Recap of Thursday and Friday

Thursday-

We got up early and took a l-o-n-g drive to BenXi to visit a little girl in an orphanage who very much needs a family.  What a sweet girl!!
She is 10 years old.  Likes to paint and dance.  Her file says Downs Syndrome, but Lori and I disagree on that diagnosis.  She has no Downs symptoms.  Lori is familiar with Williams Syndrome and thinks this is the case.
This girl needs to be rescued.  She needs to be held, rocked, loved and spoken sweet words to.  How beautiful she will be with long hair and a bow.  I honestly did not know she was a girl when we first met her.  As Lori told her how special she was, pretty she was, smart she was and the longer she held her the more she seemed to melt right into her arms.  When Lori would ask her a question- she would repeat it perfectly.  She does NOT speak English!
At one point I introduced her to Isabella and had Sophie translate that Isabella was my daughter and that she too, was from China.  That got her attention.  Did it give her hope that one day she could also have a family?
She had to leave after awhile to go eat lunch.  So we stayed and visited with the orphanage doctor, director and ayis.  As we were leaving the orphanage through a little courtyard we noticed her standing at the window waving to us.  An image that has been burned into my mind that represents so many of the orphans who desperately want a mommy and a daddy.  We were leaving her there.  Where's the hope for these kids?  Before you meet them, look their in the eyes, see the hurt, the longing, the blank stares- it's not real.
But she is real.

After the visit to the orphanage we ate lunch at a REAL Chinese restaurant.  The table next to us had the whole fish, whole frogs and more.  Isabella was really watching to see if they were going to eat it.  I let her stare at the whole thing because... well....everyone in China stares!!  They talked sweet to her as we were on our way out so they weren't bothered in the least.  Haha!

Our driver for the week (who is awesome!) cracked his acorns for the girls.  (Can I say that?!)

After lunch we toured the BenXi Water Caves.  Inside this mountain is a running river and stalactites everywhere. The whole thing was amazing!  Isabella learned how awesome and creative our Creator is.
Oddly, the first part of the cave you walk through were dinosaur replicas along the path.  I'm pretty sure they had the whole millions & billions of years thing going on because they also had a cave family.  So random!  And weird.

The drive to BenXi gave us the opportunity to see the countryside and how a lot of Chinese peasants live.  There is such a contrast between the city people and country people.  It looks like a third world country.  Shacks are built next to each other with courtyards around them where their gardens are growing or animals are kept.  Some may have running water or electricity.  Everywhere I look in China I see the old mixed in with the new.


FRIDAY
Friday morning we were up and packing for Guangzhou.  Melinda came by with Ethan and Makaila to say goodbye to Abby.  What an emotional morning.  Even I shed a few tears!

We flew to Guangzhou.
The internet here sucks.
The end.

SATURDAY
Did nothing?
SUNDAY
Did nothing again?

MONDAY (which was today)
Big day in China.
It's so special it requires its own post.
Goodnight from Guangzhou!