Kids

Kids

Sunday, July 19, 2015

First days in Xi'an...

First off, I hope that everyone knows we are not the family who thinks about that all people should adopt. We believe what the Bible says...to care for the orphan and the widow in their time of need. The verse says nothing about adoption, just caring for them. And it also mentions widows. We share our story because so many of you did exactly that. You cared for the orphan as you helped us get here to get our girl. This is so you can continue to be part of the story you are all part of. And you can see how mighty God answers.

We arrived on Friday night around midnight. We were exhausted but thankful to be on the ground. Sleep has not come easily since we've been here. 1 a.m. phone calls do not help either. ;-) We've had one every single night. Anyways...On Saturday we met our new friends, Tommy and Tracey, who are here from North Carolina. Our guide showed us around a bit (loved the park!!) and then we had a very delicious dinner. We attempted sleep yet again then woke up to Gotcha Day! Gotcha time was not until 3:45 so we walked with Tommy and Tracey to some outlets and Wal-Mart. Abi found a cute swimsuit and skirt. (not at Walmart) I attempted trying on a swim suit...yeah...We ate Mickey D's then came and got our stuff together to leave! We arrived at the Civil Affairs Office, walked in a room, and there she was. The poor sweetie was scared out of her ever loving mind. She cried for quiet a long time. She finally calmed down once we showed her games on our cell phone. We went to Wal-Mart to get some food and she cried the entire way through. Once we arrived at the room and fixed some noodles, she decided we may not be that bad. ;-) She talked to her siblings and loved that! We went to bed much happier.

Monday dawned and Xin Hong woke up very happy. We had an 8 a.m. appointment for paper work so we ate quickly and left. She had a great time there, dancing while we did paperwork. She is very attached to Tommy and Tracey's daughter, who is 3 and very confused, so attached we have to pull her away. She 'mama's' her quiet often and we have to distract her so that Tracey can be mom. They have been very gracious about it. Xin Hong has cried often about this but we keep trying to be silly with her and distract her. We had lunch with our friends then walked to Walmart with a much happier child this time. She picked out some toys (Barbie, puzzle, baby stroller, and a magnadoodle) and we happily came back. After a quick visit to the police department for her passport, Elise Day An Xin Hong Akin became officially our daughter!!! She received a beautiful bracelet from the orphanage director. We came back to the room, ate lots of junk, then I went to take a bath because I am still struggling horribly with jet lag. (It was only 6:00) While in there, I heard Xin Hong crying. She misses her foster family greatly. They prepared her so well for adoption but she misses the family she's been with since she was 3 years old. She cried for quiet awhile and I just climbed in bed with her. She calmed down after about an hour or two and watched tv while the rest of us tried to stay awake. We attempted sleep again (another 1:30 am call from Children's this time) and woke up to Tuesday. Peter's Gotcha Day! We talked to the boys and mimi and pop on video call then had breakfast. We are hanging out in the room right now and may head to the park in just a minute. At 2:30 we are going to see the City Wall. The Maglot's will be here when we return!! We're so excited to see them!

Overall, things are going well. It's a bit different than it was with Peter. First off, she had no clue who we were and she had never seen white people before us. She had a foster family that she loved and they loved her. (From what we know. Time will tell as we know more of her story) She's mourning deeply. Peter was so excited and we give a lot of credit to Bring Me Hope for that. He also knew his name was Peter. We have not had that conversation yet and will attempt it tomorrow. Your prayers are greatly appreciated!!! I think we're going to walk to the park to get out of this room for a bit. It's so cold but we want to sleep while in the room. Not good!

Until tomorrow...


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