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