A Journey on the Road Less Traveled: Last Days…

The last days in GZ have consisted of noodles, walking, noodles, touring, noodles, appointments, noodles, new friends, noodles….and noodles!

We had our consulate appointment yesterday. It was quite different from anything we have experienced in the past. It was amusing and funny and exciting. We took our oath and the guy in charge was great. When we got to the window for our “interview” he said we could talk about anything but football!!! I wondered what school he was from. He said he went to college in TN. Enough said. I held in my Roll Tide since he was a fellow SEC fan! Know for certain if he had not been in the SEC, our paperwork might have been delayed because I might have started the S-E-C chant and given a big Roll Tide! OH…on the subject of Alabama…China even rocks the Hounds tooth!!!! LOVE IT!!!

After our consulate appointment, we had lunch then went on a tour to an amazing museum with a wonderful family! (Please pray for the rest of their process) We have been to this museum 3 times now, but our guide this time was very knowledgeable about it and brought it to life! Then we went to a bonsai garden!!! HOLY COW!!! I loved it. I have never seen anything like it! Could have lived there (if it were in Huntsville Alabama and Rosie’s was on site! Ding How for the kids would have to be there too!)

Next was dinner with another couple at…..The Noodle Shop!!! Man… there are some fantastic people adopting this trip (usually are). I love hearing stories. One, I will share at a later date made me squall tears of joy!!!! God is sooooo woven in adoption. Anyway….this couple is a little older. They have grown children and about 11 years ago the wife started talking about adoption. The husband was like, “God’s not telling me the same thing. We are doing great and getting ready to retire, but I’ll pray about it.” The “I’ll pray about it” was more of a formality to be able to say, “I prayed about it and …no”. “No” was not the answer God gave him. His response at dinner was, “God’s not interested in my retirement plan!” LOVE IT!!! What are you going to do in retirement anyway! Why not love a child?!!!!! We are never too old to love. If we have Jesus in our life, He Is LOVE. Why deny another life of that love? We are born; we die. What do we do with the in-between?

We are all packed up and ready to check out at 2pm (it is 10:30am now), so we will eat….you guessed it noodles…for the last time in GZ for lunch. Then we will check out, wait an hour, get on a van with someone we have never seen that can’t speak English, ride to medicals to meet our guide to get our paperwork for the girls to enter the US, then start a 3 hour ride to Hong Kong!!!!! We will hopefully get a good nights rest then head to the airport about 9 in the morning (it is attached to the hotelJJ! Eat breakfast at McDonald's, then wait for our 12pm flight! We arrive in Seattle and have about an hour and a half to get through customs and immigration (please pray that goes very quickly!!!!) Then it is off to Atlanta, then HOME!!!!!! EDEN here comes mommy!!!!!!

Thank you for being part of this stage of our journey. Hope you continue. Hope God will use us to bring Him glory.

Next time we talk, we will be in Home Sweet USA!!!!

God Bless, and Happy New Year!