Every Step Makes You Stronger

Psalm 34:18: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 

To wake and get out of bed, and to put a smile on my face each and every morning that is a challenge I face everyday. We all face challenges in life, some are easier then others.

Strength... That is the key word for me. I have done so many things in my life and I couldn't have been able to what I do without strength. Everyone has different beliefs. I believe that my strength comes from The Lord.

My physical strength isn't the strongest, but the strength that I have on the inside now that is something I'm proud of. You may say to yourself "I'm useless in this world" Everyone is here for a reason. We are all here to do something. It may not be now or tomorrow but God has a plan for you, me, all of us and when you feel down and you tell yourself "nobody seems cares about me" well just remember that its not true, someone in this world cares about you and someone is thinking about you everyday and night, at least one person and just remember that God cares about you... I care about you, all of you. So for this new year use your strength to strengthen others and never loose hope. 💙

This Is Not The End...Life Still Moves On

John 8:12: When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

What does family mean to you? As you read this just keep that question in mind....

I was born in China. If I remember right my Mom told me I was left at a bus stop found by a police officer, so born in China and left to either die or be found. I was found and taken to an orphanage where my foster mom took care of me for 9 months. I had No Mom, No Dad, and no information on what was going on because I was just a baby.
My Mom (Conna) and Dad (Paul) brought me to America, land of the free. Where I would be given the chance to have a better life and so much more freedom. These past months have really been some of the hardest, yes I have had some good things happen through all of this but life never stopped.

Before my Mom died I would cry myself to sleep, cry at school and just ask God so many things that I didn't understand like...Why did my Biological Mom give me up, Why didn't she keep me, Where is she now and then to have my Forever Mom unexpectedly pass away that made me ask him, Why did you take her away, Why is this happening to our family? 

I don't know my Biological mom or know anything about her and not knowing any of that is hard, but then not having my Mom here anymore as well is even harder. I can no longer ask my Mom to help me with things, and she won't be here in person for the upcoming things for us kids. I'm a teenage girl, I dream of my wedding when I grow up, I watch Say Yes To The Dress, Four Weddings, any wedding show on TV I will probably like, I would always see the bride without a Mom and think to myself... "Man that must be so hard, and to not have her Mom here for her wedding or when she has kids that is going to be hard for her." and now...I'm going to one day be like that bride. I have many motherly figures in my life that I look up to but none of them could replace the spot that my Mom had in my life.

My Dad continues to give us kids all he can and provide for us, we are very fortunate to have so much.

Family....everyone has a different definition of family but mine definition would be...those who stick together through thick and thin, the never leave anyone behind, they always love and they are number one on their list, main priority. Without Family we wouldn't be anywhere.

I have told my friends to spend as much time as they can with family, yes Moms and Dads can be embarrassing at times but they will always be there for you in the end and they love you no matter what! They are your biggest fans in life and no matter what life throws at you....they will ALWAYS be there for you because they love you for YOU.

This is Me

It started in Chengdu, Sichuan in China . A baby girl living in an orphanage with no parents but only a foster mom to take care of her. Her name was: Hu Fei Yang, she didn't know it because she was just a baby but her life was about to change FOREVER. In America a married couple with a son adopted from China were on there way to get her to bring her back to America and give her a FOREVER Mom, Dad, and Home. This couple were so excited, to be fortunate to not only go to China but to go back and get a daughter.

June 20, 1999, Fathers Day.  Paul and Conna the married couple were in the Yinhe Dynasty Hotel, room 2111 at 9:00 pm they would be getting to see their daughter for the first time. Tears and love filled the room entirely, Babies crying, parents crying with joy.

July 1st, 1999, Home Sweet Home. Paul and Conna are welcomed back to America by friends and family and Big Brother Joshua. Now Paul and Conna did not keep the name of Hu Fei Yang as this baby girls name, but they gave her a name that they knew would work and that name was Sarah. They wanted to name their kids all from the Bible and so that is what they did because they knew without God none of these adoptions were possible.

Through the years they adopted two more kids,  Daniel and Rachel. They were a family of 6 with three guys and three girls living under one roof. Paul and Conna are Fortunate to have these kids, they are their world. These kids are fortunate to have parents that they can call Mom and Dad.

Through the years, lots happened, but life continued....but then...

Oct. 19, 2013, Tragedy Hits. Conna was taking 11 year old Daniel to his soccer game. During the game she started feeling sick and then she puked, she was talking to her friends and like the supportive Mom she was she cheered Daniel and his team on and then...she collapses to the ground, Daniels Coach calls 911 and she was taken to the hospital, The hospital couldn't figure out what was going on so she was air lifted to UCSF where they found out she had a brain aneurysm, Paul, her sister Cindy, and a family friend Carol drove down to meet her at UCSF when she arrived at the hospital, but where were the kids? Joshua, Daniel, and Rachel all with her parents and two cousins. Sarah was babysitting and didn't hear about her mom until her best friend Noah called and asked if everything was alright and then informed her on what he knew...she called her Dad. Her Dad and her aunt explained what was going on. After babysitting a family friend picked her up and she stayed with them, she was up all night crying, feeling sick, and praying for healing.

Oct. 20, 2013, This is Just A Dream. The next morning she gets a call from her cousin Melody saying she needed to get to the house as soon as she could, Sarah got in the car and got to the house, when she walked in everyone was sitting in the living room crying...and she thought to herself... "She's gone" but she didn't want to believe it until her Nana and Papa got up and said...Your Mom passed away earlier this morning and we just got the news...Sarah fell to the ground shocked, heart broken, the family grieved, prayed, and listened on the phone as they declared Conna gone...but then we got a little bit of joy...Paul signed off one of Conna's kidneys to her Mom, Carol who had been on a list for one. Knowing she would have a part of Conna in her was so touching and meant a lot.

Oct. 21, 2013, It Takes Time. The kids didn't go to school, instead they took the day to process everything. It still didn't seem real to any of them. Their Mom was 45 and in good health, why would God take her away so soon though, that is what they wanted to know but only God knows. On this day Daniel got his glasses, Rachel, and Joshua were with our two cousins Melody and Jenica and our Papa Gary. Sarah went into town and visited with some people, she had to get out of the house. She went to visit with the Forbes Family, Roth Family, Simoni Family, Wight Family and Stickels Family. She told them all she could and tried to stay strong, they were all devastated because they all  loved Conna so dearly.

Oct. 22, 2013, Life Still Goes On. The kids all went back to school. Daniel and Rachel went back to RCS and Joshua and Sarah went back to AR. Joshua and Sarah got picked up and as they rode to school they both looked out the window...tears were running down there faces just wishing it was all a dream. They got to school and got out went to the back of the car and a prayer was said and then they went there separate ways.

School was different, everything was, nothing was the same anymore and that would take time to get used to.

Nov. 10, 2013, Goodbye For Now, but Not Forever. The day of Conna's Memorial, Over 300 people came, Eureka Nazarene Church was filled, the church had never been so full in all its years. It was a day of smiles, tears, and so many more emotions but love was in the room through it all, and so was Conna. She touched so many lives, and yes people knew that but this Memorial really showed how many lives she had touched and showed everyone that just one person can make a huge difference in this world.

After the Memorial through the Month of November the Our Family had Conna's 46th birthday, Paul's 51st, and then Thanksgiving, all in the same week...doing new things for the first time is the hardest part, but it will get easier for this they knew. Before they knew it December was here which meant Christmas. It was Conna's favorite time of year, love showed the most in this month and the birth of Jesus happened. The New Year was coming but was the Rodrigues Family ready for it....

Sarah tells herself... it's a New Year, with lots of New Changes, but New Me... Not really, because I am the young lady that Mom wanted me to be... No I am the young lady that my Mom raised me to be.

Do you remember who Sarah is? Her birthday Oct. 15, 1998, lost her Mom 5 days after her birthday, the girl that got her FOREVER Mom, Dad, and Home...oh right well that's me. My name is Sarah Ann Hu Fei Yang Rodrigues. Through my life I was adopted, bullied for that and other things starting at 3rd grade and then to loose my FOREVER Mom at the age of 15, and then after my Mom passing my Nana Carol got her Kidney and then my Moms other organs were donated and after my Nana Carol and her surgery my Papa was in the hospital for many things and is still in the hospital. Through all of this it has made me stronger and it has tested my faith in God, everyday I'm tested, I can either stray from him or continue to stay on his path and let him lead me, Well you know....I choose to stay on his path and let him be my light. God gives us the things that we can handle in life and well, he believed we could handle all of this and we are and will continue to. I still haven't been able to process it all and I probably won't for a very long time. It will take lots of time, years probably, but the greatest comfort we have in the time of loss is knowing that death does not have the last word- Jesus does!