countdown

a friend, sarah, has been sending me daily prayers.  they have strengthened me greatly.  today's was for our transition back to home.  that was nice to see :) and will be much needed.  it is so easy to think this is the end of the journey ... and then i realize she hasn't even met half the family :).  everybody will shift positions, sibling relationships will be altered, more room will be made at the counter :).  a new normal will eventually fall into place.  coming home will find us walking that fine line of 'keeping it real' with those few folks that are your inner circle and 'keeping it what you hope it will become' with the rest of folks whom you couldn't or wouldn't share everything :) and that folks is why the adoption community is a tightly knit group.  they are a safe place.

i distinctly remember being at the airport again three days after getting home with abe and lydia (for a friend's adoption homecoming).  i plastered a smile on my face but was a mess inside.  i was thinking that i, with eight kids in tow, would never be able to leave the house again :).  in the beginning, being in public is where it is tough for me.  grace, jan.  let His grace be enough and don't focus on others' expectations.

consulate appointment, check.  completely uneventful and strikingly similar to being at the BMV with hyped up security :) and our finale (!!!!) was the pearl river riverboat cruise.  the buildings along the river go on and on and on.  and on.  and on.  the sheer volume of people here is just staggering.  1.4 billion about with india closely behind at 1.1 billion.  and way way way behind those two is the USA at 400 million - 1 billion less than here.  and most of them are without The Savior.  if you would right now, please say a prayer for paul and ben (our bellboy buddies in nanchang) and linda and joanne (alex's friends).  all of them know of Him, but don't know Him.... yet :)

see the needle-like top of the rainbow lit skyscraper?  it is the tallest building in china right now.  and if i heard our guide correctly, you can bungee from it!!!  not sure which is crazier?  this or the tiger trainers?  {{ i laughed at your comment yesterday, kathy.... about not being in my natural habitat :).  you nailed it! }}

we are up early to do our first breakfast buffet at this hotel -- it is $125 for us to have breakfast (do i hear a collective "ouch!"?).  it is sarah's 10th birthday so we are splurging :).  then off to shamian island to do a little shopping since i was in nostalgic lalaland last time and didn't have a plan whatsoever.  actually i still don't have one, but whatever :)

and then we head back to pack (!!!!!!!!), get a group photo, pick up child's visa (!!!!!!!!), and head to hong kong for an early flight thursday morning to home (!!!!!!!!).

love from guangzhou one last time :).  xoxo