We had a fun and busy weekend. I watched my friend Mari's son and was reminded of what life with an almost 2 year old is like. He was full of energy and we explored all sorts of things in the house and in the yard. Bryan and I did some yard clean up in our new yard, and he helped by splashing wholeheartedly in our water runoff :) We got a picture and video so we could show off some child labor laws which I am sure we violated by "making" him be our helper. I am thankful that we had some fun with him and his mom could enjoy a nice birthday spa!
About 40 minutes after he left, we welcomed our friends from the Netherlands, the Meijer family. They are in Lesotho adopting a beautiful little boy. He is not from Beautiful Gate (I am so thankful that other care facilities are getting paperwork completed for adoptions too). They had dinner with us and we had a very nice conversation while their 2 children played with my 3 children. Between our kids, there were 3 different languages and they could not communicate with each other, but it did not matter. Legos, toy cars, and coloring books speak their own language of FUN, and that is enough for kids. I am thankful for my friends around the world, and I am thankful that their long 5 year wait is finished. They are a beautiful and happy family. Today they will be visiting Beautiful Gate for the first time before they leave later this week. I am feeling very thankful once again for adoptions!!!!
Monday, September 21, 2015
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Donation Information Update - changed Sept. 17
Our financial information has
changed. PLEASE take note
of the NEW ADDRESS before sending financial support.
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New address: AFBGI Ministries
Geurink Fund
100 Pine Street
Suite 107
Zeeland, Michigan 49464
Attn: Vern Meyaard
It is still the same Non-profit ministry, but
due to donation guidelines in different states, it will work better for our
funds to be deposited in Michigan. We thank you for your faithful support which
has allowed us to serve Beautiful Gate for almost 5 years!
Our paypal button is still working and is another option for giving (thanks Michael for the good question).
Our paypal button is still working and is another option for giving (thanks Michael for the good question).
I just sent out my latest newsletter with this big address change and thought it may be best if I posted it on my blog too. (Thanks Lori for the reminder) If any of you get my quarterly family newsletters and have moved in the past year or are no longer getting my newsletters, please email me your mailing address. If you are interested in receiving our family newsletter by mail and are not on our list, please email me your address as well. If you would like to stop receiving our family newsletter, please email me and let me know and with a small donation of $10,000, we will remove your name (couldn't resist a little sarcasm cause this was getting too formal of a blog post).Our email is bageurink@hotmail.com.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Joyful Morning
It has been a joyful morning. I helped my friend Mari as she worked with our special needs kids. It is such a blessing to work with her and to see the progress our children are making! Since the time Mari has started, our kids are making great advances in their physical development. God brought her to this country and then brought her to BG. I love the way He orchestrates these meetings! I have the privilege of playing with her almost 2 year old son between bringing children to the therapy room for Mari. This morning he and I were way to busy with the slide and looking for fish so we were not too helpful to Mari, sorry Mari!!
After therapy, we played with all of the little BG kids who are too young for preschool. We have a plastic play set that has a climbing wall with little finger holes. One little boy was on the other side and would look at me through the finger hole. When I looked back at him, he would shove himself back and laugh hysterically. His laugh is unreal, and it is always so much fun to hear him having a good time. He usually plays tag with Elijah whenever Elijah is at playgroup and then we laugh with him. I know that this little boy was so sad and crying a lot when he first came, but God has lifted his sad spirit and replaced it with joy!
After flipping kids upside down, playing catch and tickling kids for some time, I had to head back to the office. I love my job. Between helping by playing with my friend's son during therapy, playing with BG kids, and laughing with staff and volunteers, I am not really sure people would think I really am working :)
After therapy, we played with all of the little BG kids who are too young for preschool. We have a plastic play set that has a climbing wall with little finger holes. One little boy was on the other side and would look at me through the finger hole. When I looked back at him, he would shove himself back and laugh hysterically. His laugh is unreal, and it is always so much fun to hear him having a good time. He usually plays tag with Elijah whenever Elijah is at playgroup and then we laugh with him. I know that this little boy was so sad and crying a lot when he first came, but God has lifted his sad spirit and replaced it with joy!
After flipping kids upside down, playing catch and tickling kids for some time, I had to head back to the office. I love my job. Between helping by playing with my friend's son during therapy, playing with BG kids, and laughing with staff and volunteers, I am not really sure people would think I really am working :)
Friday, September 4, 2015
Joyful Gotcha Day
On Tuesday we had a family from Sweden come to meet their new daughter. It was so special because in the past year we have had our first families from Canada, Netherlands and now Sweden who have returned to Beautiful Gate to adopt a second child. Almost exactly 5 years ago they were in Lesotho meeting their son who was 14 months old, and now they returned adopting a daughter who is 14 months old. It was super special to witness!
Since this is only our 4th adoption of the year, it was extra joyful in my heart. I have missed the beautiful moment when a long awaited for child is brought into our chapel and placed into the loving arms of their new parent/s. The joy of the new parents is infectious, and it spreads around the room to each of us who are there watching and taking pictures. May God be praised for bringing this moment together.
I know that I have written of my struggles with abandonment and the sadness of it. Hearing story after heart breaking story of the hard life each kids has walked before being brought here, is more than our hearts can bear. Most of the time, I do not even ask anymore. It is easier to just love the kids and not dwell on what brought them here. However, these precious moments of families receiving their child, it makes the stories less potent. For a time, God's bigger picture shines through, and His perfect family is put together. When he knit that tiny baby in her mother's womb, He knew she was not going to remain with that mother. He had already chosen a different mother to be the one to love her, play with her, read to her, tickle her, and raise her to be a woman. Why? We will never understand, but He knew it was best because He knows all.
Since this is only our 4th adoption of the year, it was extra joyful in my heart. I have missed the beautiful moment when a long awaited for child is brought into our chapel and placed into the loving arms of their new parent/s. The joy of the new parents is infectious, and it spreads around the room to each of us who are there watching and taking pictures. May God be praised for bringing this moment together.
I know that I have written of my struggles with abandonment and the sadness of it. Hearing story after heart breaking story of the hard life each kids has walked before being brought here, is more than our hearts can bear. Most of the time, I do not even ask anymore. It is easier to just love the kids and not dwell on what brought them here. However, these precious moments of families receiving their child, it makes the stories less potent. For a time, God's bigger picture shines through, and His perfect family is put together. When he knit that tiny baby in her mother's womb, He knew she was not going to remain with that mother. He had already chosen a different mother to be the one to love her, play with her, read to her, tickle her, and raise her to be a woman. Why? We will never understand, but He knew it was best because He knows all.
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| Neither of these are the child who was adopted. I just wanted to post a picture of some BG kids sleeping :) |
Friday, August 28, 2015
Women's Day 2015
Here are some pictures of our day:
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| A little dancing before our meal. |
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| Our guest speaker as she gave an encouraging word to the women. |
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| The BEAUTIFUL women of Beautiful Gate!!! |
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| Me and my girls' best friend, the house mother of Khotso 1. |
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| Me and my sister, our nurse. |
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| My twin and Ntate KB our grill master :) |
Women's Day 2015
God has surrounded me with women of skin which is brown.
The hardships of their life could easily make them frown.
However, their joy, singing, and laughing can always be found.
Because their love and commitment to God keeps them on solid ground.
My time in Lesotho, my whole life I will treasure.
You faithful women of God are far above measure.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Good-bye my little friend.
Yesterday I drove in to work and found out that one of our kids was being reunited with her family. This girl was brought to Beautiful Gate when she was around 6 months of age because her mother passed away and her dad needed to work and could not stay home with her. She has spent her life at Beautiful Gate for over 4 years, and her dad is ready to have her back in his life. I cannot imagine the shock she must have felt when she saw him for the first time yesterday. He was not in the office as their village is far away so our social worker was going to drive and meet him halfway.
We had the girl join us in a circle and 3 of us prayed for her before she left. After I prayed, I looked over at her and she was holding Karen's hand and looked confused (probably had no idea what we were singing and praying about). I walked over and grabbed her other hand and sat beside her on the floor. She laid her head against my face as the rest of the prayers were said, and it was a precious moment. This is one of the children I remember admitting into BG myself. She came in on a Saturday afternoon with a social worker from her village and Bryan and I helped get her settled into her new home. We had only been at BG for a few months. I have watched her learn to crawl, walk, and talk. I have played countless games with her over the years that she has been here, and it is so crazy to think that she will be gone. She has a very goofy smile that we will all miss around campus too.
I am happy for her though because she has some brothers and sisters that she has never met. They were placed in a care center near her village, but that care center did not have the ability to care for a baby so she came to BG. Our prayer is that this family will be happy and healthy. I pray this girl will remember the love and care from BG and that it will sustain her in the difficult days ahead. Despite this being her family, currently they are strangers. Please join us in praying that her father makes wise choices for his family and that he will be able to care for them, for more than just physical needs. She has a loving spirit and I hope that her life will be blessed and amazing. God has plans for her that include her need to return home, and we are choosing to praise Him and be excited for this next chapter of her life. Good-bye my little friend, go well!
We had the girl join us in a circle and 3 of us prayed for her before she left. After I prayed, I looked over at her and she was holding Karen's hand and looked confused (probably had no idea what we were singing and praying about). I walked over and grabbed her other hand and sat beside her on the floor. She laid her head against my face as the rest of the prayers were said, and it was a precious moment. This is one of the children I remember admitting into BG myself. She came in on a Saturday afternoon with a social worker from her village and Bryan and I helped get her settled into her new home. We had only been at BG for a few months. I have watched her learn to crawl, walk, and talk. I have played countless games with her over the years that she has been here, and it is so crazy to think that she will be gone. She has a very goofy smile that we will all miss around campus too.
I am happy for her though because she has some brothers and sisters that she has never met. They were placed in a care center near her village, but that care center did not have the ability to care for a baby so she came to BG. Our prayer is that this family will be happy and healthy. I pray this girl will remember the love and care from BG and that it will sustain her in the difficult days ahead. Despite this being her family, currently they are strangers. Please join us in praying that her father makes wise choices for his family and that he will be able to care for them, for more than just physical needs. She has a loving spirit and I hope that her life will be blessed and amazing. God has plans for her that include her need to return home, and we are choosing to praise Him and be excited for this next chapter of her life. Good-bye my little friend, go well!
Monday, August 17, 2015
Life :)
We had a nice weekend. Friday night, Bryan and I went out for a date to celebrate our 16th anniversary. We enjoyed a nice dinner at one of the newer restaurants in Maseru. It is crazy how different our life is than the life we thought we were embarking on 16 years ago. I remember holding each of our 3 kids the day they were born, and imagining the life they would have with Bryan and I. Never once did I think they would be living in a third world country, or actually living on site at an orphanage for 4 1/2 years. But the life God has given us, it is far better than the one I had imagined as a naïve new wife or mother.
Today I am working from home since I had the kids go with me to BG on Thursday and Friday. Once the BG kids went inside for nap time, they got a little bored and I did not want to make them suffer another boring afternoon while I am working :) I was able to finish my newsletter and helped Karen finish BG's newsletter, emailed a few people, and am writing a blog post. A pretty productive morning and it is only 11:00! Who knew I could get so much done with 3 kids running around the house. Actually they have been very calm today.
Our BG daughter left this morning which is a little sad. Paige was a volunteer over 2 years ago and she returned for a couple months this year. It was so great having her back on campus and to hear her share all the changes she noticed since being away. When living here every day, it is easy to forget all that has happened and all the changes we have made at BG. The soft play room, library and therapy rooms are just a few of the changes we have made for the better. The kids have been in better health due to menu changes, multivitamins, and hebalife shakes. God is our provider and it is thanks to His provision that any of these good things have been able to happen. We give Him the glory for his goodness.
Today I am working from home since I had the kids go with me to BG on Thursday and Friday. Once the BG kids went inside for nap time, they got a little bored and I did not want to make them suffer another boring afternoon while I am working :) I was able to finish my newsletter and helped Karen finish BG's newsletter, emailed a few people, and am writing a blog post. A pretty productive morning and it is only 11:00! Who knew I could get so much done with 3 kids running around the house. Actually they have been very calm today.
Our BG daughter left this morning which is a little sad. Paige was a volunteer over 2 years ago and she returned for a couple months this year. It was so great having her back on campus and to hear her share all the changes she noticed since being away. When living here every day, it is easy to forget all that has happened and all the changes we have made at BG. The soft play room, library and therapy rooms are just a few of the changes we have made for the better. The kids have been in better health due to menu changes, multivitamins, and hebalife shakes. God is our provider and it is thanks to His provision that any of these good things have been able to happen. We give Him the glory for his goodness.
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