Consulate Apointment: Check!
Today was a very important day in our adoption process: our consulate appointment. At 9:30am we departed our hotel with 5 or 6 other families for the Consulate office, armed with a highly valuable packet of paper and a ziplock bag of reserves to keep Levi happy. Praise the Lord, it was smooth sailing in all regards! Our paperwork was all in order (thanks to Lifeline!) so the it was quick and painless. Levi was a happy camper watching daddy draw for 30 minutes in the waiting area.
After Consulate we met the rest of our group for some shopping on Shamian Island. This is a small man-made island (separated from GZ by a 15yd wide river). It was originally occupied by Europeans so all the buildings are European style. It was a nice reprieve from the tall, modern skyscrapers of GZ. Today it hosts lots of shops, restaurants, a couple hotels and even the Polish embassy (but don't try to photograph their guards!). Have we mentioned Levi is not really into shopping? Soooo....Andrew and I took turns running through shops crazily choosing precious gifts to bring home. I will say we accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. And thankfully I think we've made Levi suffer through his last shopping trip for a LONG, LONG time.
While at Shamian Island the skies opened up into a torrential downpour. So after lunch we headed back to the hotel. We played for a couple hours in the room...have we mentioned Levi loves Legos!? Seriously, I don't know what we would have done this trip without them. I have to say that my Lego building skill has improved by leaps and bounds during this trip as well. As soon as the skies cleared we bee lined it to the pool along with several other stir-crazy families. Levi, the fish, continues to amaze us with his love for the water and absolute fearlessness! It was 6 pm by the time we finished at the pool so we headed back to the room for cup-o-noodles and an early bedtime.
Even though we have 2 more full days here in GZ and another day or so of travel I really feel like we are shifting our focus to our return home. These days here in China have been a beautiful mess. Pieces of it so filled with light and grace that we see the reflection of Christ right before our eyes. Other shards so broken and sad, so filled with the mess of the flesh....being redeemed at a high, high cost - one we can't even begin to count. So many of these moments have been the perfect collision of the grace and the mess. I guess, in fact, all of them have been just that. No moment is left without grace. It's just turning out to look a little different than I though it looked. My eyesight is the only thing that needs adjusting.
So soon we go home. Return to life as it was or is or something altogether different. Normal or new normal is waiting for us. I almost feel like I've been sleeping for 12 days, living in some other world and now I'm going to wake up. Except it will mostly all be different. I'm going to call it good different, but you will probably have to remind me of that.
We love you all and are so encouraged by all your words and prayers and "likes" on FB. Please keep praying for us these last few days. Tomorrow morning Andrew will be keeping Levi for a couple hours while I go back to Shamian Island with a couple ladies for a few last items. Please pray for patience for Andrew and that he and Levi will really enjoy one another as soon Levi won't have daddy's attention all day every day.
Pray for Wade-o. He woke up feeling sick this morning (Wednesday morning your time).
Love,
A & R
Praying for your transition home. Love you guys.
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