The Story Behind the Names! September 19, 2015: Last Day in China

Autumn:  I had this name picked out since I attended the Christian concert in Las Vegas featuring the band New Song.  They toured China and found an orphan ready to time out at 13 years of age.  The band promised they would find her a home.  That is exactly what they did. She was adopted just before she timed out at age 14 years old.  Her family named her Autumn.  When I saw this story I knew if God blessed us with a daughter ready to time out at age 13, we would name her Autumn.  It turns out New Song Ministries donated the balance of our adoption fees to Holt International totaling $10,200.  They did this without even knowing how their story inspired us to adopt an older child.  God revealed His full circle plan for this adoption!

Hope:  When we received the referral for Autumn and were told she had a sister 11 years of age, we were delighted.  We were open for any sibling group from the beginning of our adoption process.  They are not very common so we never thought it would happen and certainly not with older children.  Well, it did!  Once we knew we would be adopting another daughter, we would name her Hope.  As Christians we have a hope for Heaven and know it is real.  We named her Hope for the hope she must have felt in being adopted with her sister into the same family and not having to separate from her as they have been separated from their older two sisters already timed out in the orphanage at ages 15 and 16.

Saturday, September 19, 2015: Trip to the Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Acrobatic Show

Hebrews 11:1, 3  “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”  Wow, this in a nutshell tells us who made us and the world.  This also explains why Darwin’s theory of evolution cannot be proven.  God made the universe and Is the one in charge.  I am thankful for my faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ.  I could not imagine living life without Jesus by my side.

 

Today we had a great day touring Beijing.  We started early with the Great Wall.  The girls amazed me by hiking all the way to the top of the wall.  Annabelle graciously helped me carry the backpack up and back down the wall.  I was very proud of all three girls for their will to keep going and not give up.  It was quite a work out!

Many tourists were at the Great Wall.  I must say we were in much closer quarters than I am used to in America—even in very busy venues. One thing I have not mentioned is that the Chinese culture is different from American culture when it comes to personal space.  All day today we were having to respectfully push our way through masses of people.  My arms and even hair touched more bodies and heads than I can count.  Oh, did I mention the smells?  Yes, you can only imagine many sweaty bodies in very close proximity on a summer’s day.  I don’t need to say more.

After the Great Wall experience we went to lunch.  The girls were very hungry and ate a lot.  They are very good eaters!  After lunch we went to the Forbidden City.  This city is a series of courtyards where the Emperor used to reside until 1924.  It was hard to view inside all the buildings because as the Chinese people left the front of the viewing area, more just pushed their way in.  It was a good experience for the girls to learn more about their history and heritage.

After the Forbidden City we went to the famous acrobatic show.  This is truly an amazing show.  It is well worth the money and time to see it.  The girls loved it and were so happy and excited after the show.  The day was one of the best days we have had in China.  I am really glad we decided to come here to give the girls an opportunity to see these important venues that are a big part of their Chinese heritage.

I forgot to mention the hotel room and the culture with smoking here in China.  The only hotel that has truly been smoke free is the China Hotel at the Marriott in Guangzhou.  In three years of staying there I have never smelled smoke!  It is like staying in a 5 star hotel in America.  I say that because we are now staying in an equally expensive hotel here in Beijing called the Beijing International Hotel and it is NOT smoke free even though they say it is!  We smell smoke constantly and are in rooms that are so old I cannot even speculate the age of the rooms.  We had to tell the front desk today that just across the hall from us was a room full of Chinese men SMOKING with their door open.  The staff acted surprised and said they would get maid service up to stop them.  Well, I do not know what happened as we left for the day, but it will continue to happen as this policy is not enforced. 

The last think I want to note is that I think every American citizen should do the following two things in their lifetime:

1.        Serve in the armed forces to defend the country, one country under God, that gives them the freedom they enjoy and take for granted each and every day.

2.       Visit a foreign communist country for at least two weeks!  This would help those that freely want to vote away our liberties and freedoms a chance to see what it really looks like to live in a country where there are few liberties and freedoms with complete government control.  The loss of freedom is a slow fade so be very cautious when you vote to end a freedom our founding fathers granted us as a nation because that will lead us to the path of living like the controlled, freedom-less Chinese citizens.

Tomorrow we fly back to the United States.  We land at 1730 in Dallas, TX!  I will be relieved once we get through immigration and the girls become citizens of the United States!

I will post an additional posting after this one to tell you the story about why we named the girls what we did.  Thank you for your company on our journey.  May God Bless You!

Captions: First: The girls and Annabelle at the top of the Great Wall; Second: Mom and the girls at the top of the Great Wall; Third: Tired girls in van traveling between tours; Fourth: Forbidden city; Fifth: Me, driver, guide, and girls

Friday, September 18, 2015: Travel Day to Beijing/Tour of Temple of Heaven

Philemon 1:3  “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Praise God!  We arrived in Beijing after getting up at 0415 this morning.  Once we arrived we checked into our hotel and went on a tour to the Temple of Heaven.  We had lunch as well. We are now back in our rooms, yes rooms as we have two separate rooms.  I am by myself and the three teen girls are together.  The hotel is so old it does not have connecting rooms.  China will also only allow 2-3 people per room.  Unlike the U.S. four people have to have two rooms.

The flight was uneventful so we are safe and sound.  The Temple of Heaven was interesting and the architecture is quite amazing.  The girls are tired so they were not up for a very long walk around the garden area.  I would have liked to have spent a little more time there, but the guide had us in and out in an hour.  I like to walk through green gardens and just relax.  That will have to be saved for another time.

The girls are doing great as Annabelle is making them feel very comfortable.  I hope their joy continues as they say good-bye to her on Sunday and return with me to our home in TX.  I am not feeling very good about how they are going to react to our food as they have been able to pick out whatever food they like and are used to eating here in China.  You can say prayers for them in that regard.  I just try to think about how I would feel if I were put in a foreign country, did not know the language, and only had food I had never seen or smelled before in front of me to eat.  I can tell you I would probably cry. 

Tomorrow we have another tour day where we will visit the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.  We will also see an acrobatic show to complete the stay here in Beijing.  This will be the last day for the blog spot until I return home and get rested.  I will post a family photo of us once we get home and get over our jet lag.  I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed on Sunday night.  I just hope I don’t have issues with jet lag like I did last year.

I hope this finds you all well.  Thank you for following our adoption journey here in China.

Captions:  First: All of us (excluding Kyle as he went back to the U.S.) in front of the Temple of Heaven; Second: The Temple of Heaven in Beijing; Third: A description of the Temple of Heaven

Thursday, September 17, 2015: Free Day/Pick up Visa Packages

2 Thessalonians 2:16  “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”  This verse is what I cling to as our trip is nearing an end.  I, more than ever, have had to rely on His encouragement this trip.  May you also find encouragement in our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ!

I forgot to mention that we all went to the local park, Yuexiu Park, across the street from the hotel yesterday with the girls.  This is my favorite park in China.  It is truly beautiful with many paths and trails, palm trees and bamboo shoots, lakes, culture, etc.  We played a some frisbee with the girls.  They know how to throw and catch very well!  Once we were a sweaty mess, we came back to the room.

Today was a wonderful day!  I finally had some down time without any drama.  I started my day working out and watching the republican debate while I waited for the girls to wake up.  After breakfast I walked in my favorite park by myself while the girls rested.  I actually found new paths I had never been on before!  This was a nice blessing on my last day in China.

YES!  I have the visa packages and immigration paperwork approved and ready for entry into the United States!  It is almost over.  Now we just have to get through immigration at the port of entry in the United States and then it is OVER!!!  Praise God!  He is in charge and will make His will happen.

Later in the day the girls wanted to go shopping one last time in Shamian Island.  They have not been shopping with us until today.  I was glad they wanted to come because they picked out a few things they liked and wanted from their country before coming home to America.

Tonight we will celebrate the birthday of another teen who is part of our Holt group and also would have timed out next week if not adopted.  We are excited because she and her family also live in Dallas, TX!  The three girls will now be able to see each other as they grow up. 

Tomorrow we head to Beijing for some tours.  I am not sure how much time I will have to post or what kind of internet connectivity I will have to send the postings to my cousin.  If I do not post, come back next week as I will post them once I return home.  We are going to the Temple of Heaven, The Great Wall, and the Forbidden City.  We travel home to America on Sunday!

Captions: First: Yuexiu Park; Second: Shamian Island; Third: Girls and Amy (Christian store owner at Shamian Island)

Wednesday, September 16, 2015: U.S. Consulate Appointment/Pearl River Cruise

1 Peter 3:18  “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”  He did this for ALL of us and our sins past, present, and future.  Amazing!  All we have to do is accept this gift of Christ and we will be in Heaven with God forever!  Thank you, Jesus!

This morning we went to the U.S. Consulate for our final visa paperwork review for the girls.  The next time their paperwork gets reviewed they will step on American soil and be citizens of the United States of America!  Yeah!  What we do here is take on oath for them that all their information is correct.  We then go through all the paperwork for them with the agent.  Lastly, the girls get asked if they want to go to the U.S. by the interviewer who is American.  This all went very well.  We were not allowed any cameras so we do not have any photos of this event.

What did not go well was after the meeting.  We needed to wait for a document to get notarized for Annabelle required by our agency as she traveled with us here in Guangzhou and later to Beijing.  This caused us to be later than the rest of the group.  We finally met up at the place to meet the bus, but no one was there.  We thought they left us and we were on our own.  It ended up that they were waiting at a coffee shop the entire time and just did not see us.  I was not very happy as we thought we were stranded in China downtown and do not know the language.  All that was needed in my opinion was some communication about what we should expect if the group is not there when we arrive.  We had no idea they were waiting in a coffee shop.  It seems like this trip has been a series of unfortunate events.  I am just praying we will get to the U.S. with no more issues, healthy, and get through immigration.  I just want this whole process to be OVER!

Once we got back to the hotel we had a light lunch in the room and swam.  We then had dinner and went on a Pearl River Cruise.  This was very nice and relaxing.  The last time Kyle and I went on this cruise it was with Lily when we adopted her in 2013.  That was a night I would not forget as on the way home in the bus she scratched my face so hard it bled in multiple places.  This night would bring much nicer memories. 

Tomorrow we pick up our visa packages for the girls in the afternoon.  Everyone gets to sleep in for a lazy day.  Kyle leaves us for America.  I am not feeling very comfortable with his leaving me.  Please pray for us in these last days.  I feel like I am running the race and can see the finish line but it is VERY far away!  Thank you.

Captions: First: All of us at river cruise; Second: Kyle and girls enjoying the cruise; Third: The cruise boat we were on

Tuesday, September 15, 2015: Shamian Island/Free Day

Isaiah 12:2  “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”  I really like the book of Isaiah because it is before the New Testament but speaks about Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!  Here we see that Jesus is our salvation and our strength.  I really need this verse now as our trip is winding down in China.  I am tired from all the emotional stress and drama here in Guangzhou.  I am ready to come home.

Today we found out that Hope’s x-ray is negative for TB.  This means she has Class B TB.  It means she was exposed at some point in her life and built up antibodies.  She does not nor has ever had TB. We will take her to the doctor when we return.  She and Autumn need to have a good physical and referral to the eye doctor.  They also need to see a dentist for a teeth cleaning, flossing, and exam.

This was quite a stressor for us because if she would have tested positive from the x-ray we would have to remain in China for 30 days for her to receive treatment here in Guangzhou!  I also found out that the kids are NOT tested for this disease before being put on the adoption list.  This means you don’t know until you get here.  I am told the U.S. government only trusts the blood test here in Guangzhou and possibly Beijing.  However, I think a screening blood test should be done in each province for the children just to rule it out.  I realize that the blood test will not suffice to clear the child to enter the U.S., but at least prospective adoptive parents will know there is this possibility of having a positive result here in Guangzhou.  That would surely help the planning process if the family did have to stay an extra 30 days!  This is a concern for all children over two years of age.

Ok, so I have been so frustrated here in China this trip with the lousy and unreliable internet connectivity!  Our Skype may or may not work, my connection to my class emails and course only seems to work early in the mornings, etc.  I know I am complaining, but every little thing adds up to an accumulated stress level.

Today was an odd morning as the girls slept in so late that Kyle and I went shopping by ourselves for our souvenirs and gifts at Shamian Island.  We were able to leave them with Annabelle.  It was a nice time with just the two of us.  We got all of our shopping done and back before lunch.  The girls were ready to get out of the room so they went swimming with Kyle and Annabelle.  I stayed back and worked on my class and went to the exit meeting with our agency.

The exit meeting was yet another 2.5 hour meeting that did not want to end.  This is when we are told about our departure times from the hotel and instructions to enter the U.S.  After the meeting we all went to dinner at this fabulous local restaurant very close to the hotel.  We have been eating there at dinner time every day now.  They do not use soy sauce in their dishes but rather chili paste and tomato sauce.  So, I am able to enjoy several dishes without getting ill.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we have our Consulate Appointment.  This is when the visa paperwork for the girls is reviewed and finalized.  They will also ask the girls if they want to go to the U.S. with us.  It takes up the entire morning and is very tiring.

Captions: First: Kyle, Annabelle, and girls as we all walked back to hotel after dinner; Second: Photo with owner of restaurant

Monday, September 14, 2015: Safari!

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes:  first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”  The ticket to Heaven is the gospel!  How could anyone be ashamed of going to Heaven in the presence of God and His Son, Jesus Christ!

Ok, so today started off rough.  We got the dreaded call that all families hope they do not get after their medical exam with the TB test.  Hope was called back to get an x-ray to rule out any TB disease.  Apparently something in her blood triggered the request.  This is not uncommon for families.  We will know the results on Tuesday morning.  Please pray for negative results so we can come home!  She is not showing any signs of any illness.  She has no coughing – not even once, nor does she have any difficulty breathing.  We would be completely shocked if the results came up with anything other than negative.

After the x-ray, Hope and I took the metro to meet up with Kyle and the others at the safari.  It was a great day with friends and family.  This safari park is one of the greatest parks to visit in China.  Everything about it was nice.  We got home late and are tired.

Tomorrow we plan to visit Shamian Island to do our shopping for souvenirs and gifts.  We hope it does not rain and we can have a day of shopping and swimming.  Speaking of swimming, Autumn is quite the swimmer.  She can swim on top of and under the water!  We were amazed at how comfortable she is in the water.  Hope was very brave and enjoyed her visit to the pool.  She is excited to get swimming lessons so she can swim like Autumn.  Every day Autumn asks if she can swim! 

We hope this finds you all well.  Thank you for your prayers.  It will be good to set foot on American soil in Dallas, TX next week!

With Love.

Captions: First: Girls outside safari park; Second: Baby white tiger cub in incubator; Third: Translation for feeding the cubs; Fourth: Girls feeding giraffes

Sunday, September 13, 2015: Church and Jade/Pearl Factory Day

Today we went to church on Shamian Island at the non-denominational church.  It was a great service and the first time the girls have been to church.  The service was bilingual with English and Mandarin.

I want to share a few versus we read during this service and the pastor talked about in his message to us.  Hebrews 4:14-16 I will quote only verse 14 as these versus a quite long in completion.  Hebrews 4:14  “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into Heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.”  This sums up our faith and hope as Christians.

Exodus 20:8  “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” The other versus along this same point are Exodus 23: 10-12.  I want to share with you a few points that I like to try to live by each day.  First, these versus are about God’s love for us.  He knows we need rest. He rested on the 7^th day himself.  We need to take time to rest and spend time with God to grow in our relationship with Him.  Second, we need to love others and share in God’s love.  Real happiness comes from sharing with each other.  We can only gain when we give.  Lastly, we need to love ourselves.  This is not meant in a prideful way, but in a Godly way.  When we become greedy and refuse to take time to rest and be in contact with the Lord, we simply are not loving ourselves.  When we keep too busy for rest, we have no time for God.  This will not deepen the relationship you have with God.  I really liked the perspective on these versus about the Sabbath day as it is not to keep us from doing what we want but a gift from God in giving us what we need—rest and time with God!

After church we went to the Jade factory here in Guangzhou.  We were told this is the largest factory in China.  People from all over the world come to this factory.  The girls were able to find a jade stone they liked.  Jade is very important to the Chinese culture so we wanted the girls to have a jade pendant as both Lily and Enoch have gotten as well.

Tomorrow we will go to the Safari.  This is a wonderful outing, and I know the girls will really enjoy seeing the pandas. :-)

Captions: First: Church at Shamian Island with girls and Annabelle; Second: Girls at jade factory 

Saturday, September 12, 2015: Visa Medical Check in Guangzhou

Joel 1:3 “Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.”  What you might ask should the children be telling to their children?  The answer is spiritual training in the Lord.  We must tell our children about the Lord and His gift of Salvation so they can tell their kids, and so on. Why?  Because the gift of Salvation is eternal life in Heaven with God the Father!  The only way is through belief in His Son, Jesus the Christ!  Amen.

Today we had the medical check for the girls’ visas to be approved by the United States Government.  It was a little different with older children as they had to receive two immunizations that were not up to date and required by the government since they were over 10 years of age.  Autumn also had to have an additional eye exam.  Both girls will need to see an eye doctor and be fit for glasses upon arrival to the states.  In addition, they had to get a blood TB test.  We were all tired after the exams were complete.

At the location of the medical check you will find ALL adopting families from all agencies getting this done weekly in order to get the visas approved.  You will also see Chinese citizens immigrating to the U.S. here getting their immigrant visa medical check completed.  It is nice to see other families from America adopting at the same time from other agencies.  All the children are very precious.  We even ran into a couple that we met on the American flight over to China.  It was like a mini reunion.

When they first arrive they get their visa photo.  They then begin the medical check.  They have four stations to complete (five for the girls with immunizations).  The first was the vitals station and eye exam.  Second was the ENT.  Third the general medical check.  Fourth the TB test (if over 2 years).  And fifth for the girls was the immunizations.  Whew!  What a morning.

After we arrived back to the hotel and went to a noodle restaurant that also served rice and gf food for me.  It was yummy.  I seem to be able to eat here much better than in years past.  I am thankful not to be starving for nutrients. 

After lunch I had the paperwork meeting with the Holt staff to get the visa packages prepared for the girls.  This requires filling out an application and submitting many official documents for the adoption.  The Holt staff then takes these packages to the U.S. Consulate and the visas get approved and put into their passports.  The staff then picks up the packages after we have our consulate meeting with the girls next Wednesday.  It is then time to leave Guangzhou.

We ventured out to Shamian Island after our long paperwork meeting to try to find the Gift of China store.  This store is run by Christians and all profits go to the orphans.  The goods in this store are very high quality and made my local people.  The prices are also very good.  We were able to find it after much running around and it was closed.  They close on Sundays, so we will be back next week to do some shopping.

Tomorrow we will go to a Christian non-denominational church on Shamian Island then do some quick shopping.  We are taking the girls to a jade and pearl wholesale market to get them a jade necklace which is very important in Chinese culture. 

Thank you for following our blogspot.  We hope God will bless you and protect you in the love of His Son, Jesus Christ!

Captions: First: Autumn at ENT check; Second: Hope at ENT check.

Friday, September 11, 2015: Travel Day to Guangzhou

John 14:6   Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth

and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through
me.”  This is one of my favorite versus as it sums up how
to get to Heaven spoken directly out of Jesus’ mouth!
The way to Heaven is through Him, Jesus Christ. Accepting
His gift of Salvation by repenting of sins and believing
He is our Savior!  Wow, what an amazing gift and so easy
to accept.

Today we began our day with breakfast at 0630.  We left
the hotel in Guiyang at 0800 and arrived at the airport
around 0945.  When we went through security to get to the
gate for our 1245 flight, we got hung up because Hope’s
passport number on her boarding pass did not match her
actual passport.  You may think this is no big deal, but in
a foreign country they have different rules. Thankfully
after three personnel reviewed it they let us through. 
Otherwise we would have been frantically calling our travel
agency to get help.  

The flight was uneventful.  We arrived in Guangzhou and met
up with Annabelle.  She graciously agreed to join us with
the girls to help with their English.  She is Enoch’s foster
sister of two years.  We adopted Enoch last November from
China.

To sum up the day we were either driving to or from the
airport, waiting at the airport, or flying today.  It is nice
to finally be in our room with a softer bed and AIR
CONDITIONING!  Yeah! Tomorrow we have the medical check to
clear the girls for approved visas to enter the U.S.A.

As we reflect on this day years ago, may we all join together

under one God and be proud to be an American.  This is how we

honor those that fell that day to terrorist who do not value
life. God Bless.