Beijing... China posts, #1

The flight over wasn't terrible. The plane was HUGE, leg room exactly the same as those little dollhouse planes we fly out of Jackson… On the 747, I had to laugh when the flight attendant said (I kid you not) "We have a very nice flight plan prepared for you, I think you'll like it…" I was thinking, just jet on over to China, would you??  Oh, and Avery started repeating (on the tarmac…) "Mommy, I'm hungry. Mommy I'm hungry" She finally did stop doing that after meeting our neighbors for 14 hours.

The kids slept the last 6 hours or so of the long ride to Beijing - We had to wake them for breakfast on the plane! :)  We arrived and were relieved to be rushed through the long immigration line because we had a big stroller! Big plus!! Oh, and all our bags arrived. Whew!  

Our first 747!  We were waaaay in the back.  FYI, the same number of inches exists between seats here as does those dollhouse planes we usually take out of Jackson.  

iPads, tons of food, unlimited screen time for these two = 

equals actually a good night's rest… 

We exited out of the baggage claim area and it truly felt like the red carpet. Funny, really... all the people holding signs with names. We saw Serena smiling and holding our sign. She is super sweet and very welcoming to the kids too. It was about an hours ride to the hotel where Serena helped us check in. We got all our bags in the room and literally crashed. Sleep was so good.

Ni Hao!  (Hello!)

We awoke and enjoyed a large breakfast at the hotel, then met Serena in the lobby for a fun and full day!  Our driver, Fu, took us the the Mutianyu part of the Great Wall. The Great Wall construction began about 2,000 BC. This part was constructed about 1400 years ago. Amazing.  Truly a wonder of the world!  

We rode a chairlift up to the wall - Silas and Avery's first chairlift - they said they were ready to ski!!  Then the super troopers climbed and walked literally thousands of stairs.  They began to count the stairs one, two, three... thirty-one, etc.. hilarious!  Most people there didn't speak English, but Silas and Avery are surely like celebrities as people stop and ask to take their picture with them. ha! 

How does one get down from the Great Wall??  A 1500 meter slide, of course!  What fun! 

Avery rode with me and drove the whole way down... way too fast! Lord, help us when she turns 16! 

We left and enjoyed a traditional Chinese lunch at a nearby restaurant - Serena had to order for us:-) It was delicious. 

Lunch was also our first encounter with a squatty potty...  (sorry, no picture) After two weeks with those things, I didn't want to see another… even in a picture;-) 

Then, Fu and Serena took us to a local Beijing factory that made colonnaise art, which is made from copper and hand decorated, painted, and fired seven times. The pieces are truly beautiful and the technique is French and over 600 years old.  Everything is done by hand and each piece takes about 15 days to make.

Oh, by the way, traffic in Beijing is more than crazy. Twenty-one million people. 

After the factory, we drove back into Beijing and took a rickshaw ride through an old part of the city around a lake, Hutong Lake. About halfway around the lake, we stopped and went into a family's house who had a business of the ancient Chinese art of paper cutting. They also grew many fruits and vegetables - it was so neat to see grapes hanging from the pergola in their courtyard. These homes in "old Beijing" are about 70 sq meters, and Serena said they are usually passed down in families. They sell for about 9,000 US dollars per sq meter!  Serena said Jet Li had one.

Avery, of course, had to ride with her new best buddy, Serena while Bruce, Silas and I rode in the other. 

About mid-way through the ride, we stopped at a family's home and they told us about the house's history and showed us their paper cutting art/trade.

 These homes have neat courtyards where they grow all kinds of vegetables - and this one had grapes growing from the entire lattice work above the open ceiling.

The family cuts paper with tiny little knives to make beautiful artwork that they sell.

After the rickshaw ride/tour, we rode to a traditional Chinese Tea Room where we participated in a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony. Silas wasn't much into the tea, just ask him about the peepee boy.  ha!  You'll just have to ask for the explanation. We tried five kinds of tea and learned about each one. 

One of the wonderful and fascinating parts of Chinese culture is the symbolism in everything. All animals mean something, maybe luck, prosperity, protection, etc. and most architecture has specific reasons. The thresholds of doors are thought to keep the ghosts who do not have legs and only can jump out of the house. The threshold is thought to be higher than what they can jump. There are posts on the doors (one up to four) signifying how important you are. Beijing is a political center and all dignitaries have levels of importance.

After tea, it was about 8pm and we were pooped. Avery actually fell asleep in the back of the car and we carried her to bed!  (if that tells you how tired we were:-)

Day 2 in Beijing

Our hotel's breakfast is amazing! We have our own little private room with eggs made to order, all kinds of meats, dumplings, fruits, cheeses, cereals, pastries, anything you can imagine. We filled up again and met Serena in the lobby after checking out with all our bags. We loaded up into the car and headed to Tian'anmen Square and Forbidden City, the city center of Beijing. Dating back to 1200 AD, these ancient courtyards (HUGE) were where the Emperor's stayed and conducted political meetings. The city was "forbidden" since commoners couldn't enter, only the political leaders.  Tian'anmen Square is enormous and can hold up to a million people!  Today was very crowded as it was a beautiful day and a weekend day.

The Gardens were manicured and decorated for a parade that took place the week before (I cannot recall the name of it, nor the reason it occurs)

The Chairman's picture is on the entrance… and yes, he is highly regarded by everyone. The architectural detail is too impressive to describe. 

We felt like we stepped onto the set of the Mulan movie! 

Yes, Avery is always full throttle...

We went from section to section enjoying the beautiful buildings. Each section opened into more "inner quarters", like the never ending Russian (I think it's russian) dolls that have dolls inside… this place is so big. 

Look, Avery doesn't take long to overtake Serena's umbrella!  I love the way Chinese women pop out umbrellas to hide from the sun. She was telling me no one wants wrinkles. So there! That's the secret to those Asian 100 year old women with beautiful skin!

We so enjoyed her and learning about her culture and family. AND, she has a 2 1/2 year old boy, just like Samuel!  It's been really neat to explain to so many Chinese why we are adopting. Adoption is very far from their minds, and most have no "religion", so we've been able to share about God and Jesus to many curious minds (on the plane to Beijing, an IT guy from Maryland who was Chinese was walking around the back of the plane as I was about 8 hours in, looking out the window at Siberia(we think) and kept asking, "but why would you go get a child?" We were able to tell people about the love of God and His pursuit of us as our motivation and calling… Serena asked the same questions…).  People in China don't domestically adopt much at all; mostly due to the one-child policy, but also because their culture doesn't think that way (which is really odd to me in a socialistic society, but that's a whole other post).



We exited the last building and looked up to this beautiful building. We're so thankful the day was so pretty… there was no smog, which Serena said was common and obscures views.

Talk about feeling like a celebrity... everyone stops and wants to take pictures with us... I suppose we do stand out a little.  Silas was a little (rightfully so!) cautious, but this one gladly took her picture and posed for anyone who asked! 

We left the Forbidden City, we stopped at a famous Pearl Market where we heard a demonstration about how pearls are found. I had no clue that some freshwater oysters had 20 or more pearls inside!  Silas was able to fish for our demo! 

We bought a few souvenirs including pearls we plan to give Avery on her wedding day, then headed to the airport. It's time to fly to Zhengzhou, Henan, where Samuel is!  We meet him tomorrow!!

We met our guide David at the airport, who works for our agency and lives in China. He'll be with us all week.

Our hotel in Zhengzhou is rather swanky!  Everything is so new.  The Chinese Moon Festival begins at the end of September, so these decorations are everywhere.  

We found the ping-pong room and enjoyed a little friendly competition.  Ping-Pong in China, of course.  (If only I had been able to take a lesson here before Miss P. Bhatt beat me in the Ole Miss intramural finals…. if only…  ha!)

Just a few neighbors outside of our hotel room...  this is a "small city" (of 8 million people)...

Our last dinner as a family of 4!!

I had imagined that night to be, well I don't know… maybe more climatic? But, at the same time, I remember the night before having Silas and Avery, I just wanted to stay home, go to bed, so we could wake up the next day and meet them. By that point, I was just ready.  I think by this point, we all four were just READY.  

I lay in bed that night and just prayed for Silas and Avery's hearts. They've been amazing so far and I knew would do well, but I prayed they would not only be open to Samuel and another sibling and everything that comes with that, but that they would be truly ready for it. I knew the day and coming months will be traumatic for Samuel, but didn't want any trauma for Silas and Avery… and knew this was a tall order.  Turns out, boy was I limiting God in my prayers by only asking for that… 

I Pray for You…

As a mom, there's nothing I want more than to write each story for our children, set the courses of their futures, decide what is best for them…
I want to prevent them from being hurt, or scared, or upset…
I want to be their provider and protector…
God has entrusted Silas and Avery and (soon!) Samuel to us and we love each more than we every thought possible. How does time go so quickly?
I posted this picture on their birthday… and I only thought my heart was full that day… if only I had known what was in store…



As we try to do our best in raising children to know the Lord, learn to be independent in this world, we want to control everything we can to keep then safe and happy… we value them more than most everything else in our lives…. they bring us more joy, more laughter than anything we could ever imagine.

But here's the thing. God so graciously gave us these…and He didn't owe us any of them. As Silas and Avery grow (way too quickly!), the hardest thing is letting them grow… when they were infants, I could pray with them as I rocked them to sleep, fed them, changed their diapers… now I close my eyes every night and pray for their hearts… at this 5-year mark of being on this earth (and feeling quite sentimental and reflective is apparently my "nesting"… sure wish it included more cleaning like others seem to do..), I wanted to pen some of what my heart overflows.

Silas

From your first days here on this earth, you’ve been analytical, studying how things work and figuring out the ways things are put together. You’re sometimes serious, and other times totally goofy. You are tender hearted and always seek others’ needs, an empathetic gift God has placed on your kind heart.

I pray the Lord uses your smart, analytical brain to not only accomplish great things in life, but to understand Scripture and have the ability to break that down for others.  You ask why, why, why about everything… and don’t stop doing that. I pray you continue to vet all information you are told and continue to discern what is true and noble, what is right.

Silas, you like everything in it’s place and are aware of the rules in situations where others seem to forget.

Lord, use his attention to order and rules to lead others he is around to choose the right actions, to fear You and keep Your commandments and obey Your voice. May he serve You and hold fast to You. (Deuteronomy 13:4)  May he walk before You, God, as King David walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness doing according to what You commanded him and keeping Your statutes and rules (1 Kings 9:4).

God, make him strong and courageous, and learn not to fear because You will never leave him (Deut 31:6). Lord, teach him to value things like family and talents You have given Him, but make him aware that holding things other than You alone too tightly will allow fear to enter his soul.

Silas, you are adventurous, loving reptiles, frogs, fishing, everything outdoors, and flying off couches, running with swords. You always know where Avery is from the minute you wake. She is the first thing you ask about. May the Lord use your natural inclination to protect your sister to be a shield for others, looking out for them and leading them in a movement for Jesus like no one has ever seen.

Lord, use his cautious spirit and analytical mind to attain knowledge he needs to seek You in all decisions, dependent on You, while standing firm for others, only boasting in You.

Lord, You gave him such loving eyes and a genuine heart – I pray Silas allows You to continue molding him to use those eyes to see others just as Jesus does – to see their heart first.

God, use his love for music and instruments as another avenue to worship You, knowing music comes from You, originates from you. In a world that has taken an industry so far away from You, Lord guide Silas to lead the drum line back to You. I pray he keeps the beat in this increasingly crazy, disordered world.

Lord, you’ve given Silas an incredible imagination, and now he is into booby traps, building robots from boxes, and pretending to be a dragon or a guard. I pray nothing stifles his creativity, as You are the Ultimate Creator.

The world is starved for Christ-follower men who are not afraid to stand up for what is right, not what the world accepts as right, but what You, God, have established is right over two thousand years ago. I pray Silas listens to the way of wisdom and is led in the paths of uprightness. (Proverbs 4:11).

I pray he would never waver in unbelief when trials come, but stand firm in promises he is learning now as a child, knowing that You, Lord, will do everything You have promised.

I am blessed and consider it a gift that You let me be his Mommy.

Most of all, I pray he knows You. Not only that, but I pray Silas learns to truly treasure Christ in all things.

Avery

From day one, you’ve been bright and wide-eyed and ready for adventure. You laughed when you were about 2 months old and haven’t stopped since then. Your free spirit never ceases to embrace every moment of life, and you make it your mission to make everyone around you have fun. I pray you never waver in your zeal for life, quest for adventure, and pursuit of making fun out of everything. You even make my grocery trips fun, keeping everyone we are around laughing with your unmistakable high-pitched voice. I pray the Lord continues to grow your drive to lead others, and that you never lose your all-inclusive acceptance of other friends and your drive to make others feel included. 

May the Lord use your fearless, adventurous spirit that likes to push the line to pursue His plan for your life without abandon – to push the limits and make incredible impact in the name of Christ Jesus, paving the way for those you’ll lead to follow and make God’s name known.

Lord, give Avery a deep desire to listen you You and to pray to You often asking what You desire for her. Let her learn early in life to obey You, and that obedience is the best way to the life her heart truly desires. (1 Samuel 15:22) I pray she will lead the group that makes the right decisions and remains respectful to all others, and that Lord, you shape her will to match Yours… to be a part of a Jesus movement like the world has never seen.

I pray your compassionate, empathetic heart will continue to ensure that all around you are not only okay but happy. May the Lord mold your heart to see others, all over the world, just as Jesus sees us- with loving eyes and a compassionate heart.

Lord, may Avery find confidence in You, God, even when hard times come and she doesn’t know what to do – by keeping her eyes fixed on You. I pray she keeps herself under control and doesn’t give full vent to people or situations that anger her. (Proverbs 29:11)

You’re the life of the party and everyone wants to join you – don’t stop partying.  It is truly impossible to be around you 5 minutes without laughing, and impossible to be around you one minute without smiling with you.

Your loving, snuggling, unashamedly compassionate self is inspiring to everyone and a picture of how Christ loves us. You are nurturing to all – your baby dolls, cousins, strangers, your toys, even to me.  Your awareness of others is an asset of humility that I pray you never lose, you always ask where Silas is first thing in the morning and are worried when you don’t know about him or how he is feeling.

You’re  a carrot loving, scooter master with a zest for life that I hope to learn one day. I praise God that He allows me to be your mommy.

Dear Lord, let Avery walk in the security of the worth you’ve already assigned to her. Give her a strong work ethic and health to accomplish great things in all her life. Keep her heart as one that desires to help others and protect that heart until you reveal to her the right husband, a man of respect and honor that loves You. I praise You, Lord, for making her full of joy and laughter whose character is what makes her most beautiful. (Proverbs 31). 

Avery, you are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image, a daughter of THE King. When you feel like you don’t measure up, remember you are loved beyond measure.

Most of all, my prayer for you daily is that you not only know Christ but also learn to truly treasure Him. 

Samuel

We have only seen your pictures and videos, and I think you have sweet, loving eyes like Silas. Your nannies chose the name that means “happy” for you when you were a baby. I hope to learn more about those days next week when we finally meet you. There is so much I don’t know about you, son, but there are things I do know. 

You are loved. So much. Not only by your new family, but more than you’ll ever know by our Father, God, who formed you in His image. You are fearfully and wonderfully made and God ordained each and every day of your life before you were even born. He has BIG plans for you, or else He would have scooped you off those lonely steps to bring you Home with Him when you were a few days old. He wants you here on this earth for something big.

Dear Lord, I pray Samuel will see our love for him in the first few minutes he sees us. I pray he will be open to letting us hold him just as You hold us in your arms when we are in fear. Lord, take his fear away and help us know what to do when he feels scared. I pray Silas and Avery communicate in the universal child language and give him a sense of comfort and belonging with them from the first minute we are with him.

Samuel, you have already taught me more about Christ than I have ever known before. Yes, your two-year old innocent pictures have opened my heart and mind in ways the books and advice from others could not communicate. You are on the other side of the world, without anything, no knowledge of any other life outside of your orphanage, your home.  I wonder if you ever feel lonely or afraid…or are you old enough to know there is any other way?  I/We are just like you when God comes to us and loves us and adopts us into His family – giving us a new name, a new inheritance, a new life, a free life in Him. We are all like you, Samuel, without a family until we acknowledge God’s grace in our life…His grace upon grace that we are given each and every day.

Samuel, you have no idea that your picture is on our phones, in our house, and that Silas and Avery draw your picture in our family portraits. You have no idea that you are prayed for daily by so many. You have no idea you have four grandparents, two great grandparents, so many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends waiting to meet you.  You’re world is about to be rocked… I pray God is preparing you now as you have no clue. I pray the minute you see us, you can see Christ and His love for you through us.  

Samuel, we are on our way now! 

Wrapping up Summer

August means,…. school…. and Eleanor and Garnett's birthdays!  We loved going to their Peter Pan and Tinkerbell party!

Aye, Aye, Captain!  Arggggg!!

And my little fairy!

August 23rd, our family shared our testimony at FBC Grenada. This lady. There aren't any words.. except, I am so, so glad God plan for her wasn't finished 11 years ago… praise God for His grace.

And these four.
His grace upon grace…

That afternoon, Silas wanted to get worms and go fishing so badly with Papaw (who is a rock star patient only a month after his total shoulder replacement!)… so Avery and I ran to get worms while Silas and Papaw prepared the equipment..

We fished and fished… the fish were hot too, apparently…

Gone Thinkin'.   Two of a kind, right here people.
Bet Silas picked up on a few life lessons from Papaw.  Good times.

They didn't catch any fish… well, they caught one BIG catfish… and brought him right up to the bank before he broke the line and swam away… 

Then just like that, we are back in the school routine… when did we ever think Kindergarteners would be ready for school with their iPads?!  Oh my, oh my.