Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day from Beijing, China!!!

I woke up this morning to 4 beautiful Mother's Day cards from Jay, the kids, Emma Claire and my parents! It was a real blessing to my heart and made me cry like a baby!

Last night was a rough night for me. We ordered McDonalds from our delivery man and I ordered a Big Mac with LETTUCE on it! BIG MISTAKE!!! I was sick for a good part of the night. I got up and emailed some close family and friends and asked them to pray for healing and the Lord was gracious in answering those prayers. I felt better in the morning, not enough to eat breakfast, but enough to go out sight seeing on our last day in Beijing. Thank you Lord!!! I am much better now and have learned my lesson. The funny thing is, I NEVER eat hamburgers from McDonald's at home, let alone Big Macs. I guess I was hungry for some American food! :)

This morning we met our guide and the other families for one last day of touring in Beijing. We headed for the Hutong Village early this morning. We were given a tour through the VERY narrow and OLD streets by rickshaws. It was so interesting. The Hutong Village is preserved by the Chinese government to show what life used to be like. The homes are very old and rich with history. The people of the Hutong Village are mainly older in age. The younger generation does not like the living conditions there, we were told by our guide they prefer a modern life. Up until the Olympics, all the homes were heated by burning coal. This was a mandatory change enforced by the government to try and clean up the pollution in the air. The people who live in the Hutong Village have community bathrooms and showers. I don't think many of us could handle "camping" our entire lives! We were invited into see a Hutong home by a family who hosts tour groups. The sweet woman who was our host radiated true pride of her home. She was eager to share about the history of her home with us. There are 4 separate rooms that surround a courtyard filled with fruit trees and plants. Her 93 year old father still lives there with her and her extended family. She cares for him. He was busy playing Chinese Chess while we were there. I am so fascinated with the rich history of the Chinese culture. There is so much to learn and take in.

Next stop was the Forbidden City. Let's just say it is beyond HUGE!!! There are so many different "layers" to the city and the stories of the Emperors are fascinating! There are about 80,000 visitors each day. There were SO many people there, it makes it challenging to see anything up close. You sort of have to push your way through the people if you want to get up close pictures! Let's just say we managed okay! :) The Forbidden City was home to 26 emperors. It is fascinating to think that we were walking over the same thresholds that they once did!

After the tour of the Forbidden City, we came out the other side into Tiananmen Square. This too, is a historical place that has been more recently opened to the public. There are many military guards throughout the square. This is where the portrait of Chairman Mao is. He was the first Chinese president. The square is HUGE!

Tired feet brought us back to the bus where we loaded up and headed back to the hotel. I think every family crashed and took naps this afternoon. Jay & I slept for about 2 1/2 hours and it felt great, although it was hard to wake up! We contemplated dinner, but just decided to eat some of the snacks we had brought with us.....granola bars and trail mix. We decided to play it safe because of what happened to me last night and we fly out to meet Emma early in the morning!
Speaking of Emma Claire.............tomorrow is the BIG DAY......GOTCHA DAY! Yes, I am having contractions as we speak! LOL!

I am filled with much emotion, but more than that I have a sense of relief knowing that what we set out to do 3 years ago is really going to happen.....tomorrow!!!

We fly out of Beijing at 10:50 and arrive in Chengdu at 1:35. We will look for our new guide Susie. She will take us directly to the orphanage to meet and pick up Emma Claire. It seems so unbelievable!!! Please pray for her precious heart, that it would be open to receiving all the love we have to give her. We are trusting that God has gone before us and is preparing her to meet us. It is quite a privilege to be able to go to her orphanage. We are hoping to get some more information about her.....maybe where she was found and who found her. We sent 2 cameras in a care package and are hoping they are full of photos that we can get developed. We also plan on passing out suckers and stickers to some of the children at the orphanage! Please pray that the Lord would make these things possible! The diaper bag is packed with treats and toys, and of course the camera and video camera!!! We can't wait to breathe her in and look into those sweet brown eyes....and FINALLY feel the weight of her in our arms! She is our precious gift from God and it is our privilege to be called her Mama & Baba! May God receive all the Glory tomorrow as He places HIS precious daughter in our arms!

Love to you from China! Jason & Lisa