New Beginnings- New Life

The first month of the year- a time for new beginnings!  What better way to celebrate than by signing paperwork for an adoption?!?  Lord willing, this Friday will be that day for us.  We have shared with Sam that it's the day he receives his new name.

Samuel came to us with a legal name.  His legal name was Samuel Zhukun Last Name of First Adoptive Family.  One of the first weeks that he was with us he shared with us that he didn't like his name.  When we asked him which name he was referring to,  he shared with us that he liked the English name Samuel, but he didn't like his middle name Zhukun.  He shared with us that was the name given to him by the orphanage and it wasn't the name that his birth mom had given him.  When we asked him what name it was that his birth mom gave him, he shared with us an answer.  A couple of weeks later we were having dinner with some Chinese speaking friends and we shared with them this story.  They shared with us that the meaning of the name his mom had given him could have meant "below good."  We quickly decided that we would NOT keep that name since it goes directly against what we believe about him.  Thus began the search for a middle name...

We told him that we wanted him to have a Chinese middle name because that is his heritage and we wanted him to keep part of that with him.  So, through Google translate, we kept suggesting new names.  We all giggled a lot and he continuously said that he didn't like our suggestions.  

However, Rene had an idea.  You see, his dad's name was Rene and his name is Rene and Owen's middle name is Rene, so he wanted Samuel's middle name to be Rene in Chinese.  While we were in China, we were able to talk to a couple there and share with them our idea.  The name Rene means "reborn/new life".  So, talking with this couple around a dinner table that night in China, we found our son's new name- Chongsheng.  It is the same word used in John chapter 3 and it means reborn/new life.  Rene in Chinese.  It just seemed perfect--convincing Sam would be different.

When we first told Sam his new middle name he laughed and then also refused it.  However, later on we had the opportunity to share with Sam that this is a family name and it is also his heritage.  Now, he shares his name with pride.  He knows that will be on his birth certificate and follow him the rest of his life.  He understands that it ties him to us forever.  

So, this Friday, Sam legally begins his new life with a new name.  Samuel Chongsheng Pizzati.
We are a little giddy with excitement!  The papers will finally show what our hearts already know.

New Year

I LOVE new beginnings- A chance to have do-overs; a chance to relish in God's mercy and experience new grace.

Today, on the first day of the year, I am excited to get a fresh start with new yearly goals that I hope will make me better professionally, personally, and spiritually.  I have mapped out my goals below:

1.  Before being a missionary, a teacher, or director of a school, I am a wife and a mom.  I am making a commitment for this year to set aside one evening a week to spend some quality time with my husband.  For me, that means turning off the phone and computer and having some time face to face. There are many weeks that will be impossible due to us being in separate places, but I can still keep that time dedicated to him to pray for him.  

2.  I am committing to give an afternoon or weekend morning a month to be quality time with my kids.  Maybe it means watching a movie together or maybe having a special Saturday morning of board games.  My kids are only little once and I want to savor these moments with them.

3.  Professionally, I have been terrible about systems this year.  I am looking forward to implementing some new systems to help me with Thank You cards and responding better to emails.  With the help of an amazing leadership team, I believe this as well as many other things will be a lot easier to manage.  

4.  I also am challenging myself to take a seminar in education to help me continue to be a lifelong learner.

5.  Spiritually, I want to grow closer to Jesus.  I need to implement more spiritual disciplines in my life.  I hope to set aside Sunday mornings, before church, to pray regularly for our supporters.  I want to be more diligent in fasting for specific things.

Here's to a year that I pray God will be glorified through our life.