Gotcha Day

3-21-11 (Morning)

Today is the day! Gotcha Day is finally here!! I can barely contain my excitement and anxiety. I forgot to mention that we met our Xi'an facilitator yesterday. Her name is Sharon. She took us to a restaurant themed on the Qing dynasty. Tables were made of thick wood and were higher than regular tables. The chairs were made of huge tree stumps. We could barely move them. We ate a variety of dumplings, some with chicken, others with pork and cabbage. They were fried or boiled. There was also a spicy dumpling soup. A sauce of vinegar, curry and ginger was used as a dipping sauce. So good! Breakfast at the Gate West restaurant was also very yummy. Glad we get to eat there again. The Sheraton Xi'an is a beautiful hotel, though the view out our window reminds us that living conditions are very different here. We leave to get Katie in ten minutes! Our lives are about to change forever!! I pray for God's blessing and peace on our daughter.

(Late Evening)

We received Katie at 10:00 am. Read tomorrow's post for details. I experienced the Bank of China, where our US dollars were examined VERY closely by three different bank employees. Guess I look like a counterfeiter. I also went to a Chinese grocery store where I bought Katie's stroller, diapers, and Sprite / Fanta Orange Soda for Brenda and Bryan. The store was next to a Home Depot. Free enterprise in action in the People's Republic!

Thoughts from China

I wasn't able to access the blog while on our adoption trip, so I went old school and kept a handwritten journal. The following entries will take you through our experiences. God is good!

3-20-11

Woke up in Hong Kong. The fog makes it impossible to see the city. We're staying at the Marriott Hong Kong Skycity Hotel. Had our first oops moment of the trip. We had been told by our agency that breakfast would be provided by our hotels, so we went to the Sky City Bistro for breakfast. It was delicious, but definitely not included in the cost of our room. We paid HKD 542.70 (about $75 US) for breakfast. Yikes! Guess it was a birthday breakfast for Katie. We found out later that there was a less expensive option elsewhere in the hotel. We'll check that first tomorrow at the next hotel. We're hoping our flight to Xi'an won't be delayed by the fog. Come on sunshine! P.S. I'm a fan of dragonfruit!

3-20-22 Part B

The Hong Kong airport gave us our first real culture shock. Armed security personnel walked around with automatic weapons in hand. Eating at the food court was a challenge due to our uncertainty about the exchange rate and whether to take food descriptions literally or not. Brenda and I ate a noodle soup, Bryan ate McDonald's and we rushed to make our flight. Brenda seemed a little overwhelmed, but we made it to Xi'an and checked into the Sheraton Xi'an. The beds were small, but they already had Katie's crib in the room. That made us realize that we're going to have her living with us tomorrow! It's really going to happen!

WE MADE IT TO HONG KONG!

The trip has finally begun! We left DFW at 7:01 am on Friday, connected through San Francisco (after a weather delay) and made the 15 hour flight to Hong Kong, arriving Saturday at around 6:45 pm Hong Kong time. After wading through immigration and finding our shuttle connection, we arrived at the Marriott Sky View Hotel at 8:00. Bryan had some air sickness on the first flight, but did much better on the second. We read lots of very sweet and affirming notes from our Alsbury family with more to come each day of our trip. Tomorrow is Katie's birthday and we'll celebrate by getting on a China Eastern flight bound for Xi'an. The next day she'll be in our arms!!! God is so good!

Cinderella Story

One of my favorite songs right now is "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman. I've always liked Steven Curtis Chapman's music. I even sang in a choir that backed him up at a Young Messiah concert in St. Louis several years ago. Today I'm an even bigger fan. Brenda and I just received a grant from Show Hope, a foundation started by Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife Mary to care for orphans around the world. God continues to weave together the incredible story of Katie's adoption. We leave Texas on Friday and will meet Katie in Xi'an, China on Monday. I wish words were sufficient to express our gratitude to friends and family members who have supported us financially, emotionally, and spiritually. God has blessed us in amazing ways, providing for every need at just the right time. We know that the adoption process is only the introduction to the true story that God is writing through our family and our church. May generations be impacted for his kingdom by what he is doing through us today!

WE HAVE A DUE DATE!

God is being God again. The day our doctor told me that I'm no longer considered diabetic, we also learned the date we get our baby girl. Katie will turn 2-years-old on March 20, but she'll start her new life on March 21. That's the day we will meet her face-to-face in Xi'an, China. We'll have lots of paperwork after that, but she'll stay with us from that day forward. Please continue to pray for Katie, Brenda, Bryan and me as our world is about to change forever. Pray that Katie will be able to express the grief she feels over the drastic changes she'll experience. Pray that Katie will bond with at least one of us before we leave Xi'an. Pray that God will continue to provide for our spiritual, physical, and financial needs throughout the adoption process. Pray that Brenda and I will recognize Katie's emotional needs as we help her adjust to life in America. Pray for peace and clarity of mind as we finalize travel plans. Pray that God will use our experiences to encourage other families being called to welcome orphans into their homes. If you feel God leading you to pray specifically about something I've left out, please pray. "The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you."

BIG NEWS!!!

We received a call from our Gladney case worker on Monday, February 28 saying that we our Travel Approval and Visas have arrived in New York! Our consulate meeting is being scheduled as I type this update. We should have exact dates of travel this week. We're looking at traveling to China in late March / early April! Katie is coming home!!!!!!!

FAITH LIKE A CHILD

Waiting is one of the hardest things to do. We've tried to stay busy by painting Katie's room, decorating, and putting her furniture together. Still, there is a helpless feeling that goes along with waiting. This week we finally received some news. Our Article 5 letter should arrive at the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) today. The Article 5 letter was issued by the US Consulate on Wednesday. It states that we are "suitable adoptive parents" and that Katie will be "allowed to enter and permanently reside in the United States." In two to six weeks, the CCAA should be issuing our Travel Approval (TA). As soon as it is received we can plan the trip to China to bring Katie home! This news has made everything feel very real. We are really going to China and coming home with our little girl!

On Wednesday we received an estimate on travel costs (approximately $10,000) and I'll be honest... I freaked out a little bit. Brenda and Bryan get to see me at my best and at my worst, so in the midst of my sticker shock, Bryan said matter-of-factly "God has provided everything so far. He'll take care of that too." Bryan didn't try to figure out exactly where the money would come from. He didn't worry about how quickly the funds would be needed. He just had faith. His faith isn't blind, though. We've seen God do amazing things all along this journey. Bryan simply trusted that God would continue to act in the same way and finish what He started. I have a lot to learn from my son. One day I hope my faith is as simple and strong as his.