GuangZhou City Tour/shopping-Nov.9th

We began our morning with a stop at the jade store and enjoyed observing this artistic culture. A man painted pictures using only his hands(fingers,palms,nails) and a lady painting on pottery. It was fascinating! Too bad Alissa forgot her camera at the hotel, therefore we have no pictures today. We will take some tomorrow. We went to another temple where you could have your child blessed. We chose not to,but it was interesting watching the Newsome's. Lunch followed in a beautiful park along side a garden. We thought we were in Florida with the palm trees and flowers which this province is known for. The climate is warmer here and luckily for Richard's sake it's cooler than usual do to the hurricane south of us. We ate lunch on the 3rd floor overlooking the gardens. Morgan reserved this table 2 months ago. It was gorgeous!!!! We also attended a pearl wholesale market. Six floors with pearls of every color. It was a bit overwhelming esspecially when we stepped outside and had our first experience with the population of the 3rd largest city in China,23,000,000!!!!! On the way out we purchased several movies for 2 dollars each! What a deal, and they were all new releases. The highlight of the day was Quin and Faith (remember her bed mate in the orphanage) They had a blast! Laughing, smiling, and teasing each other all day. We sure wish we knew what they were saying? We asked Morgan, but he couldn't tell due to their cleft palates. It's like their own little language. The evening came to a close after a trip to Mc Donalds, our first American food. Everything was great until we couldn't get a taxi back to the motel! Weve learned in China to look after yourself and throw politeness out the window. After one hour of watching taxis go by without success we finally just jumped in one and later gave directions.What an adventure. The Victory Hotel is as good as home after that! Good Night and God Bless!!!

Leaving for GuangZhou- Nov.8th

The morning begins at breakfast with Alissa's stalker. Actually he is a waiter who is very creepy but nice guy who has an apparent crush on Alissa. He finally cornered her and asked for her email address. We gathered our bags as Faith had a bewildered look about her. Im not sure if she thought we were leaving her or if she actually sinced that she was leaving her hometown. After using sign language, as the orphanage did, to explain flying she settled down. She enjoyed the flight as we played with playdough (she liked dad's animals the best)and ate snacks. I believe she thinks we are going home.WE WISH WE WERE GOING HOME!!WE MISS YOU ALL!! Little does she know, we have one week left of this squatty potty pilgrimage! Oh, I forgot to mention our potential foreign exchange student. Actually, Michael, our tour guide wants to attend college in the U.S. and also has a crush on Alissa. (he timidly requested a picture with her before leaving) There is no lack of male attention on this trip. Much different than the U.S. I think shes enjoying this or at least it's good for the self-esteem. We arrived at the Victory Hotel at 5:00p.m. and enjoyed a delicious western style meal at Lucy's. It feels much more like home here except all of the Mandarin we have learned does us no good, as they speak onlyCantanese here.

Quian Ling City Park- Nov.7th

The park was beautiful and surrounded by mountains. We observed 1,000 of people dancing, exercising, and meditating. Faith enjoyed feeding the coy fish which filled the river. The landscape was subtropical with amazing sculptured details. We followed a winding road up the mountain to the Buddhist Temple that currently houses monks. Along the way, we encountered many monkeys and Faith enjoyed a camel ride. I carried her most of the way up the mountain as she seemed intimidated by the swarms of curious locals. It made us wonder what they were saying to her. Unfortunately, Richard did not come as we were unaware of the plans thinking it was another shopping day. We all know what a shopper he is! HA... HA..!!! We enjoyed another tasty group lunch. The food in this province is known for it's spice, giving our daughter the nickname "SPICY GIRL." There hasn't been anything too spicy for her yet. She eats anything and everything we give her. We accompanied dad for dinner at the hotel's Chinese restaurant. He ordered duck which was good and spicy noodles that looked and felt more like night crawlers. After a couple of bites he couldn't stomach the texture. Then we attended a special going away party for the girls given by a wonderful christian family from Colorado(the Bandimere's) that accompanied us and adopted a daughter named Grace.

Free Day! Nov.6th

Today we were supposed to visit a historic landmark the beautiful Anshun Huangguoshu Waterfall. However, it poured all day. So, we decided to have a free day. We did do a little local shopping between the raindrops. We bought Faith a dressy winter coat for $8.00. One dollar equals almost eight yens, also called RMB's. The streets here are very dirty and beautiful buildings are intermixed with poverty. We now know what it's like to be an animal in the zoo as people stare and swarm around you as if you are an extinct species! Most give you a thumbs up and a smile. Morgan treated all 4 families to a very tasty group dinner filled with entertainment. An interesting fact we learned is that this people group speak a different dialect and have no written language. They greeted us with a customary song and drink of wine. Either Alissa looked older than her age or they just didn't care because they forced every adult to drink it. As for Faith she is settling in and beginning to test the waters.

A Visit to Faith's Hometown! Nov.5th

A two and a half hour bus ride brings us to Zunyi City, Faith's hometown. The first stop was at her orphanage. After tip toeing through the mud we encountered a building in poor condition with dripping ceilings,wet concrete floors, and a damp, musty climate. We were greeted in a meeting room and treated to fresh fruit and a hospitable, friendly, and loving staff. A beautiful woman approached Faith as she sat calmly, yet reserved upon my lap. She took Faith off my lap & began speaking to her as we watched the life drain from her face & the tears began to flow for the first time. What an emotional experience! I couldn't hold back the tears as I realized that my daughter who had only met me two days prior would choose me over loving ladies who had cared for her for over 9 months. What an indescribable feeling & another confirmation of her Divine placement in our family. We went upstairs to a very cold, but clean room lined with beds. Here we were greeted by several of her friends, which Daddy passed out candy to. There we found out that her bed mate was Quin, a little girl whose parents are from Georgia & traveling in our group. Faith allowed her nanny to hold her & it was very obvious the love they felt for each other, however she didn't allow me out of her site. Although, cosmetically it didn't appeal to the eye, the warm feeling of love was a great comfort. The next orphanage, the Newsome's, had tile floors & was much nicer but a very cold feeling & not friendly. Thank God that Lizy was there only one week! We also were one of the two families out of four that got to see the abandonment site. It was located on the outskirts of town on a sidewalk with new construction now, but nothing was there at the time of her abandonment at birth. I felt the grief of her mother who couldn't care for her and the joy of a mother who has received the blessing of a new daughter ( the same feeling as you feel at the birth of your child). What an emotional day! We noticed a sense of relief after we left. I think she realizes that shes truly ours!

Guiyang Ancient Town Tour-Nov.4th

A famous historical town built in 1378 as a military base, housing 30,000 soldiers! Today it is a tourist attraction with many restaurants and shops. The people were very friendly and curious. Our group is only the second group here for adoptions since 1991. They never see westerners and were esspecially infatuated with Alissa's light skin and hair, stopping her for pictures with them. She said she felt like a celebrity. I bought an authentic child carrier with beautiful embroidery used by busy mothers. It looks very much like an indian papoose. They strapped Faith to my back and she took a long nap. Next came a very unforgettable, scary, but customary lunch consisting of sweet and sour carp(body intact)actually very tasty if you can get past the looks of it, tofu surprise(including hearts, joints, etc..), a mistry meat that tasted like dog? YEH, we were hungry that day! Some of the smells were awful, but the country was beautiful!

Adoption Day!-Nov.3rd

After boarding a bus, we traveled downtown to the Provincial Office to make the adoption official! We signed papers stating that we would keep her and raise her as one of our own. They finger printed mom, dad, and baby. Faith kept saying Wonya Wonya!! Morgan, our AAC adoption agent heard her and told us she had to potty. Our first experience with Faith and the squatty potty(chinese bathrooms)She was quite the expert and needed no help from mommy. Alissa's fear of peeing on herself led her to depants herself. I had a fit when I found out. Obviously we have not done enough camping with her. After a couple tries she finally figured it out though and is now an expert at the squatty potty. We felt so blessed! The reality of God's supernatural placement of this little girl with our family grows more dramatic with each passing moment. Oh, she even has dimples! She talks with her eyes like me and she's a servant and a leader like Gracie. She's very humble, thankful, sweet, silly and absolutely loves life! The afternoon brought us to WalMart. Wow what a shock! First, it was underground and secondly, there was every edible thing known to man & things we wouldn't consider edible. LIKE..mmmm snakes, toads, cow stomach, joints, bullheads, carp, hindquarters of animals with furs & hoofs intact! YEH!!! We bought Faith shoes because the ones we brought were too big. They squeek so we can keep track of her in the large crowds.