Really don't know what to put in the titles....

anyone else have that problem? I don't know how to title my posts because the posts tend to ramble and skip around.

I have been reading Kay Arthur's book "As Silver Refined: Learning to Embrace Life's Disappointments" and wow, I am learning so much. It seems we get so disappointed in things at times, that we don't see it as it is: a trap from Satan.


There have been things going on here locally due to people's jealousy and insecurity, but most of all, sinful hearts. In the ministry, there is always a spiritual battle. We have a newer coworker, though not new to us, but to this work. We told his wife, be prepared, Satan will try to attack your marriage and your family. Sure enough, something has happened. Disappointment set in. But I was ever so thankful that I could share (AFTER calming down and sleeping/praying about the situation!) that the Bible tells us "God never fails us" God never leaves us, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and HE delighteth in HIS way." A number of nannies are pretty mad at what has happened as well. But I have reminded them, yes, these people who are going around Taitung defaming character, trying to ruin the testimony of the ministry, but God has HIS purpose. Are we angry? yes and no. No: because I know the people doing this don't have Christ in their hearts, no because if I allowed myself to be angry and focus on it, then my life would be extremely miserable and I would have no energy to do anything else. YES: because they are ruining the name and family of God, YES because I really don't want to deal with it:-) 


My team is awesome. When these things started, it was really emotionally exhausting. But, we have the ministry God has called us to and to be exhuasted emotionally in uneccessary issues is not that ministry! We will keep going forward as God has called us to. We know that Satan will keep trying to discourage us and get us down. But we cannot and will not let that cause a downward spiral for us in the ministry or our lives. We have kept quiet. We don't go around bad mouthing, gossiping, looking for ways to cause these people trouble. If we wanted to, we could very easily. God has the victory, why worry? why get involved in something that is not glorifying to the ministry? God has called us to do alot, and well, I just don't have time for Satan's problems. Though, fiery darts....they hurt, they burn. As the book described "if an arrow has only punctured at skin level, you can just pull it out. But if it has penetrated through the muscle, you have to cut around to pull it out." How has disappointment set in? We want to keep the wounds on the top layers of the skin, not down to the muscle. Pulling it out is going to hurt either way, but one heals easier than the other. One causes less damage than the other. How have you allowed Satan's arrows to penetrate?


What is awesome is that a person who has heard things, they will let us know in some way how they support the ministry we have! We have had, numerous times, others email or call or stop us and say, "You know so and so is saying this? but we want to let you know, we can see the truth! God will keep you going! We are praying for you." WOW!! yeah, that helps alot!


So, how can we be angry when God works things like that out? "Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things thou knowest not!" PRAISE GOD WE SERVE A RISEN SAVIOR!!!

Today....

I get to spend the night tonight at the momma's home. I will be teaching a craft as well. I am excited. We are looking to teach macrame plant hangers! I am not talented, but I can do a few knots. We can also use those knots to make the straps for our bags we are going to do (going to do is the key phrase there). The knots we can make little key chains.....really unlimited possibilities here. We hope to be able to sell some at the 5/14 activity as well as on line, and adoptive families can buy some in the future as well.:-)

Tomorrow we are going to attempt to make chocolate candies. We have molds, but going to work on doing the chocolates.

I like to use these times as "therapy" with the moms. There is so much to do to keep them busy really. As it goes "idle hands are the devils workshop." I see it as more along the lines of "idle minds". Our current counselor has been allowed too much freedom and the girls use the computer alot or watch tv. It is sad. We are a Christian home that wants to be different! I like to use these times to talk and chat with moms, such a relaxing time. This is the "family" time we like to talk about.

So,pray that for each knot we make, the moms hearts will open up. Each knot they tie in the string, will release a knot in their heart.

our new momma

Ah Wen is moving in on the 14th. She is 21yr old and has already had 4 abortions. She goes to her first prenatal exam on the 13th. Her younger sister was our first momma. We really need prayers for Ah Wen. I have spoken with her and explained to her how she needs to take it easy til she is about week 12. Her body has been used to "getting rid of baby" and so her body might naturally do this. She understands. Though her thoughts are to keep baby. She is really immature. She feels that her family will accept this baby because it will be a playmate for her sister's baby. She assumes that mom (aka. grandmom) will keep baby while she works, just like her sister. Her boyfriend feels getting married is just some ritual, you don't REALLY need to get married to have a family. *sigh* we have our work cut out!

This week one of the moms and I did crafts. One mom was visiting home and the other was at school. But praise GOD we have someone who is willing to come once a week and teach crafts (now I don't have to 3 times a week!!LOL!).

We are thankful we have a sponsor for Ah Hui who is our senior in highschool. She graduates in May. Her school is great and allowing her arrive and leave at different times since students are asking questions and making her feel uncomfortable. Unfortunately, her dream of marrying the birth father and everyone living happily ever after is not coming true. Ah Hui needs prayers for peace on what to do, alot of decisions for a 17yr old.

Ah Wen and another mom, Ah Juan plan on keeping baby. They will be doing crafts to sell at Respect Life and on a website. I hope to show you some soon. We hope to do somethings for adpotive families as well. These two moms will need sponsors during their stay at MLH.

God is working! we have been keeping at least 4 moms in there at one time for some time now. But our counselor is getting married in June, that leaves us needing a counselor to stay at nights. Please pray we can figure something out. Anyone know of someone who wants to be a counselor at nights for unwed moms?:-)


Pray with us as we minister to these moms that they may see their needs to change into the image of our Lord. Then as they start a new life in HIM, their lives will be changed forever!
But we with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (II Cor. 3:18)

GREAT NEWS!!

Thanks to facebook, we have 7 of the 15 tents sponsored, possibly one more. I will get on the campaign to get all sponsored:-). This will be such a great help to the ministry. Our mommas are going to be working on chocolates to sell that day:p...we will have fun experimenting the next few weeks!!LOL!

If you need information on sponsoring a tent (though many of you here have already said you would sponsor one), here it is:

If you need a tax receipt for this, you will need to send it to our mission agency in the USA. They send us our support the end of the month, so it would need to be there by the 20th I am guessing.


CENTRAL MISSIONARY CLEARINGHOUSE

P.O. Box 219228 - Houston, Texas 77218-9228

**make a check out to the agency with a note in the enveloped stating that it is for Morning Light Home (they are kind enough to separate the accounts for us)

****you MAY send through AGCI but you need to specify what it is for, for MLH Respect Life Day. We send our expenses on the 20th of each month and they send a check usually before the end of the month. So you would need to do it soon if you sending it through AGCI.

If you don't need a tax receipt, you can either paypal me (deanapan@yahoo.com) or you can send a check to my parents and they will directly deposit in our USA bank account and we can get it out here.

Morning Light Home

2509 Naamans Rd.

Wilmington, DE 19810



Thank you again for this gift. What a great help and encouragement to the whole team here!!

I got a weird phone call last night!

Out of the clear blue, our FIRST mom to ever live at MLH called me. After saying "long time no see", she asked me how many moms were at MLH. I told her 3 or 4. She asked me if we could take one more. I joked and said "who you?" she said "I am pregnant." I about died!! then she realized the dramatic pause was not funny and said "NO NO NO I am just joking!" I reminded her that I was not young and that jokes like that are not funny.
She went on to say that her older sister was pregnant though. *sigh* I know this sister a bit. She has had probably about 4 or 5 abortions. She has had a very "interesting" life shall we say. She was told by so  many that she would never be able to have a baby because of her lifestyle and numerous abortions. So, this time, at 21yr old and now pregnant, she feels "I have to have this baby." I asked about the boyfriend. "He is not one that can be counted on." I plain out told her "you all are going to put your momma in an early grave!" I was half rebuking half joking.
Their family is dysfunctional. Parents divorced, but living together. Her 7th grade brother was all but thrown in jail for sexual harrassment, so you can imagine the attitude from him. Thankfully, Patty is back in school and studying. We keep up with her. For that I am so thankful.
Patty came to us at age 15yr old. She had already had a forced abortion and was determined to deliver this baby. She was our first mom, with almost nothing there at the home. I was the counselor, only staff (for baby and mommas) for most of the time she was there. She turned 16yr old right before her birthday. We had her first ever birthday party for her. We have seen her on and off. If she sees us out in public, she will come running up to us and chat. She is as sweety. Her parents though forced her to keep the baby as a reminder of "what she did" and so it won't happen again.
Now this. I told her that we have rules! Church is required! No running off and all....she says she knows and she told her sister all about it. She said something that made me kinda want to cry "I told her that if anyone can help her, Shr Mu (that's me in Chinese) can help." I am thankful that through the fusses (think hormonal teen girl!)and fun she can still think of us and what help we can give. PRAISE GOD!!
Her sister might come to church tomorrow and talk with me. But, we are starting to think "post abortion syndrome"classes are going to be important in our work now. Pray Pray Pray that we can help this mom, whether she keeps baby or not. She can stay with us, we can work with her. She is having many emotional issues right now, as expected when a post abortion woman is pregnant again, no matter how many times.

We may need a supporter for her. Again, I will let you know, but $175/month is the amount needed for a mom. This is really half of what it costs, but we are working with AGCI to keep support coming. AGCI is very supportive of the ministry to women in crisis here.

Please pray. I hope I can let you all know tomorrow what happens!

A non resident

Smile.......we just could not get a smile out of Miss Chen. But before and after this picture, she was joking and smiling with us and her mother. Looking at this picture, can you believe this is a momma of two boys and divorced.....at age 17? yup! Her youngest turns 1yr old in June.

This mom was referred to us through someone we know. We thought she had a newborn, but after talking with her mom, we discovered baby boy was already 5months old. She was living in the next county with current boyfriend, who was abusive. Grandma brought momma to us with baby. The day before they came, boyfriend attempted suicide with baby in hand! BLAH!! some people!

Momma did not live at MLH, a non resident case. She now lives with her mom and is hopefully going back to school. We are encouraging her to work or go to school.

Thank the Lord, all has been completed and baby boy has a great family that will love him. The mom and grandma picked through THREE families!! what a process, but you could tell how much they loved him. Mom is young, from a single parent family. Birth father is in jail for drunk driving and attempting suicide with baby. When he gets out, he may search for baby. This is why they want baby to go overseas.

So, this is one of our Mommas!

A mom is leaving Friday, but empty handed....

This is Ah Hsuan. She turns 16yr old in August. She is such a sweetie pie!!!! She did great during her delivery and her baby boy already has a wonderful loving family. YEAH!!!

We traveled via train 2.5hrs one way to pick her up.Her mom was so upset, not mad, but disappointed in herself and in how she raised her daughter. Her mom started crying while we were there, I think it might have been the first time she saw her mom cry. She just looked at her. On the train back we discussed how her mom is not mad at her, just disappointed in the situation, but her mom loves her very much. Ah Hsuan seemed to understand.
I got to spend some time at MLH while our counselor was on vacation. Ah Hsuan and I walked down the street to buy tea and snacks for the other two moms, a rare time to just talk with her. She met her boyfriend (who is 17yr old) via internet (really wanting me to get rid of the internet at home!!). I was like "WHAT? and you just moved in with him???" NO. They dated for a bit and he wanted her to move in. Her mom...NO WAY....his parents...UM ... NO. But she said that he threatened to leave, aka...acted like a spoiled brat throwing a teenager style tempertantrum. She said that his parents were "afraid" of him getting angry, so they just let him do what he wanted.
So, now, almost a month after birth,counseled much and understanding things on a different level, Ah Hsuan is leaving to go home. Her mother has been GREAT!! calling every few days to check up on her, writing letters every 3 days. Seriously a RARITY we see. Most moms are like, just get your stuff over with and then we will talk.

Ah Hsuan is leaving us on Friday. She will be going back to school in the fall. We will miss her, she has been one of our easier moms! Her mom saw her right after birth and was so happy to see how well we have taken care of her. Please pray for Ah Hsuan and her next steps in life. We would love to get her invovled in a church, but in her area, there are almost no churches! So, we will keep in contact with her via instant message and email. She knows she is always welcome back! We pray she will come for our Respect Life Day in May.

I am hoping I can share more of our moms here. I ask that you don't share any pictures of the moms though!

Would you buy, or do you think people would buy.....

tshirts or wall hanging or that type with the map or shape of Taiwan on it?

We are looking at some "easy" things for a few single moms to start with. We are looking to find tshirts and in different prints iron on cut outs of Taiwan, and/or Chinese characters. As well as maybe some wall hangings or something.

As most of you are adoptive families from Taiwan, would you buy something like that or do you think families would? We are looking to put up some pictures in the future, hopefully soon, of some models of the products and then take orders. We are praying that we can get two single moms and one of our church moms (young and her hubby is in our MLH work, they started out as unwed and so know where these moms are coming from) to get this going. Alexia will be doing an online store.

BUT....BUT...BUT....what products would you like to see? besides shape of Taiwan, what else? Chinese words for like Love, Peace, Joy.......we have some ideas and will be fooling with them. These would all be done by single moms trying to keep their families fed. We would like to have some pictures up there on our web of moms who you can help out, or meet the moms type........

Suggestions?

Hope I can share more with you all soon!!! keep us in prayers! Satan is working hard at trying to get us discouraged, but we know that God has the victory!