The Great Wall

There's a reason why they call the The Great Wall "great". We've always known it is one of the seven wonders of the world, and we had seen it before at different sections, but never had we hiked to it from a valley floor with such verticality and to a section that has not been restored. When we reached the summit (seen here) we could see the millions upon millions of large stones that entomb the perfectly carved and placed side walls, and then marveled at how anyone could haul these stones to such ridge lines hundreds upon hundreds of years ago. That is why it's a great wonder, and to know that we only stood on one point of hundreds of miles of this great wonder caused us to ponder all the more. What made the trip extra special is that we enjoyed getting there with one of our great friends and Hines' colleagues, Mr. Huang (also seen here). Poppy, Victoria and one of our other terrific Hines' friends, Madam Cui stayed at the valley floor and experienced some real rural Chinese culture that few foreigners get a chance to see.

Several times throughout the day Poppy asked if we were going to bring home Willow today. A day must seem like an eternity to her at this age (oh to be young again so we could think of days as lasting as long as children do). One thing's for sure; we're one day closer to meeting her and loving her into our Kruggel family.

As always, to those of you praying for us and sending us warm greetings/encouragements, we thank you. We're signing off for the day and will visit some local sites tomorrow before heading to the market for some shopping.

Warmly in Christ,

Tom