So This is Hefei

Our travel group left the hotel in Beijing at 5 this morning.  Had a sack breakfast on the bus and sang Happy Birthday to Maryn as we headed to the airport.  We all went through the group check in seamlessly, even the family of 8 with their 9 suitcases.  Some in the group were headed to the same provinces, same cities; others were headed to the same provinces different cities and two families, including us, were headed out on their own to different provinces.  Our flight from Beijing was 120 minutes, so I heard the pilot say.  Our guide, Jane, picked us up and took us to the hotel.  She spent an hour with us gathering paperwork, explaining the process for tomorrow and telling us about the orphanage.  She is so relaxed and confident, and we appreciate her experience so much.  To be correct, perhaps she spent more than one hour with us because she started off by calling someone, named Peter, to pick up our laundry.  He had to wait a few minutes while Jane was on the phone because we tried to tell him "no starch," but couldn't find it in the dictionary.  Jane was on the phone with the hotel kitchen to tell them what to make for us and also wrote it down so we could arrive at the hotel restaurant and just hand them the paper that says grilled chicken,white rice and steamed broccoli.  Don't even think about making that for an arrival home celebration dinner! 

 

Jane told us that Hefei does not have a lot of tourists and foreigners like there are in Beijing so people will look at us, and please don't be offended.  Remember yesterday I mentioned the stir that was created by our large group and the adorable kids traveling with us?  Well, they've got nothing on what Tom and I are getting here.  We walked down the street this afternoon, and she was right.  Stares, pointing, cell phone photos, and an occasional smile.  We didn't go far before we turned back and not just because the road construction blocked our way.  I'm not offended, but I don't love it, and I'd much rather be in the room.

 

It's time to go to bed and get a great night of sleep, please, Mr. Sandman.  We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.  Jane will pick us up at 9 a.m.  Don't be late.  While you're all winding down tonight we'll be winding up tomorrow morning.  Four months to complete a dossier, 40 months of waiting and a lifetime of dreaming are about to come together with a little girl in a government building in China.  

 

Please send prayers to heaven and the other side of the world that Maryn's heart and mind are prepared for the overwhelming transitions she will have to make, and that she will come to know how special she is to us.  We're another step closer to meeting Maryn.  God is good, all the time.