China Update #12 - A Prayer Request

(From Jay)

Its 6:15 am Wednesday morning here in Guangzhou, and 4:15 Tuesday afternoon back home.

This morning, at 8:30 am here, 6:30 pm back home, we have our appointment with the US Consulate in Guangzhou...it's the last major hurdle while we are here.

It wouldn't be a big deal except for one thing. As of this week, they changed the process after 14 years of it staying the same. The families here this week had no warning, and are the first to go through the new process.

In the past, the Holt staff would go in with the family and take care of everything. As of this week, the Holt staff can no longer go in with the family. They will drop us off and walk in to the lobby with us, and then we are on our own. We anticipate no problems, but going without our escorts, and the new system does have me a touch nervous...but I'm confident everything will be fine. The major result of the change is that families get their child's visa a day earlier than in the past. Something that could allow us to come home a day early...except for the $350 ticket change fee per person...so we will ride it out as planned. So are the other families. So please pray that all goes well at the consulate this morning. That we arrive on time, that all our paperwork be in order, and that everything proceeds smoothly, and that God may be glorified.

China Update #9 - A Kiss for Ba Ba

(From Jay)

Hey everyone...we are still here in Guangzhou awaiting the US Consulate to issue a visa for Lori.

She is slowing getting more comfortable with all of us. She has started to laugh and play with Maddie and Annie. She is still very standoffish with me and Camille.

One challenge we have had with Lori is eating. At the orphanage, they told us the girl loved to eat...even stuffed her pockets with food. But since we have had her, she has hardly eaten anything! Everything we have tried to feed her has gotten a head-shaken no in response.

The only thing we have been able to get her to eat has been what we jokingly call her 'hash'. At the orphanage, she was still drinking formula some, so we began to mix some formula in a glass and breaking up a small piece of some sweet bread into the glass. We can get her to eat her hash once in the morning and once in the evening. Other than that, she protested all food. Its obvious that this was her little power trip. Eating is the only thing she could control, so she has been protesting. We know we will break through soon, but in the mean time, we are thrilled she likes to eat her hash.

This morning (Monday) she allowed me to feed her and dress her. But this time she got more involved eating and started grabbing the spoon and feeding herself. She followed it up with grabbing the glass with both hands and chugging what was left. You go girl! She followed it with giving her Ba Ba (daddy) a kiss for his great effort! Small breakthroughs...

We made it downstairs for our hotel breakfast (our only dependable meal of the day) and managed to get a photo pose out of Lori while we were eating breakfast.

We then made it back to the medical clinic to check her TB test. The clinic was NUTS! People everywhere. They were all seeking visas to the US and going thru the necessary medical screenings and immunizations. It was humbling to see and hear how desperate people are to come to America.

We made our way to the doctor who decided Lori needed an xray to make sure she was ok. So, then I stood in a long line at the cashier waiting to pay for our xray BEFORE we got it done. How bout that? It was 198 Yuan which was the equivalent of about $30. We got our xray, told it looked fine, and away we were.

While we are here there is lots of down time between appointments and meetings. Our agency included with our travel a couple inexpensive excursions to pass the time. Today (Monday), our group (consisting of us and three other families from the US), went to the XiangDiang Safari Park in southern Guangzhou. It would be the equivalent of a hybrid of our STL Zoo and Grant's Farm. It was virtually empty and in the off-season. We rode a tram like at Grant's farm for about 30-40 minutes through all kinds of animals...some in secluded areas and most running wild. Really great...animals everywhere, close and easy to see. We got off the tram and walked around a small area like Grant's farm. Instead of feeding the goats with bottles, we got to feed the giraffes with branches. We also got to see their crown jewel, their 12 pandas...which was really neat. Lori seemed to really enjoy the tram ride and the animals.

We also got to enjoy the public restrooms before we left...there is just no getting used to squatty-potties.

After returning to the hotel, we sat through a brief meeting with the Holt staff to go over our paperwork for the US Consulate. Three of the four families have their appointment tomorrow morning. We have our's on Wednesday morning. Lots of down time. I think we have figured out that we could have done all of this in less than 9 days...why they keep you here so long is crazy!

Tomorrow (Tuesday), we have an off day, and we hope to walk to the North into the local market where they sell all the weird stuff like bugs, snakes and seahorses. We will have to give an update for that on Tuesday night.

God Bless You Guys! Please continue to pray for Lori's transition!

China Update #5 - Lori is legally a Lancaster!

Well, I know you have all been anxiously awaiting news. After 3 nights in Beijing - we spend the next 2 days in Lori's province. We did not have access to computer during this leg of the trip (among other things!) In Beijing, it is very geared toward tourists and there were many things to see and do. Our hotel was very nice and we were very comfortable. In the Province, it was very different. For Missourians - it would be the equivalent of first visiting St Louis with the Arch, Forest Park, Zoo, etc. and then going to Jefferson City which is geared toward government business and there are little opportunities for sight seeing. Our province city was all buisness - no pleasure. It is the capital city and the seat of the government for that district. In this city - we were very uncomfortable outside our hotel. We saw very few (if any) other caucasians and the local restaurants did not speak English. Our hotel room was modest and very hot. Our guide said they run the heat in winter and the air in summer. They do not have any inbetween. Our bed was about like sleeping on a concrete park bench. I really think if you fell across the bed - you might have broken a rib or 2!! Has anyone read the story of Gladys Alyward? She talks about sleeping on a kang. Well, our bed was like a kang with a sheet over it!! The food here was also very different. We finally found a KFC and Pizza Hut (well - that's what the sign said anyway). The food was edible but definately no Jay's Fried Chicken here! Oh for some El Tap!!! The pizza had a strange variety of meat and corn on it. Many of the pizza choices included fish as toppings. There was no options for cheese or pepperoni pizzas. We existed on our hotel's free breakfast which again included fried bean sprouts, red bean pastries, congee, and stuffed buns that we weren't sure what they were stuffed with. They also had fried eggs, ham, pastry, toast, and cocoa crispies. We made do. Here, our purpose was to meet with 2 government offices and complete all the official adoption paperwork. On Feb 24 - Lori became legally ours. Hooray! That meant - we could move on to the next leg of our journey.

We then took our van ride to the airport...a small airport, easy to manuever with many signs in English. Our guide got us checked in and we boarded our flight. The big challenge was the plane ride to Guangzhou. This would be a test for Lori. We texted everyone to pray for her on this flight. And God answered the prayers. She did remarkably fine. She sat between the girls and laid on Maddie sleeping most of the 3 hour flight, and whined some as we were rolling up to the gate.

We boarded the plane for Guangzhou and had a lot of hope in what the next week would hold. I forgot to mention that so far - the weather here has been very dreary. We haven't seen the sun or blue skies for days. Apparently, North China has not had rain for 5 months and this drought situation has allowed sand and dust to blow in from the Gobi desert and it is just hovering in massive cloud cover over this part of China. It produced a very grey tint to everything and a smell that was very strange. So - you can see how eager we were for a change of scenery.

Once arriving in Guangzhou - God answered our prayers. It is a beautiful city - much like the Florida Keys. Since we are very close to Hong Kong there is a huge British influence here and many of the buildings were built by the British in the late 1800's/early 1900's. It is a breath of fresh air - literally. Our hotel looks over the Pearl River and many beautiful boats go up and down all day and night. Our room is nice and cool (beds are still unbelievably hard!) and the hotel is swarming with other Americans. We talked to people from California and New York last night. The US Consolate is here - so there is much more familiarity. The temp is 81*F (yep - that's right!) and we were able to get out last night and walk around and look in all the little open air shops around this part of town. There are little open -door shops everywhere you go selling sourveniers, clothing, food, shoes, etc. and many of them do your laundry, too. Above the shops are where the local people live and I'm so tempted to ask one of them if I can come up and see their apartment.

We found a Starbucks and ate some supper and then bought a few groceries for our room at the 7-11. The hotel has a playroom for adopting families - so we went there to let everyone run off some steam and then came back to the room and went to bed (at a normal time.) We have been so off - that we have been falling asleep around 7-8 pm and getting up around 2 am. This is now 6:30 in the morning after a normal night's sleep. Praise the Lord!

Lori is warming up to us. She actually slept beside me part of the night - which is an improvement because she hasn't wanted me to even touch her very much. She is very funny and mimics everything we do. If we wave at her - she waves back. If we hold up 2 fingers - she holds up 2 fingers. If we kick our leg - she kicks hers. If we clap - she claps. Etc. She really loves Maddie and Annie and always wants them to hold her hand if we are out of the room. She is liking me more, but still warming up to Jay. Today we go with all the other families to the Medical Clinic and all the adopted children will get a medical check and TB test for their Visa clearance.

So, that's all for now. Thank you to everyone who has commented on FB - I wish we could respond but FB is not allowed in China - so we can't get on it. Thank you too for all your prayers. Keep them coming! They are truly felt and appreciated. We love you all and can't wait to see the good ole' USA.

- Camille

China Update #2

(From Jay) Monday Evening

Hello Everyone, or as we are learning to say here, "Ni Hao" (Pronounced NEE-HOW)

Like Camille, I wanted to unload some thoughts about our trip so far.  Some of these might be the same as Camille's but will be from a different perspective, so bear with me as I type away.

First, let me say that the trip over was tough.  Sitting in an airplane for 13 hours is difficult.  You don't realize how hard it is to sit for so long.  Several times we had to get up and walk around.  The plane was huge with 2 rows on one side, five rows in the middle and two rows on the far side.  Here's a pic from inside the plane.

Despite the hard trip... we made it, and walking into the Beijing International Airport it was kinda surreal thinking that we were in China.  The first thing I noticed was the sky.  I was told by my good friend Ed "Kowboi" Tyler that I would miss blue sky, and that's exactly what I noticed.  I finally experienced what a city with smog looks like.  It was a cloudy/foggy mix, but just seemed oppressive.  You could notice a difference in the smell of the air once we got off the plane and we noticed many people wearing masks.

We made it through customs and on to baggage claim with not too much difficulty.  When we made it to the exit where the public could wait, I was amazed by the number of people waiting.  After walking a short distance, we found our guide in line holding the movie-like white sheet with our family name.  It seemed weird yet very comforting at the same time.

After a 40 minute van ride in the craziest traffic I have ever seen, we made it to our hotel which is located in the heart of the city...comparable to Times Square in NYC.  The room was nice, and all we wanted to do was eat something and get some sleep.  Although we reached the hotel at 6pm Beijing time, our bodies told us it was 2am and we were tired.  Not having a clue where to go, we went down to the hotel restaurant and grabbed a table for the buffet.  Before proceeding I inquired about the price, because Kowboi had warned me about the prices at the hotel and we arre on a budget!  We were told that the price was 220 RMB per person...which works out to $135 for the four of us...hmmm...no thank you...and we politely and a little embarrassed excused ourselves.  We found a small french-style bistro next to the hotel, and grabbed a couple pizzas and some bottled water for less than $60...still expensive, but less than the hotel.

It may sound funny, but when you travel abroad like this, it's very possible to experience several weird emotions...I remember thatn from when I went to Romania a few years ago.  I remember feeling panic and extreme homesickness.  There's something about being in a land that's not yours, you don't look like anyone, you don't talk like anyone...that just makes you feel very lost...and I could see some of our group having the same struggles.  Madison seems to be dealing with it better than the others.

Well...after a decent night's rest we spent Monday touring some.  We had built in an extra day in case our plane was delayed, but since it wasn't we were able to go through with our scheduled tour.  We spent the morning at a section of the Great Wall.  On the way, our guide told us so much of the history.  It was very amazing to hear the stories that date back so much earlier than our country's history.  We didn't go to the more common tourist areas of the wall, like an area called Badaling.  Instead we went to the Juyongguan section which was about 40 minutes outside of Beijing.  We quickly figured out that climbing the Great Wall is tough!  It was steep, the steps were very uneven, the surface of each step was uneven and there was snow on the steps.  Combine all of that, and I just pictured myself tumbling down 500 stairs and headed to a Chinese ER.  But the Lord blessed us with safety and away we climbed.  After a short time climbing we reached the steep section heading up the mountain to a watch tower.  Camille and Annie decided to opt out of the steep climb, but Maddie and I charged on to the top to the watch tower.  It reminded me of Sam and Frodo climbing the stairs as using our hands and feet we bear crawled up the incredibly steep stairs.  But it felt great to make it to the top.

Here are a few pics of the Great Wall...we have many more to come.

After a nice lunch and a fascinating tour of a jade factory, we headed back in to Beijing to the Forbidden City.  The first word I think of when describing it is HUGE.  It just kept going and going.  It was incredible to see, and I just wondered what it would have been like to see it in its prime.

(You can click on any of the photos in this post, by the way, to view a larger version of the image.)

I especially liked the image below that shows that outer castle wall with the huge moat (which was frozen)!  We could have stayed there for hours, and went through various exhibits and museums, but at around 3pm, our bodies were still not adjusted to the time frame and we were walking around half asleep.  We finally said we were done, and it was time to head back to the hotel.

So we came back to the hotel around 3pm and slept til 10pm...then we woke up and stayed up til 2am....our timing is so off!

Now, we lie in bed awaiting tomorrow...we have our orientation and then, we head to the orphanage to meet our Lori.  I'm so nervous and excited.  Please continue to pray for us on this trip.

China Update #1

Hello to all back home!

We have very sketchy internet connections here and cannot access our blog.  So, we will do our best to update you through email and then you can pass it on.  I know how exciting it was to read the Oberhauser's story as they were in Ukraine - so I know everyone is wondering what is going on with us in China!

Our hotel is very nice and everyone has been so friendly and helpful.  We met our guide last night when we arrived and then today he took us for a cram-packed day of sightseeing.  We started with a nice breakfast at our hotel - a la carte style like many hotel breakfasts in the US - waffles, eggs, yogurt, pasty, things I've never heard of, etc.  Then we headed to the Great Wall.  It was truly fascinating and amazing.  But, to be honest, after a while - it was just more stairs - so Annie and I stopped and talked while Jay and Madison went on up to a watchtower.  They took some awesome video - so hopefully we can get that loaded up.  After that - we went back into  Beijing and toured a Jade factory and ate at a little restaurant.  Our guide ordered all our food and we aren't exactly sure what all we ate - but it was extremely tasty.  We also stopped at a small city-style Grocery store and picked up some bottled water.  We must use the bottled water to wash our face and brush our teeth as well as for drinking.  So, it is a vital commodity.  Even the locals drink bottled water and don't drink from the tap unless boiling it first.  After lunch - we headed to the Forbidden City.  I really don't have words to describe - it was HUGE!  and beyond fascinating.  However, before we got to see everything - we were all completely exhausted and asked our guide to take us on back to the hotel.  We thought it must be late in the day and time for bed - but it was only 2:45 in the afternoon!  That's equal to midnight in the states so our bodies are completely mixed up right now.  We came home and all fell right asleep - but now it is 2:00 in the morning and we are all wide awake!!  Not sure this is a good thing!  We are a little bored - when we don't have our guide with us we are a little unsure of ourselves out in public - so we have tended to stay around the hotel at night.  I'm sure we will get a little more adventurous in the next few days.

The funny thing is that a few people have stopped to take pictures of the "Americans".  One lady came up and hugged me and had her husband take our picture.  So, if I show up on some random blog or youtube video - you will know what happened.

We have also ran into some other adopting families here to pick up their children.  It is blatantly obvious.  2 caucasian parents and one little Asain baby.  It actually seems to stick out more here than when we see the same scenario in the US.  I guess we will join the ranks tomorrow (or should I say today).  We have to attend Orientation at 9:30 am (7.5 hours from now) and then get Lori around 12 noon.  We will spend the entire afternoon at her orphanage - which is about a 45 minute ride from our hotel.  We are awash with emotions!!!!!!!!!

We called home today and the little kids are doing great with their grandparents.  Thank you, Lord - this was a little nervewracking leaving behind our littles.

That's all for now - there has been lots of down time and lots of tv watching - which is really pointless since most the channels are in Chinese.  We think that once we get Lori tomorrow - she will liven things up a bit.

Thank you so much for all your prayers.  Keep them coming!

Love to all - Camille 

Big Love for Lori

Stay tuned......(and yes, we know that Big Love is the title of a tv show - but we are using it anyway)