I think we're gonna be just fine.

So today started with our very first video call via Skype-- what a gift it was to see my two sweet babes back home with Grandmom!!  Thankfully, we were able to talk for a handful of minutes before we lost our connection... then off to the van for two very important appointments.  At the Civil Affairs office, we signed papers.  And in front of the notary (a *very* high official here in China), we signed papers.  Then we answered some questions.  And then we signed more papers.  And now, in the eyes of the Chinese government, we are officially our little one's parents!  Tomorrow is passport day, and then on Thursday-- her medical appointment.  Time is ticking by, and we are having a blast, but boy-oh-boy, I'm ready to get home!!

As for the rest of our day-- we all took a nap!
And then we went to the pool.
Since Little One loved her bath last night, we all assumed she'd LOVE the pool...
but we were wrong.
Very, very wrong!
She wouldn't go near it.  She planted her feet and tugged herself back and made it very, very clear that she wanted nothing to do with that giant blue tub!  So I plopped her on a chair while the guys enjoyed a dip, and we proceeded to roast on the sidelines.

After 15 minutes or so, I was desperate.  Because it's HOT here in Guangzhou!  Though I was not dressed for the pool, I needed some refreshment, so I picked our girl up and carried her over to the pool; I lowered myself down and sat on the edge, my little one content in my lap.  I didn't think we'd stay there too long as her reaction had been so severe before, but she surprised me.  She let me splash her legs and drip water on her arms, and after a minute or two, her brothers came over and did the very same thing.  And then big brother reached out his arms... and she never looked back!

Yeah, I think we're gonna be just fine!

God. is. so. good.

The streets of Guangzhou

Yesterday morning we flew out of Beijing and into Guangzhou, the third largest city in China (population: 13 million).  The climate here is similar to that of Florida-- tropical with a very minor winter season... and humid!  Flowers abound, and thankfully, so does the air conditioning (at least in the places we've visited thus far).  Since our little one resides in this province, and since it is also home to the US Consulate (where her American visa will be issued next week), we'll spend the rest of our stay in this beautiful place.

After grabbing a quick bite for lunch, we strolled the streets for a few leisurely minutes-- in an effort to simply bide time until we meet our girl!!

We stumbled upon a post-wedding photo op, the groom looking on as his bride posed for her portrait.   I decided to snap one of my own; hopefully, I didn't offend.

And then... Starbucks... oh, what a glorious sight!  

Now I just have to figure out how to order a hot chai tea.

And finally... this jolly red & yellow guy-- he seems to be everywhere!

As for today,
at 2:30 in the afternoon, Lord-willing...

we finally get our girl!!
~God is so very good~

I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you- I, whom you have redeemed.
Psalm 71:22-23

Our Saturday in Beijing

It's 2:00 in the morning, and I can't sleep.  So instead of toss and turn and turn and toss, I think I'll make use of this quiet time to do what I was unable to do last night-- due to utter & complete exhaustion :)

Yesterday was our first full day here in China. At breakfast, we met the three other families who will be traveling with us while here in Beijing.  One of them will be heading on with us to Guangzhou later this morning-- our girls, in fact, live in the same orphanage and appear to be playmates! The other two families will travel to different provinces, but next Friday, they, too, will fly in to Guangzhou for the tail end of their trip.  As for our boys-- they are the only siblings among the bunch, save one... a lovely young girl named Hannah who was adopted here 7 years ago and has now returned with her parents to complete the adoption of their newest family member!

No amount of reading will ever prepare you for experiencing a culture first hand.  The sights, the sounds, the smells... each one invades the senses in raw and interesting ways; I just don't think I ever fully appreciated the "normalcy" of small-town Americana until yesterday!   Here, horns blare loudly all day long.  Bicycles weave & mopeds speed through the highways and byways at all hours-- no helmets, no concern for oncoming traffic.  Tiny children straddle the bar, and multiples pile on top, unconcerned with the traffic that soars around them.  Crowds step off the curb to cross 5-lane interstates, and they do not do it quickly! And yet not one accident throughout it all (well, except for one, but it didn't involve pedestrians, bikes or rickshaws).

The air quality is also very poor here.  The smog is so thick, that even if the sky was blue, you'd never know it.  One guide told me that 30km (or so) beyond the Great Wall, the air is much, much clearer, but in the city, it hangs thick like a blanket.

With regards to the people-- I think they are the smiliest bunch I've ever seen, and they are fascinated with westerners!  One gentleman snagged my eldest for a photo-op with his son, and a kind woman walked up to my middler and gently squeezed his arm (to feel his skin perhaps?).  Another gal grabbed me for a picture at the Great Wall, sign language clearly expressing her desire. They all speak a mile-a-minute-- a cacophony of sound I can't even begin to comprehend--and much-- MUCH-- is lost in translation. The incredibly persistent street vendors don't seem to understand 'no,' yet they're never rude or offensive.  Just persistent.  Still, it was a real treat to observe the ways & means of a culture that has seen much in its centuries-long history.

As for the specifics of our day~

Tiananmen Square

Entrance to the Forbidden City in the background

The Forbidden City
Built from 1406-1420, this imperial palace was home to China's emperors and their families for the next 500 years.

Pops, Chris wants to know if you can do this in the cupola??

And Grammoggie & Poppa, fear the Turtle!

The Great Wall
A few years ago, I taught a small group of 1st and 2nd graders in our co-op about the Great Wall of China.  Now, to stand upon those stones, to climb a few of the countless steps-- absolutely surreal.

Olympic Park
Quite possibly the highlight of the day for the boys-- the Cube, where Michael Phelps made history when he won 8 gold medals in the 2008 Olympics.

And the Eagle's Nest. So, so cool.

Up next: Guangzhou. We fly out in 5 hours.

We made it!!!

After many, many hours of travel (really only 14 on board an airplane; it just seemed like hundreds), we made it to Beijing!!  The boys were troopers (praise God for movies-on-demand!), the flight was smooth... and the opportunity to stand on firm ground has never been more welcome in all my life!

When our plane left the airport Thursday afternoon, we anticipated flying west over the Great Lakes & the northern tip of Alaska into Siberia and beyond, but for some reason or other (weather, maybe?), the captain opted for an easterly route-- up through the tip of Maine and Montreal, over Greenland, and all points north of Moscow until we descended into eastern Asia a few hours before landing.  Thankfully, we had no trouble with customs or the baggage claim, and a very friendly gal, who works for our adoption agency, was waiting for us past the gate, just as planned.  Finally, after a very short van ride to our hotel and a quick bite to eat, we crawled in to bed at 7:30 pm local time and slept the night away.  On the docket today-- the sights and sounds of Beijing.

Before I sign off and head out the door to breakfast, one last note...
For all who have prayed (and are praying) for us, we cannot thank you enough!!  Chris and I are blessed beyond measure to be carried by you all, and our words will never adequately express just how grateful we are for each of you!  We are so very excited to be a part of the Lord's unfolding plan, halfway around the world-- these days are truly a gift!!  God is so good, and He's working.  To Him be the glory, forever!!

The sunrise over the Arctic Sea as seen through our airplane window!

In five days

In five days I'll meet my daughter for the very first time. I've played the scene in my head countless times over-- what will she be wearing? How big will she be?  Will she be nervous? Curious? Excited? Scared? Will she cry? Will she understand at all, and will I absolutely melt to pieces when I see her beautiful smile first hand?  I think that answer is YES!

My girl is three years old... and by God's amazing grace... she'll have a family in five short days!

A family-- where love abides.  Forever.

Yet as I sit and pray for our meeting next week, I can't help but ache for one other person.  An awfully special someone-- a woman who will never know of our gathering.  A woman I'd love to meet one day, if only to tell her that the wee babe she birthed is safe.  And warm.  Held.  And loved.  Yes, my heart grieves for our little one's birth mother.  I simply cannot imagine...

Years ago, when I'd let my mind wander and ponder the reality of abandoned children in faraway places-- long before I ever knew the Lord had hand-picked a special one just for us-- I struggled to find sympathy for any of their mothers.  How does one give up her child, after all?  But the more I've read, the more I've learned.  And the more I've learned, the more I've come to realize that giving up a newborn baby simply HAS to be the hardest decision any mother could possibly ever make.  Because for 9 months... that wee one tossed and turned and kicked and grew within her... and try as she might, true love grew.  Surely, it grew.

Still, she made a choice.  Most likely an excruciatingly difficult choice.  A choice driven by the need to please those of this world.  Set in motion by those who simply don't regard life-- precious and perfect life-- as a gift from our loving and gracious Lord.

Was it because of the cleft?  That chasm that screamed of fault and flaw and curse?  Or did she simply know-- deep in the depths of her soul-- that maybe... just maybe... another would rescue her wee babe and provide far more than she ever could?

She cared. Surely, she cared.  And perhaps even silently wished (prayed even?) her little one would survive.

So yes, my heart grieves for the woman who gave our girl life. She will never know that her baby is safe.  And loved.  Cherished and valued.  Home.

So today I pray for her as well.  That she may know the Love of the Savior, who surely turns darkness into light, and in His arms, find true healing and rest.

The light shines in the darkness, 
and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5

Life anew

I've been re-reading a favorite, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, and this morning, as we pack and prepare to travel in four short days, these words speak loudly...

I awaken to the strange truth that all new life comes out of the dark places, and hasn't it always been?  Out of darkness, God spoke forth the teeming life.  That wheat round and ripe across all these fields, they swelled as hope embryos in womb of the black earth. Out of the dark, tender life unfurled.  Out of my own inner pitch, six human beings emerged, new life, wet and fresh.

All new life labors out of the very bowels of darkness.

That fullest life itself dawns from nothing but Calvary darkness and tomb-- cave black into the radiance of Easter morning.

Out of the darkness of the cross, the world transfigures into new life.  And there is no other way.

Then... yes: It is dark suffering's umbilical cord that alone can untether new life.

It is suffering that has the realest possibility to bear down and deliver grace.

And grace that chooses to bear the cross of suffering overcomes the suffering...

My pain, my dark-- all the world's pain, all the world's dark-- it might actually taste sweet to the tongue, be the genesis of new life?

Yes.  And emptiness itself can birth the fullness of grace because in the emptiness we have the opportunity to turn to God, the only begetter of grace, and there find all the fullness of joy.

So God transfigures all the world?

Darkness transfigures into light, bad transfigures into good, grief transfigures into grace, empty transfigures into full.  God wastes nothing-- "makes everything work out according to His plan" (Ephesians 1:11).

~Ann Voskamp

Yes, darkness always precedes light.
So as I'm praying today... praying for our precious daughter, still halfway around the world...
I'm claiming His promises!  That darkness-- her three and a half years of family-less darkness-- will indeed be transfigured into glorious, Christ-filled light!  That her bad will turn to good, that her mourning will turn to dancing, that her sorrows will turn to delight...
and that she will know-- by God's amazing grace-- true joy!

...weeping may last for the night, 

but a shout of joy comes in the morning.

Hallelujah!! Psalm 30:5b