Quote from Forum Archives on October 8, 2001, 11:12 pm

Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>

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THE HOPE CHEST: Ideas and Inspiration for Home Education
Issue #45 part 3 / October 2001
Justice and Mercy
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WELCOME TO THE HOPE CHEST!

The Hope Chest Home School News is a free bi-monthly e-mail
newsletter with encouragement and practical teaching tips.
Web page: www.homestead.com/hopechest/welcome.html
Personal e-mail: mailto:[email protected]
Subscription address:
mailto:[email protected]

This is part 3 of 4 for this issue.

A JOURNEY OF THE HEART:
A Chinese Adoption in Process
by Donna Wesenberg
THE HOME HAVEN: A Dream House in the Making
by Virginia Knowles
HOME HEALTH: First Aid Supplies by Virginia Knowles

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A JOURNEY OF THE HEART
A Chinese Adoption in Process
by Donna Wesenberg
reprinted from The Bamboo Basket Newsletter
of the America-China Adoption Association
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mommy, I want my own little sister... one that no one can take
away from me,” said Gabriel, three years old, as he laid his head
on his father’s shoulder. Dean and I had talked about adopting a
little girl for about two years but the time never seemed right. We
prayed and prayed, and knew that God would let us know when
the time was right. Soon after this, our son Alex, six years old, was
at Kung Fu class when Gabriel hugged me tight and told me,
“Mommy, my sister looks like her.” Gabriel was pointing to Quen,
an Asian girl who was in the class. How did he know that Dean
and I talked about adopting from an Asian country? I truly believe
this was God’s way of saying, “NOW IS THE TIME.” Our neighbor
Julia, eleven years old, was visiting and I shared with her that we
would love to adopt a little girl from China, but had no idea how to
go about it or if we could afford it. Within a week, Julia called me
telling me that she heard on a Christian radio station that there was
a seminar in Orlando on adopting from China. She called the radio
station to get the phone number to register and gave it to me. It
was clear to me that I had to go. Alex and Gabriel were both
excited and we all knew that God had his hand in all that had
happened thus far. Dean had to work so I went alone... excited
and scared, but with an open heart.

This is where I met ACAA and families with children from China. I
gathered all the information and brought it home to Dean. I wasn’t
sure what he was going to say about the expense and I didn’t have
my hopes up. Dean looked it over and asked me what we had to
do first. My eyes filled up with tears and my heart was overflowing
with love for my husband and a child I’d never met on the other
side of the world. Dean, Alex, Gabriel and I sat down as a family
to discuss this very important decision and that we all would have
to make sacrifices to make it happen. Alex excused himself and
came back with his piggy bank wanting to give all the money he
had to bring his sister home. My children amaze me and have
taught me more than I could ever teach them. Next we discussed
the age of their sister. Gabriel said, “Mommy, she’s big... she can
walk but she’s littler than me.” Alex agreed, so we decided to
request a little girl eighteen months to three years.

Six months later, we finally have our dossier complete and in
China. So many times during that time I would get so frustrated
but Alex and Gabriel would remind me that it was for their sister
that they loved and prayed for everyday. God has truly blessed us.
We are following our hearts on a journey of faith, and look forward
to the day we receive our referral.

~~

*** Virginia’s note: I have tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat
as I type in this article. You see, the Wesenbergs are my next
door neighbors, and Julia is my now twelve year old daughter, who
loves to hang out with them when things get a little too crazy at our
house! I feel so blessed that our family can be a small part of this
adoption process (we filled out reference papers) and look forward
with MUCH anticipation to the day that we have a new little
playmate about the same age as Naomi. Donna says that they
should be able to go to China in the springtime to receive their
child. She and Dean had always said they wanted to travel
someplace special for their 10th anniversary! She also said that
an ACAA adoption costs less than $14,000, compared to the usual
$30,000 for most foreign adoptions. For those who live in Florida,
there will be adoption seminars THIS MONTH in Tampa (Oct 22),
Orlando (Oct 25) and Jacksonville (Oct 27).

America-China Adoption Association
6723 Whittier Avenue, Suite 406
McLean, Virginia 22101
Phone: 703-356-8447
Web: www.america-china.org
E-mail: mailto: [email protected]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE HOME HAVEN
A Dream House in the Making
by Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few weeks ago I woke up dreaming that we were moving into a
gorgeous colonial style mansion. It has so many rooms in it, even
I don’t know what to do with them all. White lace curtains flutter in
the wooden framed windows. Fresh paint, with tasteful wallpaper
borders -- or is it handpainted stenciling? -- grace the walls.
Built-in bookshelves stretch up to the ceiling. And the furniture, oh,
the furniture! Plush couches, classic antiques, lush potted plants
are arranged on pegged hardwood floors. A spiral staircase leads
to the sumptuous private quarters. Through the French doors, I
see a spotless mud room, a tropical landscaped pool area, and
beyond that, the pounding surf of the ocean. I could go on...

Wake up! I’m in a ranch house in the suburbs. The dining room
doubles as a school room. The children are piled in bunkbeds two
and three to a bedroom. The carpets are stained, the floor tiles
(installed just a year ago) are scratched, and the walls are
smudged with pencil marks and tape remnants from educational
posters removed long ago. Our furniture is of that venerable Early
American Garage Sale style. Picture frames are askew from the
children who bang into the walls and slam doors. Several
electrical outlets don’t work. Weeds are trying to conquer the front
yard, and our back porch screen is still ripped from where the
neighbor’s cat clawed through to chase our bunny a few years ago.
I could go on... NAH!

My teenage daughter says that maybe my dream is a sign that we
should get a bigger, newer house. That’s not likely to happen
anytime soon, so I’m just glad that God is preparing a mansion for
me in heaven! In the meantime, however, I can still DO something
as a good steward of what I already have. I can read decorating
books, especially the kind which tell how you can use what you
already have. I can ask friends for ideas. I can clean up the
grime. I can declutter. I can pull weeds and plant flowers. I can
paint. I can hang new curtains -- either home sewn or
store-bought. I can save my pennies (OK, dollars) for new carpet.
I can look for new home decorations on clearance bins and at yard
sales -- and resist the temptation to buy something gaudy or
mismatched just because it such a bargain. But most of all I can
be content with the earthly treasures that God has already given
me -- a home, a family and the opportunity to be home WITH the
family. For that I am thankful!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOME HEALTH
First Aid Supplies
by Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There’s just something about little boys. One lesson I have learned
is to keep a fully stocked first aid box so I can be prepared to apply
a little practical mercy to my rambunctious offspring.

A few months ago, an unnamed sibling (well, she HAS a name,
and I know it, but I’m not going to tell it YOU) “nudged” (that means
PUSHED) two year old Micah off of a chair. He fell against his
bedframe and cut open his chin. My first impulse was to cart him
off to the ER, but I decided to call the doctor’s office after hours
instead. The on-call nurse told me to go to a pharmacy and buy a
box of Steri-Strips, which set me back by about 8 bucks. I
attempted to close the wound, knowing that the little thingy would
be off by morning, if not before.

About this time I decided to get serious about first aid supplies
beyond the standard bandage and ointment! I found Johnson &
Johnson butterfly bandages. No, these are not colorful fun
butterfly shapes. Basically it’s another kind of wound closure
bandage with adhesive on the two ends and nothing much in the
middle. You put one end on one side of the wound, and the other
end on the other side, and it holds it closed. I doesn’t really cover
the wound at all, so I would recommend putting a regular adhesive
bandage over it to keep germs out. The butterfly bandages are a
whole lot cheaper than Steri-Strips, which are narrow adhesive
strips (no pad, and you cut the length you want) that you place
lengthwise along the wound to tape it together. Each has a
different design and a slightly different use, so actually, you might
want to have both. I also bought a box of Johnson & Johnson
individually wrapped non-alcohol antibacterial wipes. These are
WELL worth the investment. They are big, they don’t sting, and I
think a box of 18 costs under $2. My final purchase of the day was
a bottle of New Skin, an “antiseptic liquid bandage” which you can
brush on over a cut to protect it.

Shortly after this stocking up of supplies, four year old Andrew
JUMPED off a chair and fell on top of a toy, which broke and cut
his hand open -- just minutes before we were to leave for church.
Fortunately, I was prepared, and we made it into church shortly
after the opening hymn!

But the saga was not over. Micah slipped on some bubble blowing
liquid and hit his head against the dining room table. That time I
DID take him to the ER since it was his eyelid was gashed. I could
have stayed home. After we waited what seemed like forever, the
attending physician cleaned it and put a Steri-Strip on it. To her
credit, she at least GLUED it on with surgical adhesive, which
perhaps lengthened its life span by several crucial hours. AND, it
so happened that I took 12 year old Julia with me to help out. Out
the window, she saw an ambulance pull up as its staff changed
shifts. She and Dad went out and were treated to a full tour of the
ambulance. She even got an EKG done. This is really pretty cool
since she wants to be a paramedic. So I guess our ER visit was
providential after all!

Lately, Andrew has been on the injured list. (As I was typing these
very words, I heard loud screaming. Andrew has a bloody month
because Micah scratched him on his gums. Sigh. Now I hear
Lydia, who is almost 7, saying, “Micah, you hurt Andrew. Say
sorry. Give him a hug. Now you have to share your toys.” Andrew
cries, “Micah, you HURT me!” Micah innocently says, “WHAT?”)
Anyway, in a four day period a few weeks ago, Andrew got five boo
boos on his face -- two scrapes from running on the sidewalk, one
scrape from getting too close to a wildly dancing sister, one major
purple bruise from slipping on a dryer sheet in the hallway, and a
cut eyebrow from reaching under the table for his toy truck.
Steri-Strips and first aid wipes to the rescue! When all was said
and done, he looked like he’d been hit by a truck. OK, maybe not
that bad, but like I said, there’s just something about little boys...

I recommend having TWO household first aid kids: an Easy
Access kit which your school age children can use to treat
themselves, and an Advanced Care kit which you hide away in a
safe spot for more complicated first aid. I also keep a miniature
store-bought kit in my purse for when we are on the go. A few
years ago for a practical school project, my daughter Mary took
inventory of our first aid kits and wrote a list of what we needed to
buy. If your child does this, you could even help him purchase the
items that you need, checking for price and features.

Please remind your children (and yourself) to wash hands
thoroughly in hot soapy water before they do ANYTHING with first
aid. There is no sense in slapping a contaminated bandage on a
wound! I find myself washing my hands several times in the
process.

FIRST AID SUPPLY LIST

EASY ACCESS KIT (school age kids can self-treat)

* regular adhesive bandages in various shapes and sizes
* antibiotic ointment like Neosporin
* antibacterial wipes, individually wrapped
(Put a few in this kit, and store the box in the Special Use kit.)
* antihistamine cortisone cream for bug bites and itchy rashes

ADVANCED CARE KIT (I keep mine on a closet shelf)

* basic first aid guide
* specialty bandages like Steri-Strips and butterfly bandages
* New Skin liquid bandage
* sterile non-stick gauze pads, individually wrapped
* first aid tape for attaching gauze pads, splints, etc.
* an extra tube of antibiotic ointment
(Now it is handy for when you use specialty bandages, AND
you can keep the tube cleaner than the one in Easy Access kit.)
* Vitamin E capsules
(Break one open and rub the gel on to help prevent scarring.)
* tweezers and scissors, and a bottle of alcohol to sterilize them
* Witch Hazel for soothing bumps and bruises
(This is a historical herbal remedy that still works. Now, however,
you can buy the liquid in convenient plastic bottles instead of
picking
the plant in the woods!)
* Aloe gel for sunburns and other minor irritations
(You can also grow an aloe plant. When you have a minor burn,
break off a piece of aloe and rub it on your skin. I’ve been known
to put a bandage right over a thick sliver of aloe to keep it in
contact with the skin.)
* elastic bandage for sprains
* knee braces, cervical collars, arm slings, finger splints
(We have a collection of these from various injuries. I keep them
in a large plastic zippered pouch to keep them clean and easy to
find.)