Waiting it out…

I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1

Today we enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast at The White Swan Hotel. I, of course, could not sleep but a wink last night, so I had Dan up, showered and downstairs VERY early! It seemed that every table had a beautiful, Chinese baby girl with them and my heart just soared to think that today our girl was coming home to us. I cannot tell you what it is like to be in a hotel where everyone has Chinese babies in their arms (it is bitter sweet). I am certain that I would not make it very long here if our Gotcha Day was not hours away. I stop literally every family to talk to them, hear their stories, and touch their angel girls. Each family has been through so much to get here…You know you are at the end when you are a registered guest at The White Swan hotel. It is where every family stays before leaving China with their adopted daughters.

Dan and I had a fun morning out strolling around the local shops near our hotel. We met and spent a lot of time with Lucy (she’s famous here in China for lots of things like dress making, chinese laundry, and just overall good service). I also met and really loved a shop owner named Michelle (with that name how could I NOT love her???) She dressed Dan and I up in some traditional Chinese New Year clothing and took our picture.

Michelle was such a sweetheart and kept hugging me and Dan. We really bonded with her and will be going back to her shop to have matching mother/daughter dresses made for Chaeli and myself (I can finally do that!)

It is now 12:00 and my stomach is doing the twirls (feels like I could get sick or burst out crying or just pass out from the emotional exhaustion of “the wait.”) Somewhere out there my daughter is being bundled up and taken from the only home/life she has ever known. She is traveling several hours, probably confused and scared from all of the commotion, to a place she has never been before, only to then be handed over in seconds to total strangers who look different, smell different and talk in a language she has never heard before. It hurts me to think of all of this, and yet I know that when I receive her I will do all that I can to calm her and to love her. I only hope that my stomach will stop flipping up and down so that I can be ready to be her comforter. These last couple hours have defintely been the hardest. Both Dan and I are feeling anxious to just get her in our arms, but oh the goodness of our God that He evenled us here in the first place. We were just lounging in our room, resting our feet and sipping green tea (by the way, the tea rocks here! It is soooo good! Especially the jasmine & green tea) talking about how lucky we are to even be here doing all of this. I know I say it all the time,but we could have missed this and I know now that I could NEVER have been without this experience in my life. It is too wonderful for words. As I was unpacking last night I had the strangest feeling that I had been here in this room before, with Dan, exactly like this. I can’t explain it except to say that it felt like I had finally caught up to the place God had ordained for us to be. We are just trying to take it all in and to remember that He is the author of our lives and He already has written so many good things that we have only to trust Him for.

Chaeli was left by her birth mother under a Banyan tree just like the one I’m sitting under here. Her mother dressed her all in white and covered her with a pink blanket. I will forever love the banyan tree.

Well it is time to gather our gifts for the orphanage and get ready to head downstairs for our group meeting. Just think….the next time that I write I will be a Mommy again! I miss my boys so much, but I know that I am here givign them a gift that is priceless and that will change their lives forever.

We miss everyone but oh how we love China!

Sheila & Dan.