First bit of ice cream.....


Famed yellow polka dot bikini...


August 28, 2010

First Day in Guangzhou

It feels a little bit like home to be in the White Swan for the third time. Guangzhou has changed a great deal since my last visit. The city hosts the 2010 Asian Games so every shop and hotel and road is new or improved. The airport is new and even in Changsha there is a new one under construction.

Cori gets motion sickness. Twice on the way to the airport and twice in the plane. She was completely worn out when we finally got to the hotel after 11 pm. She prefers me to Grace when we are traveling. She had to have the TB skin test in the clinic today and will return to read the results and have a possible 8 shots on Monday. I was taken back by the notice that we have to take $2000 RMB (almost $300 US)to pay for the vaccines. This is a new requirement of our government, not China, and it is very unpopular with adopting families. All of my budgeting was blown with this information!

Breakfast in the White Swan in a window seat on the Pearl River is relaxing. As we returned from the medical offices we entered a store where the owner said, "God bless you" as we left. We returned the blessing and he asked if we were Christians and announced proudly that he is a Christian too! He was so precious!

Then the joys of a real burger at the famous Lucy's, a restaurant on the island that has a delicious western menu. I will also include a picture of Cori's reaction to her vanilla ice cream. On to paperwork and then a wonderful dip in the pool. I have to include a picture of Cori in her itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow polka dot bikini. It is quite the fashion statement. I don't want to give away who it is from. Just let me say it is a pastor's wife whose initials are J.I.L.L. T.O.T.H. I HATE to include the picture because I am in it in a no longer itsy old lady swimsuit, but I must show off the bikini.

Many times I have wondered why I had to travel this late in the summer. I kept saying, "God, this would have been so much easier if you had only made it two weeks earlier!"
But He has pointed me to several reasons I might hold on to. Today I met two more families with cleft lip and palate children who have never dealt with it before and I was able to discuss what they can expect back home. One family got off on my floor of the hotel to ask more questions. I certainly wish I had known more when we adopted Jena six years ago. Another woman wanted to talk about Jena's hearing issues because she might want to pursue the adoption of a 4 year old who is hearing impaired.

Then a gift for me.....Today we met up with all of the Holt families who had spent the week in various provinces getting their children. Now that we are all together we are swapping stories and I shared some of Cori's medical issues. This mom just dropped her jaw. It seems that she and her husband had reviewed Cori's file at the same time we had it and decided not to proceed, but they prayed diligently that she would be matched with the perfect family for her. Many times Wes and I have reviewed files only to decide against proceeding or having God close the door, but I always continued to pray for the child until I saw that they were matched. Today I met a woman who had done the same for me! Praise God!I Isn't it wonderful how He makes sure we know He is always there!

We do need prayers about handling some of the issues Cori's special needs are presenting on the trip. And we need wisdom about her medical care once we return home. Please pray for us to have the grace and patience to handle them until we meet with her doctors and hope for better permanent solutions.

A final praise report for those of you who know how I have struggled with TMJ since mid-May. My big fear was that it would plague on this trip, but I have taken nothing for pain in a week and my bite is perfect!

Love to all,


Stephanie