Thursday update

Today, we basically had a quiet day. I went on a tour of a pagoda (I'll show pics) while Jamie and Noelle stayed in to avoid the cold to try to get well. (Noelle is fine, Jamie and I are still battling traces of the cold with a cough - although the smog is not as bad here as it was in Beijing it is still an issue and people smoke cigarettes everywhere so that is always in our face as well)

The pagoda is several hundred years old and six stories tall. It is the fourth largest pagoda in China. I think it used to be a worship site for Buddhism but now it is a total tourist trap - but it was still neat to see. From the top of the pagoda we had a really good view of the "Gan" river which is a busy river for transportation. We also had a good view of some more up-to-date and growing areas of the city of Nanchang we had not seen. And, we also had a good view of the "8/1 bridge". The communists re-named this bridge the "8/1 bridge" after the start of the cultural revolution in China which started on August 1st 1966 and lasted ten years. Although the Communists gained power in China in 1949 the cultural revolution was an attempt by Chairman Mao to regain some power and prestige, to purify the country of vestiges of capitalism, and to emphasize in every area of life a purer socialism - it is now seen as a disaster. (I read about that here: http://www.wellesley.edu/Polisci/wj/China1972/brief-intro.html)

Our guide has been as vocal as he can safely be about his feelings concerning the Communist Chinese government. We learned today that most of his family are now in the U.S. and Canada. He used to question if the tragedy of the government crackdowns at Tiananmen Square really happened. Something happened in his family that changed his mind about the government and erased his questions. His family abroad had sent a great deal of money to his elderly grandmother to build a house. It ended up being enough money to build a 5,000 square foot home. In China that would have been a lot of money and a huge house. Well, the Communist Chinese government came in and decided they wanted that land and so they bulldozed her house, took the land, and now she is living in a 300 square foot apartment. They offered her less than $100 USD which she promptly refused. She took them to court and lost three times. He has pretty strong feelings now about the government and considers it a dictatorship- he's right. He mentioned being aware of protests in a village and the army will come in and seal off the village and no one ever hears anything about that again. I personally saw evidence of this in a Beijing newspaper- something about protests at a village and the village being sealed off "to look for the protesting offenders"- I had a sick feeling from just reading that headline.

It is hard to be thankful enough for our Constitution, Bill of Rights, courts, and due process- not to speak of the wealth.

Tomorrow morning at 10am I have to bring our Chinese adoption paperwork and passports and go pick up Noelle's Chinese passport so she can leave the country. Then, we leave here for the airport tomorrow at 2pm to fly to Guangzho to attend our U.S. consulate appointment for some medical tests and paperwork to bring our girl home. There is quite a bit of waiting between these various appointments which means that our time in China to fulfill the process is fairly lengthy. We left on 12/6 and we don't return until 12/22. However, there are 2-3 extra days in there that were not needed - we saved 50% on our plane tickets by taking the travel dates that we did.

Guangzho is supposed to be very Westernized - for example there are a lot of Starbucks and other American places. I guess I can have Starbucks again so my wife can "get her husband back"- geez!

Hey, I thought it would be funny to include a picture of Noelle ripping the glasses off my face- funny!

Ok, no more bird flu jokes

A little too much reality today. We had a little tour our guide arranged for the group to the countryside to visit a farming village and we were going to meet a certain family and see their home. We thought this would be a neat cultural experience. I for one was excited to be able to pet some chickens! Ok just kidding. It was ironic because I had been making jokes on the bus with our group about wanting to pet some chickens if we saw some and then we were all stunned that there were chickens walking around all through the alleys and even in people's houses. The current Avian bird flu epidemic in China and Asia has been gnawing at all of our minds. There has been no human-to-human cases of transmission- the transmission of this flu has all been bird (mainly chicken) to man and the mortality rate is over 50%. So, when you are in China and you are suddenly surrounded by chickens which are the major carriers for this flu you get a little nervous. It was funny- like my bus ride chicken jokes were on me. No more bird flu jokes from me. Hey, you can't blame me- I mean I'm going to a farming village in China- it was just sitting there! (you would have done it too)

We pulled up in our bus and followed our guide down a narrow alley of tiny old brick dwellings with old chinese tile roofs. The homes were basically a floor and a roof - some of them didn't even have doors but were open air. They had clothes hung up outside as normal and some had the typical meat hanging up outside. There were less clothes and meat hung up outside their homes than in Nanchang... and it is sad to say this is because they don't have much in the way of clothes and meat to hang outside. There was trash everywhere and a stinky brown muck in many spots along the middle of the alley we had to step around. The homes had literally nothing in them- maybe a makeshift bed and a clothes washing bucket sitting on an unmentionably dirty cement floor plus maybe a bench or a picture. We saw a woman washing clothes in a dark, waste-filled pond next to the village near a hill covered with trash. Baby chickens were walking all through the trash hill looking for food. The scene was dramatic as were the smells but the people were very curious to see us and were nothing but kind and welcoming. (and they really were happy)

However, we must have looked like aliens from mars walking through the alleys in front of these people's homes and honestly it felt wrong to be walking through as a "tour". I know this was an innocent cultural exchange experience- we were simply not prepared for what we saw. (having said that no one we met seemed offended, only curious and nice) The host home lady we met was being paid to show us her home so for that reason alone I'm glad we came but we were absolutely embarrassed to be walking up in our wealth and looking at her home where she had nothing and was living among waste like she and her child were some kind of a side show. It felt sick and wrong. You just don't know what to do in a situation like this because you want to show them honor and kindness. Our host home lady was pretty, sweet, and very happy to see us. She seemed to think it was neat to see these little Chinese girls being held by a bunch of friendly foreigners (that is what the Chinese call anyone who is not Chinese). She held her sweet boy (4-ish) who was all bundled up and was talking to him and pointing at all the babies (which has been happening a lot) I'll show you a picture of them and the village.

When we walked down the alley to meet our host home lady Jamie thought we were walking through the back-alleys to the garages or sheds of these people. She gradually realized this was where they lived and she was unprepared for that. She just thought this was going to be a little tour of a farm (we all did). As the knowledge of these people's living conditions sank in she really got visibly emotional and upset. The people were sweet and she felt embarrassed by our obvious wealth and by the fact that we were touring their ramshackle dwellings. She started breaking down and had to turn away from everyone and stood to the side by me. She was fighting to keep the tears back and to be subtle so that no one could see what she was doing because then that would guarantee to shame these nice people if they saw her crying when we saw their home. She was able to hold things together well enough that no one saw anything and I took her back to the bus. Two other couples ended up following. I guess I'm glad we went even though it was sad. Something like that has to change your perspective.

Our tour guide told us many poor villagers can't let their children go to the supposedly free schools because they don't have the money for books and supplies and I think he indicated the parents needed help at home with farming rice, etc (don't quote me on that but I think I took that from what he said). So, if they have nothing and they cannot get an education they cannot improve things for themselves and are stuck in these poor villages. You wonder why a single mom would abandon a child until you see conditions like this. You wonder why a family who can only have one child would abandon a baby girl to try again for a boy until you realize that culturally the boy supports the parents- and these people have nothing. It doesn't make it right maybe but you can have a lot of compassion after seeing it.

Fortunately China adoption is growing dramatically and although the supply of baby girls (primarily girls- or boys with special needs) is huge. I know a statistic that is a couple of years old that said a million baby girls are abandoned per year. Our guide told me tonight that the CCAA (Chinese Federal agency responsible for foreign adoptions) is on a run rate of 24,000 adoptions a year up from 10,000 last year. The word is getting out not only on the need but on the great outcomes that happen through China adoption. Everyone I know, knows someone who knows someone who has done this. The word is out which is evidenced by our plane ride into Nanchang filled with adoptive families.

At least for these abandoned baby girls in destitute conditions - hope is a candle that is being lit in the hearts of many.

Read more at http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/ and click on adoption. Touching and worth the read. Their lives have been an inspiration to us and his foundation actually gives financial grants to families who want to adopt- neat! I'll give you 5 bucks if you can hear his new Christmas video about adoption and not cry.

Although we can't visit Nanfeng which is 3 hours away the Gladney program director who called us tonight in our hotel to see how we are doing said that it is poor and might be similar to what we saw today. Since we can't travel to Nanfeng I asked him if he could tell me anything interesting about the city. He said the city is noted across China for its oranges which are very small and sweet. Apparently they were even shipped across China to the Forbidden City in Beijing to be supplied to the Emperors- so that is a neat thing to learn. I'll research more on Nanfeng later so I can teach Noelle more about where she came from.

Alright, it happened. We're a little sick of Chinese food. We're thankful for what we have experienced but ummm... we just need something else. So, we braved the walk through the busy city streets to KFC. It is hilarious how many KFC's they have here. (no there isn't a Starbucks here in Nanchang which means I am only like 1/3 awake at all times and Jamie is saying "I want my husband back!"- I guess I'm a dud without coffee?!??!? Well that's just great.) When I say we "braved" the busy streets let me explain. Crossing a street in China is a little like a game of human "Frogger" without the 3 free lives. I actually think they get extra points for "ace-ing" an American.

Noelle is doing great. She is totally comfortable with us. She likes to smile and loves it when we blow on her neck and mess around with her. I'm a real goof ball with her and she loves it. She is a little behind developmentally and we are working on it. She basically sat upright in one position in a walker for 7-8 hours per day so she has a strong back and can sit up for a long time if you put her in a sitting up position. But, she has not had much "tummy time" which they need in order to get strong and in order to be able to crawl. She is starting to tolerate playing on her tummy so progress should be coming. She absolutely flips when we change her diaper- you may not have seen feet kick up in the air and gyrations like this out of a 9 month old before. We just laugh at her and power through it- she'll be ok with it eventually. Jamie says she is a daddy's girl but she is crazy about both of us. Its funny but I really love it when I leave the room and she cries. Its so sweet that I just met her on Sunday (and she initially was very scared of me) and now I can't leave a room. She plays with a little sweet smile of anticipation like we are going to do something crazy or goofy (now I don't know where she could have gotten that idea). I love her smile. Her little "coo" when she takes a deep breath and is satisfied is so sweet you can't believe it. I was teasing that she is a fast learner but she is. We have so far taught her mommy and daddy. She loves to sit and say "Da, da, da, da, da or Ma, ma, ma, ma" in a contended way when she is playing with us or when she wants us to come over to her. Also, she answers to "Noelle" better than "Wei Fen"- we think they just called all of the girls "Mei mei" (little sister I think) and "Baba" (baby). I want to comment about bonding. We spend time every day just kissing her, making her laugh and smile, holding her, and playing toys with her. We also have a little soft plastic baby photo book and we show her pictures of her sister and other family members and say their names- she loves this book and all her toys. The Chinese (that we've seen and experienced) don't use pacifiers so although she has one it is just another interesting toy to her.

Noelle got to have some play time today with some of her adopted friends. She loved it- she is so content when there are a lot of kids and adults around. We met a Christian couple who live in Arlington and were able to let our kids play this evening- fun times.

You know people ask you questions with all sincerity like "are you worried about bonding" (they mean well). We weren't terribly worried about bonding because we trust the Lord plus so many people adopt and you never hear of that issue. However, what has happened in terms of bonding has been nothing short of amazing. I typically can be a little detached myself at first- it can take me time to bond. (ok, so I'm slow- can't help it) So, bonding did hit my radar as a slight short-term worry I never talked about. However, I am so bonded right now and the emotion is so strong it almost brings a physical "butterflies" type feeling. It is amazing. Jamie is in the same state. We love Noelle so much in such a short amount of time after having met her that it is a blessed thing to experience. (in fairness Jamie wasn't worried at all, she knew she would bond fast) Also, the fact that Noelle who has no life experience in bonding with anyone has bonded so deeply so quickly with us has been a real surprise- we sort of expected issues with that. (THANK YOU to everyone who has prayed for this adoption)

Last thing - pray Maddie has peace about us being gone, she cried on the phone today and said, "Mommy, come home now".. (I can't even think about this one..) Also pray that she makes the adjustment to having a sister and that she is secure in our love.

Everyone's posts are so touching. They make our day. What an amazing bunch of people you are. Where did we find you?

Noelle Nightly News Network from Nanchang

We had been having a hard time getting Noelle to take a bottle. She only drank a whole bottle one time. Often she would only drink an ounce or less since we have had her. We bought the formula and rice the orphanage said to use but she wouldn't take it. They also told us to make the milk hot, not warm, but hot. We had been making it warm. Well, we made it almost "coffee hot" this morning at 7:30am and she drank ALL of it. It was amazing! She has had another bottle since then and she downed all of it. We're making progress! On another note we gave her, her first bath today. The orphanage just gives sponge baths - when we put her in that water you should have heard her scream. Oh well, she'll like it someday.

We wanted to tell you a little about Noelle's personality, habits, and whatever we thought might be interesting. First of all, she is very curious. If you are holding her and someone behind her even coughs she has to check it out. She is so actively curious it is hilarious. What is funny as well is that Jamie and Maddie are known to be extremely curious - they are major people watchers and love to "get the scoop". I can hardly have a full conversation with them at a restaurant because they are looking around and seeing who is there and what is going on. Noelle is just like that. It is cute and sweet that the Lord matched these personalities up like that.

Did I mention that she is a cuddler? We had hoped she would be a cuddler and she is! She loves to be held. She also loves it and smiles or laughs when she is bounced, flown around like an airplane, swung, and anything else goofy I can think to do with her.

A doctor just visited us in our hotel room. Noelle had been pulling on her ears so we were worried she had an ear infection and we actually have her on antibiotics. The doctor said her ears were dry, her lungs are clear, and she doesn't have a sore throat. On a side note Noelle's sniffles have been fading so it looks like normalcy is near with her! Jamie and I are beginning to feel better as well.

Final word on Noelle for a little bit- we went to a park today with the entire group and there were several locals that we met who were very friendly and were talking to Noelle, laughing, and smiling at us. I have only seen sweet, positive reactions from people who see us with her which is a blessing.

I hadn't mentioned it yet but yesterday several of us went to Nanchang's 2-story Super Walmart. It was awesome! I looked like William Perry "the Fridge" (he was a linebacker right? I'm not a sports guy but I remember he was big) from the Chicago Bears to these people- I had a lot of people staring at me. Funny! The store has some of the things we are used to like Cokes, typical produce, etc and some of the major brands but many Asian and Chinese brands as well. You can buy a cool electric motor scooter suitable for slow speeds in the city for only $200 U.S. dollars which was amazing. There is too much to tell but I'll list a few things I saw which were unique. In the prepared foods meat case I saw some unusual things: whole cooked ducks with the heads on, I saw two large bowls filled with worms (it HAD to be worms.... fine if you push me I suppose it could have been snails), another type of whole cooked bird but without the head, cooked chicken feet, cooked goose necks, fried whole herring, and more I can't remember.

Hey, while I'm on the topic of unusual the city of Nanchang is unusual. You will have a beautiful skyscraper business office next to 30 or 40 tall highrise apartments that are old and falling apart. China seems to be all about building things tall- it makes sense with their population size. You will have a fun, quaint shopping area and look down the alley and there are delapidated dwellings with clothes hanging on clothes lines out the window and right there on the clothes lines are various types of carcases drying on the line such as ducks, geese, chickens, and parts of four-legged farm animals. It is really unsanitary and quite strange. As you drive through rows and rows of 20+ year old high rise apartments almost every window has these clothes hanging out and a lot of meat hanging and drying. I'll show you a picture of this. There will be beggars with no legs on roll-platforms and then there will be a stylish couple holding arms looking very well put together. There are cosmopolitan shopping areas but if you look up... there you go again with the bad living conditions. Nanchang is a place of contradictions and surprises but the people have been nice and everything is fascinating to take in and frankly we vastly prefer Southern China over Northern the more we stay here.

A word on the beggars. Its hard to know what to do with them. You want to be generous obviously and Jesus said, "Give to everyone who asks you without expecting anything in return," but you also want to avoid situations that are scams. It is tough and yet you are moved by the poverty and you want to be a light for the Lord. I had a situation when I left Walmart where there was a 40-something lady holding a 4-year old child on one arm and an empty bowl in the other hand so she could ask for money. They were dirty, poor, and I believe homeless. Next to them I saw a lady with some type of a monkey on a rope- also dirty, poor, and probably homeless. Both were begging for money. I wanted to get some video with the monkey for Madeline so I told the lady to let me put my groceries on the bus and to wait there and I would give her something. On the way back the lady with the child met me first because I had been friendly to her and through my smile and nod on the way to the bus had indicated that I would do something for them. I decided to give her something and pulled out 20 Yuan which isn't much- about $2.50 USD which isn't a lot to you and I but is actually the price of the personal doctor visit we just had in our hotel room to give you some perspective. The lady with the monkey watched all of this and waited for me. Well, all I had left in smaller bills was 16 Yuan and she had seen that I gave the other lady 20 Yuan. She was very upset with me and was really berating me for this and making various gestures about the other lady and the child. I could easily tell the comparison she was making. I cradled my arms and swinged them showing her that I had given her a little more because she had a child and she totally blew that explanation off. She had no value for the life of that child- zero concern. She didn't even really hold up her end of the bargain on videoing the monkey and gave me a hard time and kept asking for more. It turns out that I deleted that video when I got back to my hotel room and watched it because it was so negative and upsetting to see. On the video in such a nice voice I was patiently explaining why I gave more to the other lady and she was just terrible about it. There was no way I could show this to Madeline now. It was a tough view of things to see and I don't really have any conclusions for you right now other than when people don't have Jesus Christ in their life they think they have to be heartless and dishonest sometimes to protect themselves, feed themselves, help themselves, etc. The Believer in Jesus has the ability to weather all circumstances in faith because although we may endure challenges we know that the Lord is faithful and he will help us. I've seen it with my job for years and the Lord has proven himself to both me and those that work with me. We have had constant change, constant challenges, and plenty of conflict but through patient prayer, trusting the Lord no matter what things look like, and doing the right thing when circumstances seem to require otherwise he has rescued us and will continue to do so. This is one of the reasons I try to be open about my faith but not pushy. I want people to know that although eternal salvation is the main and most crucial reason to accept Christ- there is much to be gained in the present time in terms of peace- and REAL solutions for all problems.

Tomorrow we get to take a little trip to the surrounding countryside and get to meet a local farmer and his family. Then, we get to go to a porcelain store. Porcelain was invented in this province and that is a major thing the area is famous for.

Adoption Day Part 2 - its done!

Well, today she is officially ours!!! Yesterday we were only "guardians" but as of today we have adopted Wei Fen as "Noelle Wei Fen Howard"! First, we went to the civil affairs office and answered questions for a judge and signed our names. Our guide had us fill out some paper work the night before so it had sped things up today. Then, in the same office we went into another room and counted out $3,000 in crisp $100 U.S. bills as required for the orphanage donation to keep things running. Then, in that same office we counted them out $1755 in U.S. bills for the provincial government's adoption fees. Finally, we counted out $450 Yuan (divide by 8), which is $56 to pay for a newspaper or similar search to give us the abandonment notice for when Noelle was found. If anyone is interested in adoption we will tell you the other fees and expenses involved as well as process information, etc (for example if your income qualifies there can be a tax benefit to adoption and some companies have adoption reimbursement benefits you can check into).

Finally, after correcting some errors in the paperwork that had been done at the civil affairs office they got it right and all of us left for a cross-town trip to the notary public. (right as we were called in Noelle did a "number 2" in her diaper which was so stinky- it was really hilarious, we actually had to go in there like that- you should have seen the uncomfortable look on her face) In about an hour we went into the notary, answered her questions, signed our names, and received our beautiful little red adoption notice and certificate. It was SO exciting that she was officially ours! Prior to all of this you get approval from the U.S. Federal government so we know that we are all set with that side of things.

The government requires that we stay here for 5 days so we have a little ways to go before we go to Guangzhou where the U.S. consulate is so we can get Noelle's U.S. paperwork and entrance requirements completed.

A few comments on Nanchang- for one thing the pollution is much, much less than Beijing- its no worse than Dallas which we can handle. Jamie has noticed the people here in Southern China look a bit different which is interesting (she thinks they look better but hey, we're partial now) - our guide in China had mentioned to us that each region tended to have a different look. Also, although Nanchang is the provincial capital it is much smaller than other major cities with only 3-4 million people and another 3-4 million surrounding rural areas. This is also a poorer city. There is some big business but not as much and there is a lot more poverty. When we flew in we were shocked at the living conditions. Noelle was found and taken care of up to this point in Nanfeng which is much more rural and poor than Nanchang. It is about 3.5 hours away so it is doubtful that any of us will push to make the journey since that would likely turn into a 9-10 hour trip with babies. (having said that its not ruled out yet since there is an obvious desire to know as much as we can, our guide is at a minimum going to try to find out more about Nanfeng)

Notes on the pictures- we went to a Chinese McDonalds today- it was a great break from Chinese food- I took a picture of the menu.

Love you guys, your posts and emails have made us cry with joy and appreciation. Your prayers have lifted us up. Much thanks and love to all of you!

Adoption Day

Well, it is 5:45am in Wei Fen time, 3:45pm in Texas. Jamie is feeding Wei Fen a bottle. I had been playing with her. We had her sleep in between us in the bed last night. When Wei Fen woke up she reached over for Jamie, and was pawing at her arm, and woke her up. Jamie and Wei Fen had a really sweet and intimate time of connecting. Jamie said, "Wei Fen, say 'Mama' and she said it!". That woke me up and it was a touching moment. Wei Fen is ok with me now after she fell asleep on my chest last night and was happy to see me as well. She was really cooing and pawing at us and playing with our fingers. The nannys had told Jamie that Wei Fen likes to say "Baba" and she kept saying that in different ways to us.

We're having a tough time with our bottles but we'll work it out. Pray for all of us as each of us are sick- Jamie is really sick.

Here are some pics of Jamie feeding Wei Fen a bottle and then playing with her and making her smile.

"Gotcha Day"!

In the China adoption world today is called "Gotcha Day"- the day we got Noelle (her Chinese name is Wei Fen and we are going to call her that until we get home- I'll refer to her that way at least in today's blog). We traveled from Beijing to Nanchang, the capital of the Jiangxi province in Southern China on roughly a 2 hour flight. What was so touching was that the 737 jet on China Eastern Airlines was about 90% full of Americans in different groups coming to adopt. This province is one of three popular provinces for adoption: Jiangxi, Guandong, and Hunan. It felt SO great seeing that the word is really out on this and people from all over the place and varying agencies are coming to adopt. It was fun both in our travel group as well as in others to see some couples bringing 4 year old girls that had been adopted previously as well as other ages of girls who had been adopted previously as they picked up their second Chinese girl. This is common in probably 70% of the people we know who adopt- they go back and do it again. What a gift these little girls are to all of those excited people! Jamie said, "there must be a million angels around this plane".

We basically got to the hotel and got to our rooms and it was time to go pick up Wei Fen. We went to the Civil office responsible for adoptions with our eight families. The procedure was that our guide and translator "Sampson" who works for Gladney in China would read the family name from a list. Then, you simply go up and get your child from the waiting nanny who is holding her. Jamie and I worked it out that she would take delivery and I would videotape. They called our name probably sixth and Jamie went over, presented our passport and our travel letter, and picked up Wei Fen. It was so exciting and emotional. We could barely handle the moments leading up to this. Our baby was wearing a pink hat, pink coat, and several layers of clothing as prescribed by custom (and right now, by the cold wind). She cried a little from the shock and change of things but Jamie held her, talked to her, and settled her down. It wasn't until I got close to her and said the Chinese word for "Father" that Wei Fen lost it. I said, "Baba", she took one look at me and lost it- but it was ok. We kind of expected she would go to one of us at first. We left the Civil affairs office at approximately 4:15pm China time on Sunday.

The next step was for one parent to attend a one-hour meeting with Mr. Lu the orphanage director and with the nannys to ask questions about whatever we needed to know. Although Wei Fen was crying when I held her I knew Jamie had to go- she would ask the right questions- its practically a gift with her and I knew I would miss some important ones.

We had noticed that Noelle did well if you stood up and bounced her around and patted her. My back is a little sore from the Great Wall climb but I thought I would try it for as long as I could and then I would have to work out something else. Jamie left for the Q&A meeting and I got to work trying not to terrify my new daughter. She had been acting tired so I thought I might be able to bounce her to sleep. After 30 minutes of trying different things I actually prayed for help and within 10 minutes she was asleep. (why do we wait so long to ask for help)

I needed rest too so I ended up putting her on my chest and kind of leaning back on several pillows in the bed and I was able to cat nap. She woke up a few times and changed her head position and even looked at me and did not flip out- this is great stuff.

Jamie got back and told me about what she learned. Wei Fen has 2 naps per day, wakes up at 5am (Jamie said, "that isn't happening"), loves toys, loves people, loves to smile, and is curious. I'll let Jamie tell you more depth, right now she is sleeping and exhausted- unfortunately she got a cold yesterday and it is in her sinus, head, and throat and she is miserable. Also, she can't stop crying - partly from exhaustion and mostly from her being worried about this enormous change Wei Fen is having to endure and the fear she has been having. We have worked really hard to console her and it has been difficult because this has really been traumatic for her as you can imagine. Ok, I'm going to post some pics and try to take a nap (its Sunday night).

Hey, how did I get the big white guy?

Wow, tomorrow is the day we get Noelle! She is 9 months old this week and she is going to go from zero to sixty in the family department tomorrow. As we look at the poverty, pollution, and hopelessness for especially the poor in China our passion to hurry up and bring our girl home has increased in the last couple of days. We had to see and experience all of this to feel that urgent "mission" feeling again like we did at first.

I can imagine what happens to orphans when it is time to leave the orphanage because we have seen glimpses of the challenges of poor and disadvantaged people. We see people begging on the streets frequently. I saw one older man with his blind Down Syndrome young son begging on the street and saw that there was just no hope for them. We gave him something and tried to tell him about God loving him in the few seconds that we had but even giving a little love and money you just feel such compassion and urgency for them and you worry about them when you realize they have no one to help them. Those at the bottom of the social and economic ladder even if they do have a job often find themselves in menial labor under difficult conditions. There are many difficult circumstances these people are facing. The pollution is so toxic and visible in the air that it is a fresh surprise when we wake up each day. So, for a young girl leaving an orphanage with no family name, no education, no support, no skills, and the challenges of these surroundings- what is she going to do? What can she do when there are 1.3 billion Chinese to compete with and the majority of them have had a family to love, guide, teach, and help them? The orphan girl may be little more than a statistic to this society.

So, we are feeling pretty emotional right now about going to get her and take her to her new home. However, the "rescue" feelings are just a temporary reaction to what we are seeing. We really have just viewed this for a long time as picking up our sweet daughter we have prayed for and thought about for 16 months! She is much more of a blessing to us and her big sister than we could ever be to her! I wanted to communicate the above to share some of our recent emotions and paint a picture of what is going on in China to provide possible opportunities for others to consider China adoption.

Today we had our big trip to the Great Wall. On the way North of Beijing to the Wall we stopped at an awesome jade factory. These factory owners are smart because they educate you before you go shop so you know the value and background of what is being sold. This raises your interest in what they are offering- works every time. I'll post a picture or two of some jade items that were hand-carved and really just amazing. Jade comes in more colors than green which you will see.

Then, it was on to the Great Wall. Construction on the Great Wall began around 1400 A.D. and took 200-300 years (can't remember exactly) to finish. At one point of time during construction there were 5 million people in China and the Emperor had 1 million people working on the wall. Human life was not valued and many people died while working on the Wall. They were not even buried so the workers actually put many into the wall making it the world's longest graveyard as well as the world's longest wall. The wall is full of stairs which right now for me is a "painful" subject if you get my meaning (this may be an even more "painful" subject in the morning..). The stairs are strange in that they are uneven. One stair will be a huge 15 inches high and the next will be 8 or 10 inches high. The Wall is full of defensive towers that are built right into the wall with large square windows archers could shoot arrows through. The Wall runs straight up the side of the many mountains it spans so while you are climbing it almost feels like rock climbing at moments because it is so vertical - and can be a little scary (so I never looked back). It was exhausting but rewarding as I climbed higher and higher and near the top looked down the thousands of stairs and down the mountain and took pictures. The colors of the Wall are mainly hues of grey and white and they contrast with the grass and dirt colors across the mountain ranges they are built into. Jamie climbed a little but has been battling a cold so she decided to not push things too much. That's good- she can help me walk tomorrow. :)

There is a historical protected area in the old city center we were able to tour today called the "Huotong" area. In this area people live as they have for hundreds of years in extended family homes of a unique style. They are all one-story which is unusual nowadays in Beijing and they have ancient looking grey roofs of some type of artfully crafted interlocking hoop-like tiles. All Huotong dwellings are joined by narrow alleyways and have a private courtyard with a single door to enter and exit. When you enter from the alleyway through the door into the private courtyard there are various rooms for people to sleep, study, congregate, cook, and eat in all around the center courtyard in a "U" shape. An extended family will live there with parents, husband and wife, children, etc- multiple generations. These are regular people who have jobs and bicycles or sometimes a car and simply live in this traditional setting in this special historic district and pass their homes on to the next generation and keep the dwelling in the family. As part of a tour we got to visit with a Huotong-area family in their home. It was a really rich experience.

Also as part of the tour I got to ride in a real pedal-powered rickshaw through the Huotong alleyways. It was one of the most unbelievably cool things I have done. However, as I walked up to my rickshaw my driver who did not speak any English smiled and was nice but I was sure he was probably thinking, "Hey, how did I get the big white guy?" I was just sure he was going to go over to his supervisor and clutch his heart and pretend to have a heart attack to get away from having to cart my big tail around. It was 30 degrees outside and I swear he broke out into a sweat when he saw me walk up.

enjoy the pics, you can see me in my rickshaw- tomorrow we will have pics of Noelle!