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Still writing the last Travel Entry

Now posting on the Home Updates page 01/31/09

Email from the website is not working. My personal email address larawade@sbcglobal.net

China Time:

Travel Date: 1/19/2009
Subject: Long Days with Our Charming Princess

What we did today:
I think time must stand still in China. Our days seem so long. When we are finally ready to settle down for the night, sometimes the morning’s activities seems so long ago and far away that I can’t believe it was all part of one day. We are so ready to be home and return to a new normal life and schedule. We have loved being here with the other families. They are all so wonderful and so much fun! But each of us is also very homesick.

To start off a day of no official business, the whole group went to a beautiful botanical garden, Yuntai Garden. What a wonderful way to enjoy the beautiful weather here in Guangzhou. China is simply amazing! In the middle of their busy metropolitan cities they have these beautiful retreats.

The whole group wanted to get our first group picture at the entrance of the park. Too funny. Rosa and Maggie our guides had all the cameras taking multiple pictures. We also had other Chinese videographers and photographers recording this strange scene – nine American families, some with bio kids, some with formerly adopted kids, but all with nine, newly adopted, Chinese kids gathering for a photo.

Then the families scattered to spend the next hour and 30 minutes enjoying the beauty of the park and the wonderful open spaces for the children to walk and play. Our precious princess was already in full melt down.

While everyone was gathering for the pictures, she had gotten away for me. I thought she had run to Christopher. Then I noticed that he was full focused on taking pictures of the chaos of getting together to take THE picture, but he was alone. Great! One week later, and I’ve lost my newest daughter. Fortunately another dad was managing to carry his son and keep my daughter from jumping into the water behind the photo scene.

As soon as I put her down after the picture, she ran to a mandarin orange bush out in the New Year display and picked an orange. NO! BU! She whined and fussed about wanting an orange as I struggled to drag her away.

Christopher scooped her up and began to carry her as we contemplated the next 90 minutes with Little Miss Hyde. She kicked off her boots. So on we went to enjoy the park carrying her all the way. Eventually we switched off, and I carried her for a while. She kept pretending she was asleep…but we knew better. Near the end of our trek, she finally walked, though under protest.

One funny thing about our group. Another parent mentioned that we should probably win some award as an adoptive parent group. We had all kind of met up about half way through the part at a lovely little bench and were taking family pictures of each other. The odd thing we began to realize was that most all of our kids were being carried by their Daddies. Maybe this doesn’t sound too strange to parents outside of China, but knowing that many times the newly adopted children often reject one parent entirely, usually the Dad, with total physical rejection of any contact, we are an odd group. Each child is reacting and adjusting in their own ways. Many have a preferred parent, but none of them seems to have totally rejected either parent. So an entire group of adoptive dads carrying their kids through the park IS unusual.

After the park, we came back to our room for a noodle lunch and again hoped that the very tired princess would take a much needed nap. The Baba napped for a while. Then the Mama fell asleep for a while. But the princess never slept.

We had promised one shopkeeper on Shamain Island that we would be back today to pick up an item that was being specially made for Keziah Huidong. Since our medial exam appointment had been moved to Tuesday, the whole group wasn’t going so we had to take a taxi.

Let me tell you! That girl can shop! Or at least she knows what she wants. We spent almost an hour in one shop. There were several items I wanted to get and just wanted to limit the number of stores we went to. This was the same shopkeeper, Sherry’s Place, which we had been sent on our mission to, so we were happy to give her more business on our friend’s high recommendation. While we tried to bargain and select items, Keziah Huidong wrapped the shop owners around her little finger. They were from the Sichuan province so they were excited to talk to her in their native dialect. By the end of our shopping time Keziah Huidong was calling the owner “Nai-Nai” which means “grandmother”. She totally enchants everyone she meets. She collected a free purse and a free doll today. Plus she even spent time loving and petting a cat in one shop.

Christopher was worn out! But we continued looking in a few more shops before trying to find a taxi back to the hotel. Another shop owner we had worked with before helped us hail a cab. He is such a neat man. Jordan wrote Keziah’s name in English and Chinese characters for us as a free gift. He recognized her name from the Bible and told us that he was a Christian and had been in church earlier Sunday morning. Most people in the US, even at church, have no idea where her name comes from.

We deposited our treasures and then ventured out into the night to find a restaurant that had received rave reviews from other member of our group. It is an Italian Restaurant that has a wonderful buffet that includes desserts and a heavenly Tiramisu. Yes, we are still in China. Keziah Huidong didn’t eat much, but did enjoy some rolls, a couple of chicken wings, some watermelon, an orange (finally today), and then some cake. Our favorite items – broccoli and mashed potatoes. I know, not very Italian, but we are terribly homesick, remember?

The walk to and from the restaurant, though wonderful to see the beauty of the city at night, was also very disturbing for Keziah Huidong and her parents. We had forgotten from our trip to Beijing in 2007 that night time is also the time when sidewalk sales people and beggars become more present on the streets. Twice we passed by older women with children lying in front of them looking sickly and filthy. We also saw a man whose body appeared to be gripped by cerebral palsy, contorted and rigid so he couldn’t stand.

The children seemed to bother Keziah Huidong the most as we walked by…they also broke her parents’ hearts too. There is nothing we truly can do to save these children. Dropping coins or bills in the bowls as we pass by won’t change their lives. Yet in my very hand is the small warm hand of my sweet little girl. I shudder to think how close her life was to this child lying on the sidewalk. I want to close my mind to thoughts of what her future might have been if she were not boarding a plane on Friday to fly to her new home.

One of my cyber-buddies had just shared with us that the group that had visited Hui Dong’s orphanage this past summer had been told that she would remain in Fuling. Again my heart ached, remembering our long wait through the summer months as we waited for word about adopting our chosen daughter Fu Hui Dong…while her file sat on a desk some where in China.

I look at the picture of our group. Nine beautiful children now have homes. Nine beautiful children in the arms of their families who love them so dearly. Each of these nine was once a child with no hope, no future.

One of the tiny ones in our group has a heart condition. She needs to make it home and have surgery soon (pray for this little one and her family). The orphanage staff was amazed and confused when another adoptive family told them earlier that she had a family waiting to adopt her. They couldn’t believe anyone would want this child. Didn’t they know about her condition? Oh my goodness! This baby is so beautiful! Her family loves her so much!

Where are my thoughts tonight?

Keziah Huidong came back to our room tonight (after being terribly mischievous in the hallway) and had the hardest night yet. She cried…cried real tears while we tried to get her ready for her bath and bed. She was very tired…she wanted to play with a toy we had bought earlier in the day…and she had seen a child not much younger than herself lying on the street. It was all too much. We followed our night time routine and put her to bed. Sleep didn’t come easily, except for Christopher.

I wish so much that some how I could place a small spark of the fire that burns inside the hearts of adoptive parents into each and every person that reads this…and even those that don’t. It’s not about international adoption only in China. It’s about children all over who need families, who need to be loved.

Especially my church (speaking globally, not locally) friend…I wish you each could become a part of the picture God has painted of His love for us through the ministry of adoption. Christ paid the highest price for each of us so that we could be adopted into God’s family, to enter into relationship with our Heavenly Father.

I’m not saying that everyone needs to adopt a child…but it’s not a bad idea either. What I am saying is that everyone is called to care for the fatherless…in some way…big or small. I loved one way that Stephen Curtis Chapman approached this with his program during one of his last concert tours. I think the title was something like “Change the lives of Orphans.” He encouraged people to save their pocket change and then bring it to his concerts to donate to the Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry. Thousands of dollars of pocket change. No matter where you are in your life’s journey, you can do something.

Okay, it’s late and this is long so I’ll hop off my soapbox and into bed.

Still counting down the days!

Photos... (click image to enlarge)

Playing in the ballway on Sunday