Ni Hao from Beijing!

We have just completed our first full day in China!  And what an exciting day it was!

I'll start off with yesterday as it was quite a day for me.  I have to admit I was pretty anxious to get on the airplane, for multiple reasons, and it took some great encouragement from some great friends to remind me of our purpose for this trip.  We've got a child waiting for us here and we have to go.  There are times in life you have to decided - do I trust God with everything or not?- And I got on the airplane despite my anxiety.

When we got on our airplane to Beijing we had great bulkhead seats with an empty seat next to me.  Just perfect.  Then a Chinese woman comes to sit in the empty seat with her newborn baby.  Not so perfect.  Turns out the baby slept the entire trip and the woman seemed very sweet.  The flight was exhausting but uneventful and we arrived about 9:45 pm in Beijing.  After walking through a temperature scanner we had to stand in a long line to get our visas checked to enter the country, then onto get our baggage and our guide took us to the hotel.

The hotel is really amazing with soft beds and a wonderful breakfast - even if it did include some unique breakfast items like fried rice and baked beans.

After a few hours of precious sleep, we met the rest of the people in our group this morning and headed off to the Great Wall.  The bus ride was an adventure because apparently no one follows the street signs or stays in their lane.  I just tried not to look out the window.

I have been excited to visit the Great Wall, but it was even more amazing than I expected.  Truly one of the most spectacular things we have ever seen.  We were also not prepared for how challenging it would be to climb up!  The stairs are very steep and each step is a different height so it's quite a workout! We found a alternate path down the wall that was much less crowded and very scenic.  We loved sitting at one of the tables near the bottom and just taking it all in.  We were able to pray there and thank God for his creation and for his faithfulness in bringing us here.

We then moved on to a jade factory where they hand carve beautiful jade statues and jewelry.  They showed us all the different kinds of jade and how to tell the difference between high quality jade and imitation.  Some of the pieces were so amazing!  Lunch was at the second floor of the factory and was very good.  Some complained that it was kind of "American Chinese food" but it was right up my alley!

After lunch we went on a tour of Hutong Lane which is a very very old and expensive part of Beijing.    Living there costs an exorbatant amount of money, but the living conditions are far below what we in America would accept.  The homes don't even have bathrooms in them and many of them are super tiny but the history and importance of living in that area is worth much more to them.  It was very interesting to see this part of their culture.

About 3pm we were dropped back off at the hotel and it hit us both that we had not slept much in the past few days like a ton of bricks.  We ordered pizza in the room - called the best Italian restaurant in Beijing - so we'll give it a try.  Then off to bed for some much needed sleep!!

Here are some pictures from today's adventures:

Driving through Beijing

At the Great Wall of China!

The steps were so steep!

Man carving Jade at the Jade Factory

We drove by the bird's nest stadium from the Beijing Olympics!

Riding the rickshaw through Hutong Lane

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

It's finally here, we leave tomorrow.  Bags are (mostly) packed, I'm pretty sure we've purchased almost every item Target carries in the last few weeks, we have 10 kinds of hand sanitizer with us and we have Chinese currency in our wallets.  

We're getting on a plane headed to Chicago tomorrow afternoon and then onto Beijing from there.  

There is this Friends episode (queue eye rolling from my friends who know I quote this show far too often) when Chandler is about to get marries and he panics, he gets cold feet.  So his friends tell him to take things one step at a time.  Take a shower.  Get dressed.  Walk out the door, etc. And eventually  he gets married.  Taking everything in at once is just too much, and that's how I feel.   I can't take it all in at once because it's too overwhelming so I'm just trying to take things a step at a time.  Finish packing.  Take Brooklyn to school.  Get to Airport.  And before I know it, I'll be in China and some one will be handing me my son.  

My son.  Still feels strange to say!  We installed his carseat in our car today and I think it's making things even more real for Brooklyn.  We will sure miss that little girl.  So so so much. 

Last night in my discipleship group we had a great discussion about the book we are reading called "Life with God".  One part I particularly loved said

"Life with God is an ongoing, ever-changing, relational adventure.  It is not a matter of being driven through life, stopping every now and then to get out of the car and see the surroundings.  God invites us to climb into the landscape of our journey, to breath deeply with full lungs, to feel blood pulsing through muscles doing what they were made to do, to experience the wonder of having a body with which to see and hear and smell and taste and touch this astonishing world."

I loved it because I feel like most of my life I've only gotten out of the car for a moment, when it's safe to do something new, and then hopped right back in to my comfort zone.  This trip, this adoption, feels like I'm jumping out of the car and running the opposite direction.  I am excited to experience another little piece of this astonishing, beautiful, world God has made and do a little part of what God created us to do.  

And then my D group ladies prayed for us.  They prayed for our safety and for peace and for our sweet little ones.  They prayed for health and smooth roads ahead for us.  It was so beautiful and genuine.  I am so thankful for them and for everyone that has been and will be praying for us.  

I hope to update our blog or Facebook page daily so you can follow along and give a specific prayer request for the upcoming day if you want to pray along with us as well.

Here we go!  Richard Foster also says in "Life with God", "God is always ready and willing to take what we can do in order to accomplish within us what we cannot do on our own."  I can't do any of this on my own and I'm so glad we are not going alone on this journey.  God's already there!

So I can just be me....

So, I confess I've had a little anxiety lately. Ok, maybe a lot of anxiety lately. This world is scary, right? And it's even scarier when you think about leaving your baby girl to travel to the other side of the world for two weeks. The gravity of this has been weighing on me. What ifs have been plaguing my mind and, at times, paralyzing me. Terrorists, Ebola, protests, mosquitos carrying disease....It's enough to send anyone to their closet and not want to leave (so, maybe this happened once. Or twice) :)

And then I had an epiphany today as I listened to Laura Story's "So I can just be me". I’ve been trying to be God. I've been trying to hold everything together and do things I was just never made to do. That's WAY too much responsibility for me to carry. Trying to play God in my life will lead me nowhere. Being brave is not my strongest asset. Good thing God is so good at it.

Here are the lyrics. It's been on repeat today. I can't help but think that when Laura wrote this song God knew, "One of my dear children will need to hear this someday". And boy did I...

Two weeks from today we board that plane for China!

I've been doing all that I can
To hold it all together
Piece by piece.
I've been feeling like a failure,
Trying to be braver
Than I could ever be.
It's just not me.

So be my healer, be my comfort, be my peace.
Cause I can be broken, I can be needy,
Lord I need You now to be,
Be my God, so I can just be me.

I've been living like an orphan,
Trying to belong here,
But it's just not my home.
I've been holding on so tightly,
To all the things that I think
Could satisfy my soul.
But I'm letting go...

So be my father, my mighty warrior, be my king.
Cause I can be scattered, frail and shattered,
Lord I need You now to be,
Be my God, so I can just be me.

Cause I was lost in this dark world
Until I was finally found in You
So now I'm needing, desperately pleading
Oh Lord, be all to me

And be my savior, be my lifeline, won't You be my everything.
Cause I'm so tired of trying to be someone
I was never meant to be
Be my God
Please be my God
Be my God
So I can just be me
So I can just be me
I can just be me.

We Have Tickets!!

At the beginning of this process, over a year ago, I remember looking at the overwhelming list of paperwork to complete and thinking it would never end.  And here we are.  We just received the last and final approval we needed to travel to China to pick up our son - the Chinese government issued our Travel Approval. 

And we just booked our plane tickets.  My first trip out of the country.  To three different cities across China.  For two weeks.  To adopt a child.  That's a lot for this I-prefer-my-comfort-zone momma to take in!

We are scheduled to leave on 10/15 to Chicago and then onto Beijing from there where we will start our trip and return direct from Hong Kong to DFW arriving on 10/30.  Our "Charlie Day" - the day they place Charlie in our arms - will be 10/20 and we will finalize his adoption on 10/21. I get goose bumps just typing it!!

At Church we are studying the book of Jonah and our pastor challenged us to remember to be thankful for what God has done for us.  Looking back over this journey and how far God has brought us in the last year, I am truly in awe of His goodness.  So many things had to fall into place to bring us to this point.  So many people have given us such prayers, support and love.  I have met so many new friends in the adoption community both local and across the country that have provided me encouragement.  God planted a seed in our hearts that has grown into such great passion for adoption, for orphans and for China. He has made my world so much bigger.  He has encouraged me and settled my anxious heart a thousand times, as I know he'll do again a thousand times more.  What a mighty God we serve.

So what's next?  We prepare!  Packing for two weeks, especially for a child you've never met, is quite a task. We have a to-do list a mile long but we'll get through it one by one.  I also want to soak in the last month we have as a family of three. 

And, of course, we pray.  Pray for safe travels, pray for Brooklyn as we are gone and return with a new little brother, pray for us as we adjust to a new culture and new child, and pray for Charlie as his life is flipped up-side down.  Will you join us in prayer?