Wednesday, Feb 20 Orphanage visit

Today we set out at 9am to drive 2 1/2 hrs to visit Jeremy's orphanage in Yueyang, Hunan. It is in the northeast corner of Hunan and is a very large city, prominent port for the Yangtze River and home to Dongting Lake - the 2nd largest fresh water lake in all of China. Our guide told us that Yueyang is one of 3 prominent cities in southern China and well known all over China. Enough trivia.

We arrived at the SWI (orphanage) just as the older children were arriving home for lunch from school. Many hellos were raised, but we were to meet the director first. We proceeded inside the main building and were ushered to an executive meeting room. The director, a man, greeted us as well as the two women assistant directors that escorted Jeremy to the civil affairs. We were served apples and bananas and very hot green tea. The building was cold - no apparent heat. We shared with the director about the hard winter and if they had any needs - they apparently have more generators than we thought and maintained power - they were ever so thankful for Half the Sky's help as well as many parents who forwarded funds in their time of need. They gifted Jeremy with a golden plate from Yueyang city for a memory.

We then met Jeremy's preschool teacher who is employed by Half the Sky (HTS) and were given only part of his portfolio from his time with her. It seems that Jeremy was an exemplary student and the remainder of his portfolio was taken by another teacher with HTS as an example of the work HTS can and is doing for the orphans in China. We will be seeking this teacher out who works for HTS to obtain the rest of his portfolio of work. Of course, in true Mary style, tears were flowing as we saw pictures of the progress Jeremy made over the years. This teacher and Jeremy's ayis greatly encouraged and taught him to work hard, do his best and work around his limitations. Words of thanks were hardly enough for me to express my gratitude.



We were then taken to Jeremy's living area - the building just behind the large main building. It seems that in December the older children were moved from the prior living quarters where he was since he was six. We found out that he was in the main building up to his 6th year when he started primary school - then he was moved over to the older orphans' living quarters. So his move from the main building was just within the last year, as he is now only in the first grade. We saw his newest bedroom - with two other beds. Each child had a bed, a desk and a large plastic container for personal items/clothes, etc. The room was stark and cold with just 2 fluorescent lights and a couple fans on the nearly 12 foot ceiling. The entire buildings are masonry, with plaster/cinder block walls and tile floors. Hard to imagine how cold it must get in there in the winter. This area is noted for its exceptionally hot summers tho, not very cold winters.


The other children were there in a "classroom" where they could do homework, watch tv, read. Jeremy gifted each one with a bag of treats and we gave the shared gifts to the ayi. Kelly, we gave Ying Hong his gift, and his only main concern was "when will they come???" We explained the red tape of all the paperwork and said it could be as early as May, but can't be sure due to unforeseen delays. There was one girl there that captured John and my hearts - her smile was so sweet and tender. She uses a walker or wheelchair and must have spina bifada. What a smile, tho!! She was also in Jeremy's class at school.



We then went out to lunch with the directors - to a very fancy, schmancy place. Most of the dishes were VERY (Hunan spicy) hot - Steve you would have loved them! I stuck to just a few of the milder ones. We were introduced to the office director who also had taken Jeremy to his OWN home for Chinese New Year just two weeks ago. This is a man that Jeremy refers to as "uncle baba" - as he does the director of the SWI.

After our meal we returned to the SWI and then walked the normal path to Jeremy's school .... oh, my. The shortcut is via narrow broken walkways thru tenement housing strewn with garbage. I only assume these children walk here alone as the only ayi pushes the young girl's wheelchair via another longer, well established route. Jeremy happily skipped on ahead of us, knowing the route all too well.
We reached the school and it was loud with hundreds of children playing on the concrete schoolyard - running, playing dodgeball with a tennis sized ball. Some girls had the job/privilege of sweeping up trash .... as I remember being a safety/guard in elementary school. Jeremy's classroom was wall to wall desks - double desks, side by side in neat rows totaling 50 students with only 1 teacher ..... and no assistants; bars on the windows, broken panes, kids with coats, hats, scarves that all remain on for the duration of the classtime. Stark walls with only a few posters - like alphabet with pictures. Jeremy proudly personally handed each child a chocolate bar and the teacher a chinese bag of cracker treats for later. Mary sang two children's American songs and the children in turn shared a few of their own songs with us. The teacher seemed a bit put out by our presence and we left just as the bell rang for class to resume. We were also able to meet the principal outside the classroom door.



Back at the SWI we waited for the elder 16 yr old big brother in the older orphan area to return so as to gift us with one of his calligraphy works. It is an essay on the famous Yueyang Tower. This young man is not only very handsome, but exceptionally personable. We graciously accepted his gift - totally unexpected. We have his email and hope to keep in contact with him. He plans to study hard and go to the university and further study calligraphy. We told him he was welcome to visit us in America anytime ... he said all of the adoptive parents have said the same thing. What a gift he was for Jeremy - we were told that when Jeremy heard of our intent to adopt him, that he was very scared and slept with this older brother for awhile.



After the long ride home, we took Jeremy out for his first ever Pizza! He, of course, loved it. We all slept very well last night and are ready for a new day. Today, Thursday Feb 21, we will visit some cultural sites here in Changsha. Tonight is the Lantern Festival, which marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. We are going to walk to a park where Jacky says there will be many people celebrating, and most likely a large fireworks display.

Thanks for following our journey and thanks for your continued prayers,
Mary and John

More Jeremy Videos

Video of Jeremy eating his french fries:


Jeremy bowling:


Jeremy signing his adoption certificate:


Back in the hotel room playing Volley-balloon with dad:

Tuesday, Feb 19 Adoption Day

We left for the Civil Affairs office at 8:15 this morning. The first paperwork to complete was the signing of the adoption paperwork - with red ink thumbprints for John/Mary and a very large red right footprint for Jeremy. A very special thing happened this time, though, that has not happened in our previous 3 adoptions. Jeremy was asked to sign under his red footprint. He very neatly signed his name in Chinese characters and then dated it as instructed - the clerk was ever so impressed by his penmanship and our hearts simply soared - video of this will be attached.
Wherever we walked in the CA building, Jeremy was the center of attention - wooing everyone he came in contact with .... soon to be a politician or a preacher, I think! :) Several folks wanted his picture and were so very taken by his demeanor/manner. Of course, Mom and Dad thought he was a bit out of hand, dashing here and there and walking into offices with our guide, serving water to whomever he could find to take it!! He pulls out a cup, fills it at the water cooler and carries it carefully to his next 'customer'.

Our pockets were drained as this is where most of the overseas monies are paid ... money well spent to be sure! Jeremy is now officially

Jeremy Yue Yuanrong Kamberger .... now that's a mouthful.

After finishing the paperwork we went to a local supermarket/dept store and had Jeremy choose many things to give to his friends at the orphanage tomorrow. Of course, in true kid style it was mostly treats! We also bought two sets of badminton rackets and a soccer ball for the kids to use in their courtyard area. Back in the hotel room, Jeremy was eager to help fill 8 bags of goodies to take tomorrow. "Yueyang, mingtian!!" he squealed ... Yueyang, tomorrow! We hope to see his finding place, speak to many of his past ayis, get some records/pictures and visit his only previous home and school.

Jacky, our guide exited just prior to lunch and we played a bit in the room. Then we were off to McDonalds - he certainly did not forget that I had promised we could go for lunch today! He tolerated the cheeseburger, but devoured the french fries - see video of his french fry eating technique when it's posted! Amazing! Of course we got the usual stares and gawks - even more than usual for a pair of westerners adopting one of China's own.

Upon returning to the hotel, Dad took a rest and Jeremy and I played war with our Skipbo cards (skipbo's removed of course). He loves to throw the cards down and scoop up his winnings!! We also enjoyed a couple games of bowling at the hotel alley - Jeremy ... with a bit of help from Mama scored a huge 30 the first game, but got tired and dropped to only 8 for the second!! BUT he had a blast!! Giving us high 'fives' for every turn! The attendants stood by and smiled! See yet another video when it comes out!



Jeremy is another hot-n-tot just like our Juls - he sweats at the least bit of exertion. He loves playing volley-the-balloon in the room and squeals with sweet laughter throughout the game.


There is very little down time for Jeremy though - I pulled out one of the magnetic picture games I brought and it held him for, oh, about 8 minutes. Geez, what's a Mom to do to get a few quick winks of shut eye?? I had him copy the entire alphabet and he did so with great finesse - and he wrote numbers until I told him, okay, that's enough! He then wrote Jeremy as easy as pie - what a kid!

He has finally fallen off to sleep - a busy day and another busier one tomorrow. Pray for his final goodbyes at Yueyang tomorrow - it's all he has ever known.

Oh, and by the way .... he sweetly said, "Wo ai ni" to me today ... several times. To those without chinese kiddos that means 'I love you'!! Yowza!! He still disdains being told no, but carefully backs down when we become "stern" with him ... smiling all the while. We've come to know the chinese are very, very lax with their sense of discipline and breaking through to the tender heart inside may take a bit of time.


We continue to be in awe of his spirit of determination and pray that the Lord will use him mightily for His kingdom!

Blessings from Hunan,

Mary and John

Jeremy videos

Jeremy's Gotcha!


Jeremy drawing


Jeremy and our guide, Jacky

Gotcha day February 18th

Everyone,

What an amazing new son we have all been blessed with. He can do almost ANYTHING! He is extremely intelligent, can write many chinese characters with his "stumps"--he wedges a pen into his "elbow" and leans way over the paper and writes. He's very meticulous- can pick up french fries, dip them in ketchup and stuff them in his mouth-- many many french fries! He loves to eat. He'll wedge a fork in his elbow, stick it in some meat, then balance the fork on his stump and use his other arm to flip the fork over into his mouth-- just amazing to watch. Nothing is going to hold this child back. I forsee him doing great things in his lifetime. He just picked up a paperclip from the table and handed it to me!

He's very inquisitive and will get into anything that's at his level. We're gonna need to keep some things up for a while. He's not sure what's his and what he shouldn't be touching--such as Mary's eyeglasses, so he just starts grabbing. That will improve over time.

He was very soft-spoken when we first met him, but as the day wore on he got a little louder. Now he is often calling out "mama, mama"!! Now we'll have 4 vying for Mama's attention all the time!

We are beyond words to describe this young man - we could not be happier except to be able to understand all of his talking! How we wish we were fluent in Mandarin! I wrote Jeremy's name on his mini doodle and he erased it one letter at a time and rewrote his name. Then he erased it all and wrote it all out. He is very quick to learn.

He is so sweet - he will sporadically just lean over to John or I and smack our cheek with a kiss - then smile big. I think he is very happy to have a family.

We arrived at the Civil Affairs for 10:30 and Jeremy was waiting for us. He shyly stood at the doorway waiting with the assistant directors that brought him. He was smiling and not afraid at all - he said "Mama" right away to me as I approached him. Our first encounter couldn't have gone any smoother. When we showed him his few things in the book bag we brought, he quickly took out the mini magnadoodle and started writing chinese characters - for his name, for 'mama' and 'baba', for his main ayi back at the orphanage. He proudly holds up any work he has done for approval.

We left and returned to our hotel room to do some paperwork - BUT Jeremy was way too full of energy for us to get any paperwork done. We played keep the punch balloon up/volleyball and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He investigated each and every item in our room - the TV,the computer, the phone, the light switches, etc. He was like a toy that was wound up way too tight, darting from thing to thing. He did not respond to "boo-shing" (no) at all at first - simply smiled and went right on doing what he was doing. By the end of the day, this changed - when he stopped what we asked him to stop, he would smile and kiss us - I in turn hugged him, wanting him to know that just because we told him 'no' doesn't mean we don't love him or are mad at him.

We ate lunch at a local chinese restaurant - Jeremy said he wasn't hungry. Well .... if that 'wasn't hungry', I do NOT want to see what 'hungry' looks like! He ate and ate, asking for more of everything. He thoroughly enjoyed his coke!

We returned to the hotel and our guide remained with us - he would tell Jeremy he was going to go, but Jeremy wasn't ready for him to leave yet - Jacky, our guide is terrific!! We played in a playroom down the hall and then some more in the room. Then we put Mulan on the computer in mandarin, thinking this might calm him a bit - it did, but it took 1/2 the movie before he actually sat down to watch it. When it was over, it was nearly 5pm and we decided to go to dinner - Jacky told Jeremy he needed to leave and Jeremy was okay with that - so we were finally "on our own". We set out in a cab to find some new shoes for Jeremy - his are fully plastic and his feet sweat alot ...and stink alot!! :) We went to Walmart, but the only shoes they had in his size were all plastic. Walmart was connected to a walking street/mall - we don't have these in America and they are really neat. Store after store we only found adult shoes. Jeremy proudly walked ahead of us by several yards, skipping or looking all around - really enjoying himself. We finally found a place and he walked out with new sneaks. We then went into a nearby KFC - there was a McD's just before it, and Jeremy's eyes lit up and said McDonalds! We said mingtian (tomorrow) as we preferred chicken tonight. He really, really likes french fries with lots of catsup ... just like Sarabeth!! We had to encourage him to eat his chicken and when it was all gone he wanted to finish off all the fries, too! Then we enjoyed some ice cream! While we were at KFC, there was an older man with his 10yr old grandson - this man gently asked us how long we were together with Jeremy - he was astounded that this was just our first day!! He has been an english teacher at a local university for over 40yrs. We had a very nice chat with him while Jeremy amazed him with his ability to eat french fries with his stumpies!!

We headed back to the hotel in a taxi and gave Jeremy a bath first thing. He enjoyed it and didn't seem to mind water in his eyes too much. He braved his new electric toothbrush ..... he, too,like Nate and Sarabeth will need braces! After getting pj's on, Jeremy grabbed the remote and proceeded to turn on the TV and check the stations - nothing good on for him to watch. We brought out a pad of paper and he drew me a picture of me ... Mama!! and then wrote mama in chinese characters by it! How sweet!

He is tough to get to lie down and he is still restless in the bed after 40min of trying to go to sleep. Jacky told us that Jeremy said to make sure we wake him up at 3am and take him to the potty ... oh, joy!! The job was relegated to John, since he can get back to sleep so much easier than I can ... he's not all too happy about it!!

Well, I'm off to bed. Thanks for following along! We will be going back to Civil Affairs tomorrow at 8:15 to complete the paperwork.

Blessings,

Mary and John

Gotcha!

Sunday - on to Changsha!

We were due to fly out Sunday morning at 11am, so the driver was to meet us at 8:15. We did a 7:30am china time/5:30pm US time Skype video conference call with the Coxes - Lynn and our three youngest children - what fun to see each other from half way around the world - and it's free to do it over the internet!

The flight was (relatively) short - only 2 1/2 hrs and uneventful. Our guide, Jacky, met us at the airport. The weather was rather warm - in the mid 40's with no sign of the traumatic winter they had just endured. Jacky is a very warm and personal young man - very enjoyable. He shared with us many things about Jeremy - how smart he is, how quick to respond, how thoughtful and grateful for our prior gifts. Jacky shared how other adoptive families have been to Yueyang and would have taken him in a heartbeat but for the fact that WE were already his parents. Our hearts were warmed by his comments and we so can't wait to meet Jeremy!

We rested for a bit in the afternoon and then went out for a walk, perhaps to find a restaurant nearby. Jacky had left us just after arriving, as we told him we truly didn't require his assistance. We didn't find a restaurant - picked up some water, pop and juice for the hotel room. We returned to the hotel and ate at Food Street - a hotel restaurant. Nathan would have loved the beef and onions - loaded with onions!! It was delicious, with a prominent ginger flavor. We also had pork with carrots - a bit warm, but not too spicy and dumpling soup. We enjoyed our meal .... except I, Mary, REALLY want a tall, cold iced tea!! Nothing is cold here - most of the sodas even come room temperature. My body is going into withdrawal! :O

We were both really tired, but knew we shouldn't go to sleep at 7:30pm lest we wake up at 3am. We ended up going to sleep about 9:30 and woke up at 4am instead and have been awake ever since.

We will meet Jeremy at 10:30 this morning ... in just about 4 1/2hrs. Will post again after all that wonderful excitement!

Thank you for all of your prayers, comments and thoughts!

Mary and John

Saturday February 16 at the Shepherd's Field

Our driver picked us up just before 10am at the Jinglun Hotel in Beijing and took us the 40 or so miles out to Langfang. The Philip Hayden Foundation has run the Langfang Children's Village there for a number of years. This is where Nathan was cared for from the age of about 6 months until we adopted him in August 2005. When we adopted Nate, the village was spread out into several homes in the Langfang area. Now, they have acquired a nice piece of land and have created the Shepherd's Field and consolidated all the children's homes there. There are several buildings completed on the campus, with several more to be finished this year. The two homes that are done, the House of Peace and the House of Blessing are wonderful, with large living (play) areas on the lower level and several bedrooms upstairs. The children are cared for by ayi's (nannies) at a 1:3 ayi to child ratio, which is fantastic. The ayi's really love those children! All of the kids here are special needs, and the foundation arranges medical care for them. They also operate a preschool and are planning a vocational center for older orphan girls and boys that will prepare them to be able to contribute to society as adults. All in all, it is a wonderful ministry and we're proud to be associated with it.

Upon arriving at the village, we checked into their Inn of Eight Happinesses and then toured the village. The children were napping at the time, so after seeing the facilities, we went out to lunch with Leah, the village's guest relations coordinator. We enjoyed an excellent chinese lunch at a local restaurant. Mary really liked the glazed apples! Upon our return, we got ready to visit the children. There are two children currently at the village whose adopted-parents-to-be we've been in contact with. We planned to get pics of these little ones to send via e-mail back to their parents. What a great time we had.



Children at the House of Blessing


Balloon fun at the House of Blessing





This little one really took to John-- laughing thru a tickle here!


Candy bars will always bring a crowd!










At 6pm Tim Baker took us and another volunteer, Kathy, out to dinner. We did dumplings for a variety change - veggie dumplings and meat dumplings with a pickled cucumber/zuchini appetizer. Very good! Afterward we went to get an hour long foot massage at a local place - they start by soaking your feet in warm tea, then do some cranio-facial massage, a bit of the neck and then on to the feet. The four us were all in the same room and chatted while we rec'd our massages - the fee was nice, too - only RMB 40 ($5.50 each)! We wanted to go farther into Langfang for a 2hr massage, but it had gotten late and we opted for the shorter one. What a great day in Langfang!

Mary and John

In Beijing-- Saturday Feb 16, 2008

We have finally made it to Beijing. The flights from Minneapolis to Tokyo and Tokyo to Beijing were long and uncomfortable but we are thankfully here now. Clearing customs was a breeze and after a short taxi ride we arrived at the Jinglun Hotel. We were asleep by 10:30pm Friday night and slept OK. Mary woke up during the night more often than John did, but we are refreshed and ready for breakfast and our journey to Langfang today. We will be visiting the Philip Hayden Foundation/Langfang Children's Village/Shepherd's Field-- the orphanage where Nathan was cared for prior to our adopting him in 2005. Langfang is about 40 miles SE of Beijing, and a driver will be here at the hotel at 10am to pick us up. We hope to meet with the nannies that cared for Nate as a little boy and show them many pictures of how he's developed and changed since the adoption. We also brought a large suitcase full of donations for the village which we will drop off-- things such as diapers, wet wipes, bed pads (and some candy for the kids of course). We will take some pictures in Langfang today and post again tomorrow when we get to Changsha. I'm not sure if we will have internet access where we are staying tonight- as we have been invited to stay for free at the Inn of Eight Happinesses right at the Shepherd's Field.

For anyone/everyone who has been praying for Mary's painful hips - thank you!! Her hips have been fine and feel better now than they have for quite awhile - start some prayers for the shoulders, too, and she will be all better!! :)

For Jennifer and Lisa - I have the two packages for your children ready to deliver while we are at Langfang - hopefully we will get pictures, too and have them sent off on Sunday. I simply can't wait to snuggle some of those kids and have a day at Langfang.

Bill - if you're reading the blog .... HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Sure am glad I'm not as old as you are! :)

Just two days till we meet Jeremy - getting a bit nervous already!

Caitlin and Grace - hello and hope you are getting enough sleep in between playing PS2! Try to stop by the house - a belated fedex package should be on the doorstep. Be a help to Amanda with meals ... and remember we love you all the way to Pluto!! Oh, yeah, does Pluto still count now that it isn't a planet anymore?!

Sarabeth - having fun with Zoey? Be good and be a helper for Lynn. Nate - hey, bud! Give your sisters a hug ... a NICE one for us! Juls - make sure you are getting your stickers on the calendar as you watch our days fly by!! We miss you and love you!

Jeriah - hope you have time to keep up on the blog - and your next couple of weekends aren't quite as traumatic as the past one! We love you!

Until we blog again!

Mary and John

We're off to China!!

We will be leaving tomorrow morning! The kids are splitting up and staying at our good friends' homes - the Coxes and the Stephensons. They are all packed and will go to their respective homes tonight after service. John and I will finish packing after getting the kids settled in and try our best to get some rest! Steve Cox is driving us to the airport in the morning and our plane takes off out of Minneapolis just after 1pm. Please follow our trip and drop us a comment or an email while we're away. We and the Coxes have downloaded Skype so we can talk via webcam with the kids while we are in China - can't get cheaper than free!

We covet your prayers for safe travels and for Jeremy's transition into his new family! Gotcha Day will be Monday, February 18th - hopefully we will have some great pictures to share on the blog - and good news about Jeremy's acceptance of us.

All praise to God for His guiding hand throughout this entire process! May Jeremy one day come to know the One who created him and destined him to be part of our family.

Blessings!
Mary

God's timing is always best!

Early last fall, we applied to the Lydia Fund to receive a grant to help with overseas expenses. We were informed in November, on the day we were supposed to have our phone interview with them, that their funds were dry and there was no need for the interview. We were dissappointed, but what can you do? Our extra long wait for travel with this adoption was often disheartening, but God's timing has placed us in a far better place. If we had traveled when we had originally anticipated, we would have been stranded in Hunan during the worst winter storms in over 50yrs. AND the worst hit province was Hunan! Families who were there to adopt were stranded in 5 star hotels without electricity, running water or sufficient food. We are so thankful our travel was postponed by circumstances out of our control. We also were recalled by Lydia's Fund 2 weeks ago and had our phone interview with them on Monday. Wednesday night we were informed that they would be granting us $1000 towards our overseas expenses! WOW! Not only did these delays keep us from being stranded in China during severe storms, but it allowed time for funds to grow in the Lydia Fund and now they are able to help us out!! Isn't God great? :)

The clock is ticking faster now. I have piles of things to pack stacked in our bedroom. We are transporting formula for a special needs child - LWB (love without boundaries) uses families traveling to help transport items and save in postage and time. We are taking clothes sent to us for Hope Foster Home in Beijing. We are also taking several gifts for children whose parents are still waiting to travel. With that and our own gifts of clothes, wet wipes and various other things for different SWIs, our baggage will be stuffed this time. We will be able to unload most of these things while in Beijing, at the airport or while visiting Langfang - this will alleviate us having to pay extra for too many bags/too much weight during our intra-China travel. Intra-china travel is much more restrictive on baggage than on international flights.

The children left at home will be off to their respective caretakers in 5 days - on Wednesday evening. We will be leaving early Thursday morning - not even 6 days away - to start our flight towards Jeremy. We covet your prayers for safety in travel and while in China - for warmer weather in all portions of China and ease of travel in province and between provinces - for Jeremy's heart to be soft and trusting of us - for health ... Caitlin and Grace are both sick with the flu - have been for over 2 days with fevers, chills, muscle aches, congestion and sore throats ... we DON'T need this during our travels! Also remember Caitlin, Grace, Sarabeth, Nathan and Juliana as they are staying with friends for over 2 weeks - this will be the first time for Sarabeth being without Mommy for so long, and she has already had bad dreams and tears just preparing for it. Remember her especially.

Thank you for your support and prayers throughout our wait to travel - follow us in China as Jeremy becomes part of his forever family!
Mary

Yueyang without electricity!

I just rec'd this notice from our agency:

Yueyang also has no electricity. The one functioning power generator is being used in the children’s dormitory. They are relying on coal heat but the price has tripled in recent days. They are running out of food and have applied to the local Bureau of Civil Affairs for funds to buy more. Our HTS nannies have been walking for hours to get to work, often slipping on the ice, “even though they try to be cautious.”

Jeremy's SWI is without electricity, but they do have a generator - it is only being used in the children's dormitory - Jeremy isn't even in the same building as the generator is being used. I hope they have moved the older children back over to where the generator is being used, but I am sure the space is limited. They are running out of food, too. China is ill prepared to deal with such widespread disaster. And the poorest of the poor are the last to get the help. Monetary help can be donated to Half the Sky (HTS) Foundation - they work at Yueyang and it primarily deals with nurturing and education for the children. HTS has said that they will go beyond that, however, and help in any way possible.

If you would like to help go to http://www.halfthesky.org/ . You can give to the Little Mouse Emergency Fund by clicking “Donate Now”on our website. Please note in the “Special Instructions to Half the Sky”that your gift is for the Little Mouse Emergency Fund.

Continue to pray for so many of the children and nannies in these orphanages - many are without water, food and electricity. Many of these SWI who aren't used to any cold weather have few blankets on hand. The infants often use cloth diapers to save money, but the diapers can't be dried and now they are in great need of disposable diapers. The list goes on and on of all their needs. God knows them all - beseech Him on their behalf.

In Him,
Mary

China hit with blizzards

In case any of you have been reading the international news, China is being hit with the worst cold and snow than they have had in 50 years. Changsha, Hunan is a hub of exchange for many traveling by train south to north or visa versa. Changsha has been hit very hard and trains have been shut down for nearly a week. The airport has been closed in Changsha, too. Remember where we are going to meet Jeremy??? Yup, Changsha, Hunan! Electric has been off for nearly a week in some areas and no coal deliveries for just as long. I certainly pray for safety for so many millions of people involved in all of this, but most especially for Jeremy and his SWI. Much of this snow and cold has hit central and southern China, which are sometimes never hit with cold. Many of these places have no heat to start with! Yikes!

We are firming up plans to visit PHF/Langfang Children's Village - hope to actually stay there at Shepherd's Field on Saturday night!

Mary

Final Itineray

Well it is finally starting to feel really "real"!!! Our itinerary is just a tad different than the last post. We will be meeting Jeremy on Monday, Feb 18 and are so excited to realize the day is finally set! We will be staying at the Dolton Hotel in Changsha, Hunan. We will be able to visit Jeremy's SWI on Wed the 20th - the trip is 2 1/2 hrs one way and it might prove to be a long day. We won't be going to Guangzhou until Saturday, the 23rd, with Jeremy's medical and visa photos set for Tues the 26th, CA the 27th, Oath taking/visa pickup on the 28th and flying out at 8:30am on the 29th. We will stay at the Victory Hotel as we did when we adopted Sarabeth. I so hope the ayis at Jeremy's SWI have been informed as to when we will be coming now. I so want him to be mentally/emotionally prepared. I was talking on the phone to another adoptive mom who is going to China with us and the SWI director from where her son is coming from does not tell the children about the adoption until the DAY they are going to meet their parents. I just can't believe this and am so thankful our children were all prepared for our coming (not sure for Juls, but she was so young). And this family's son is almost 6 yrs old. How sad for this child - and how traumatizing.

I know for a fact that the kids at Jeremy's SWI are well prepared for adoption and the two who have come home recently are doing great! I just can't tell you all how very excited I am about going to pick up Jeremy!!! I am NOT looking forward to that loooooong flight - there AND back. That is the worst part of the entire process for me. And to be going in the middle of February out of Minneapolis ..... well, please pray for decent weather, because we do have to make connections!!

Will sign off for now - our travel group is making plans for dinner get togethers and even a birthday party, too!

Blessings,
Mary

We leave in 3 weeks!!

We made our flight arrangements today after getting our Consulate Appt confirmation. We don't have all the info yet, but we do know this much:

2/14 Leave - fly out of MN, to Tokyo into Beijing arriving late on 2/15
2/16 We will probably visit Langfang Children's Village (where Nate is from)
2/17 Fly to Changsha, Hunan
2/18 "probably" Gotcha day - other families rec'd their kids on Monday from here
2/18-2/22 Provincial paper work completing adoption on China's side
2/22 probably fly to Guangzhou
2/22-2/27 Medical, paperwork and LOTS of free time
2/27 CA (consulate appt) completing adoption on US side
2/28 Get Jeremy's visa for entrance into America
2/29 Fly out of Guangzhou to Tokyo to Portland to MN - home 2pm 2/29

We now can see the light at the end of the tunnel and will be united with dear Jeremy in 25 days!! Time to pack!

Mary

We got the CALL today - TA's on the way!!

Finally, finally our Travel Approval is in the mail - it will arrive at our agency, CHI, today or tomorrow. We are requesting CA (consulate appt) for the week of Feb 25, and hoping to travel out on Valentines Day, February 14th. If this all works out we should be home by the 27th with dear Jeremy!! My heart is just soaring. We also rec'd an email from LYDIAs Fund. This is the grant that we had applied for way back when and heard that their funds had run dry in November. They now have funds and we are so hoping that they will help us with some of our overseas expenses. If we had traveled sooner, they would not have been able to help us, so perhaps this long wait will have a silver lining in the end! Please pray for God's will regarding this possibility!

Praising God for His blessings today!

Mary

Need new VISAS

TA has not miraculously appeared so our application for new visas went out on Friday. We now wait to see when TA will come and hope to travel around February 14th. That's only 4 1/2 wks away! And to think I originally didn't want to "wait" to go until Jan 10th - LAST WEEK! Boy, is God teaching me to "let go" with this long wait. Counting it all joy (Jms 1:2) has also been a hard one throughout this ordeal. But God has promised to "work all things out for good to those who love Him." This loooooong drawn out wait is an opportunity for joy in my life. Unfortunately, I haven't LET it be joy. It is such a hard thing to watch those who's dossiers went to China 2 mths after ours and realize they are pending travel already. But I still must CHOSE to "let patience have it's perfect work" to mature me day by day. So here's to maturity! I just need to KEEP chosing to all it to "have it's perfect work" and not reclaim it!

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Mary

LOA ***** Finally!!!

We finally have our Letter of Approval or as some call it, the Seeking Confirmation letter!! It is en route via overnight Fed Express to arrive here tomorrow. At that point I will check a little box to say "yes, we still want to adopt Yue Yuan Rong", sign it and send it back to our agency overnight Fed Ex. Then it will wing its way to China. We then have to wait for the "routine processing" of said letter before we can be issued our official approval to travel ..... the elusive TA. We must have our TA number before we can request a date for our Consulate Appointment (CA) and then build our trip according to the CA we are given.

How long will it take to get our TA?? Who knows! As short as 2 weeks or as long as ..... well considering what we have just endured I can't even venture a guess at that! Can we travel before our visas expire on January 18th? Only by a miracle of God - I know He is capable of that, but will leave it to His timing and ultimate Will. If we can't travel by Jan 18, we will be postponed for a month and not be able to travel until mid February ..... Chinese New Year is a big celebration in China and offices are closed for 2wks in early February this year.

Here's hoping for a quick and speedy delivery of our TA!

Mary

Very sad news

All of our agency's families that were logged into the CCAA in early September - most which were held for 1-4 weeks since arriving in China - somehow got caught in a computer error/snafu. We were all eagerly waiting yesterday as we read about LOAs coming in on other sites - some with LIDs later than all of ours. After waiting all day for some good "news" we found out about the computer glitch late last night. The CCAA had not so much as notified our agency that there was a problem and now they are waiting for our agency's Chinese liason to arrive the end of next week to "straighten things out". THEN to add even more insult to our already injured hearts, our agency received a package of LOA's this morning - for families logged in at the END of Sept into the middle of October!! They totally just skipped us and are going to wait until next week to have things corrected. My heart is so very heavy. We do not have the hope to travel now until the end of February - since China shuts down for 10 days for the Chinese New Year which is on Feb 7 this year. Some of the families who received their LOAs today had their dossiers go to China 2 months after ours arrived.

Life is not fair - wear a helmet! I have heard repeatedly - but it doesn't hurt my head nearly so much as my heart - injustice is so hard to handle.

On top of this bad news day, we lost our dear Maggie - 17 mth old Golden Retriever this morning. She was born with a congenital heart issue and had a progressively worsening murmur. She went into pulmonary edema last night and labored well into late this morning. The vet arrived close to 11am to ease her into the great doggie beyond. We will surely miss her and how she loved to run and fetch; to jump into the lake and bark at the geese; and of course how she unmercifully loved to chew on our kitty cats and chase them through the house.

We have nothing to hear on the China front now for at least a week. It will be a long, quiet week. We will try to focus on Christmas preparations and pray that Jeremy will not lie in his bed and wonder sadly why his Mama and Baba are taking so very long to come and take him home to his family.

Mary

Century Club

The Century Club is a club you NEVER want to join. It means you have been waiting for 100 or more days from you LID - waiting for the Letter of Acceptance or Seeking Confirmation letter. This letter is new in the process since our last adoption in 2006 - it is part of the Hague Treaty for international adoption compliance. It in essence asks the parents if they "truly want to adopt said child" that they have been waiting and waiting and waiting to go and pick up?! Well, OF COURSE we still want to adopt him!! It now precedes the TA (travel approval) by 2-4 weeks. But it is a necessary piece of red tape that prolongs the process yet another 3-4weeks. We still have yet to receive it. Add to the 101 days since our LID - we had our dossier actually sent to China on 7/29/07 but it was unfortunately not logged in until 9/3/07 - an additional 36 days to our waiting time. So we have officially been waiting 137 days since our dossier went to China. With all of our prior 3 adoptions from China, we never were more than 87 days from LID. We now have great concern that we will get to China before our visas expire on January 18th. That will cost us several more hundred dollars to redo. We are not in this waiting alone, though - all of us who were logged in during September are still waiting - and most of us were logged in late, too.

I truly know that God is in control - it is my weak nature that is so impatient. Just this morning I was pondering just how long the Jewish nation waited for the Messiah to come. 400 years without a word from God! Now that was a long wait!! But they still held out hope and watched and waited. And at just the right time God sent His Son as a baby born in a stable to a normal, everyday Jewish couple.

The day will arrive when we will get to go and pick up our dear son, Jeremy. And, yes, we might have to spend hundreds of dollars more to get new visas, too. But the pain of this loooong labor will pale as we have the rest of our lives to enjoy him and watch him grow.

Sure would appreciate any prayers for this way belated LOA, though! :-)

Mary