GOTCHA DAY--Here's Olivia!!

Well we woke up this morning - exhausted from an abbreviated night's sleep. We all did ok though knowing we were getting to see Olivia today. The weather is completely opposite here. The cold front is holding off for a few days so we should see 80's for the entire week. Of course I frantically re-packed and took out a lot of warm wether clothes when I thought it was going to be cold earlier.....guess you'll see me in the same few outfits in the pictures :)




We had an all too brief stop at WalMart for supplies. We endured many stares as we went through the store- some things were in english- most were not!! The neatest thing was an escalator for you & the shopping cart to go between different levels. Of course it took to the very end to find the baby section so we missed a few items. Enjot these photos- I was told later photos are forbidden in WalMart! I'm not sure what will happen if they catch me- but I got away with it for now. :)



A few minute drive away we stopped at a hotel were the Civil affairs office is located on the 4th floor. It kind of felt like they were trying to hide this exchange of children away from their country. Our bus dropped us off at the rear entrance. We were shuttled into an official room with no chairs. We had to wait for a few minutes since all the children from our group had not yet arrived.

Then- we saw her in the holding room- our Olivia!!!!!!!!!!!



She had the picture pillow we had sent her with the family picture on it!! Mike & I started crying as we realized we were finally face to face with the little girl we had been praying for for over 3 years!! It is so hard to describe how that felt. They then brought the girls in one by one & called out their Chinese name. We then went up to get them- and suddenly my arms were no longer empty. Some children cried- one little girl cried for over 1 hour - I felt so sorry for her mother!! Olivia never let out a whimper-she was bright eyed & alert-she must have got a nap oi the 6-8 hour drive over from her orphanage. She watched every one and was interested in all that went on in the room. She wanted to crawl and explore. You could just see the gears going in her head as she wanted to explore everything around her. I think we have our work cut out for us - for I fear she will be into everything all the time!! I still wonder how Belle's gonna handle her exploring into her territory.



She is tiny as I expected- she can't weigh more that 17-18 pounds. The size 9 months are big on her girth wise but getting short in the legs. I 've never had a skinny kid before- once my kids caught up from being premature- they always plumped up! This seems very different





We spent a quite day bonding with her and a quiet meal in the hotel restaurent. We noted others went out with their children to nearby restaurants. Mike & I are homebodies by nature- but we really liked not fighting the noise & crowds to eat out. We had the entire restaurant in the hotel to ourselves- so she was quite doted on by the waiters. They would run in and pick up her dropped toys before we even had a chance to. She really does seem to love toys that make sounds! Anything that makes noise seems to amuse her.


Well- need to get her down for nighttime since she missed a nap- talk to you all soon

Feb15th-Temple of Heaven/leave Beijing

Feb 15th

Today we had to pack and check out of the hotel before our last day of sightseeing in

Beijing. We visited the Temple of Heaven. It is the oldest temple in China- built in 1400.

It is a beautiful circular building were the emperor came to fast, pray & sacrifice to God on behalf of the people. Lisa- our guide said there are many similarities to this "God" and the God of the Bible- one singular God in heaven- whose name was above all other names. It wasn't until later years that the Indian influence of Buddha came to China.

Lunch was spent at a lovely original Chinese restaurant where we finally experienced Peking duck. Mike loved it - Abbey & I thought it was ok. All in all still the best meal we have had in China to date. The presentation here is interesting- food often comes to the table- complete with heads & other parts we would NEVER eat in America!



The biggest adventure of the day was spent at the Pearl Market. It is a 6 story building set up with hundreds of stalls of wares. There is everything from electronics, video/nintedo games, luggage, purses, pearls, jewelry, clothing etc... where you barter for a good price. Mike & I stink at this in general but did a fairly good job on some really good bargains for some authentic Chinese souvenirs. It helped that our Chinese facilitor was looking over our shoulders telling us if we had a good price. By the end I was tired of people yelling at me "Hey Lady - I give you good deal" and grabbing at me. I HATE pushy salesman- this was even worse! When they started grabbing Abbey- I yelled at a few and said we were done.

We then headed to the airport for a late flight to Nanning- the city were we get Olivia!!!!!!!! We are exhausted - we didn't get settled in till 2:30AM and had to get ready for GOtcha day today!!!!!!!! We get Olivia today at 3 PM!!!!!!!! It is hard to believe in a few short hours our lives will be changed forever!!!

On a different note- we know there are a couple of families out there who are about to get ready to go China. We thought we would include a little FYI on expenses...

We were told from many people pack light, pack light, pack light, and there is wisdom in this...treking through the airport with fewer suitcases is easier!! The overriding reason for telling us this though was that domestic travel in China has tighter restrictions.

Turns out it's not that big a deal. On the trip over, you are allowed two 50 pound
suitcases each. In China, you are only allowed one 44 pound suitcase a piece. One couple didn't read the directions and brought 2 full 50 pound suitcases each. The fee for the extra suitcases (and extra weight) was about 100 chinese dollars (about $15 US). On top of that it's going to cost us over $100 (US) to do our laundry while we're here because we did pack light.

We're not suggesting to anyone they "violate" the directions given to them by their
adoption agency. We just thought it was interesting...

Also we were told to bring 5-6 gift bags- I brought 8 thinking I had a cushion. I gave 2 to our guide & busdriver in Beijing. Last night we were told we would need 8 while here- now I am short 2-grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... I guess gifts bought in China are better than no gifts at all.
Stay tuned tomorrow for ....................OLIVIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Feb 14th- The Great wall-updated

Feb 14th- We started out bright and early for the Great Wall. It has been cold here in Beijing as you can see from the pictures-in the 40's so we have had to be bundled up. It is amazing to see just a small piece of this marvel. It stretches for 4,000 miles and in terrain that seems impossible to walk on, let alone build a structure. Our guide told us many peasant-slave laborers lost their lives building it & were buried in the wall itself. We wanted to climb a good chunk of it it but with Abbey, the cold and all of our asthmas flaring up we settled for just a samll section. Even from there the view was breathtaking (literally & figuritively! :) The Badaling section we were on wa sconstructe din the MIng dynasty in 1500's and restored with guardrails in 1950 & 1980. Even with them we found it very steep and somewhat treacherous.

We later had a meal in a small local restaurant where the chicken dish came with parts I didn't know people ate. Abbey said she would try a foot since a missionary kid here was gonna eat one- but really just took a nibble & said she was full. I admired the fact she even offered because even in America she can be extremely picky!

I forgot to include we went to the Olympic arena- got to see the Bird's Nest, Water cube & Olympic park up close. We opted not to go inside to see either empty stadium- at $9 US dollars /person it seemed a little high for us just to walk in & say we had seen it. Abbey of course was the center of attention again- many pictures taken of her by total strangers!

The afternoon we went to an amazing acrobatic show- much like a Cirque du Soleil exhibition. Only here the show was done by children aged 7-20ish. It would be more amzing if I wasn't saddened by how much the government controlled their lives to make them perform, Much like olympic athletes-skilled children are selected at a young age & trained hard for 4 + hours EVERY day! What they can do is amazing but at what sacrifice to their childhood?

MOst of us were exhausted so the Peking duck dinner was canceled. We had our worse meal in the hotel itself. No one wanted to go out again- but the waiters screwed up every order. It was recognizable but just off the mark for taste/quality we would expect in America.


Abbey & I have a new appreciation for American plumbing. They have the infamous squat potty here. Literally it is a porcelain hole in the floor with pads on either side where you squat to go. ( Above is a miniature version from the orphan school) In a clinical sense I see how it is more sanitary but I for one can't bend as well as I used to. So far we have been lucky enough to find at least 1 western style the group can take turn using or hold it till we can. The attendants in the baths act offended when we will not use the squat toilets. They also do not place ANY paper products in the toilet itself. All paper products are disposed of in a wastebasket next to the toilet. Do you know how hard it is to do that? It's just habit to want to dispose of it in the toilet! It is also rather...aromatic if you catch my drift! I have a new appreciation for even the worst rest stop bathroom now!

Today we have a short excursion to a Chinese mall / pearl center. Sheila hopes to get matching necklaces for her and all the girls. We also hope to see the "Temple of Heaven". It may be the oldest Temple in China, and our guide told us that in the oldest section (not accessable to the public), there are refences to "The God who has no name, and has no graven image"...

Tonight we have a late flight (leave at 9:00 PM local time) and get into Nanning around Midnight. TOMORROW IS GOTCHA DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Feb 13th-Forbidden city

Today was a very action packed day - especially when You factor in the fact of sleep deprevation since most of us are not quite on China time yet.

Our first stop of the day was to visit the Living Hope orphanage north of Beijing. Samual Feng the founder of Living HOpe was there & just shared his wonderful vision of his orginization. He revealed there are over 20 million orphans in China- deemed not adoptable. Many are so because they have living relatives that are just unable to care for them or sadly others have lost paperwork that make them unable to be adoped in to a loving family. They realize they can not change the lives of all these children- but one child at a time they can make a difference. Sam feels they can change the lives of a few & inspire them to become leaders. Then they in turn can give back & hopefully turn the tide of this injustice. They are all Christians at Living HOpe- but because of the culture & government- they do not advertise it- but one-on-one hearts can be turned.(Praise God for people like Sam!)

After the tour of the orphanage (Living Hopes' fourth) the children aged 11-16 performed several Chinese dances for us. They did such a wonderful job!! Their instructor was a former performer/instructor at the Chinese school of performong arts. I have tried to posted a video to let you see how well they do-but was unsuccesful-will add it in the states. Sam said they have even performed for TV when the newest center opened up.

We then toured the FOrbidden CIty & Tianneman square. The Forbidden City was the home of the Emperor from 1400's to 1914. It is composed of 9,999 rooms. Apparenly they believed heaven has 10,000 rooms so he they built the palace to be as close to heaven as they could. The emperor and his famly /workers where the only ones allowed there - the common Chinese people where forbidden to go inside- hence where it got its name. Mulan fans- this is the place in the vidoe where the HUns attack the Emperor. Not surprisingly the REAL Mulan story occurred 1,000 before this palace was built and the capitol was in another part of China.

The only time I have felt uncomfortable here so far is when we have been sightseeing. Lisa- our guide says its desired to be pale here. Women spend BIG bucks to lighten their skin - and to be told "You are very white!" is like saying you are very beautiful. Abbey drew a crowd wherever we were. People would stop & point at her & strike up a conversation with her. Some even asked to have a picture taken with her. Her pale skin & blond hair really stands out in a sea of black. It scared me to think someone might try to steal her. Please pray for her safety- being a kid she kept running ahead & got very angry when Mike and I kept yelling at her & told her she had to stay with the group.

A late supper was spent at a small cultural (local) chinese restaurant that speciallized in making Chinese dumplings- essentially various meats/fillings in pasta wrapped & steamed. (Called a potsticker in America) Some of us were even adventurist enough to try the donkey filled ones. Luckily no dog was served- I've memorized that chinese character since like many asian cultures- dog meat is a luxury. I am falling asleep- so TTFN!!

This is Mike...I'm sure Sheila will be doing most of the posting (and may heavily edit what follows ;-)

But it's 1:30 in the morning (China time), and I'm wide awake. So I decided to jot down a few notes. I did get about 5 hours of sleep, but my body thinks it's 11:30 in the morning, and I've slept in...

Pastor Andrew and his wife were there BRIGHT AND EARLY and at 3:30 AM to pick us up for the drive to the Nashville airport. Sheila and I were pleasently surprised that our bags were checked through to Beijing. So with carry on in hand (or in Abbey's and my case, on our backs - backpacks) we set out for security.

One of the reasons we got to the airport even a little earlier than we needed to be, was because we were a little concerned about airport security...With all our medications, plus the "emergency meds" we brought for Olivia, we thought sure we would be detained for a manual search...NOPE, we sailed right on through!!!

Our flight to Newark, NJ took off right on time. 2 hours later we landed, and Abbey's first question was "Do they speak english here, like we do in America?"

Our flight to Beijing left Newark right on time, and we settled down for the 13 hour flight. There were some pleasent surprises!! Unlike many domestic airlines, Continental still serves food and drink on their longer flights-for free. Over the course of the flight we had three meals. A "full" dinner around 3:00 in the afternoon, with salad, "steak" (pretty good, but more of a mystery meat), and a candy bar for dessert. Around 9:00 in the evening we had a "light snack" of a cheeseburger and haagan daas ice cream. And for "breakfast" at midnight (about 1:00 PM Beijing time) we had scrambled eggs and sausage.

In the airport we conected with our felloew Living Hope Adoption families- 8 other families. 1 hour later our facilitaors in China showed up. As in other large cities- rush hour traffic can be very unpredictable!


We were VERY tired- but we wanted to stay up to force our bodies into the new time zone. (14 hours ahead of TN time!) We were all nodding off over dinner- but we madeit through- after being up for over 24 hours we settles into sleep. Unfortunately the beds here are ROCK HARD!! Abbey got the best deal in the soft cushy hide a bed- irronically she of all of us can sleep anywhere.
We look forward to a little sight seeing today- the Orphanage for LIving HOPe -www.livinghopeintl.org & the olympic stadiums.



God bless you all & keep us in your prayers!

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Nanning weather forecast-where Olivia is

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