24 Hours and Counting

This time tomorrow night we will be on an airplane headed to Beijing. Unbelievable. Honestly, I am still really in shock :) But I will have 14 hours to shake out of my shock!

I quickly started this blog so that the team will be able to keep in touch with you, our dear family and friends while we are in China for more than 3 weeks. We will not be able to post anything personally as China and Google aren't friends. But I am still hoping that we will be able to send emails, Skype and download pictures to my dad so he can share updates with you all here.

Feel free to be the first "Follower" by clicking on the gadget on the sidebar to your right! And LEAVE COMMENTS. My dad or Meredith will copy them and send them to us if that is possible while we are in Yantai and Xi'an. I know that we would all appreciate "hearing" from you!

Thanks so much for partnering with Team China, Bring Me Hope and Jesus on this journey. We are all so thrilled to be going!

A Friend who "Gets It"

Even though she is not "going" with us, our dear friend  IS going with us. Read this. Bless me! Oh, how sweet this heart is:

"Okay, I know that this is a strange request, but... Could you pick an orphan for me? I WISH you could bring one home for me, but in lieu of breaking international laws, just pick one for me to pray for. Try to get as much info as you can get (actually, name, age and sex would be fine). I would like to commit to pray for an orphan for a year. "

I can't wait for God to show me just the "right" little child for my friend. Maybe someday she will meet him or her in Heaven because of her prayers?

Encourage One Another and Build Each Other Up

Another "note" from a sender!

Here’s what I couldn’t say yesterday and still can’t “say” (speak out loud), therefore I am writing!

Our donation to your trip is more than just giving you money to go to the mission field. Our gift is more than money towards sending hands, feet, smiles and love to orphans.

How much can we give to help Reilly see and be part of her little girl dream? How much can we give to have her whole support system and family along with her as she gets a glimpse of that dream?

I fell in love with B* in China. B* spent nearly 24 months there over a 36 month period. China is a dear place for us. How much can we give for Kelly to see Bob in a whole new light? Kelly will see Bob so very differently in and after China! How much can we give for Bob to see Kelly and serve along side of his wife in China? Bob will also see Kelly in a whole new way after this trip! How much can we give to continue to solidify a marriage of two people we dearly love?

How much can we give to have Vickey go with her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren? To have her faith grow immensely! To have her focus on things outside of herself, rather than continue the inward battle of her grief.

Our desire has been for you to join us at (family camp). That desire comes from a deep desire for you all to have a vacation, as a family, with spiritual significance plus joy and excitement. So, it’s not Mt. Hermon, but you will be getting all of that and more in China…we just won’t be with you! That is the only selfishly sad part for us – so bring back stories and pictures!

Lastly, back to Bring Them Hope! How much can we give so an entire family can go bless a Chinese Orphanage? Peter may be the biggest blessing of all. He will be able to play and not judge and probably see those children as Jesus does. Each of you has a different personality and gifts. You will see that difference in China and God will use all of those differences for His Kingdom! We know there is a plan for EACH one of you going. We give cheerfully and thank you for receiving joyfully! All glory goes to Jesus!

Barnabas Words

One of the coolest parts of allowing God to work in your life, in your heart, is the front row seat you get to faith-deepening stuff. One of my favorite parts about the last month has been witnessing the Lord work and provide. "If it's God's will, it's His bill." Jehovah Jireh has been providing in miraculous ways to get our big family over to China to be His hands and feet and hugs to these children that are not forgotten by Him.

It all started with a family who loves China, loves families, and LOVES Jesus. We are so thrilled to be getting to hang out with the Bolt family for the next couple of weeks. Really, it all started with them. Okay, I know it REALLY started with Him.  But wouldn't be going without the Bolt's support at great personal sacrifice. Amazing.

But a lot of others have supported us in magnificent ways too. I loved that we received dozens of checks, cash and coins. But even more than the money (I DO appreciate the money :) I am blessed by the notes that come along with them. From now on, I will always send a note along with my gift and prayers. Just another "perspective changer" that I got free of charge.

My dear friend whom I have not seen in awhile, took the time to hand write a lovely note of encouragement and included the lyrics of a Leeland song that made her think of our family. 

I am going to share a portion of my friend's note and a few others that blessed our family these last weeks. My husbands best buddy said that his family didn't give us money, or pray for us,  or write notes of encouragement to earn our thanks. He awaits His Father's pleasure and reward. While I appreciate and admire his correct attitude, I still like to acknowledge how happy these kind words minister to us as we head out.

"Follow You into the homes of the broken

Follow You into the world

Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God

Follow You into the world

Use my hands use my feet

To make Your kingdom come"

From the Teen Point of View

A Prayer Letter from Bethany & Kristen:

If you had asked us (Bethany and Kristen) about two weeks ago what we were planning on doing this summer, our list probably would have included: going to the beach, sleeping in, summer camp, and just plain relaxing after a tough year of school. Never in a million years would we have even guessed what God had in store for us!

About two weeks ago, we found out that our good friends will have the amazing opportunity to work at summer camps in China with orphans this July…and they wanted us to go with them! Our first reaction was: that sounds nice, but it’s never really going to happen. Well, God had different plans, and here we are, less than a month away from a trip, across the world, to China. The past couple weeks, needless to say, has been a blur of activity, applying for passports, filling out forms, and just figuring out what we are actually getting ourselves into (plus a lot of prayer)!

If all works out according to plan, we will be heading off to China to work with orphans for about three weeks with an organization called Bring Me Hope. This organization puts on week-long summer camps for unwanted orphans who have never been loved before. Each week, we will both be assigned to one or two orphans and a translator. During each week of camp, we will be able to form relationships with both our “assigned” orphans and the translators as we will spend the whole entire week together as a “family unit.” This job will be exhausting! However, we are super excited that we will be able to give these lost, hurting, and love-hungry kids the opportunity to experience many things for the first time, things that we take for granted here in America, like: swimming in a pool, doing crafts, and just being loved.

We begin our journey of a lifetime, on July 1st, heading towards the coast of China and a city called Yantai. After two weeks of utter exhaustion, we move on to another camp facility in Xi’an. Being in two different camp locations will allow us to experience two different parts of China.

We are so excited that God has called us to serve Him in China, but we’re sure that there will be some challenges along the way, and we will definitely need your prayer! This trip will not be your average summer camp! The work will be hard and adjusting to the culture will not be easy. It has been a little frightening to hear the stories about how different the culture is in China! Watching a documentary about Bring Me Hope, we were surprised to learn that dog is one of the many unusual (i.e. disgusting) dishes that is served in China. We have made it clear that it is not on our agenda to eat anything that contains dog (not even “puperoni pizza!”)

Needless to say, we are going to need a lot, I mean, a LOT of prayer! Please pray that God will prepare the hearts of both the orphans and the translators to receive the love of Christ and also that we would be open to any new challenges that God has for us this summer (there will be many). Please pray that these unwanted kids will be able to see glimpses of Christ in us.

Thank you so much for your prayers as we make our journey across the world to help “orphans…in their distress” (James 1:27).

Amazing young women who were willing to say YES!

One of my favorite people in all the world surrounded by her beautiful daughters!

Kristen, Meredith & Bethany

The girls getting ready for their LOOOONG flight to China.

 

Prayer & Praise

We just returned from a lovely evening of prayer and praise with some of our dear friends. Bethany and Kristen led us in worship. "Everyone needs compassion, the kindness of a Savior. My God is MIGHTY to save!" So sweet to hear all our voices raised in praise!

Even though the Red Velvet cake and snickerdoodles were yummy, the fellowship and the precious prayers were so much sweeter! We were so engrossed in our time of worship that I forgot to take photos to memorialize the wonderful evening. More than 45 friends surrounded us with their love and intercession--seeking the Lord and His favor on our behalf. I was so moved. So thrilled. So excited to be going. It seems so real now that we have shared the burden in prayer and know that so many of you terrific folks are shouldering it with us in prayer. Now and in the weeks to come.

We prayed for Love to overflow from every pore of every person going to serve. We prayed that each child God brings will feel that Love. We prayed to bring them Hope. We prayed for boldness. And passion. And strength. Patience and gentleness. In short, we asked that Jesus would make us His instruments, formed into His image, for His glory. It was a beautiful evening. I now feel like I am truly "ready" to GO!

And hearing all the children pray! WHEW! Moved me to tears.

It feels silly to try and capture that supernatural movement of the Spirit of the Lord. So I will just say thanks to those who came and those who stayed and prayed. We felt every prayer.

Here Am I. Send Me.

This post was originally posted on May 30 on our family blog. It is a good starting point if you are here and you have no idea what "Team China" is! :)

A recent letter that was emailed to our close friends asking them to support us this summer as we venture out in a wild journey of faith:

“How are we going to explain THIS without all our friends thinking we are nuts?”

These were Bob’s exact words as we were brainstorming ways to let you all know about the AMAZING opportunity that God has plopped into our laps!

You are our close friends so you know how the Fitzpatrick’s operate. You are accustomed to our “spontaneity”!

Here goes: In July, our family is going to serve at weekly summer camps for orphan children with Bring Me Hope ministry!

Oh, and these camps are in China. :)

The first camp begins on July 5th and all SEVEN Fitzpatricks plan on being on the coast of China in Yantai to work as volunteers at BMH summer camps for orphans.

Our sole job description is to love orphans.

When it comes down to it, Jesus defines religion really simply: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27

Really, Jesus wants us to be loving orphans and widows no matter what longitude and latitude we are in. So saying “yes” was not a hard decision for us. Nope, deciding to go was easy. Getting us there—now that is more of a challenge.

But NOT FOR GOD!

It all started with a tap on our shoulders in church two Sundays ago. Our friends asked if we would join them as their family goes for a month to look after the ones that God has given them such a tender heart for. The Bolt family loves China, orphans, and families.

That is how Bring Me Hope ministry began—in the heart of this family. If you want to find out more about the family and their ministry, check out: http://www.bringmehope.org/ or http://www.bmhnews.blogspot.com/

We are going to serve alongside them by swimming, crafting, hugging, laughing with, playing with, crying over and loving children. Chinese orphans.

We can’t wait! Unlike our recent separate trips to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation”, this summer we are so thrilled to be serving as a family in China. Together. Shoulder to shoulder. Heart to heart.

There are a dozen different things we could share: mind-boggling details, faith-deepening facts, about how God has brought this about so suddenly. But we think the best thing to add here is that God has made the way straight and opened all the doors for us to go. So we go, in faith.

Here is where you come in: God has provided passports, visas and many of the practical things necessary to make it clear that He wants us in China serving these children whom He loves. What we really need is your prayers. Lots and lots and LOTS of them.

This will not be an exotic vacation or a refreshing family camp. Going will require something of us that we don’t possess apart from His Holy Spirit: Christ’s Love. That “stretched out to its farthest limits, laying down your life” kind of love. We can’t go in our own strength, with our own limited brand of love. It will hurt those children and our own hearts too much that way. But if we love them with the Love Jesus has for orphans, then the cost will be worth it.

If we love these kids like our own and with His Love, knowing they will return to their orphanages after only one short week, it is sure to be painful. But that pain should not keep us from loving them while we can. And we can.

So the Fitzpatrick Family is going to China in July 2010. To love the least, the last, the lost.

Will you go with us in prayer? Will you join with our church family at Temecula Hills Christian Fellowship and our hearts as we ask the Lord to do incredible things in and through us? As we seek to love these unwanted children and show them that they have worth and that they matter to Someone, will you intercede for them? Will you pray that the children He brings to the BMH camps will see Jesus’ love in real, tangible, expressive ways through us?

We have been told that it will be a great benefit to these children to witness an intact family interacting and loving each other; they do not have this modeled in their orphanages. Please pray that they would see His Hope for the family—even though ours is so flawed and imperfect. We want to bring Hope to these children.

Will you help us?

Please reply to this email TODAY if you are willing to join our team of people praying for us, the Bolt Family, Bring Me Hope staff, our Chinese translators (we will share a close relationship with these students while in China and hopefully in the future when we return!) and the precious orphans He brings us to love. In this way, we can keep you posted on particulars and plans so you can pray specifically.

Thanks for letting us share this burden with you…to pray…and carrying it with us.

In Christ,

The Fitzpatrick Family

Bob, Kelly, Reilly, Kate, Samuel, Aidan, and Peter

For some awesome photos of last year's camp:

http://www.bringmehope.org/media/?cat=3

Wanna join us on the wild ride of living dangerously surrendered to Christ? Comment with your email address and we will add you to our support team! :)

Orphan Outreach

Dozens of children joined us to make up gift bags for the many orphans we will have contact with in the next three weeks. They brought fun goodies and toys, decorated bags, filled them with joy and love, and prayed over each one. It was a so wonderful to see so many American children, privileged with so many blessings,  sending their love to children they may never know who need a little bit of those blessing shared with them. We can't wait to give the gift bags to each child God brings this summer.

Hot Dogs

Are always a hit. Many friends made it out for lunch. And a car wash while they waited. This woman, Kellie Limon, NEVER sits. She was the first one there to help set up and the last one to leave after cleaning anything and everything. Her children are just like her! So blessed to have them as friends.

Recycle Drive

Daddy and his helper girl Kate recycled tens of hundreds of water bottles to earn $66. Every bit helped!

Car Washing

Or Kid washing. Whichever. All the children participated in this part of the fundraisers. Kate and Veronica get to work on one van while Elijah and Peter work on making sure the bucket is clean. Sammie and Reilly scrub up another patron's vehicle! Such hard workers!

Garage Sale

The Varnells, the Hubbs, the Limons and the Klungreseters worked tirelessly to raise money to send Team China to the camps this summer! It looks like they are just sitting around but don't let this photo deceive you! It was hard work and they raised more than $1,000!

Bethany took her work seriously. Here she is modeling some of the items for sale and acting like Vanna to entice driver-bys to stop in and shop. This young lady is not just willing to go around the world to love on little orphan children, but skilled in the area of marketing! :)

Bake Sale Girls

Our daughters and a few of their friends manned the bake sale booth for our Fundraiser. So many of you wonderful friends brought yummy goodies that brought in TONS of cash!

When we had too much surplus baked goods, my dad took the girls and a friend to Old Town to sell off the rest of the goodies. Those cute smiles are great at getting even strangers to open up their wallets! Pure profit!

Passport Lady

Passport Lady, I am not. Next time I will leave the post office to that job. In my efforts to scrimp and save, I took photos and cut and pasted them for the Visa applications myself. The other photos were so bad I cannot even post them here.

Our way has been smooth since we said, "YES!" to God's request this summer. Mostly snafoo-free. I won't tell you about the few bumps: Visa drama, luggage weight discrepancies (evidently only first class fliers get 70 lbs of luggage!), head colds and hormonal imbalance :) We are good to go! 

All our bags are packed and we're ready to go!

Our friends, The Bolts, will fly out in a few hours. We are so excited to be meeting up with them on the other side of the world!

Join us tonight for an evening of worship and prayer to send us off covered in prayer. Call me for details!