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