Living the Dream, No, the Reality

I am going to get right to point, but I don't know where the point begins and where it ends. Let me put it this way, the day has been like one we never dreamed, nor like one we may ever live again.

It all began at 2:00 a.m., as most of you know by now based upon the last post, "Correction", made in the wee hours of the morning. After fiddling with the Internet we finally connected with a few of our family on Voice-Over-Internet, and boy was it sweet to catch up with everyone. Hearing how well all of the children were doing back home was just the first of many clear evidences of God's grace today. Why it even sounds like Poppy is over-the-top content with Austin and Meagan (& Barret), which for a "Mommy-cling-on" is saying quite a lot. There's no other way to explain it but that it's supernatural.

Our arrival at that Guangdong Civil Affairs Office began with our introductions to a few other adopters, but all from other countries (e.g., Canada, Spain, etc...). I believe we were the only Americans there. Many had waited over four years to get their children (like Victoria said to me at that moment, "No one was meant to be 'pregnant' that long"). Those moments with these long-suffering souls literally caused Victoria and my tears to flow (which were right on the cusp anyway). Such anticipation and such longing to love and embrace. (Jumping ahead to our departure from the Civil Affairs Office, I walked up to one couple from Spain and congratulated them as they held their fresh young boy in their arms. I also said, "Four long years." The mother replied, "I've forgotten it all." Such are the pangs of child-"birth".)

We arrived before the children, so after sitting in the office for about fifteen minutes or so we heard the elevator gongs chime and they all marched into another back room without making any eye contact with the future parents. But we spotted her, Xiao Qian, right away. She had a beautiful white and gray sweater on (we now know it is brand new because she wanted to look beautiful for us), and the sweetest little smile on her face; it was almost angelic. She had her hand on the shoulder of a younger child, (maybe four or so, also from her orphanage), and was so tender with him. You could tell she was concerned for his well-being. A few minutes later our guide came over to us to tell us she couldn't wait to come out and meet us - he had to hold her back and tell her to be patient.

After signing a few more papers, we were told we could greet Xiao Qian. She walked out of the side room with a meek little smile and hugged Victoria, and then greeted with me a nice hug too. These hugs had substance to them, let me tell you, and that's something because we were not sure she'd even want to touch us at all. "O' God, thank you", I said under my breath. What a precious gift He gave to us at that moment. As far as I was concerned, I was satisfied for the entire day - I didn't need anything else. But..., it just kept getting better and our cups overflowed. We exchanged pictures and gifts, met other officials, talked (through a translator/guide), and the whole while her timid smile never really seemed to go away. (Except once in the car when we went to the store to purchase some things together - Victoria said she could see her countenance drop and she lost color in her face. After Victoria gingerly told her, via the electronic translator, that it was O. K. to be sad, she replied, also electronically, "Everything is O. K., I am happy".)

When we arrived back at the hotel, we gave her some more gifts, sat around and tried to awkwardly communicate with one another, neither one knowing the others' language very well. She pulled little things out of her back-pack and showed us candy, packaged marshmallows, origami's (we even made several together - she showed us how), and looked at pictures of her friends.  We also allowed her to call a few of those friends, and even "QQ", a child's Chinese version of facebook, with them. She struggled to navigate with an American keyboard and very little English skills, but was satisfied to connect with familiar people.

But are you ready for the blow-away part?  Her it is - as we're getting to know her while lounging around the hotel room she pulls out her Bible. That's right, her Bible. We ask her about it, and then decide to make a phone call to someone who God has used to have a profound impact upon her life. And that was just about half way through our day, and that person is...

... and on that note, I'm going to sign off and keep you hanging, because I'm barely hanging on myself. It's almost 11:00 p.m., Xiao Qian just turned off the lights in her suite (poor thing, it's got to be just more than a tad bit uncomfortable for her), and we're pretty pooped.  But I (we) cannot wait to, as Paul Harvey used to say, tell you "the rest of the story".

(The pictures are obviously of various moments throughout our day. Enjoy them, knowing that we're enjoying and loving Xiao Qian with today's events giving great evidence of God going before us. We're also dripping in His grace by prayer. We have thanks that are inexpressible. At dinner tonight I asked Victoria if her head was spinning and as overwhelmed by grace as mine, and she said it just keeps getting better.)

Living the dream..., no living the reality of a remarkably gracious God,