The Rest of the Story (Sort of...)

And now... for the rest of the story; well sort of.  For those of you that are followers, you'll somewhat understand why this next segment of "the story" is a bit cryptic, as it needs to be. (We've learned quite a bit about gatherings here that have given us a whole new and appreciative perspective, all resulting from our initial bond with Xiao Qian and others acquainted with her.) When we arrived at our hotel room yesterday, Xiao Qian was so excited to share with us just about everything she had in the two bags she brought with her (about the size of shopping bags to give you a perspective). She pulled out pictures and lovingly tried to describe the people in them, candies (as I previously mentioned), and... among other things, the Bible. That was over-the-top cool in and of itself, but she then also pulled out a sealed envelop with a letter in it. In that letter, it described how special Xiao Qian (known as Alysse - pronounced A-leese) is. She (the author) described her personality, her joy, her bigger than life disposition, and her angelic nature. She told us we were blessed beyond our wildest imaginations, and that if we ever needed help or wanted to know more, that we should give her a call because she lives not too far from here and would love to assist (of course she left her telephone number too). As Victoria read the letter out loud, in the presence of Xiao Qian and me, my dear wife started to cry tears of joy, tears I've seen before, tears unquestionably generated by the Spirit. We didn't hesitate, went to the computer and dialed the author of the letter up on my Voice-Over-Internet. We made an immediate connection and she described to Victoria that she tried to come to the Civil Affairs Office to say "good-bye" to Xiao Qian yesterday, but was told the official union between us would occur in the afternoon (which it originally was, but was then providentially moved to the morning hour shift). She then drove to the White Swan Hotel on Shamian Island (only blocks from where we're staying) thinking that all adoptive families stay there, only to find out we were not. Disappointed, she left Shamian Island (with a close friend who was with her this entire time) and was resignated a reunion and final farewell just wasn't going to happen. Victoria told her where we were staying, and she immediately told her driver (after finishing some quick shopping in Guangzhou) to make hay and make way toward our hotel. She eventually arrived, knocked on the door, and two lovely women (Westerners) hugged Xiao Qian like she was one of their own (turns out she practically was/is - there's more to that story, but cannot share it here). We then spent the next two hours in Xiao Qian's suite (all five of us) talking of history, story and abundant evidence of amazing grace, mercy and love that can simply only come from above. One of the women spoke enough Mandarin to communicate fairly well with Xiao Qian, and the other just communicated with physical affection rarely seen in these parts. We were told by them that of all the girls to adopt in this whole world, if they had a choice, this is the one they'd take home (and let me tell you, they meant it - they just swooned over this girl). And Xiao Qian? Why she was in her element, clearly content and at peace. We then all sang a familiar song/melody together (we in English and they in Mandarin), and then lifted honor, all directed up. The four of us (not including Xiao Qian) were unquestionably stunned as we hugged to say "Zai Jian". We agreed that we would try to connect later this week and spend a day together at one of the homes, enjoy a meal and praise. I simply cannot put into words how profound all of this is, and just how astonished Victoria and I are. All adoptions are unique, there's no doubt, but let me assure you, this one just seems highly unusual and to be the result of years and years of prayers, long before Victoria and I ever dreamed of adopting yet again. Now I (we) can see so clearly how the way was paved for us, beginning with our first inquiry to adopt yet again, the announcement to our children a little over one year ago, and all of the details leading us to that unforgettable day yesterday.

So our dear loved ones who have stood next to us through this entire journey thus far, that is the rest of the story (at least what we know so far). We cannot wait to take each day from hear on out and see what's in the next chapter in our small little world. Now perhaps you might be able to understand why we feel this is a dream, but aye it is not. (By the way, your notes ("Comments") on our blog and in facebook are precious. We're receiving and reading each one with care. Know that we'd like to respond to every one of them with a special note of thanks, but please understandably accept this as a consolation for now.)

Xiao Qian says she slept very well last night - more testimony to inexplicable peace. After breakfast we bought some playing cards and taught her Go-Fish, which she loved. This turned out to be a perfect ice-breaker because it forced her to interactively use her English skills with us and to also make eye contact. She smiled and laughed a lot through the entire game. (She says she plays a mean game of Uno too. We're going to find out the next time we can put our hands on a deck.) Then later today our poor, but brave new girl had a simple medical examination, but received five, that's five inoculations. She seemed to yell, cry and laugh all at the same time, blurting our Mandarin phrases heard throughout the clinic - such is the character of this little one. We then all went out to enjoy a meal with our guide, Jeff, and another wonderfully gracious family from Tennessee who adopted a girl with Down Syndrome (and let me tell you, if you watched that family together your upper garments would be soaked from tears - they're walking demonstrations of love that knows no bounds). After that we went to the Guangzhou Folk Art Museum and were enraptured by watching Xiao Qian be amazed by the beauty of the most incredible embroidery you've ever seen in your life. She also seems to love Chinese history (as interpreted through our guide, although she says that Chines literature is her worse subject in school), and other fine works of art requiring the utmost of patience and detailed orientation.

Here are just a few other things we've observed about our new daughter:

• She likes to eat spicy, pickled chicken feet.  (She gave me one today and laughed her head off after I screamed because it just about blew the top of my head into smithereens.)
• She appears to be very crafty, enjoying manually dexterous activities.
• She's timid, but seems confident and comfortable in most any situation.
• She doesn't shy away from physical affection.
• She has a low voice for such a petite little thing - we love to  hear her talk.
• She's a good eater, and especially likes vegetables (and chicken feet).
• She's patient, as evidenced by repeatedly teaching us little Mandarin phrases (giggling under her breath), as we gingerly force her to speak more English.
• She's remarkably drawn to kids and seems to light up around them, helping where she can.
  
• She's... this list could go on forever, and so much more of this flower to unfold before us.
  

Tonight we went for a walk together, all three of us (with long moments of silence due to our language barrier), bought an ice-cream cone (she seems to like ice-cream too), and came back to the room where Victoria and I dozed off while she QQ-ed with some of her friends. Before we went for that walk, we all came into the hotel room together, and Victoria and Xiao Qian laid on the bed next to one another while Xiao Qian permitted her MaMa to tenderly stroke her hair and arms. What a satisfying sight that was. When Xiao Qian was finished with the laptop, she told me so in her broken English and I followed her into the suite. I then held her hand, prayed with her, and said, "Wan an" (Good-night). She smiled and said the same back to me in Mandarin. She then told me she was going to take a shower, so while she did that I wrote on a piece of paper in Pinyin the following:

"Xiao Qian,

Wo Ai Ni. (I love you.)

MaMa & Baba"

I placed the note on her pillow and put two little origami stars on top of it. 

"Sweet dreams our little angel."