Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Recovery

Sorry we have not posted anything for a while again.  Every day in Korea was full of experiences, so much we could share.  But we were kept busy from morning till bedtime either with activities or finding food, or some other event that was once in a life time.  With limited internet access, the computer just didn't get out of the drawer very often.  We had been warned that it often takes longer to adjust to the time change back to the states than it was to go to Korea.  We found that to be true.  It has been a week now since our return and I am still not sure that jet lag has been conquered!


A bit of information that we were told before we went to Korea, concerning the search for birth moms.  In Korea, if a girl had a baby and gave it up for adoption, and later got married, her husband would usually automatically divorce her if he ever found out.  If there were any kids in that marriage, they would usually go to an orphanage because the mom couldn't support them, and the dad would not ask his next wife to raise them, so they would be abandoned.  We all needed to consider that as we thought about searching for birth families.


Let me share one of the special moments from Korea.  It is hard to pick one, but this one rises to the top of our memories.  We visited Esther's Maternity Home.  After a welcome ceremony and a tour of their facilities, we shared some time with some moms living there.  We were seated in a chapel, the pregnant girls sitting where a choir might sit off the to right side of the front.  The adoptees were seated in the front of the sanctuary and us parents behind them.  We had a chance to ask questions of each other through an interpreter.  After a bit of tension as we figured out the process, discussion began.  I think we were all in tears, for sure the girls and us parents, the whole time.  The girls were struggling with shame, and embarassment, but also filled with compassion for their babies and concern for their future.  They asked us questions like: If you have biological children how is a Korean baby accepted by the family? How would you feel if a birth mom looked for her child later or the child searching for their birth mom? Do you use their Korean names in America? Do you teach them about Korea? and (directed to the adoptees) If your birth mom got married and had other kids would you want them to know about you?  This last question caused some tense moments, none of the kids seemed to be able to understand the question or answer it.  Finally Bekkah took the microphone and said something like this: "We would like them to know, but we understand the price the birth mom could have to pay for that. If she would lose her chance at a family, that is not right. I think we feel that the birth moms gave us a second chance at a life, so we should also give her a second chance.  So we understand and feel okay about the family not knowing about us."  That was a very proud moment for Dan and I.


It was a wonderful chance for us to picture what our child's birth mom went through, for the birth moms so see the way the kids are loved and embraced in our families, for questions to be answered.  We ended our time there receiving a handmade book mark from the girls, and we were able to thank them and hug them.  We did all we could to share our love and concern for them.  I will never forget the view of them waving goodbye to us on our bus, some crying more, some smiling more.  I continue to pray for them.


We are at a cottage on Silver Lake in Michigan now.  We have a lot to process, some still from our time in Colorado and also what we experienced in Korea.  I plan to write a few more posts in the next few weeks.  We are anxious to share our experiences with you and show you some pictures!  Praying you are all well in the midst of the intense heat that the midwest is enduring.


Trusting our Faithful God
Renee'

Friday, July 8, 2011

Well it has been a long time since I have blogged.  I have so much to catch up on, but I don't want to bore you all with it! But I got a chance to meet my foster mother.  That was such a good experience.  She was exactly like Grandma M.  If you do not know who G-ma M is then here you go.  She is my mom's mom.  She lived in MI, but died about 3 years ago.  She was the best and I miss her every day.  But my foster mother was just like her.  My foster mother talked like her, was really funny like her, and looked exactly like her except in an asian way. Right now my family and I are alone in Seoul.  SCARY! WE took a subway by ourself and got back in one piece! We were really proud of ourselves.  I met so many amazing teens that were just like me! I made a really good friend here on this trip and her name is Brooke.  She lives in WI which is a long ways away! :( Everybody kept asking if we knew each other before the trip, but we didn't! We have become just like sisters! I miss her so much! It is nice to have a really good friend that looks and acts just like you.  But I also really miss you guys! I miss seeing white people everywhere!! I can't wait to come home and share my whole experience with you guys! But I also do not wanna leave my birth country! That is it for now!

<3 bekkah

Thursday, July 7, 2011

A Reflection on the Past

Sorry it has been so long since my last posting.  We have been on the road with little time to spare and seldom access to a computer with internet connection.  What follows was begun prior to our leaving for Sorak and Busan. I will make comment about those experiences and soon about our good byes to people and an experience very dear to us.

The last two days have been very special in my eyes.  Yesterday we had opportunity to visit some sites which spoke of the history of South Korea.  One of our guides explained that during the Japanese occupation of Korea, the Japanesse tried to wipe out all of Korea's past, literally trying to erase their history/past to fully make the Korean people become Japanesse.  The Korean people were even forbidden to speak their native language, and were forced to learn and speak Japanesse.  The Korean people have tried to re-establish some of the roots lost by building site likes the Korean folk village we visited on Tuesday.  The Korean folk village displays homes and life as they existed some 300-500 years ago.  They are trying to understand their roots...because they do become a foundation upon which they build their future. 

Today, we visited the Holt adoption agency, we were introduced to the a number of staff, past and present, one being the person who was responsible for Rebekkah's placement with us.  Another case worker met with us and reviewed Bekkah's file.  From her we learned more information about her biological father and some further inight into her birth mothers life and circumstances.  They were some of the missing puzzle pieces to Bekkah's life which brings a greater understanding of her roots and who she is as a person. 
We don't always appreciate our roots nor the impact they have on our life. 

I will jump forward a bit to our return to Seoul.  On the way we left the high speed rail to visit the Holt office in Daejon.  That is Bekkah's place of birth.  We left the train on our own promised that an interpreter and Holt employee would meet us at the station.  They did.  After a great lunch with the Holt Adoption staff we meet the women who served as Bekkah's Foster mother.  She is now nearly 80 years old and retired from the care of children.  She had five children of her own, but she and her husband enjoyed the care of babies prior to international adaption.  She and her husband cared for more than 100 children over the 20 years  they served as foster parents.  Her husband died 5 years ago.  She was thrilled to see Rebekkah and commented many times how beautiful she is and the grandmotherly advice not to get a boyfriend too soon.
Our time with the foster mother was precious.  A surprise came when the Holt staff was showing us around Daejon, the counselor who worked with Rebekkah's birth mother and who delievered Bekkah to her Foster mom requested to meet us.  He no longer counsels,but supports Holt and stays in touch with Holt.  He met us at a coffee shop where we talked and then He bought her a gift. 

Roots...digging deeper and understanding more. 

Just as an aside...we visisted a Catholic Middle School in Seoul and were treated to a concert and Tae Kwon Doe Demonstration.  The Media was present from one of the major TV stations in town.  Bekkah and one of the other 16 year olds were interviewed.  Our group and the kids were on the morning news broadcast across Seoul.

More latter.... forgive any misstatements or spellings...this is being written late at night.

Pastor Dan

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Arrived!

       We have arrived in Korea!  The flight was very looooong, but we were well cared for by the beautiful Korean stewardesses.  Since before the flight we have had the chance to meet people from all across the US who will be sharing this experience with us.  It has been a blessing already to see the adoptees talk together and begin to bond.  They are celebrating their similarities and the way they fit in here.  We are also building relationships with other parents as we share our stories and hopes for these weeks together.  Today some of the sights we saw were parts of a palace, a Korean Folk Village, and brousing the shops around the hotel.  Shopping in Korea is much different than at home!
      Tomorrow it becomes a bit more personal as we visit the adoption agency that cared for Bekkah before she came to us.  We plan to have a tour, visit with a case worker going over her file, and interact with some babies there.  I am sure we will share more about our experience, but we would cherish your prayers for the day.
     We slept pretty well last night, but the jet lag is setting in.  We hope to sleep very soundly tonight.  We continue to trust God for each step of this adventure.

Friday, June 24, 2011

An Un-finished Chapter

This is a poem I wrote for my English poem class. I LOVE writing poetry and here is one I wanted to share with you.  Here is the context of it, it is in my birth mother's voice.  It is in an a,b,a,b form which means every other line rhymes with each other.  I like to write in rhyming form the most! What I wrote is not true, but it is more of my thoughts and what I would have wanted her to say.  But I do know that she did not ever second guess herself on giving me up and I have no clue if she is a Christian or not.  I pray to God that she has accepted Him and that I will meet up with her someday! I hope you all like it and it would be nice to hear some of your comments on it! Thanks!


An Un-finished Chapter
By: Bekkah Jelsma

   A mother, a teen, three months till she’s born
Decisions, Decisions, keep her or abort
This story, I wish, could say I was torn
Being a mother-to-be I knew I’d have to go on child support

A baby. Two days
No where to go, I feel I could shout
Gloomy skies now, no warm sun rays
Can’t go out in the open, must find a new route

Formula, diapers, and clothing size
I wish things were the same as they were
No money could make any of those buys
Vivid thoughts in the past, there now all a blur

Life on the street, life all alone
No family, no friends, no child care
Color drained from my face, Now a pale tone
Family so rich and reputation so rare

Here you go, she is mine, I can’t have her no more
Foster care, adoption, I don’t care
A baby that I don’t have the budget for
One last hug, one last kiss, and one guilty stare

I go how I came
My life back, normal life
Guilt off my shoulders, no more baby shame
Late night’s no more, no strife

Did she get her bottle at one?
Thoughts and worries swirl through my head. Should I not have withdrawn?
I sit on the porch where I would swing her with the light of the midnight sun
 Why are these thoughts still in my head? They should have been gone!

Then a thought rushes through my brain
God is the plan maker!
God will bring me through this.  He already planned for her which jet plane!
Satan can not have my baby because God has cut the devil's property a half acre. 

We’ll meet up with God, no more shame or guilt
I'll say, "I'm your birth mom, and wow you grew"
Flowers, here, growing, my smiles won’t fade or wilt
I know God will bring us together, He always follows through.




Kount Down to Korea!! From Bekkah's Blog Corner

3 DAYS TIL KOREA!


Annyong haseo! Oh-toe-kay Jinay-sayo? (Hello! How are you?)
We are furiously packing the last things we need to fill our already full suitcases.  I am getting very excited to go.  Although the plane trip will be very, very, very, very long! We will be very busy with alot of sites to see. The sad news that I have is that I will not be able to meet my birth mother.  They found her and her mother, but they could not make contact with any of them.  So that is disappointing, but it will not ruin my trip! God has a plan and His plan did not include the meeting of my birth mother.  I will wait for His time and not push for my time.  Thanks for all the prayers and notes and cards! If you want to send me an email you can send it to jelsmadrb@gmail.com and in the subject just put my name or something! I appreciate all your warm greetings! Thank you all who sent emails on an update of how you are! I enjoyed reading them alot!


Here is a shortened itinerary for you!


June 26- Depart for Seoul, South Korea


June 27- Arrive in Seoul


June 28- Go to a Korean Folk Village


June 29- Go to Holt, which is the orphange I stayed in.  And funny thing we get to have a pizza party! Yes!


June 30-  Visit Esther's Maternity House, these women are dealing with adoption issues.
 Visit Kyongbok Palace and Dongdaemun (translates in Eastgate) Martket.  This is where I could buy a traditional Honbok at the market.


July 1- Travel to Mt. Sorak. 
July 2- This is our free day.  We are going to do some sightseeing at a nearby temple and to the East Sea.


July 3- We drive to Busan, South Korea today.


July 4- Free day in Busan! (Happy Fourth of July America!)


July 5- Today we are going to Daejon to see my foster mother! This is an exciting day for me! I found out I was born in Daejon in a clinic there.  That clinic is no longer there, but we can see the site if we want. After that we will travel back to Seoul.


July 6- In Seoul, we will be visiting a Junior High school and hanging out with them.  We also will have free time in the afternoon.


July 7- This is our last day with the group.  We have a free day today.  We get to choose what we do.  We want to go to the Korean War Memorial Museum, maybe take the DMZ tour, and do some SHOPPING! :)  This night we will have our farewell dinner.


July 8- Our group will leave for America, but we stay in Korea alone, with no translator, alone! Oh man! 2 white people and a Korean that does not know korean! :)


July 9-11- We plan to go exploring, go to Yoido Full Gospel church, which is the biggest church in the world, and go to their prayer mountian.  Details are still pending.


July 12- We leave for Demotte, IN.


I pray this trip is full of great experiences and beautiful encounters.  I feel that this trip will bring the closure I need to move on with my life.  One chapter begins and another one is ended! Such a perfect ending I might say! I pray all of you are well and having a great summer! A little callout to Maddi Curless who reads these! :) I miss you too girlie! I miss you all and I can not wait to share my experiences with you guys.


Annyonghee kay-sayo. Cho-une-ah-cheem-ee-ay-yo! (Goodbye. Have a good day!)

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Bekkah's blog corner!!

Life out of a suitcase.......wow! It is tough.  Unpacking, then repacking, then unpacking, then repacking and added to that having road trip after road trip.  These road trips I thought would have been full of scenery and interesting things.  I was wrong!  My first road trip, with Nessa, was at first very fun, but became less and less interesting and more and more boring. (Ness would def. agree with me) 
Day 1: Our highlight was getting away from home!! and going up in the St. Louis Arch.  It was sweet to see the Cardinals stadium from high up in the air!!
Day 2: Country music EVERY station! :) A dead armidillo and a very, very, very, very small tumbleweed that went in front of our car.  We were starting to go a little crazy by this time! So we were happy to see anything moving!
Day 3: Well we had gone crazy by now. We were laughing hysterically at things that were not funny. We went through nothing but brown patches of grass forever and only going 45 miles per hour! We were so sick of the car, but I finally did get to good ole New Mexico! It was a really fun to see my nieces and nephew jump into our arms and hug us for a long time.

I was in New Mexico (NM) for about 3 weeks.  During my stay I had to finish my sophomore year.  That turned out to be really tough and challenging.  Studying with 3 little kids playing 'Ring around the rosie' around you is definately not distracting! But it gave me a different environment to experience.  It would not have been as much fun if they were not there! Nieces and nephews always add lots of color to my life and also some headaches as well. 

When I finally finished my sophomore year my brain was fried.  It was time to start my summer and all the fun that came with.  I helped my sister, Missie, with her kids.  I enjoyed playing with them and getting to know them alot better.  I really enjoyed painting Kayla's nails alot and helping her pick out her dress of the day! Maya was a little harder get to warm up to you, but finally a couple days in we were the best of friends.  She said my name well.... it was "ba ba".  It was one of her meanings of ba ba.  There was blanket, bunny, ball, bear, and book.  And now my name was added to that list! I feel so accomplished! No, really I did, it was a such a ball to play with her.   

2 weeks later Missie's family including her husband and I left on a 2 day journey to Colorado.  Now we were riding in an Armada with 3 kids, 2 weeks worth of clothes and other needed items.  Armada's do not have alot of space in the trunk or anywhere else for that matter. Kids need alot of supplies, but I also bring  alot of supplies! So we got all the kids things and I didn't figure out until we got to the hotel in Albequerqe, NM (4 hours away from Alamagordo) we forgot my insulin and all my meds! haha so a little problem there, but it ended up working out that we could get some meds here in Colorado and thankfully my wonderful parents brought an extra vial of insulin!  So that little glitch in my summer flew by without any harm done.

We got to this wonderful house and we were awed by its beauty.  The past couple weeks have been really, really good.  We have done alot of hiking and trail blazing!  Mountains are alot higher than they look!! Having all 5 kids here in one house was good, but a little chaotic.  It was nice to see them all together again! But now the house seems a little deserted.  No kids, no potty breaks, no snack times! It is un-normal! But now it is time for me and my mom and dad to experience Colorado just the three of us!

We have Korea coming up in a week. I AM SO EXCITED! But with all of this excitment also comes fear! Fear of acceptance, fear of different customs, fear of not wanting to leave my homeland! But I put all of those things in God's hands! He will work it out and I will see His plan unfold in front of me! :)

Now here is what I would like to ask of you guys! Please pray for my family.  We have alot to get done before we leave! Pray for a good trip for my mom and dad.  It is going to be tough on all of us.  But please pray especially for me in the next couple weeks.  This trip will uncover my past and my future.  This is going to be a very emotional journey for me and my family. 

But please remember that everyday I pray for you guys! You are still on my heart and mind! I pray you all have a good summer full of God-moments and joy! I hope all of you are okay from the storm that passed thru Demotte! My thoughts go out to all you who lost property or had damage done to your home! I pray it is fixed as soon as possible! I am looking forward to keeping you all updated.  You may email us whenever at jelsmadrb@gmail.com .  We welcome any emails or comments!! I hope you all have a great rest of your day! 

Bekkah