Jadeyn's Journey

Foshan Nanhai SWI Visit & Goodbye China!

2006-08-31T21:21:00.000-04:00

We woke up this morning around 6:00am and started packing all of our belongings to get ready for our flight back HOME later this evening. After we finished packing, we went downstairs, ate breakfast, and said our goodbyes to the other families in our GW group. We then went back to our room and had our luggage taken to the lobby by the bellboy because our new guide was suppose to meet us at there at 10:00am to take us to Foshan Nanhai SWI (Miata’s Orphanage) and to Miatas finding spot. Foshan City is located about 45 minutes southwest of Guangzhou. There is lots of construction going on all over China with the 2008 Olympics and our driver had a very hard time trying to locate the orphanage. After stopping several times and asking several people for directions, we finally arrived about 1½ hours after we left the hotel.

As we entered the orphanage, I quickly was surrounded by staff members who remembered us from our visit last year. They were all saying Zi Er, which was Miata’s Chinese name. Our guide was carrying Jadeyn and they thought it was Miata. When they saw it wasn’t Miata and our guide explained to them that Miata was not able to come with us, it was very obvious that they were upset. They had all been looking forward to Miata coming to visit as Ms. Tang, the director, had sent out a mass email telling everyone that Miata would be visiting sometime in August. Once inside we were met by Ms. Tang. She too was looking forward to seeing Miata and was very upset that she wasn’t with us. We spent about one hour with Ms. Tang at the orphanage showing her pictures of Miata and the other children who had been adopted from Foshan (several parents contributed money for the camera that we purchased and sent pictures of their child to be given to Ms. Tang.) Ms. Tang also gave us a tour of the orphanage and took us to see several older children who performed a song and dance for us that they had put together on their own. They were very excited to get to perform for us. Ms. Tang also brought out one of the babies I had asked her if I could take pictures of for a family that is waiting to come get her. After much time spent at the orphanage, Ms. Tang then invited us to have lunch with her and took us to a real Cantonese restaurant.

Once we arrived at the restaurant, our guide asked us what type of food we wanted to eat. We kindly told them that we did not eat strange things and were more into American type Chinese food. If you remember the photos from our trip here last year, the Cantonese people keep everything in aquariums (Cantonese food is known for it “freshness”) and you pick out what you want to eat and they cook it and bring it to your table. We were told by both of our guides in Guangzhou this week that there is an old saying that Cantonese people will eat anything but the plane in the sky and a desk. After seeing what is kept in these aquariums, I would say that the saying is true! The last thing we wanted was to get on a plane for 13 hours and be sick so they were kind enough to order somewhat normal food (the only thing weird was the plate of chicken that still had the head on the plate.) After about two hours at the restaurant we returned to the orphanage for Ms. Tang so that she could get us the exact address of Miata’s finding spot (where she was abandoned.) We then left the orphanage and drove about 45 minutes to that location so we could take pictures to have for Miata as part of her life book.

When we left Miata’s finding spot it was around 4:00 so we headed to the airport. When we arrived at the airport our guide went in with us to help us check in and to tell us goodbye. We then proceeded to the gate to wait for our flight to leave at 9:00pm. Our flight to LA left on time and went really smooth. Once in LA we had to go through customs which took us about an hour. This was really frustrating as we were already so tired! After we finally got through customs and security we headed for the Raleigh gate, set our bags down, and I went to get us some “American” food! Yeah!!! It tasted so good! Our flight to Raleigh also left as scheduled and was a smooth one. We arrived back home at 9:15am and just in time for Tropical Storm Ernesto! What a welcome home.

We want to thank everyone for all your prayers!! They were very much appreciated!! Please continue to pray for our family as we all are still adjusting.

We hope you enjoyed following our blog/Jadeyn’s Journey. We will again update Jadeyn’s Journey on Monday to share how she is adjusting to her new life and new family. We will also add more pictures to our photo bucket at this time.

And if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your gloom will become like midday. Isaiah 58:10

2006-08-30T20:00:00.000-04:00

Goodbye China!

2006-08-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

Miata's finding spot in Foshan

2006-08-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Visit with Mrs. Tang at Foshan SWI - Miata's Orphanage

Last Minute Shopping and US Consulate

2006-08-29T19:01:00.000-04:00

We woke up this morning still feeling sick but knew we only needed to deal with it for one more day because we will be going home tomorrow night. After we ate breakfast, we headed out to do some last minute shopping at some of the small shops on Shamian Island. It was very hot and humid today so after we finished shopping we took Jadeyn over to the deli and got her an ice cream (she loved it and we can only assume that it was her first.) After that we put her down for her nap. When she woke up, we headed down to the lobby to meet the other GW families so that we could take some group photos before we headed out to the US Consulate to get the children’s visas. It was a chore trying to get all five children to sit still on the red couch as we tried to take their picture. After we finished taking pictures in the lobby, we boarded a bus and headed over to the US Consulate.

When we arrived at the US Consulate we had to go thru very tight security. We then waited in the lobby with about 50 other families and then at around 4:45pm, everyone stood up and took an oath then received their children’s passport and visa. We then gathered are stuff and retrieved our cameras from security and headed back downstairs to get back on the bus to return to the hotel.

All of the GW families in our group are looking forward to going back home to the US, with one family going directly to the airport from the US Consulate to leave tonight. There are two other families and us leaving tomorrow and poor Jim and Christy are stuck here until Friday. They had hoped to get an earlier flight out but there were no seats available.

After we returned to the hotel, we ordered a pizza and some Chicken Noodle soup for Criss from Danny’s Bagel. Jadeyn loved the soup and ate every bit of it.

We will be checking out of the hotel in the morning and spending the day in Foshan, therefore we will not be able to update our blog again until we return home. Please keep us in your prayers as we are traveling. We are so looking forward to getting back home to Kasity and Miata and sharing our many stories with you.

Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless. For their Defender is strong; He will take up their case against you. Proverbs 23:10-11

2006-08-29T09:20:00.000-04:00

Our GW group!

2006-08-29T09:16:00.000-04:00

Our group's adoptive children

Five Rooms in 2 ½ Days!!

2006-08-28T23:58:00.000-04:00

After we woke up this morning and found that we were both feeling bad and having a difficult time breathing we decided to see if they would move us to another room. We did not post our prior problems earlier but it has now become kind of humorous. We were looking so forward to leaving Nanchang and coming to Guangzhou because we had such a great time here last year. But…..

When we arrived Friday night, we checked into the Victory Hotel at about 8:00pm. After we checked in, they took us to our room on the 4th floor and when we stepped off of the elevator all you could smell was cigarette smoke mixed with a mold/mildew smell. When we went into our room, it was better but still very, very, very strong so Tim went down to the front desk to ask about a no smoking room and they said that they were all full for the weekend but that they would move us on Sunday. So we decided to try and deal with it and Tim walked over to McDonalds to get us something to eat. When he came back, we ate and tried watching some TV but the smell seemed to get worse. So Criss went back down to the front desk to talk to them and they said that we could move to the 7th floor if we wanted and then move to the no smoking floor on Sunday. Criss went to check out the room on the 7th floor and when she came back she said that it still smelled like smoke and mildew but not as bad as the 4th floor. Then Criss called the White Swan to see if they had a no smoking room and they said that they didn’t but that they did have a smoking room if we wanted to check it out. So Tim walked over to the White Swan to check it out and when he came back he said that it also smelled like smoke so we decided that we would stay at the Victory Hotel for the night and move to the 7th floor. So we packed everything back up and had the bellboy come and move our luggage to our new room on the 7th floor.

When we got to our new room around 10:30pm, we put Jadeyn back to bed and as we tried to get ready for bed. We now started to notice that the room smelt moldy, musty, and damp but figured if we could just make it until morning we could then checkout and go to another hotel. As we tried to go to sleep, we found it harder and harder to breathe and decided that there was no way we were going to make it until morning. Feeling we were getting nowhere due to the language barrier, Criss (in tears) then called Helen (our guide) and explained this horrific situation. Helen said that she would contact the White Swan and after about another 45 minutes was able to get us a non smoking room on the executive suite floor. We then got dressed, gathered everything up again and moved to the White Swan. When we checked in, we were told that we would be able to stay in that room at no extra charge for the remainder of our stay. We finally got settled in and laid down to sleep at 1:00am. Well…

The next morning, after the children’s medical checkups we returned back to the White Swan and were told that we could not stay in the executive suite and had to move to a standard room. So, again we packed all of our belongings and moved to a new room! Guess what? This room smelled MOLDY, MUSTY, & MILDEWY plus it stayed damp in our room at all times. Well, we just decided we were going to DEAL with it! After the second morning in our new room, we both woke up feeling really bad! Everyone else in our group continued to tell us our room was awful and we needed to change it. So after breakfast we decided to swallow our pride and proceed back to the front desk to tell them we MUST have a new room. After checking four different rooms, we found one that wasn’t quite so bad and they said they would even bring in some machine that would clean the air. This took a little over two hours. We then were on the move again!! We again packed all our stuff and moved to our fifth room in 2 ½ days. This room is A LOT better and even has a river front view! Although the room is better, the damage to our bodies has already been done! We are now both very congested, have sore throats, it hurts when we breathe and feel miserable! The staff at the White Swan was great. We just think the four hours in the Victory is what started us on the road to becoming sick. You could not in your WILDEST dreams even fathom the horrific smell of that hotel. Anyone who has not traveled yet, DO NOT STAY AT THE VICTORY HOTEL!!!!!

Anyways, as we have gone from day to day, this has become more humorous to us and our group so we decided to share our nightmare with those that are following our blog! We do ask that you pray for us as we still feel bad and we will be packing everything back up again in two days to travel back home soon!

In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasures and will. Ephesians 1:4-5

Jade Market Adventure

2006-08-28T23:34:00.000-04:00

After we changed rooms for the last time, we put Jadeyn down for her nap. Around 4:30pm Helen called us and said she was ready to take us to the Jade Market. So we loaded everyone in two taxi cabs and went to the Jade Market. We then proceeded to the Electronics Store to purchase a camera that we will give to Miata’s orphanage when we visit it on Wednesday.

If you remember on one of our earlier blogs, we shared how God’s hand was at work in many amazing ways that we had not even imagined! Here is another glimpse of a “second” miraculous way He has answered prayer. Shortly before we traveled to China I emailed Ms. Tang (Orphanage Director - Miata’s) and told her we planned to visit the orphanage again while we were in Guangzhou. I had asked her if there was anything the orphanage was in need of and she told me of a specific camera that they would love to have. Ms. Tang is phenomenal in that she actually corresponds (via email) with families waiting for their child and she will even send pictures and updated information on your child. Anyways, I assume the camera they had must have gotten broken for them to ask for another. Well, the problem was that this camera was more than we could afford so and I didn’t know what to do. I really wanted to be able to give them what they requested so after much prayer, I decided to post on the orphanage yahoo group and ask if anyone would like to donate to purchase Ms. Tang this camera. To our amazement, the Lord blessed us with not only enough to buy the camera but money left that we were able to purchase the children many school supplies, color crayons, coloring books, glue, pencils, pens, folders, stickers, etc. We are so excited and can’t wait to return to Foshan Nanahi Orphanage on Wednesday August 30th and give them these gifts! To God be the glory!!

Now back to our Jade Market trip. While we were in the Electronics Store purchasing the camera it started pouring down rain. We waited in the store for the rain to stop and then went outside of the store to try and catch a taxi back to our hotel. We then found out that in a city of 9 million people, you cannot find a taxi when it is raining. Actually you can find them all over the roads, they just aren’t available! So after standing for about 10 minutes Helen had us cross over to the other side of the road to try and flag one down. After standing on that side of the road for about 20 minutes we decided that we would just start walking back to our hotel which was about a 30 minute walk from the store. We hoped we would be able to flag down a taxi on the way back to the hotel as it was now about 7:00 and dark! So we started down the main road and then we turned and went down side streets that were dark, wet and somewhat scary. Here were 5 women, two children and Tim hiking through the back roads/allies of Guangzhou in the light rain. We knew when we started down the side streets that we were not going to find a taxi and we were going to have to walk all the way entire way back to the hotel. We finally reached Shamian Island and guess what? There sat an available taxi!!! We waved him on and told him no thanks that we would continue to walk as it was just 5 more minutes. We got back to our hotel around 7:30pm. Everyone was tired, wet and hungry. We went back to our room to order a pizza from Danny’s Bagel only to find out that they closed at 7:30 (if only we could have walked faster. LOL!) So Tim went down to Lucy’s and got us something to eat and we spent the remainder of the night in the room. 48 more hours to go!!

You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed. Psalm 10:17-18

Guangdong Folk Arts Museum & Pearl Market

2006-08-27T23:00:00.000-04:00

We started our day by going down to breakfast. To our amazement, they had the LARGEST spread of food on their buffet than we have ever seen. We probably made five trips each! They had such a large variety of food and all was extremely fresh. Jadeyn just loved trying all of the different types of fruits. After breakfast all the GW families met in the lobby and we headed off to the Guangdong Folk Arts Museum.

We had visited this museum last year when we were here adopting Miata. These exhibits show some amazing Chinese craftsmanship and we were glad that we came to visit it again. There were several Chinese women demonstrating how they make silk from cocoons. They also had bone, stone, wood, and brick carvings, paintings, embroidery, ceramic sculptures, and lots of other gorgeous exhibits. We also purchased a handmade musical instrument for Jadeyn and she just loved playing it the remainder of the day.

After we left the museum, we went shopping at the pearl and jewelry market and the mall to buy CD’s and DVD’s. When you walk into the pearl stores, they have large bags of pearls all over the place with Chinese girls sitting around sorting them by size and color and stringing them into 16”-20” strands. You just tell them what you want and they will take a strand and make it into a necklace, bracelet, earrings or what ever you want. After we left the Pearl Market we walked next door to the mall and purchased some children’s music CD’s and some DVD’s. They had DVD’s of some of the new movies that are currently out like Cars, The Wild, Barnyard and Monster House. All of these were less than $2.00 each so we thought we would purchase a few and then purchase an inexpensive portable DVD player so we will have something to watch on the flight back home. After we left the mall, we went back to the hotel so the children could take their naps. When we got back to the hotel, Tim checked out the DVD’s on the computer to make sure that they worked. A few of them look like they had been recorded with a camera in the back of the movie theater and are not very clear and some of them have subtitles on them that do not match the movie. Oh well! What do you expect for two bucks! It will still be nice to watch something in English on our 15 hour flight from Guangzhou to LA!

After Jadeyn woke up from her nap, we headed back to the streets outside our hotel for more shopping. It is amazing how inexpensive most of the items cost at these local shops! Jadeyn had a great time in two of the shops because the girls there grabbed her up (they thought she was so beautiful) and wanted to talk and play with her. This caused us to spend about an hour in each shop. They really knew what they were doing, for the longer they played with Jadeyn of course the longer we looked! Anyways, it was so well worth it to see Jadeyn talking so much with these girls (did I already tell you, Jadeyn talks “a lot” unfortunately we don’t have a clue what she saying but all the Chinese people do.) Jadeyn enjoyed playing with a ball and she would count one, two, three (in Chinese) and then she would throw it to the Chinese girl.

After our shopping adventure we went to “Lucy’s” to have dinner. This was our 2^nd meal at Lucy’s and again it was very good. We then proceeded back to the White Swan to settle in for the night. We just continue to praise God for how well Jadeyn is doing! We couldn’t ask for an easier adjustment/transition! Today’s Pictures are in the Photo Bucket under Jadeyn Pics and China Pics - Guangzhou 2006.

Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west. Isaiah 43:5

2006-08-27T22:56:00.000-04:00

Pearl Factory

2006-08-27T22:52:00.000-04:00

Bags of Cocoons used for making silk

2006-08-27T22:51:00.000-04:00

Guangdong Folk Arts Museum/Chen Clan Academy

Last Day in Nanchang & First Day in Guangzhou

2006-08-26T08:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday after breakfast we went to pickup Jadeyn’s (and the other children’s) passport and went back to the hotel to pack and prepare for our flight to Guangzhou. The flight was about 1 hour & 10 minutes. Jadeyn did terrific! She sat still the entire flight, played and looked at magazines and was perfectly content. They served us a meal of spicy shrimp & vegetables with rice and Jadeyn couldn’t get enough of it. She is such a great eater and we have now found out that she really likes spicy foods.

We are now in Guangzhou at the famous “White Swan” hotel. This is where most families stay when they come here to adopt. We met up with the other two Great Wall families in our group (They were previously in a different province receiving their children.) We started our day by taking the children to the Health Care Facility for them to receive their medical exam. They said Jadeyn looked like a very healthy little girl. After the exam we walked around Shamian Island and looked in many of the shops. Later after nap we took Jadeyn to the “Swan Room” which is a large playroom for the kids. We stayed about 1 ½ hours. Jadeyn had a great time playing with all the toys and other children there. Later we ordered a pizza from Danny’s Bagel, it was really good! We joined our friends in their large suite for dinner and after we were finished eating we just relaxed and enjoyed each others company as the girls (Jadeyn & Maddie) played.

We only have four more days to go! We are so ready to get home! Todays Pictures are in the Photo Bucket under Jadeyn Pics and China Pics - Nanchang 2006 &Guangzhou 2006.

A Father to the fatherless, a Defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families… Psalm 68:5-6a

2006-08-26T08:56:00.000-04:00

Jadeyn at her medical exam

2006-08-26T08:54:00.000-04:00

Jadeyn, Maddie, & Jim on bus to airport

Peoples Park & Porcelain Shop

2006-08-24T18:45:00.000-04:00

We slept in today until 4:00am, WOW getting better! Today we went to a very nice and interesting park. There were lots of people exercising, practicing sword dancing, playing musical instruments, and just enjoying leisure time. There was a small amusement area which contained various rides that the girls could go on. While the girls rode, the ladies fed their babies which drew a large crowd. The Chinese stayed around us the whole time we were at the park but especially while Christy and Laurie were feeding their babies. Maddie was a little afraid because they would follow us and just stare at her. We came upon an older gentleman who was writing Chinese characters using a stick which had a sponge on the end of it and he would dip it in the water. While we were watching him he wrote, “Our American Friends.”

After we left the park we went to a porcelain shop. Jiangxi is the capitol of porcelain so Jenny told us it is very important that we buy something porcelain that we could give our children when they get older. We bought Jadeyn a porcelain tea set, which is very popular amongst the Chinese people.

Next we proceeded to KFC for lunch and then back to our hotel for the girls to take a nap. After the girls woke up we went for one last shopping adventure at Wal-Mart. Once back at our hotel, it was dinner time so we began to eat our leftover lunch. Jadeyn insisted on going to Maddie’s room to see what she was eating. She decided she no longer wanted her chicken nuggets and potatoes with gravy but instead wanted their Roma Noodles. She could not get enough of these! After our gourmet dinner, we took the girls back to the “so called” play area to release some more of their bottled up energy. After their much needed play time, we then settled in for the night.

We are looking forward to tomorrow as we will go pickup Jadeyn’s passport and off to Guangzhou we go! We can’t get there fast enough!! Todays Pictures are in the Photo Bucket under Jadeyn Pics and China Pics - Nanchang 2006.

Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Psalm 82:3

2006-08-24T18:36:00.000-04:00

Jadeyn and Criss on Merry-go-Round

2006-08-24T18:33:00.000-04:00

Peoples Park

2006-08-24T18:32:00.000-04:00

Chinese man writing chinese characters

Our Priceless Pictures!!

2006-08-24T02:18:00.000-04:00

Below are the pictures that Jadeyn's foster mom gave us as a gift. I really wanted somehow to share these and thankfully Tim had the great idea of taking a picture of the photos and it worked! They had to have them made by a professional because they do not have a camera nor do they even know how to use one. This was indeed the "Best" gift I could have ever received!! We were told that the grapes Jadeyn is holding represent good luck and wealth. The headdress she is wearing is the same style worn by the princess from one of the ancient Chinese dynasties.

For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 1 Samuel 1:27

2006-08-24T01:43:00.000-04:00

Our little Chinese Princess!

2006-08-24T01:42:00.000-04:00

Jadeyn with Foster Mother

2006-08-24T01:40:00.000-04:00

Jadeyn with Daughter-in-law

Fuzhou Day Trip!

2006-08-23T18:23:00.000-04:00

We woke up and started our day again at 2:00am. After breakfast we met Mr. Bruce and off we went for our two hour trip to Fuzhou. What we saw on our drive there was so much more than what we thought we’d see. The poverty in the country side and these small villages were far worse than we had ever imagined. We were truly heart broken by what we saw. The hardest part was knowing that Jadeyn had been living in these conditions for 2 ½ years (as well as all the children that live this way.) This explains why when we received her she was extremely dirty, had a deep gash in one of her toes, and her feet were/are callused as if she had always went barefoot. Although it was very evident in our visit with the foster mom that they loved her SO VERY MUCH the fact is that the harsh living conditions is just part of their normal everyday life.

Our first stop in Fuzhou was at the orphanage which Jadeyn was assigned to but never really lived there as she was with her foster mom from the day she was found until the day we received her. It is required that the foster moms bring the babies back to the orphanage every so often for medical checkups. We happened to arrive at the time when many foster moms we there for their babies checkups. I was able to take many pictures of these little ones as well as get one picture of an older special needs boy who lived at the orphanage. The special needs children are the only ones who actually live there. There are approximately 300 children assigned to this orphanage at any given time. Most of these are with foster families.

Our next stop was at Jadeyn’s finding spot. This is where her biological mom left her for someone to find. It was in front of the Fuzhou Agriculture building. She was left there when she was just several hours old.

We finished our trip with a stop at one of the local hotels, which is where the foster mom was to meet us. We got there early and had to wait for her. When she and the daughter-in-law arrived, Jadeyn got up and immediately went to them. It was obvious that there was a strong bond between the three of them. We spent about 45 minutes talking with them and asking them questions about Jadeyn, using Bruce to translate. During this time Jadeyn sat with, played with, and just soaked up every moment being spent again with her foster mom. They truly loved her with all of their hearts but they knew she was going to have such a better life and opportunities that they could only dream of. They brought her gifts, which made me feel sick to my stomach at the thought of knowing that they had so little money yet wanted to spend what they had on her. One of the gifts they brought us was the most gorgeous pictures of them with Jadyen. They are truly “PRICELESS.” We of course had brought gifts for them, one being money which they are so desperately in need of.

It was now time for us to say our goodbyes. This was hard on us all but especially hard on Jadeyn! She cried for about 40 minutes as we drove back to our hotel in Nanchang. Her heart was so broken and there was nothing we could do but hold her and love her. To our amazement after her 40 minutes of grieving, she was back to her happy little self. It was amazing the complete turn around after that time of grieving! As hard as this visit was for all of us, it was worth EVERY heartache we felt. We feel this was so very important for Jadeyn to have one last chance to see and say goodbye to her “family” as she knew it. This priceless time spent with these loving and caring women will be forever etched in our memories and has also given us the wonderful opportunity to be able to help Jadeyn understand the first 2 1/2 years of her life as well as share with her the priceless video and pictures we had taken. We are very thankful that God answered our prayers and allowed us this visit!

Back at our hotel, we spent the evening letting the girls play! They played endlessly. When you look at the pictures, you just cannot believe that this little girl a few hours early was so very upset. She is again the happiest little girl you could ever imagine! Praise the Lord for all He has done!! Thank you all for your prayers! They are MUCH APPRECIATED!!

Today's Pictures are in the Photo Bucket under Jadeyn Pics and China Pics - Nanchang 2006 & China Pics – Fuzhou 2006.

Pure and undefiled religion before God is this: to VISIT orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:27

2006-08-23T17:01:00.000-04:00

Jadeyn with Foster Mom

2006-08-23T17:00:00.000-04:00

Jadeyn with Foster Mom & Daughter-in-Law

2006-08-23T16:57:00.000-04:00

Fuzhou SWI w/Orphanage Director & Assistant

Shopping Day for Babies!

2006-08-22T22:58:00.000-04:00

Well to start off, our three hour nap really did us in. We were up at 2:00 this morning! We will make sure not to make that mistake again and can hopefully get back to a regular sleep pattern and sleep all night. Jadeyn however slept great again!

There is really not much to post today as it was just a relaxing (boring) day. Today was our scheduled shopping day so the three GW families went to a very nice department store to shop for the babies. We however, really weren’t in need of anything so we just followed along with the other families as they bought a few items they needed for their little ones. We then went to lunch at what our guide told us was a somewhat westernized restaurant. We were able to order a cheeseburger, fries, and coke but then the waitress came back and informed us that the cheeseburgers were “sold out.” So our lunch consisted of fries and coke. A big plate of southern home cooking with lots of vegetables would be the best gourmet plate we could receive right now! On our way back to the hotel we dropped Tim & Laurie off for a 90 minute massage, I had to talk Tim into this because I thought it would be good for him since the muscles in his back have been tight. Well, two hours later Tim & Laurie finally got back to the hotel. I asked him did he feel much better and his comments were; it felt as though the little Chinese girl was going to put her fingers through my temples, eyeballs, and also like she was peeling the skin from my body! So, I don’t think he will be having the little Chinese girls give him any more massages! Oh, then at dinner the other family said, we forgot to tell you that you have to ask them for a softer massage! Tim’s comment was; that’s really good to know NOW!!

Anyways, we just spent the rest of the evening with the other families in and around our hotel. Jadeyn and Maddie (6 yr. old daughter of one of the families) had a great time playing together. We were amazed at how much she played and laughed and ran around with Maddie. She truly had a terrific time!

Unfortunately there isn’t a lot to do at this hotel, because they are currently under a lot of renovation. They don’t even have a pool but are in the process of constructing one (lot of good that will do us.) Nor do they have a play area for the children or a even a lobby for us to hang out and relax in. Oh, but there is one English speaking channel on TV unfortunately it is HBO, so needless to say we can’t really watch much because most all of their shows are garbage. The hotel is also located away from all the major shopping areas, so at this point we cannot wait to head to Guangzhou! They have everything!!

Please keep us in prayer as tomorrow is our day trip to Fuzhou to see where Jadeyn has spent the first 2 ½ years of her life. We will also meet her foster mom. We are a little nervous and know this may be very hard for us all but feel it is important and will give Jadyen and her foster mom one last chance to say goodbye to one another. Today's Pictures are in the Photo Bucket under Jadeyn Pics and China Pics - Nanchang 2006.

How blessed is he who considers the helpless... Psalm 41:1

2006-08-22T17:56:00.000-04:00

Pretty little Jadeyn!

2006-08-22T17:55:00.000-04:00

Shengjin Pagoda outside our hotel

Adoption Day!

2006-08-21T23:35:00.000-04:00

Well, last night was a pretty good night as we were able to sleep until 6:00 this morning. We have again been very blessed as Jadeyn slept all night without any problems (Thank you Lord!) We played with Jadeyn for a while and then got ready and went down to breakfast. We were not sure how well Jadeyn was going to eat but to our amazement she is just like Miata, she ate very well! After we ate breakfast we met up with the other two GW families and Jenny so that we could go back to the Civil Affairs Office and complete the remainder of the adoption paperwork.

When we arrived at the CCAA, there were a dozen or so families from other countries there ahead of us completing their paperwork. It took about an hour before we were able to get to our interview process. This is where you meet with one of the CCAA officials and they ask you if you are happy with your child and if you still want to adopt him/her. To our disbelief, Jenny told me that they do have several families a month who say no and return the child back over to the CCAA where the child is then taken back to the orphanage or foster family. We can only pray that God will place these children with their forever family.

After we completed all of the adoption paperwork, we left the CCAA and went over to the notary office to finalize the adoption paperwork. This took about 5 minutes per family and as we were leaving, we were told that the adoption was now complete and Jadeyn is officially ours! We now just have to wait for 5 days for the CCAA to process her passport paperwork and then we will be on our way to Guangzhou where Jadeyn will have her medical check up, we will apply for her visa to come to the US, and we will go to the US Consulate for the swearing in ceremony.

After we accomplished all this, we had Jenny take us to MCDONALD”S so that all three GW families could eat lunch. It is amazing to think how much we hate McDonald’s and never eat there, yet while in China it tastes so good! Jadeyn loved her happy meal and even likes ketchup with her fries, which is something Miata does not like at all. After we finished our lunch we came back to the hotel so all of the children could take a nap. We decided while Jadeyn was sleeping we would also take a quick nap. Well, we ended up waking after 3 ½ hours! Sure hope we will be able to sleep tonight! After our long nap, we went for a walk around the hotel with the other two GW families. The Chinese people love to watch us and come up to us. They love to say “Hello” as you are walking. It seems this is the only English they know and they say it ALOT and are so happy when you say hello back to them. They just smile at you! They love to come up to the babies and check them out and also try to guess their age. They will hold up fingers to do this.

Jadeyn is becoming more comfortable and is beginning to show her personality, as you can see in the pictures. She seems to be very happy and will play and laugh, she hasn’t cried at all! She loves to play with her Mr. Potato Head and has had a ball playing with a balloon. She also likes to color. She has already started saying mommy & daddy and can also say Jadeyn. She will repeat what we say to her in English. It is so amazing how quick these children can learn a different language. We thank the Lord for how He has blessed us with such a beautiful and content little girl. Todays Pictures are in the Photo Bucket under Jadeyn Pics.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

2006-08-21T09:42:00.000-04:00

Happy little girl!

2006-08-21T09:40:00.000-04:00

Our little Jadeyn!

“Gotcha Day!”

2006-08-20T23:19:00.000-04:00

We went to bed early last night totally exhausted after getting very little sleep over the past two days. Though we were tired we still woke up this morning around 4:00am. It took us a few days last year when we were here to get acclimated to the time change so we decided to get up and get ready and go downstairs to eat breakfast. We then decided that we would go to Walmart to get a stroller for Jadeyn and a few other things to drink and snack on later in the hotel room. We were told that Walmart was way too far to walk so we took a taxi. Taking a taxi in China is always an adventure as the drivers try to dodge around anything and everything that moves. When we arrived at the Walmart Supercenter we found it to be located on the corner of a shopping mall and it was two stories tall. They had all of the food on the first floor and everything else on the 2nd floor. We thought that the Walmart back in Wilmington was always crowded but this place was CROWDED! I guess in a city of 4 million people it doesn’t take long before everything is crowded. I think we were the only Americans in there and they would just stare at us and look at what we had in our shopping cart. I am sure that they were amazed to see that the only food we had was good International Food (things that can be found in the USA). While we were there we took some pictures of the fresh seafood section. You can tell by the pictures in the Photo Bucket that most of it is kept alive in tanks and you just catch what you want. After we finished our shopping we took a taxi back to the hotel.

We stayed in the hotel and waited for the other two families from Great Wall to arrive from taking their tour of Beijing on Saturday. Jenny our guide from Great Wall called us around 2:00pm and told us that the families were checking in and that we needed to meet in the hotel lobby at 3:00pm to take a van over to the Civil Affairs Office. After we met in the lobby, we went to get in the van and it sounded like the transmission was falling apart and we were not sure that we were even going to make it there. Amazingly we made it even after it sounded like something fell out of the transmission and onto the road. Jenny then told us that they would send another van to take us back to the hotel. I am not sure that they had any choice because the one we were in kind of coasted up to the building and died. When we went to the Civil Affairs office, we found it to be closed and all locked up. Jenny made some calls and found out that they were running late and would be there soon. When they arrived, they opened the offices up and allowed us to go in to the waiting room to wait for our children. They had turned off the air conditioning and we thought we were going to bake as we waited for the room to cool down. The children were not there so Jenny started making calls to find out where they were. We came to find out that the vehicle that Jadeyn was in had broken down and they were going to be a couple of hours late. The other two families in our group had adopted children from a different orphanage than Jayden’s and they were also running about an hour behind. So as we sat there and waited for our children, Jenny told us that 2000 children from this province are adopted a year to families in 14 countries. Jenny said that this is a rural agricultural province and that all of these children are abandoned. It is hard to imagine that there are so many babies from one area abandoned and put into orphanages and foster care. While we were waiting on Jadeyn, they brought in about 20 other babies that were being adopted by families from other countries. The babies in the blue outfits were being adopted by Swedish families and they were adorable.

After the Swedish families received their children, our babies showed up. Our precious Jadeyn showed up last. She went to Criss with no problem and just looked around the room as Tim took pictures. She was a lot bigger than we expected her to be and she looks to be about the same size as Miata. We finished up at the Civil Affairs Office and took her back to the room and gave her a much needed bath. We then just settled in for the evening. Jadeyn went to sleep with no problems and we too are now on our way to bed. Good night! Rather good morning to all of you. Todays Pictures are in the Photo Bucket under Jadeyn Pics and China Pics - Nanchang 2006.

I knew you before you were formed within your mother's womb; Before you were born I sanctified you and appointed you as my spokesman to the world. Jeremiah 1:5

2006-08-20T11:29:00.000-04:00

Jadeyn with Mommy

2006-08-20T11:23:00.000-04:00

Criss, Jadeyn & Tim at Civil Affairs Office

We’re Finally Here!

2006-08-19T21:23:00.000-04:00

After the grueling airplane ride, which seemed like it lasted for days, we are finally here! All of our flights were smooth and uneventful, thank the Lord, just extremely long. We flew China Southern this time and to our surprise, ALL of the movies on our flight were in CHINESE, which means we couldn’t even watch/understand anything! This definitely didn’t help in passing the time. We should have brought Kasity’s DVD player, but who’d a thought?!? I guess the airline CHINA Southern should have been a big clue, huh? LOL We arrived in Guangzhou about an hour earlier than scheduled which was good for us as it allowed us to be able to catch the earlier flight to Nanchang so we arrived at the Jin Feng hotel at 11:00am (11:00pm NC time) as opposed to hanging out at the Guangzhou airport from 6:00am until our scheduled flight at 1:30pm which wouldn’t have put us in our hotel until about 4:30. Getting to our room and our BED earlier was great! On the drive to our hotel, our guide informed us that Nanchang was one of “the four” hottest places in all of China. These four areas of China are called the “smoldering pots” of China. You would think flying from Guangzhou north to Nanchang it would be cooler, but that’s not the case in this “smoldering pot” city! It is very hot and humid! After we got cleaned up we went walking around a few blocks looking for a McDonald’s or Pizza Hut. We did not find either! Guess what? We are in really BIG trouble! Those of you who followed our last journey remember that we ate at one of those two places everyday! Well by the grace of God, even though we cannot walk to these places we were able to call and have Pizza Hut delivered to our room. We will also be able to take a taxi to go eat so hopefully we won’t starve too terribly much!

Anyways, just a little bit ago we had a phone call from Mr. Bruce who is the gentleman that will be taking us on our day trip to Fuzhou Wednesday. He told us that he had spoken with Mr. Zhou, the director of Jadeyn’s orphanage and Mr. Zhou said that Jadeyn is there at the orphanage and looks very good and is doing well. It is common for the children that are in foster families to be taken back to the orphanage a couple of days before they are brought to their forever families. We have prayed that if this did happen that God would comfort and prepare her for this 1st of many changes to come. From what Mr. Bruce has told us, it sounds like God has indeed answered our prayers once again! We will for sure find out tomorrow when we are united with her.

Well we will close for now, but will post again tomorrow. Thanks for all your continued prayers!

Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country. Proverbs 25:25

Our Journey Begins

2006-08-17T13:22:00.000-04:00

We are now leaving, taking our girls to Monica’s house and then traveling on to Raleigh where we will begin our journey. Our flight is scheduled to leave RDU at 6:55 and we should arrive in Nanchang 8/19 @ 2:50pm, which is 8/19 @ 2:50am NC time. I am sure we will be so exhausted that we probably will not get a chance to post until Sunday 8/20. Sunday at 3:00pm is also the day/time we are scheduled to be at the Civil Affairs Office to be united with Jadeyn!! Once we get the chance to post we will probably already have Jadeyn so we should have lots to write about.

We have already seen God’s hand at work in many amazing ways! Here is a glimpse of “one” miraculous way He has answered prayer beyond what we could have every imagined and we have been in awe of the end result!!

A couple of our longing desires which we diligently prayed for was first, that the Lord would prepare Jadeyn for us and that she will adjust/bond quickly to us and second, that we would be able to meet Jadeyn’s foster mom who has taken care of her for the first 2 ½ years as well as have ongoing contact with her. Well, to our dismay we were told we were not being allowed to visit our daughter’s orphanage because there were so many in our group, in Nanchang, receiving their children but from many various orphanages. Therefore, the agency could not possibly setup day trips for all the families to visit the orphanage/city of their child. That meant not only did we not get to visit the orphanage, but not even see the city our child is from.

Well, God definitely had a greater plan!!
Two kind & gracious ladies who recently returned from this area with their daughters, which are from the same orphanage as Jadeyn, emailed me and said if we wanted to arrange a day trip to Fuzhou, that they had a contact in Nanchang that could arrange this for us. Through several days of emailing that contact person, we now have a day trip scheduled on Aug. 30th and will be visiting Jadeyn’s orphanage, going to her finding location (where she was abandoned), touring the city and even meeting Jadeyn’s foster mom!! How awesome is that? Going from thinking you will not experience any of your daughter’s beginnings to experiencing them all and even meeting the foster family which is extremely rare! Praise be to God!!
Thank you Lord for using Lyn & Tori to accomplish your will!

We are so excited about this rare opportunity and can’t wait to post and tell about our experiences as well as share pictures with everyone!

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Adoption

2006-08-10T15:37:00.000-04:00

God laid this calling on our hearts
From His wishes we shall not depart.

Some say, "Why go so far away?
How much will you have to pay?
Aren't there children in the U.S.A?"

Whether a child is from here or there
Isn't it our job to love and care?

Children are a priceless treasure
Blessings that we can not measure.

God wants us to hold them tight
Whether they are yellow, black or white.

We wish we could save them all
Sadly, we can only answer our call.

We must go to a foreign land
For our daughter, who's there, is God's command.

Our China doll is there and waiting
There will be no hesitating.

We are sticking with our decision
Unless God makes a revision.

Cast your doubts and fears aside
Come along and enjoy the ride.

All these children should be taken in
Maybe this process you should begin!

For you did not receive the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the "Spirit of Adoption" by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15

Travel Itinerary

2006-08-08T07:32:00.000-04:00

8/1/06 - TA (travel approval) received.
8/7/06 - Consulate appointment secured and travel arrangements completed.
Leaving for China:
8/17/06 - We leave from Raleigh, NC @ 6:55pm on Delta flight 821.
Arrive @ Los Angeles at 9:10pm.
Depart Los Angeles at 11:50pm on China Southern flight 328.
Arrive Guangzhou China on 8/19/06 at 6:20am.
Depart Guangzhou China at 1:40pm on China Southern flight 3535.
Arrive Nanchang at 2:50pm.
Returning from China:
8/30/06 - Depart Guangzhou China on China Southern flight 327 at 9:00pm.
Arrive Los Angeles at 6:50pm.
Depart Los Angeles at 10:30pm on Delta flight 832.
8/31/06 Arrive Raleigh at 6:21am.

As We Prepare...

2006-08-07T19:07:00.000-04:00

Although our plan all along was for our entire family to travel to China, we have had to make the “extremely difficult” decision that just Tim & I will be traveling due to airfare & intra country costs being so much more expensive this time. Now, as our departure day draws closer we are all trying to prepare ourselves for what we know will be a tough two weeks, being separated from one another. Those who know us know that we have “never” been away from our kids for any length of time so this will definitely be a tough two weeks but with God’s grace we know we will make it through.

I am so very thankful to my friend Monica & her husband Ken who will be taking care of our girls while we are away as well as all our other friends who have so graciously offered to help in any way they can! God has indeed blessed us with wonderful friends!

We ask that you please keep us in your prayers and pray that God has prepared Jadeyn for this journey!

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

2006-07-28T22:35:00.000-04:00

I've been searching the roads to find my way HOME!!
I know I'll find it soon!