Good Night Guangzhou

Our day was uneventful again. We did the red couch pictures, but Caleb was not a good participant! He posed for pictures with everyone prior to and then refused to sit on the couch with the rest of the children.
We went to the consulate and had the "swearing in" with 2 other busloads of people from our hotel. All went well, we got Caleb's (Wu Lang - until we enter the US in Chicago) passport and visa. Everything is official! Congratulations Abby and Keanan, you are officially a big brother (for the 2nd time over) and big sister! We can't wait to see you at the airport tomorrow night!
Following the ceremony, we went out to a Thai restaurant with our new good friends from Des Moines; Dave, Paula, and their new son Andrew, did some last minute shopping (bargaining) before finishing packing and turning in for the night.

Good night from Guangzhou for the final night!

Terri, Brett, and Caleb

Last day in Guangzhou

This has been an amazing journey from beginning to end! It was very tough in the middle, but looking back, there is not a part that I would want to miss out on. The hardest part was being away from our other two children, although I couldn't imagine them being here for the full 2 weeks with us, either.
We are on the final countdown here in Guangzhou and in China as a whole. We are all ready to leave the "Suite Life" here and get home again! The plan today is for our group to take red couch pictures at 2:00 PM here (pictures of all of our children dressed in traditional Chinese wear), then the bus ride over to the consulate to take our oath, and get Caleb's visa that takes him and us out of China. We will leave the White Swan at 6:00 AM and we fly out of Guangzhou (in the province of Guangdong) into Shanghai (in the Shanghai Municipality). We have a bit of a layover in Shanghai though and do not leave there until 3:00 in the afternoon. It will be a long day, as we gain 13 hours at sometime during the day and get into Sioux Falls at a little before 10:00 PM.
We will be very excited to touch the soil of South Dakota, snow or no snow! Thank you for following our blog and for supporting us on our journey. Thank you for your prayers and we will ask that you, please, once again keep us in your prayers through our travels tomorrow as it will be a long day for us, and an especially long day for a 2 and a half year old.
Thank you again and I will update pictures after the swearing in and the red couch pictures.

Guangzhou Day 2

Good Afternoon from Guangzhou! There is not much new to report from here today. This morning, I accompanied Shiyan to the US consulate to redo some paperwork. Apparently there was a comma in the wrong place on one piece of paper that needed a notary. The trip there took about an hour and then the waiting and the paperwork itself took about an hour and a half. The paperwork was about 5 minutes and the waiting made up the other portion of time, but all is finished now and we are on the way to be officially finished here in China. Our whole group will return to the consulate tomorrow for our swearing in, or taking the oath to provide for our children. I was the only one that needed to go from our group, but thankfully, there were 2 others from another group (China Adoption with Love) that needed to redo the same paperwork, so we were able to share a cab ride back to the hotel.
The cab ride started out somewhat interesting. I handed the cab driver the card with our hotel name on it. He then handed it back twice, so we were a little leary as to whether he knew exactly where he was taking us. We made it back safely and in a timely manner.
After returning and Caleb's nap, we took a walk to a park down the street, where Caleb played on a slide and on some other equipment with a little girl.
Our group is planning to go out for Chinese dinner tonight, so after a brief stop in the playroom, we are getting ready to meet our group.
Have a great night as we look forward to our last day here tomorrow!

More Paperwork - Day 2 Guangzhou

This morning (Sunday) after breakfast, we took a walk through an open market across the bridge (we are on an island). Following this, we went through the all of the paperwork that Joyce and Judee, at Bethany, helped us prepare and put into a clear envelope. Everything had to be put into order for the US Consulate. Shiyan, our guide here and employee of Bethany, walked me through everything and helped all of us, in our travel group, put things into order. After finishing, I met up with Brett and Caleb, who were just leaving the playroom downstairs. When Caleb saw me, he ran into my arms with a big hug - this was a first for that!
We went and did some shopping and picked up our laundry. The shop owner read a book to Caleb in Chinese, and he loved it. Even though he is understanding more of what we say to him, there is still quite a language barrier for us. He smiles more and more each day and it is so easy to get him to laugh and play! He seems very comfortable with us, as we with him. He continues to point to the computer, which tells us he wants to watch the video we took of Keanan and Abby a few days before we left. He is so intent each time he watches. He giggles and points and you can tell he is ready to jump right in there with them! The longer we are with Caleb, the more I realize and know for sure that he is the child that God has chosen to become a part of our family.
We continue to bond and learn Caleb more and more each day! We are all excited to get home and see Keanan and Abby, as well as, begin life again. It is hard to keep track of the days anymore, as each day seems similar to the last. This trip has been well worth every second, the good times and the hard. God has been there to help through many trials in our group, as without our faith, this would be even more difficult.
May God continue to bless each one of you and we thank you again for your support, your prayers and for following our journey.

Guangzhou Day 1

We made it to Guangzhou last night at around 8 PM. Caleb did very well on the short flight from Nanning (about 50 minutes). He loved the buttons on the console and I don't even think he knew he was in the air. He then stayed nicely in his seat and colored for the remainder of the flight, this gives me high hopes for the 13 hour flight home, but I will try not to keep them too high! He loved the landing and giggled, but did not like the long taxi after landing and let the whole plane know about it!
We are staying at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, and it is very nice. This morning, we were reunited with all of the families that we started the journey with in Beijing, as well as some families that did not do the Beijing tour with us. How exciting to meet all of their new additions, as well as, hear their stories of the highs and lows they also have encountered.
Today was the day of the medical examination. Caleb did pretty well until he was laid on the table and examined, and then: just when he got over that, he had to be weighed and measured. All in all, there were tears; but nothing too traumatic. On the way back to the hotel, we met a wonderful Christian man named Jordan, who has a shop here that sells everything we need to take back to the kids. We told him we would be back to shop tomorrow and he is planning to write out Caleb's name in Chinese calligraphy for us. He got very excited about the name "Caleb" as he recognized it from the Bible.
We made some discoveries about Caleb today that Keanan and Abby will be excited about. Keanan - Caleb loves oatmeal! Abby - Caleb loves Cheetos! He saw Kai today (the son of a family we began the journey with) and took right to him. We think it's because he looks a lot like you Keanan! Love and miss you guys and keep praying for all of us as our journey is soon coming to an end here!

Guangzhou here we come

Last night we took a cab and went to a shopping district. We ate pizza at Pizza Hut. Caleb loved the pizza and the french fries, but was not too fond of ketchup on his fries.
We are up and ready for the day here. This, our last day here in Nanning, is bittersweet. I am excited as it means that I am one step closer to getting Caleb's visa, finalizing the paperwork, and getting home to our other 2 children; which I miss dearly! For Caleb, though, I feel some remorse, as we are taking him from the only home he has ever known to a strange new land, where everyone will look and talk differently.
I do hear that the beds in Guangzhou are much softer and more comfortable. Even with the beds, we have all been sleeping well here. Caleb is basically sleeping on a blanket placed on top of a hard board, but he sleeps very peacefully, both for his nap and through the night. I am also excited to meet up with all the couples that we began this journey with, as well as getting to meet some of them that went straight to the provinces of their children. It will be fun to watch all of the kids interact with each other and to meet all of their little ones.

Hope all is well with everyone and God bless.

Peoples Park and Green Hill Park

Today was a great day for me. I am finally feeling better and Caleb is taking to me more and more each day. Yesterday we spent the day by ourselves walking around the city and exploring a park very close to the hotel called The People's Park of Nanning. It is a beautiful green park with amusement type rides and lots of water. Caleb fed the Coi fish after first trying the food out for himself. I do not think the local people were amused. He also enjoyed the parks animals which include included 2 fat baboons, a ring necked pheasant, and a peacock. Caleb was intrigued with the animals and loved to just stand and watch them walk around. There were also people playing instruments, singing, playing cards, dancing, and people practicing self-defense moves. It is very different than the states, as retired people just hang out all day trying to harmonize their Chi. The combination of not feeling well the last two days and crazy mixed up emotions had taken a toll on me. Thank you for all your prayers and support because I have begun to feel much like my self again. Caleb has initially taken a liking to Brett and really hasn't wanted anything to do with me the first 2 days. Yesterday, I began to think how Caleb likes to mimic everything and how he will be different when we gets home and he sees how Keanan and Abby react to me. He might even get a little jelous. I discovered that I can get to him through Brett. I would give Brett a kiss and he would lean over and want a kiss. It became a game, but now I can get kisses easier than Brett. I never expected that to happen so soon. He will come to me more willingly, but still wants Brett when he is tired, hungry, or when he is throwing one of his famous fits. He will let me carry him for awhile, but his bond to Brett makes it easy for me to give him back when I am tired. He is quite a heavy little boy. Today our guide took us to a place called Green Hill Park. It is a very beautiful park full of green trees, bamboo, flowers, water, and begota's. We climbed to the top of a 9 story bogota that over looked the city and visited a cycad forest that had dinosaur replicas. Caleb loved the dinosaurs and had to touch every one of them. Keanan, you would love it there also, so I took lots of pictures. We ended our park trip at a local lake where millions of coi fish begged for fish food. Tomorrow is almost here as we look forward to the next part of our adoption adventure. We will get Caleb's passport then will fly to the city of Guangzhou to finalize the rest of the paperwork so Caleb can get his visa which will allow him into the United States. Our trip is half over and I anxiously look forward to the day our family of 5 can be reunited. Hi Abby and Keanan. Mommmy misses you. Sweet dreams. Caleb says hi to his big brother and sister.

Terri

Ni Hao Ma?

It is great to be alive. Did you know God is compassionate, good, powerful, trusting, and forgiving. The last 48 hrs have been bittersweet. If you have ever adopted a child you may of had this feeling during your first 48 hours after Gotcha day. Being able to adopt a child is amazing but can also demanding physically, mentally, and spiritually. You will be tested like no other. And if things aren't going smoothly, the bottom could unfold right before your eyes. I think we have had it easier than some families here on the 9th floor of our hotel. I know the first night for one particular family was very difficult. All the adoptive families are located on the only nonsmoking floor for obvious reasons. Last night was a quiet night on the floor. Except for bedtime in our room. Caleb went down easy after lunch for his nap, but for some reason he likes to fight us before bedtime. I remember Abby and Keanan being just like this when they were his age. Thank God this is not my first rodeo. I will never forget Gotcha day. These kids are so terrified the first time they meet you. They want to be loved so badly. They want to feel secure. They want a home. Just about the time when they have developed a routine with their nanny and care giver, they are suddenly thrust into unfamiliar arms with people that can't speak their language and for the most part, don't even look like them. In fact, if you say ba ba the wrong way, you may tell someone you want to go poo instead of saying daddy. I am happy to have gone through the first 48 hours and am glad they are behind us. God has had this perfect plan laid out for us for years. Being an adopted parent is amazing and rewarding. We are going to get Caleb the medical attention that his birth parents could not afford and provide him with unconditional and everlasting love. Proving unconditional and everlasting love is familiar to each of us. In fact, that is what God did for us when he sent his one and only son to save the world. Caleb is full of life. He loves to be held, he loves to run, and he loves to seek and explore. His care giver and nanny have done an excellent job caring for him. You can tell that they will miss him and that they cared deeply for him. They even want us to send them pictures as grows older. This is a life changing and humbling experience. Life is so much more than pleasing oneself. It is about making a difference in the world. Leaving your mark or legacy. I am grateful for this opportunity. This experience has been especially difficult for harder Terri than myself because Caleb has become quite attached to me. I know Caleb loves his new mommy more than anything in the world, I just hope she realizes it through his defiance. God is great and I know that he will provide her to help her get through. God has blessed my life with an amazing family. A wife that helped me become the person I am today and two beautiful amazing kids waiting and wanting to be a big brother and big sister? We miss you Abby and Keanan. I love you both. We can't wait til the day we land in Sioux Falls with Caleb. Only 1 week to go. I am going to wrap my arms around you and never let go. Slumber party in daddy's room when I get home. I see God's work in each of your lives. He has big plans for each of you, and Caleb too. Say some special prayers for mommy and me. And remember, never let others define who you are or what you are made of. Dare to be different. Dare to follow your dreams. I love you you two.

Inspired by the Spirit

Brett

PAPERWORK IS FINAL!

THIS MORNING WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, AS FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THIS TRIP AND THE FIRST TIME IN 5 YEARS WE HAVE A 2 YEAR OLD GETTING US UP! WE BEGAN THE DAY WITH BREAKFAST, AND WHEN THERE WAS NOT A TABLE, DECIDED FIRST TO TAKE A WALK TO THE LOCAL GROCERY STORE (ABOUT 2 BLOCKS AWAY). SOMEWHAT OF A MISTAKE AS IT WAS RUSH HOUR IN NANNING. LET ME TELL YOU, RUSH HOUR HERE COMPARES TO NO OTHER. RUSH HOUR CONSISTS OF BIKES, MOTOR SCOOTERS, CARS, BUSES (YOU NAME IT) ALL MOVING WITH AND WITHOUT THE LIGHTS. CROSSING THE STREET IS A LIFE OR DEATH DECISION, AS PEDESTRIANS HAVE NO RIGHT OF WAY. SO WHEN IN CHINA, DO AS THE CHINESE DO, OR WAIT UNTIL THERE IS A BREAK IN TRAFFIC AND RUN -- WE DID THE LATTER! FOLLOWING THIS TRIP AND THEN BREAKFAST, WE STARTED THE DAY WITH OUR TRIP TO THE OFFICE OF CIVIL AFFAIRS. HERE WE HAD TO FIRST DECIDE WHETHER WE WANTED TO KEEP HIM (24 HOUR RETURN POLICY), THEN SIGN PAPERWORK AND MAKE EVERYTHING FINAL. I WAS A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT HOW HE WOULD REACT WHEN SEEING HIS ORPHANAGE DIRECTOR, BUT HE SHOWED NO SIGN OF CRYING OR GOING TO HER, EVEN WHEN SHE TALKED TO HIM. AFTER THIS, WE WENT TO THE NOTARY, AND FINALIZED THIS PAPERWORK. HERE WE HAD TO GIVE THE DATE OF OUR MARRIAGE AND OUR OCCUPATIONS. ONCE FINISHED THERE, WE MADE THE TRIP TO WALMART. WE BOUGHT DIAPERS (EVEN THOUGH HE HAS GONE IN THE POTTY ALL BUT ONE TIME) AND AN EXTRA SUITCASE FOR THE TRIP HOME. WE GRABBED PIZZA AT PIZZA HUT AND MADE THE TRIP BACK TO THE HOTEL TO ENJOY OUR LUNCH AND THEN NAPTIME. CALEB LAID RIGHT DOWN FOR HIS NAP AND SOON WAS FAST ASLEEP. AFTER NAPTIME, WE TOOK A WALK AND FOUND "THE PEOPLE'S PARK OF NANNING", WE FED THE COI FISH, TOOK A PICTURE BY THE BIG OX (YEAR OF THE OX), AND THEN MADE OUR WAY BACK FOR DINNER. CALEB ATE A BIG DINNER AGAIN WITH NOODLES AND CONGEE. I ATE A LITTLE, BUT THE SMELLS AROUND HERE ARE REALLY GETTING TO ME. I HAVE TO ADMIT, I AM REALLY MISSING THE USA WHERE THE BATHROOMS ARE CLEAN, THERE IS ALWAYS A TOILET WHEN YOU ENTER THE STALL, AND THERE IS TOILET PAPER AND SOAP - AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO CARRY YOUR OWN.
CALEB IS SHOWING SOME REAL PERSONALITY, HE AND BRETT HAVE ALREADY GONE HEAD TO HEAD-CALEB HOLDS HIS OWN! HE IS VERY STRONG MINDED AND STRONG WILLED! HE LOVES TO BE INDEPENDENT AND IF HE COULD SPEAK, I'M SURE WE WOULD HEAR "DO IT MYSELF" A LOT! HE HAS LEARNED SOME AMERICAN WORDS RECEPTIVELY, SUCH AS CAT AND BIRD AND WILL POINT TO THEM IN HIS BOOK. HE WILL ALSO POINT TO KEANAN AND ABBY IN HIS PHOTO ALBUM THAT WE SENT OVER IN A CARE PACKAGE, WHEN ASKED. BECAUSE OF THE CLEFT PALATE, HE IS JUST ABLE TO MAKE SOME 2-SYLLABLE SOUNDS AND GRUNTS AND POINTS. ALREADY HE IS DEFINITELY A "DADDY'S BOY" BUT DOES ACKNOWLEDGE ME AS HIS MAMA ABOUT HALF THE TIME. WE THINK HE WAS TRYING TO GET HIMSELF BACK HOME TODAY, AS HE STOPPED AT EVERY CAR AND POINTED TO EVERY BUS WE SAW.
AS WE SPEAK, BRETT IS CHANGING THE FINAL DIAPER OF THE DAY AND PREPARING TO PUT HIM INTO BED. GOOD NIGHT FROM NANNING, CHINA.

Gotcha Caleb

Today was incredible. It started bright and early this morning with breakfast in the van on the way to the airport. We said goodbye to our wonderful guide, Joy, and headed through security at the Beijing airport. I was particularly nervous about the security check point this morning because I was carrying 40,000 yuan or the equivalent of $6000. That is 400, 100 yuan's. Not easy to hid a 6 inch stack of yuan as you might imagine. After finding some coffee and cheese cake, we boarded the plane for a 3 1/2 hr ride to Nanning, China on Air China. We were met by our guide, Cindy, another employee of Bethany, and headed for the city. The Nanning airport is located 40 minute outside of the city. We arrived at our hotel, the Mingyuan Xindu Hotel, with time to spare before we picked up Caleb. Nanning is the capital city of Guangxi.It is located in the southern part of the Guangxi Region, 160 km from the border with Vietnam. The city is located on the north bank of the Yong River. It's climate is sub-tropical making it warm in winter as well as summers. Today the high was around 90. Shortly after 3, we headed to the Civil Affairs office located on the 4th floor of a local hotel to Caleb. The moment we have all been waiting for was over in a flash. Caleb's nanny handed him off to Terri and the rest is history. We stayed at the hotel for about 45 minutes making sure Caleb was somewhat settled in before we went back to the hotel. At the hotel, we filled out more paperwork and a promise that we would not abuse or abandon Caleb. The night ended with Terri falling ill while we were eating at a local food court. Caleb's meal for the evening was congee with pork and fried noodle. I have never seen a 2 yr old use chop sticks before-- it was quite a site. We settled back to the room to let Caleb wind down before we bedtime. We are all tired and will be going to bed early tonight. Congratulations Abby and Keanan. You are now a big brother and big sister to Caleb. Caleb wanted us to tell you "Hi and that he is excited to meet you". This day was so amazing and filled with so many emotions. I am glad it is over and I look forward to what lies ahead. Good night from Nanning.

God is great.

Brett

Beijing Day 4

Ni Hao Ma. Hi, How are you from Beijing. Today was a very relaxing and much needed day to recoup and recover. Plagued with fatigue from jet lag and difficulty sleeping on very hard beds, our first few days here were jam packed with beautiful and glorious sites that sent many of us into head nodding for unexpected quick naps during our transitional bus rides. Today started off with the usual morning activities followed by our daily meeting in the lobby of the Chang An Grand Hotel. After discussion about where we were headed, we boarded the bus for the Temple of Heaven. We were short one family today because God granted them an early opportunity for them to unite with their daughter. The Temple of Heaven is a very interesting and historic place for the Chinese culture. It is a complex of buildings situated in southeastern part of Beijing, in the Xuanwu District. This complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven. The temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, who was also responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City. The complex was added to and renamed the "Temple of Heaven" during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor who was also responsible fro building 3 other prominent temples in Beijing: the Temple of Sun in the east, the Temple of Earth in the north, and the Temple of Moon in the west. When we first approached the temple, it was filled with a massive amount of people exercising. This was particularly intriguing to me because of my own battle with weight gain 10 years ago and my transformation to become a more spiritual and healthier person. Imagine an outer corridor surrounded by walls filled with grass, tress, flowers and thousands of people trying to align their chi or energy flow. Every type of exercise you can imagine was represented: dancing, Tai chi, the Chinese version of hacky sack, racket games, meditation, and well as many others. Our guide, Joy, told us that it is very common for retired Chinese people to come here on a daily basis to try to improve their health and longevity. The day ended with exchanging money at a local bank, packing, and enjoying one last dinner as a group before our "gotcha day." It was a very emotional day for us with the thought of what lies ahead of us. We will become a multicultural family of 5 that has our whole life ahead of us. Our church in Brandon is starting a fatherless ministry and in a small way I think of this process as our own way to help do our part to bring love to another part of the world. God put this on my heart for a reason and it was time to start listening to what he had to say. In a lot of ways, God is like that. He is mysterious and full of subtle clues, if we dare to listen to him. Sometimes we don't understand why he puts things on our heart because we do not and can't see or imagine the entire picture. We often only see our selfish ways, which tends to get in the way of something more powerful and mighty. Why did God got put this on my heart? I don't have that answer. I guess tomorrow we may get a small glimpse of what he has in store for us. There are so many children around the world, just like Caleb and the other little ones that the other families are here for. All they need and desire is love and support. They need a father, mother, brother, and sister who will love them unconditionally. Someone who will be there for them during their life's difficulties and celebrate the good things in their life, such as birthdays, their first day in school, the day they graduate, and the day they get married. Jesus Christ was like that. His love granted us eternal life. The time has come to make a difference. Not so much in our own lives but the lives of the fatherless. Is God speaking to your heart about adoption? Only you know the answer. Keanan and Abby get ready. You are about to become big brother and big sister. Our family is about to change with an exciting and unexpected future. I love you two more than you will ever know. I am also proud of each of you. God has blessed your mom and I with two beautiful, fun, talented, and healthy kids. Mommy and daddy miss you a lot and I know your brother does to. Sweat dreams you two.

God is Good
Brett

Beijing Day 3

Things started out really slow for me this morning. I had trouble sleeping last night for the third day in a row and fatigue had just about got the best of me. After several minutes of trying to clear the fog in my head, I headed down to the spa to do my daily push ups. I followed that with some weight lifting with the hopes that I would wake up. Much to my surprise, the endorphins kicked in helping me feel like I was ready to tackle the day. I will have to admit that if I don't sleep tonight, things are going to be a little hairy for our big "gotcha day" on Monday. Our Bethany adoption group got started at 9am this morning with a trip to Tienanmen square and the Forbidden City. After a short bus ride from our hotel, we found ourselves amidst thousands of Asians all headed to the same place we wanted to go, Tienanmen square. Most of the Asians we encountered were getting in line to see and pay respect to their president who had died in the mid 1970s. His memorial is placed right in the middle of the square. Tienanmen square is also known as the "Gate of Heavenly Peace" Ironically, the name "Gate of Heavenly Peace" did not fit the events that unfolded, June 4th, 1989. That day, the Chinese government gave an order to the military to take back Tienanmen square at all costs. Supported by tanks and other armored vehicles, soldiers moved into Tienanmen Square and other Beijing neighborhoods late Saturday June 3, 1989. In the early morning hours the next day, the military raged war on the students, chasing them and others from the square. An estimated 5,000 citizens were killed that day in Beijing, silencing students protests who wanted democracy and human-rights. After a brief visit and some pictures, we headed across the street to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was served as the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor, as well as the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government. After walking the entire length of the Forbidden City, south to north, we headed to an old section of Beijing known as a Hutong. Here we boarded rickshaws and toured its famous narrow alleys. A hutong is a traditional courtyard residences were the main buildings were arranged in quadrangles--a building complex formed by four houses around a quadrangular courtyard. The quadrangles varied in size and design according to the social status of the residents. Our tour guide, Robin, named after Robin Hood, to us to a traditional hutong for a closer look. After the rickshaw ride, we had traditional Chinese tea at a Chinese tea house then boarded the bus an took in an amazing Chinese Acrobatic show. The night ended with a small group of people from Virginia and South Dakota heading to a local Chinese restaurant for some awesome cuisine. Tomorrow we will have some free time and visit the Temple of Heaven. We also had the opportunity to share our own adoption story and the impact of God in each of our lives.

Brett

Beijing Day 2

Greetings from Beijing. Day 2 went off without a hitch and now we are back at the hotel resting after a long day of sightseeing. Today started somewhat slowing due to very little sleep and some mild jet lag. After 4 hours of tossing and turning on only a box spring (no mattress), Terri and I got up around 5am Beijing time to start our day. After sending out some emails to friends, I decided to keep fit by doing some pushups followed by an early morning run. After getting ready, we headed downstairs for an outstanding breakfast buffet here at our hotel (Days Hotel and Suites). Our travel group met in the lobby at 8:30 am and we headed out for the day. We learned in great detail from our guide and Bethany employee, Joy, about the Chinese culture and beautiful scenery around the Beijing area. Our first stop was the cloisonné factory for a tour. Real Chinese cloisonné is a painstakingly process of molding copper by hand, followed by painting and firing into an unbelievable piece of art. From there, we headed to the Great wall. There is not much to say about the great wall that the name doesn’t already say—it is great indeed. Once we arrived at the wall in our private bus, we bought tickets and hopped into a gondola at Baldaling. After a scary ride, our journey through the masses of people began. Going up and down this massive architectural structure, reminded me of the swim start of the Ironman Triathlon. Don’t come to the Great Wall if you are afraid of heights or hate getting pounded like a running back running through a defensive line. I can only imagine what the workers must have thought the first time they were told they were going to build this wall. It is such an amazing and wondrous structure. We left the wall after 1 ½ of climbing so we could get a glimpse of the 2008 Olympic village. We were able to visit the cube were Michael Phelps won eight gold medals and the National Stadium were the track and field events were held as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. The day ended with us going back to the hotel for an adoption briefing by Shiyan., another Bethany employee. We have so much to be thankful for and look forward to our “gotcha day”. Tonight we are going to hang out, swim, and read. Tomorrow we head to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen square, before getting a rickshaw ride and evening at the world famous Chinese acrobat show. God is great, loving, mysterious, and powerful. We are thankful for this opportunity.

Brett

Beijing Day 1

We are finally here. We started out this morning with our good friends/God parents, Harlan and Heidi Hendricks, meeting us at 4:40 this morning. After a brief goodbye, Heidi was gracious enough to take us to the airport to start our incredible adventure. Thanks again Heidi, you really are a child of God. We checked in late and were told that we may not have a seat on our flight from Chicago to Beijing. After careful checking, we were granted our tickets and thankful that our day will begin. For all those who are flying internationally, please take my advice and check in at least 1 ½ hrs before your flight, no matter where you are leaving from. We were off at 6am sharp and arrived in Chicago 45 minutes later via United Airlines. We were able to meet up with 3 other families that were adopting and shared our stories about how God has put adoption on our hearts and in our minds. After an unexpected 2 hr delay due to mechanical problems in Chicago, we were off and flying. 13 hrs later we landed in Beijing and met our guide, Joy, who works for Bethany Christian Services. We were a little late and ended up getting stuck in rush hour traffic on our way to the hotel, Days Hotel and Suites. You are probably wondering what you do for 13 hours on an airplane and I can tell you that you go stir crazy, walk around a lot, and watch lots of movies. We watched 5 ½ movies to be exact. We checked into the hotel and met other Bethany families that are here for the same purpose. We went to the local grocery store for our essentials and then went to a local Chinese restaurant for supper. 5 families were able to eat family style for 200 yuan, or 5 dollar per family. We walked back to the hotel to unpack , relax, get a good workout in, email updates to our beautiful kids, Keanan and Abby, and update our days activities on our blog. Tomorrow we get up bright and early and head to the great wall. Jet lag has not set in yet so we will have to see on that. Terri and I are once again blessed with this opportunity. So many people say Caleb in lucky, but I think we are the lucky ones. God is good, mysterious, loving, and powerful. We are truly in awe of his grace and love. I hope our journey will give you a glimpse of the adoption process and maybe spark an interest in your own heart. Good night from Beijing.

Inspired by the Spirit

Brett

2 days and counting

Here is a quick run down of our itinerary. I can't believe the wait is almost over. So much to do and so little time to do it. I encourage each and everyone of you to pray and keep an open heart for adoption. And just think, no weight gain, cramps, vomiting, or long labor.Just pure and uninhibited love. Just like God wanted.

CHINA ITINERARY

Brett & Teresa

March 19, 2009 Arrive in Beijing via UA851 @ 3:25 p.m. Joy, (Shiyan’s assistant) will meet you at the airport. Stay at Days Hotel & Suites.

March 20, 2009 Visit the Great Wall and Cloisonne Factory.

March 21, 2009 Visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Acrobatic Show.

March 22, 2009 Visit Temple of Heaven.

March 23, 2009 Flight CA1335 (7:40-11:00) to Nanning; ; stay at the Majestic Hotel. Receive your child in the afternoon.

March 24, 2009 Adoption registration and notarization.

March 25, 2009 Free day

March 26, 2009 Visit Green Hill Park.

March 27, 2009 Receive all the documents. Flight ZH9604 (18:10-19:10) to Guangzhou; stay at the White Swan Hotel.

March 28, 2009 Visa pictures and medical exam for the child.

March 29, 2009 Meeting to prepare the consulate documents. YOU MUST RECONFIRM YOUR CHINA SOUTHERN FLIGHT TO SHANGHAI. THE CONCEIRGE WILL ASSIST YOU.

March 30, 2009 Visa appointment.

March 31, 2009 3:00 p.m. Go to the consulate to take the oath and pick up visa.

April 1, 2009 Flight CZ3609 @ 9:30 a.m. to Shanghai. Connecting flight to U.S.A.

We are blessed with this opportunity. Have a great day.

God Rocks

Brett

The wait is almost over

The anticipation of leaving is almost getting to me-- 12 days and counting before our incredible journey begins and comes to an end. 18 months ago we started this process with a pile of paperwork. Then the classes and interviews. And now, we finally can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The thought of "gotcha day" gives me goosebumps and brings tears of joy to my eyes. God is kind, compassionate, loving, mysterious, and powerful. I am reminded of that every day he grants me another day in his kingdom. I am in awe of his power and honored to know that he feels so highly of Terri and I as parents to allow us to bring Caleb Jonathon into our lives. We will never be the same the day we get Caleb and I am excited to see what our new life as a family of 5 will be like, at least a family of 5 for now. I find it in my heart to continue to pursue adopting more children or becoming a foster family for those in our area and to begin to take an active role in the fatherless ministry in our church. God has given us so much that it is the least thing that we can do to make a difference. It is not about how big a house I have, what my degree says, or how much money I have that makes me come alive. I fell once for those superficial things and all I ever got from them were further disappointment and heartache. So what is my goal you ask? It is quite simple. To be loved, to love one another, to motivate others to believe that amazing things can happen for those who believe, and to leave a mark on this world for all to see. We are blessed with this opportunity and look forward to what lies ahead.

Powered by the spirit


Brett

Travel in 18 Days and counting!

We have our travel arrangements all made and now it is time for