the main course and dessert to come. Like any gourmet meal, its better if you are the one eating it than reading about it, but don't let that stop you from salavating and joining in in some way. There is always room for more.

After dropping off the kiddos at Aunty Buttaboo's (the affectionate name given for my sister Doralin), Harold and I made our 21 hour trek down to Nashville, Tennessee to attend a week of Global Leadership Forum and Summit 9, put on by CAFO (Christian Alliance for Orphans). I'll have to tell you sometime of our funny accommodations story! But that is for another blog entry, lol. To be honest, we were not exactly sure what to expect in Nashville, we just both knew deep down this is where we needed to be. Aside from the promising selection of sessions and guest speakers listed, for all we knew we were entering into some kind of event I could only imagine being like a homeschooling convention with idealist Christianese extremists that collected kids (we didn't know! and don't be offended homeschoolers - your conventions are probably better than what flashes through my mind. I digress.). What awaited us in Nashville was anything but wierd. The words inspiring, redemptive, Spirit lead, transparency and humility come to mind.

First off, CAFO did an extremely good job in facilitating a fantastic and organized event. The first two days were spent with about 70 ordinary, friendly, humble but powerful God-seeking leaders from 25 different countries. The following days were spend with over 2,500 people at the Summit event. We came in as the two Canadians, but left as a brother and sister of a larger global family whom we continue to be in communication with.


(Members of the Global Leadership Forum)

Do you remember us telling you in our first blog entry about God speaking to us in Korea while attending an Orphan Sunday church service? Well, who knew that the Zambian pastor Billy sitting next to us started Orphan Sunday as his local response to God wanting him to mobilize his church. Like fire starting from an ember, it then spread throughout other African countries and around the world. It took us going to Korea for us to catch that Zambian flame and bring it back to Canada with us. The world is so small. And who knew that what God had previously been impressing on our hearts, like the word "movement" which had no context for our Canadian experience, would be the main topic of our Global Leadership forum. We did not even know what God exactly meant by that, as it was not talked about in our circles regarding caring for vulnerable children, yet here we were being instructed very practically on our next steps, like they were eavesdropping in our conversations with God. We were inspired by stories of our new friends around the tables who are already involved in this powerful movement in other unassuming places around the world. It became quite evident that this "movement" went beyond the care of orphans in crisis (which remains our unifying mandate) but it has become the revival of the worldwide Church in seeking the heart of Abba Father.

                                                     (Pastor Billy from Zambia)

Huh? Does this orphan care movement still sound foreign to you? Well, if you are reading it from a Canadian context like ours, it did to us as well even heading into Nashville. We did not know that what God had specifically put on our hearts was something that God already has been sweeping across nations in a powerful way in recent years. Canada, with the exceptions of pockets here and there, has yet to jump on board. This is not to say that its not gaining momentum, as we are discovering others across Canada who God is touching regarding this as well.

But caring for orphans is not a new phenomenon for the Christian church. It is an age-old mandate, an ancient practice seen throughout history. So why all this talk about movement? Is it a fad? The old mandate reinvented as a tactic to guilt believers into a cause? Is it an over-inflated heroic patronizing attempt of the Church to rescue the little orphaned damsels and princes in distress? Those are good questions. I wouldn't have written them if I did not also ask them myself. Yet in my quest for answers, in Scripture, in prayer, in my interactions with leaders around the world, in seeking to be informed and educated in the global orphan crisis, I cannot deny that God is awakening a sleepy consumer Church into outward action. This doesn't mean the Church has all the answer to the orphan crisis, but it's beautiful to see the global church on their knees seeking God for the answers and working together as a body and reaching out to governments, families, orphans, and organizations to humbly navigate the crisis together. Sounds like salt and light to me.

It seems to me, in my own Canadian experience of being church, we have conformed to the culture around us and allocated the crisis of vulnerable children for the government to deal with. I love how I can walk into any hospital and get care without a dime in my pocket, but do I love it so much that I forget to dress the wounds of my neighbour? Go to the hospital, I say, rather than give of my own bandaids or in critical situations, take them to the doctor and be with them. A foster care situation gone from bad to worse in a homicide? We may wag our fingers and say bad government. An adoption failed and child returned to the system? We may point our fingers to the family and say poor parenting or bad kid. A mother has her children apprehended? We may judge her for her addictions or boyfriend's control. Millions of children across the globe without parents? We may soothe our sorrow by flipping the channel, debating politics, pointing out our version of the root problem. But have any of these situations gripped the Canadian church into action? Not in the short-term photo-opp mission project sort of way, but in a way that sees that struggling parent as our neighbour, the global statistics of unparented children as our future children, the governments foster care crisis as an invitation for the church to get involved in raising the next generation with love, etc. All this to say, this global movement already in momentum, is not an invitation to indulge in guilt numbing projects or causes, but to taste and see that the Lord is good. He is doing great redemptive things through ordinary people who are awakened to the heart of God.

Before thinking of an orphan care movement as the newest Church's rescue operation, perhaps we must humbly recognize that we are the ones needing God's rescue from ourselves. From what I am observing in a global context, it seems like God is allowing the orphans also to minister to the churches; giving us opportunity to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Eph.3).

More to come, I promise: Including some more major adjustments in the Park family.

Nashville here we come!

Must I start off this blog entry with its standard apologies for not posting more often, or can we skip this formality and get on with the good stuff?! lol. This is the way she rolls folks. Thanks to all our loyals who kindly remind me to keep on writing. To me blogging is like getting to that nice hot cup of coffee sanctuary of  quiet solitude, a rare privilege. My coffee times usually consists of warm gulps of it for caffeine purposes only as I juggle the demands of my two little monkeys and my beloved chimp. Alas I am back :)

So we are off to Nashville at the end of this month! God seems to be opening the door for Harold and I to attend Summit 9 put on by Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO). http://www.summit9.org

In our research for Harold's thesis, we have received a lot of favorable feedback from authors and leaders in the field of orphan care who have encouraged us to also participate with the 3000 predominantly American participants who will be attending the Summit. The sessions look absolutely fantastic, a feast of information and networking possibilities.

Since registering for the event we were also invited with a scholarship to participate in a two-day pre-summit Global Leadership Forum with other leaders from around the world to learn and discuss how to mobilize orphan care in our countries. Canadian churches have a long way to go in this area (likely 10 years behind our neighbours to the south) so we go with open hearts and minds to see where all these open doors lead.

This opportunity is only possible thanks to my sister and brother-in-law's generous willingness to care for our two kritters for the week, something we are extremely thankful for. Oh, and get this... I convinced Harold it would be a fabulous adventure if we took out all the back seats in our mini-mobile and camped out for the 20hr journey and stay there. He said yes. Not bad for a city-boy!

For those of you of the mountain-moving-hard-core praying type, we value and appreciate your prayers as we bushwack through this journey that God leads us into.

God-Jam Style

We've all seen the music video of the Korean guy horsey-dancing and passionately singing his song "Gangnam Style." Harold and Kehlen do a pretty good impersonation, although they are much better looking I must admit. It's not every day that a Korean song becomes an all-time hit, which makes our kimchi-loving family stands taller when that song comes on. I'm wondering when "Menno Style" will hit the charts?! "Hey, saxy tonte..." But I digress. Oba!

Something new hit the charts in the Park home these past two weeks of me being home, and I must say it has become a hit. On our daily schedule, one favorite activity is posted "Worship Jam." I grab my guitar; Kehlen and Mikhala haul out their bin of instruments and we go nuts singing and dancing different songs for our Creator. "I think God must be pretty happy about that one!" Kehlen exclaims, out of breath, after an adrenaline pumping dance and clatter to the song 'Hallelujah'. "Let's do it again!"  

Mikhala, who is relegated to bells, continues in her off-beat percussion while Kehlen attempts (and I do say attempts) some kung-fu-hip-hop-break-dancing assortment.

Oh boy, and now for Twinkle Star... this time Mikhala belts out a heart-felt rendition of her favorite song, which we quickly deemed as worship because God made stars too. ABC's was a stretch, but we figured God uses letters to speak to us through the Bible.

In the end, does it matter?  God simply smiles at anything that reflects his goodness, which is all around us if we look for it. A joyful noise is beautiful in the ears of the beholder. He is our audience of One.

Oh, and just to keep it real... a whining or fighting noise is not so beautiful in the ears of their mother! This is also my reality at times. But in light of eternity, this season of life is my unique "Worship Jam" as a parent in preparation of the full concert in Heaven. Bring it on!

Baby Steps, Leaps of Faith

I know, I know... a true blogger must be one with writing frequent posts. Baby steps, sorry, I'll get there  :)

Actually, since my last post I have been taking huge leaps - leaps of faith, leaps of transition, leaps of new opportunities.

After a three week train vacation to BC to be with family in January (which was awesome!), I quickly immersed right back into a full 2 final weeks of work full of succession planning, a graduation for one of our programs, presenting at a two day seminar, cleaning up my office, meetings, emails, and tying up a few loose ends.

I realize that after 7 years in an ever evolving position, a job is never done, always on a continuum. What's done is done, what is not done has yet to be realized by those taking on this leadership. One might think that giving up "my baby" from palliative care to thriving future would be hard, but I couldn't be more at peace if I tried. God lead me into the mess, lead me through the trenches, lead me through to enjoy great progress. In it all, God has proven his faithfulness and continues to prove it as I move on. He continues to use the people in place there now, but I know my role there in leadership is done. Now my leap of faith to voluntary unemployment, or should I say, free labour, has just begun.

Well, today I don't do the morning-family-scramble-out-the-door routine, I don't have a meeting, nor do I answer the phone "Good Morning, Salvation Army, Wendi speaking..."

Ahhhh, these days, I let the kids sleep in while I soak in some morning devotions, I play with my kids, we make a new schedule for the day that entails outdoor play in the snow, making lunch together, make play dough creations, and imagine, I even do a few basic chores around the house before midnight (which used to be prime time to catch up with household stuff). I'm really getting into this new shtick  But just in case any uber-moms are getting excited that "I've crossed over", I haven't totally converted. Perhaps baby steps to uber-mom-ness? or perhaps I will just dance to the beat of my own drum? While I have embraced my era of driving a mini-van and going to family garage sales to find deals on kids stuff, I am now feeling the itch to get back into doing house renovations and have a few big things up my sleeve in regards to how I am hoping to participate in Harold's research project. I have now started taking Zumba Fitness, which is a lot of fun; am attending a family fitness program with my kids, and Kehlen and I will be starting Korean School / Taekwondo together this Saturday. My aim isn't to become super busy, but be active, live purposefully and embrace this short season of time that I have.

So regarding adoption... The anticipation is growing with time, and so far everything is lining up to move forward. No hitches.... yet :) We prepared a huge stack of documents through December and had it mailed in to our social worker the day we left for BC in early January. Wow, after working through the lengthy obligatory biography exercise (23 pages single spaced size 10 font later!) I feel I know my self better than ever before, lol. Actually, why didn't the government require me to do this when I was expecting our first biological child?! It would have done me good. Once all our references are in, we are next in line to have our home study, likely in a month's time. We know there are sibling groups available for adoption, but are awaiting the process of completing our dossier to get to the referral stage. Meanwhile we are making contact with referring agencies who work in that country to decide on the agency best fit. And we continue to pray for God's provision. On human terms, the process and associated costs could seem daunting, although God would never have put this on our hearts if he did not also have a plan to provide. God is good.