Please rejoice with us this month:
We’re Having A…GIRL! That’s right! After much anticipation, we found out at our doctor’s appointment in Beijing on April 13 that we are having a precious little girl! We are very excited, and we are continually grateful for the opportunity the Father has given us to nurture and care for this growing little one. Now 24 weeks along, Kristen and Little Miss McCurdy are doing great. Now the name game begins….we’ll keep you posted!
Kristen’s Trip to America—Thank you for your pry’rs concerning Kristen’s trip to America. Our Father is faithful!! Kristen (and Little Miss McCurdy) had an extra seat on both 13-hour legs (going and coming), so this made for a little extra comfort! On top of that, she had no jet lag, and her first night in America the baby decided to start kicking! Most of all, your pryr’s were felt in the situation of Kristen’s grandmother Rose. The morning after Kristen landed in Dallas, she received a call that her grandmother had passed away. Although Kristen wasn’t able to see her, one of our main pry’rs was that she would be able to attend the funeral if things progressed as the doctors anticipated that they would. Our Father truly does do exceedingly more than we could ask or imagine. Kristen was able to attend the wedding in Mississippi she was a part of and the funeral was held in Louisiana only two days later. She had a wonderful opportunity to celebrate her grandmother’s life with her whole family and give thanks for the precious and lasting legacy she left (our daughter’s middle name will actually be Rose). We give thanks to the Father for his perfect timing in taking her to heaven, the place that she has lived and longed for! Thank you again for pry’ing!
Please remember us this coming month:
Easter—The Chinese translate Easter literally as “Live Again Day.” So with that said, we had a wonderful “Live Again Day!” We attended an English Corner at a local university (same one we had the Christmas party at) on Easter evening. [Reminder: An English Corner is a gathering of Chinese people who want to practice their English and exchange ideas about culture, traditions, etc. with native English speakers like us!] We had the opportunity to share very openly about Easter—what it means to us, traditions that go with it, etc. There were over 100 students in attendance, and after dividing into groups, we each had about 15 college students eager to ask questions and know more about this “American” holiday! What an incredible time of sharing! One person wanted to know why “Good Friday” was not called “Bad Friday,” considering that J had suffered and died on that day. What a great opportunity to explain how His suffering was for our good….and that, out of His great love for us, He specifically planned it that way. Please ask that the students present at this English Corner (and specifically in our groups) would grasp just how precious this sacrifice was and what an amazing relationship is available because of it. May they experience their own “Live Again Day,” as their beautifully translated version of this holiday expresses.
“Little” Rose— Many of you may remember Rose, the precious four-year-old Chinese girl who came to live with us for three weeks this past winter while her new foster family (another couple on our team) was in America. The Wickershams are currently in the process of pursuing her permanent/official adoption into their family. This would be an absolutely wonderful thing, for both Rose and our friends, the Wickershams! Please ask that the Father would begin to clear all obstacles that stand in the way of this adoption going smoothly. Some obstacles could possibly include changes in adoption laws, finances, and important decision makers.
Building Relationships—
Belinda (our Chinese teacher): Although our Chinese classes are coming to an end, we are confident that the Father’s work in Belinda’s life is just beginning! Dave recently had a conversation with Belinda about our decision of whether or not to return to America. Before Dave had the chance to explain the process of pry’r we went through, Belinda said “you needed to ask Shang Di (the word used in Chinese for our Father; literally translated “High King”) what He wanted”…….Exactly! Please ask that Belinda would see her need to ask Shang Di what He wants, and that she would see that He simply wants her.
Lulita and Atom: This is a newlywed couple that we have mentioned before who live just two floors above us. We invited them to dinner around Easter time to catch up and also try to serve as an encouragement to them in their marriage. However, before we even left for dinner, the Father gave us a neat opportunity to share with Lulita (her husband hadn’t arrived yet) about Easter. She has just recently changed jobs and is working for an American company now. In a few e-mail exchanges she saw just before Easter, she noticed that people were talking about having “Good Friday” off from work. She asked Kristen what Good Friday was. This was, again, a wonderful opportunity to share the Good News of Good Friday. Please ask that Lulita and Atom would grow in love for each other and in their hunger for our Father’s love.
Just for Fun!
When we went to Beijing for our doctor’s appointment this past month, we decided (after hearing about this idea from another couple) that it would be fun to hold off on actually having the nurse tell us what the gender of the baby was, and instead, we asked her to write it down on a piece of paper so that we could take it with us that evening and open it over a nice dinner together. Both the nurse and the ultrasound technician were Chinese, but the lady we made this request of had really good English. Obviously, this was a fairly unusual request, but she was very excited to take part in our fun! Only seconds after the ultrasound began, she was scribbling something on the piece of paper Kristen gave to her. She then got an “official” hospital envelope, put the paper in it, and sealed it! She proudly handed it to us, and we took a picture (see attached)! When we got to the restaurant that evening and finally opened up the envelope (admittedly, it was a little hard to wait!), we were just expecting to see one word “Boy” or “Girl.” However, the nurse must have been so excited at her part in this event, that she took a little extra time to write a note of congratulations. Here is what it said—verbatim—“Hi! You are going to have a baby girl! Congratulation! Enjoy your time!” No doubt, that sweet little note is going in Little Miss McCurdy’s baby book. J
As always, please let us know if there is anything we can be lifting up on your behalf, and we look forward to updating you again next month. Stay tuned in next month’s McMemo for details about our open house events this summer. We would love to connect with you, personally thank you, and share about our experiences over the last two years!
In His Love,
Dave and Kristen
Ps. 63:1-5
We’re Having A…GIRL! That’s right! After much anticipation, we found out at our doctor’s appointment in Beijing on April 13 that we are having a precious little girl! We are very excited, and we are continually grateful for the opportunity the Father has given us to nurture and care for this growing little one. Now 24 weeks along, Kristen and Little Miss McCurdy are doing great. Now the name game begins….we’ll keep you posted!
Kristen’s Trip to America—Thank you for your pry’rs concerning Kristen’s trip to America. Our Father is faithful!! Kristen (and Little Miss McCurdy) had an extra seat on both 13-hour legs (going and coming), so this made for a little extra comfort! On top of that, she had no jet lag, and her first night in America the baby decided to start kicking! Most of all, your pryr’s were felt in the situation of Kristen’s grandmother Rose. The morning after Kristen landed in Dallas, she received a call that her grandmother had passed away. Although Kristen wasn’t able to see her, one of our main pry’rs was that she would be able to attend the funeral if things progressed as the doctors anticipated that they would. Our Father truly does do exceedingly more than we could ask or imagine. Kristen was able to attend the wedding in Mississippi she was a part of and the funeral was held in Louisiana only two days later. She had a wonderful opportunity to celebrate her grandmother’s life with her whole family and give thanks for the precious and lasting legacy she left (our daughter’s middle name will actually be Rose). We give thanks to the Father for his perfect timing in taking her to heaven, the place that she has lived and longed for! Thank you again for pry’ing!
Please remember us this coming month:
Easter—The Chinese translate Easter literally as “Live Again Day.” So with that said, we had a wonderful “Live Again Day!” We attended an English Corner at a local university (same one we had the Christmas party at) on Easter evening. [Reminder: An English Corner is a gathering of Chinese people who want to practice their English and exchange ideas about culture, traditions, etc. with native English speakers like us!] We had the opportunity to share very openly about Easter—what it means to us, traditions that go with it, etc. There were over 100 students in attendance, and after dividing into groups, we each had about 15 college students eager to ask questions and know more about this “American” holiday! What an incredible time of sharing! One person wanted to know why “Good Friday” was not called “Bad Friday,” considering that J had suffered and died on that day. What a great opportunity to explain how His suffering was for our good….and that, out of His great love for us, He specifically planned it that way. Please ask that the students present at this English Corner (and specifically in our groups) would grasp just how precious this sacrifice was and what an amazing relationship is available because of it. May they experience their own “Live Again Day,” as their beautifully translated version of this holiday expresses.
“Little” Rose— Many of you may remember Rose, the precious four-year-old Chinese girl who came to live with us for three weeks this past winter while her new foster family (another couple on our team) was in America. The Wickershams are currently in the process of pursuing her permanent/official adoption into their family. This would be an absolutely wonderful thing, for both Rose and our friends, the Wickershams! Please ask that the Father would begin to clear all obstacles that stand in the way of this adoption going smoothly. Some obstacles could possibly include changes in adoption laws, finances, and important decision makers.
Building Relationships—
Belinda (our Chinese teacher): Although our Chinese classes are coming to an end, we are confident that the Father’s work in Belinda’s life is just beginning! Dave recently had a conversation with Belinda about our decision of whether or not to return to America. Before Dave had the chance to explain the process of pry’r we went through, Belinda said “you needed to ask Shang Di (the word used in Chinese for our Father; literally translated “High King”) what He wanted”…….Exactly! Please ask that Belinda would see her need to ask Shang Di what He wants, and that she would see that He simply wants her.
Lulita and Atom: This is a newlywed couple that we have mentioned before who live just two floors above us. We invited them to dinner around Easter time to catch up and also try to serve as an encouragement to them in their marriage. However, before we even left for dinner, the Father gave us a neat opportunity to share with Lulita (her husband hadn’t arrived yet) about Easter. She has just recently changed jobs and is working for an American company now. In a few e-mail exchanges she saw just before Easter, she noticed that people were talking about having “Good Friday” off from work. She asked Kristen what Good Friday was. This was, again, a wonderful opportunity to share the Good News of Good Friday. Please ask that Lulita and Atom would grow in love for each other and in their hunger for our Father’s love.
Just for Fun!
When we went to Beijing for our doctor’s appointment this past month, we decided (after hearing about this idea from another couple) that it would be fun to hold off on actually having the nurse tell us what the gender of the baby was, and instead, we asked her to write it down on a piece of paper so that we could take it with us that evening and open it over a nice dinner together. Both the nurse and the ultrasound technician were Chinese, but the lady we made this request of had really good English. Obviously, this was a fairly unusual request, but she was very excited to take part in our fun! Only seconds after the ultrasound began, she was scribbling something on the piece of paper Kristen gave to her. She then got an “official” hospital envelope, put the paper in it, and sealed it! She proudly handed it to us, and we took a picture (see attached)! When we got to the restaurant that evening and finally opened up the envelope (admittedly, it was a little hard to wait!), we were just expecting to see one word “Boy” or “Girl.” However, the nurse must have been so excited at her part in this event, that she took a little extra time to write a note of congratulations. Here is what it said—verbatim—“Hi! You are going to have a baby girl! Congratulation! Enjoy your time!” No doubt, that sweet little note is going in Little Miss McCurdy’s baby book. J
As always, please let us know if there is anything we can be lifting up on your behalf, and we look forward to updating you again next month. Stay tuned in next month’s McMemo for details about our open house events this summer. We would love to connect with you, personally thank you, and share about our experiences over the last two years!
In His Love,
Dave and Kristen
Ps. 63:1-5
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