Just Faith

Well here are some pictures of Faith we took while still in China...

Faith had no trouble figuring out what to do with a telephone. She loves typical girl things (baby dolls, makeup, phones, etc.).







She's really a happy girl!











She loves to copy just about anything you do. If we are eating a certain thing she has to try it (although she might hate it--her favorite so far is raw sliced tomatoes!).









She showed us how to use chopsticks. (Even at age 2 she can probably use them better than most Americans)







Here she is looking rather cool in her shades.








Here she is just being feisty.

More Pictures

BJ and McKenzie climbing the Great Wall of China. The stairs are very irregular and steep so you have to watch your step!









McKenzie was as popular as a rock star in the Forbidden City. She was the only golden-haired child in sight.







This is our group of fellow adoptive families eating at a Chinese restaurant. We were famished so the food disappeared quickly.







McKenzie lost her first tooth on the night of the same day we got Faith!

Our Top Ten Lists

More pictures later, but some reflections on China in the form of Top Ten Lists.

Top ten surprises about China:
10. Staring. Everywhere we went, we tended to get unabashed stares (especially McKenzie with her long, beautiful golden hair, but for anything like if your child is crying, you are eating strange food, etc.)
9. The amazing industrialization and urbanization of China. The cities are big, bustling, busy, bright, etc. to a degree we did not expect.
8. (akin to #9) Many of the tall buildings had most or all of one face covered with a TV screen (I began to think "every building a billboard")
7. The food was great! Especially in Chongqing where everything was spicy.
6. The friendliness of the people. Although we did get stares from strangers, most of the Chinese we interacted with were extremely friendly and kind.
5. The incredible hotel service. At the White Swan in Guangzhou, every time the elevator door opened, an attendant on the floor announced the floor number and helped direct you to where you needed to go. The housekeeping staff watched for when you left your room in the morning and cleaned it almost immediately. You can't beat that anywhere!
4. Crowds, crowds, crowds.
3. Our kids were superstars. (We learned eventually to keep moving, because the longer we stood still, the more likely we were to attract a crowd of people gawking.)
2. We got to see our old friend Annette Place, who is now living in China as a missionary. (Unfortunately we didn't get to see her husband Chris.)
1. Faith. You know, as much as we read and prepared ourselves, we did not expect her to be so bright, vibrant, cheerful (and yes willful) as she turned out to be. And perhaps the biggest pleasant surprise of all, she did great on the plane rides home and seems to love her new home and her newest brother (Marshall) whom she just met last night!

Top ten things we missed while in China:
10. Drinkable tap water. We had to drink bottled water everywhere, including the most metropolitan areas.
9. Regular plugs. You get tired of using adapters after a while (to charge the camera, cell phone, camcorder, iPod, etc.)
8. Normal traffic laws. I'm not sure what the laws were in China but the driving was always crazy. The most basic rule seemed to be: if you're in front, do whatever you want.
7. My own bed. ('nuff said)
6. My own car.
5. A computer (since I didn't bring one)
4. English-speaking radio (we had a few TV channels, but of course none of our familiar radio stations)
3. My own house! (Hotel living gets old after a couple of days...especially with 4 or 5 people living in one room.)
2. All our friends and family and church.
1. Most of all we missed Marshall! Barbara had tears a few times for missing him.

Finally, the top 10 things we are thankful for about this trip:
10. No lost luggage!
9. No late flights!
8. No missed connections!
7. We made great new friends in our adoption group.
6. Our guides in China were wonderful.
5. Out itinerary was really perfect. Some groups with other agencies get scheduled so heavily with activities that they stay exhausted the whole trip. We had just the right balance of touring and rest.
4. We had the opportunity to see Faith's orphanage and even meet her foster mother (a rare treat for adoptive families)
3. We got to see some of the most important historic sites on Earth, especially the Great Wall of China, Tian An Men Square and the Forbidden City. 3,000 years of history in one nation is really remarkable.
2. No one got sick!
1. Faith, our little China doll.

Overall, we are very blessed. We give thanks to the Lord for taking such good care of us and leading us on such an adventure, and giving us a new daughter for our family to love.

A few pictures

Here is one of our first pictures of Faith.








Here we are together right after getting Faith in Chongqing.








McKenzie and Faith getting to know each other.

("Finally, a sister!" says McKenzie.)






A Panda in the Chongqing zoo. (We didn't adopt him.)

Back in the USA

Just a quick post from my Palm to say we made it back! That long flight is a doozie but Faith slept through most of it. We had to pass through customs and immigration here in Detroit and now Faith is a U.S. citizen. Our bags made it this far so hopefully they will make it the rest of the way OK too. Pictures should start coming tomorrow (we have almost 900 to choose from). Now for helping a 2 year old through jet lag while suffering from it ourselves...

Sugar is evil

Well so much for posting every day in Guangzhou! This will be our last post from China, because it is evening and we leave the hotel before 6:00 AM tomorrow. We have about 24 hours of traveling yet will log only about 12 on the clock due to the time difference (we get back the 13 hours that we lost on the way here). On Saturday we had a nice visit from Annette Place, our missionary friend, along with three of her six kids. Sunday we tried to visit church but Faith didn't want to be still so I (Brian) took her back to the hotel. We did a good bit of shopping here and are fairly shopped out. Last night we took a riverboat cruise and saw the beautiful lights and laser show on the Pearl River here in Guangzhou--the buildings along the rivers' edge are quite spectacular at night as the Chinese seem to subscribe to a philosophy that makes every building a billboard. Today we visited the U.S. Consulate here and received a visa for Faith's entry into the U.S.! That is the last hurdle before we actually travel and pass through immigration in Detroit--which is where she will actually become a U.S. citizen! We have enjoyed being back with our group that we toured with in Beijing and are sorry to say goodbye to them; some live not too far away and perhaps we can visit in the future.

Oh, so why is sugar evil? Well we gave Faith a sucker the other day, and she absolutely loved it; in fact, she wouldn't stop asking for more, so we gave her another and another...but when we stopped giving them, she got a little upset. (dramatic understatement there) From then on, whenever she has seen a backpack (the suckers came out of one of our backpacks), she has begged, cried, and pleaded for suckers. So we learned a lesson there. She had a similar reaction when she had some ice cream the other day. Today we gave her an ice cream cone, however, and when she finished it she was satisfied, and didn't scream at me for more. Progress! She is really a delight and makes people smile wherever we go, so we can't wait for you all to meet her. In spite of the reaction we got from sugar the other day, she really has warmed to us all and has become much, much easier to deal with. Now if only we didn't have to deal with jet lag on the return trip...

Please pray for us in our return trip for safety, smooth schedules, and no lost luggage. We have been very blessed with a smooth trip so far including wonderful company and an absolutely fabulous guide and agency, we simply could not have asked for better. I might add that B.J. and McKenzie have remained excellent travelling companions and have made many things easier, rather than harder, for us. We will see you all soon, then get ready for a steady flow of pictures for a few days thereafter.

The last leg

Last night we arrived in Guangzhou which is where the U.S. Consulate is located and where we are completing the final stages of the adoption process. It was a 1 1/2 hour flight from the bustling city of Chongqing, toward the south where it is even hotter (similar climate to Louisiana). This morning we had Faith's visa phot taken, had her medical exam completed in preparation for our visit to the U.S. Consulate on Monday, and now are about doing a little shopping. Faith continues to be very tightly attached to me (Brian), but has warmed up a little more to Barbara--she has been able to feed her, take her to the bathroom (thank goodness), even give and receive lots of kisses (when Faith is in the right mood). However this morning during breakfast I tried to pass her to Barbar so I could get some food, and she threw the mother of all fits, ending my breakfast unfortunately. She is bright and happy a lot of the time but definitely has a strong will--"spicy" as they say here of Chongqing food and girls alike. This is also a very independent little girl--she even feeds herself with chopsticks!! BJ and McKenzie have been excellent travelling companions and are having the time of their lives.

I'm sure I'm leaving a lot out (I give a lot less detail than Barbara); we'll be adding some other details with pictures after we return on Wednesday. Also there is free Internet access in some of the stores and cafes (as I am using right now) so we will try to post daily these last few days.

Orphanage Visit

It's me, Barbara. Brian is Faith's comforter so he can hardly get away to the business center to post a message. I've really enjoyed watching him with Faith. She likes me fine and will laugh with me and let me get her dressed or take her to the bathroom, but when she is tired or distressed, she wants Brian. I think he is getting tired.

This morning we took a beautiful, one and a half hour drive through the country to the city of Fuling where the orphanage is. The countryside is amazing. The farm land is terraced or just planted on mountain slopes. I got LOTS of pictures. At the orphanage the vice directors met us (they are so friendly). They welcomed us and let us tour the first floor. There were only about 20 babies on the first floor and they were all sleeping. It was very different than the pictures I have seen. No one was in the facilities except the babies in the beds and about 4 nannies. Then, surprise of all, Fu Baoben's foster mother came to the orphanage. I was a little nervous about Faith seeing her again, because she had been with her for so long, but she seemed OK. In fact, she cried and reached back to Brian. The foster mother said she always liked her husband too, because he gave her gifts. She was very sweet and I was overwhelmed that I could tell her face to face how thankful I was for the wonderful care that Faith received in her early months. She shrugged and said it was her job, but I know she cared for her very much.

We drove back and the guide took me and BJ to a small "cafe" near the hotel to get some lunch to take back to the room. We cause such a scene when we all go out at once. Brian first catches people's attention by his height, then they crowd around to see Mckenzie. Some people touch her hair, pinch her cheeks. They sometimes pick her up and want their picture with her. Then they notice BJ is so handsome and ooh and ahh over him. Then they look in the stroller and see Faith and are confused. Everywhere we walk I have to hold on to Mckenze. At the Forbidden City there were so many people with cameras that we were treated like superstars. They even wanted their picture with me. Mckenzie got freaked-out afterawhile because 25 or more people would crowd around taking her picture, pinching her, and piking her up. One lady took her away to show to her family. I had to start getting rude after that by removing their hands from her and pushing them out of the way.

So now we prefer to go out in small groups. When BJ and I had lunch we also walked around a beautiful flower market, stalls and stalls of flowers. Brian went out later for McDonalds. Faith threw a fit when Brian wouldn't let her eat an entire milkshake! A very fierce temper on the girl. It's OK, Marshall broke us in. Her fits don't last long. Considering all the changes in her life, her happy nature out weighs her occasional fits.

Oh, and By the way, you may have known I was concerned about her ability to eat with her cleft plalate. Last night she ate a bowl of rice, a bowl of congee (chinese oatmeal), stirfry chicken, and a bowl of noodles. She loves cheerios and goldfish and just about everything. No problem.

God is so good. We are just stepping into the path He has set for us. Life is an adventure!

Barbara

Gotcha!

Well we tried a previous post but it didn't make it...our previous hotel didn't allow access to the posting site so we tried an email post, which I now see didn't make it in. It was saved as a draft so I will try to publish it after I finish this one. So now I will tell some things out of order. Also I can't get pictures in yet :-( but I will try at our next hotel in Guangzhou in a few days.

Yesterday afternoon we went to the local Office of Civil Affairs in Chongqing and met Faith! She is such a beuatiful little China doll, she looks just like her previous pictures except her hair is a bit longer now. She was standing quietly drinking a bottle, and she quickly warmed up to us. Now we have read that adoptive children often warm up to one parent first, often enough the father--which is what happened in our case. She immediately came to me (Brian) and essentially wouldn't let me leave her presence till she finally fell asleep in our hotel room about 9:00 PM! She warmed up to our kids too (especially McKenzie) and soon showed us how animated she can be. She giggles, plays, even hits when she's excited. We've seen her temper too, true enough to her age of 2 years. Some pleasant surprises: she can feed herself mostly (except she's not accustomed to western utensils yet), she is a very good nonverbal communicator, and--in some ways best of all--she's potty trained!! :-) We are having so much fun I can hardly describe it. It's also a relief to have our fees paid so we don't have to carry all that cash around... We even have Faith's Chinese passport; all the official business to do now is basically to get her paperwork from the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou next week.

This week we are going to spend time visiting Chongqing, a municipality of 8 million in the city and totalling about 30 million in the "metro area" (about20 million are farmers). This is a bright shiny city that rivals Las Vegas in its nighttime color and is probably more flashy than anywhere in New York City.

Barbara has written a long journal entry that we'll have to enter later. Right now Faith is distracted by a Baby Einstein video so that I could leave the room for a bit. Today we are going to visit the local harbor, tomorrow visit the zoo and see baby pandas, and one day we hope to visit Faith's orphanage. Friday we travel to Guangzhou, our last city before leaving China.

Our impression is that things have gone as well as they possibly could--thanks for all your prayers. We feel we can relax a bit having the main part of the trip accomplished (actually meeting Faith finally).

Next post will probably be in about 48 hours. Sorry so late for this first real post from China.

Love, Brian and the fam.

Our first day

We arrived in China at about 9:30 PM on Friday, just over 24 hours after leaving home. After a very short night of sleep we have had a busy first day in Beijing. We started by visiting a jade store, then we went to the Great Wall of China, next a large market with many kinds of Chinese crafts and ate lunch in a restaurant there; next was the Summer Palace, and finally a Chinese McDonald's and a trip back to the hotel. Tomorrow we will visit the Forbidden City, attend the international church, and then we head to Chongquing province. It has been a busy time with lots of memories already made and many more to come. Adoption time is about 36 hours away.

(Addendum: I sent this post in via email but it didn't automatically publish, so now it is appearing late.)

Welcome to Finding Faith

Welcome to our little space to share about our trip to China and our long-anticipated adoption of Faith. Please join with us in praying for our little precious one as she joins our family and home.

Our journey begins early on May 10 and we should return on May 23. We expect our first meeting with Faith to be on May 14 in China (May 13 here in the USA). We'll share our experiences with you right here as we go along.

A little about Faith... Her Chinese name is "Fu Bao Ben" which means "Treasure." We will preserve her Chinese name as her middle name. She was born about February 20, 2005. These pictures were taken at about 12 months and 18 months of age.