Being a Big Sister

Being a big sister is a big responsibility. Whether teaching her about the American flag, . . .

. . . or sharing an emotion-filled moment of congratulations, . . .. . . having to share your Cheerios, . . .

. . . or holding her for the first time. . .
. . . being a big sister is a big deal!

Let the Love and Passion Stay Forever

Whether posted as a reminder to the workers in Lian's orphanage or for the foreigners who visit it, the exhortation was sobering. It certainly set the tone for my experience.

We spent Monday morning touring the place where Lian spent her first year of life. Have you ever been to an orphanage? It is a place that, no matter how nice it is, evokes emotion.

A moment of joy came when Lian got to thank one of the ladies who cared for her. A moment of conviction came when seeing where Lian slept.

A moment of sorrow came when meeting some of the children labeled "unadoptable".A moment of sadness over the rejection of their birth parents.Brought back to moments of joy with who Lian is and how her life has changed so drastically in the past three years.Jen and Dano left the orphanage thankful for how God has put together their family.
We celebrated with ANOTHER authentic Chinese feast. The vice mayor of Gaoyou and other city officials took us to the nicest restaurant in town (I guess - I don't know how to tell the difference). We must have tried at least 30 dishes even more exotic than the night before.

I even tried Gaoyou's specialty: double-yolked duck egg. Mmmmm! It was quite salty and made us foreigners gag. I ended up hiding the rest of mine below the noodles in my soup.
Lian concluded our meal with a toast to her "I.E.'s", those who cared for her at the orphanage.

Jen and I continue to marvel at the fact we've been friends for 17 years and all the changes we've seen in each other's lives. Such a gift!

". . . rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God. . ." I Peter 2:4

Lian's Hometown

Welcome to Gaoyou, the place where Lian spent her first year of life. After a two-hour train ride to Nanjing and a two-hour van ride to Gaoyou, we decided it was time to get some exercise. We took a walking tour of the town and here are a few things we saw. . .

Gaoyou is a fishing village located on the Grand Canal.

We had the privelege of watching the local specialty being cleaned.

This is a pagoda, although it reminded me of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Man, I've been in too many countries this year!

We ended the day with our most excellent hosts, friends of Lian's teacher at her school in Seattle. They took wonderful care in providing for us - meeting us at the train station, driving us to Gaoyou and providing us with an authentic Chinese dinner experience. Duck eggs, eel, crab with all its internal organs and the shrimp we saw being cleaned earlier were included in our fare.
At the end of the day, this pretty much captures how we all felt - HAPPY!

Shanghai Noon

Well, not really. It was more like Shanghai 9:00 PM. I just wanted to say that. I also wanted to let you know that we missed the typhoon scare by a couple days. 200,000 people were evacuated in preparation for its arrival. Thankfully, it was downgraded to a tropical storm.

Jon and I flew from Beijing to Shanghai on Saturday evening where we successfully met up with Jen, Dano and Lian. The next morning we took an early train to Nanjing. Do you notice anything familiar in this picture?

Oh yes! They had a Starbucks a block from our hotel. My heart was filled with joy.

Meet Anna Mei Jukanovich!

Although I've missed a few days of blogging, I REALLY wanted to introduce you to the reason I came to China. This is Anna. She is a very sweet, delicate little dolly of a girl. Her parents and big sister are SO proud. What a great-looking family God has put together. I'm amazed to be part of this surreal experience. More later. . .

Scenes from Beijing, Home of the 2008 Olympics

Everywhere you go in Beijing, there are signs of next year's Olympic games.Across from Tiananmen Square is a clock counting down to the opening ceremonies,and the controversial Bird's Nest Sports Complex can be found downtown.

Even the Forbidden City and Summer Palace are getting some touchups, although Tiananmen Gate seems intact.
Oops, sorry Chairman Mao. Didn't mean to cover your picture.The buildings in the Forbidden City have recently been painted. . .which accentuate its grandeur. Here is a picture of our guide Belinda (not Melinda):

My favorite part of the Forbidden City is the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Why? Because of the name, of course! Do I look harmonious? That was my goal.The Summer Palace where the infamous Dragon Lady lived is quite lovely.

Sorry for the quick tour of an awesome day. Beijing is truly a great city, but I gotta run!

The Great Wall Workout

It was a cool and misty day. The fog was thick and the rain light. Not the ideal for seeing the grandeur of the Great Wall, but certainly perfect climbing weather. Jon and I were up for the challenge and set out for our journey upward. The thing about the mist was we couldn't see how much further we had to go. It felt like we just kept going up, . . . and up, . . . and up, . . . and up, into the clouds. Sidenote: I was highly amused that I specifically bought shorts for this trip because I expected it to be hot in Bejing. As it turns out, I was wrong. However, I WAS stubborn enough to wear them in the 60 degree weather. I must confess that my legs got a little shaky toward the end. It was a good thing I chose not to workout at the gym that morning!Ta da! We did finally reach the apex. I guess it took us about 40 minutes. Everything feels longer when you don't see the end in sight. Here we are at the end of our descent. Don't we look accomplished?