Another Fun Day in Tianjin

Let me start out by saying, we are nowhere near the earthquake, praise God! We experienced another cool day here in Tianjin, however, the sun was shining! Grace took us to a street where traditional Chinese items were sold (a historical district here in Tianjin), and the honeymoon appears to be over as we were witness to a typical 6 yr old little girl. There were toys and gadgets everywhere, and she frequently heard, "no", which was not particularly pleasing to our sweet little China doll who's quickly becoming Americanized (playing on the i-touch as I finish up this blog). We're glad that we're seeing this behavior. It's a sign that she is feeling comfortable with us, however, also beginning to check her boundaries. She's a fireball! When she's not mad at us, she laughs like a giggle box. I'm sure we'll be getting notes home from her teachers. One of the directors at the orphanage told us that they were losing one of their star performers, having always had a lead part in the plays. When she's not laughing, it's not uncommon to hear her singing a little tune. She also has good taste in music. She loves to listen to "The Afters" on Peter's i-touch.

We experienced more really good food today. Grace has taken us to some of the best places to eat since being here in Tianjin - actually since we've been in China altogether. Some people say they lose weight when they come to China - not this family. Grace told me today that she could see me living in China. We are so blessed to have Grace as our guide - she's grown very close to our hearts. Zhen Zhen calls her "Auntie", and it's going to be very hard to leave her. Grace has no faith, and her grandparents and mother are Buddhists. We have been making comments here in there and then today, we had a discussion about Christianity. We will be praying for her, for she's been a tremendous blessing to us. We hope that she will visit us in the USA, and that the Lord will draw her close to him.

We're hoping for a good night's sleep, for Grace has another full day planned for us tomorrow!!

So good to hear from you via comments!

Love,

Detra

Day 3 in Tianjin

Today we spent the entire morning visiting the necessary official offices. The sun was shining, however, with the wind, it was a bit on the chilly side, especially if we were shaded by the buildings (and there are lots of tall buildings in Tianjin!). After our last stop at the police station, we spent about an hour in the Tianjin Wal-Mart. It has 2 stories, but not near the selection or square footage as our Rockwall Wal-Mart. Due to not being able to do laundry, Peter had run out of long pants; we got a chuckle when he had to buy a 2XXL (and they were still a bit snug!). Zhen Zhen had a great time walking around with the boys today. BaBa bought her a Chinese style faux Barbie doll, and she had her nails painted as we were leaving Wal-Mart. I was thrilled to find out that her favorite color is pink. She will love her new room. She is so proud of her pink nails – Rob says that we are in trouble!! She has been a joy today; however, tonight she teared up again before going to bed. We all gathered around her, held hands, and prayed. She definitely doesn’t like to be told no. I don’t recall S & P being too fond of it either at the age of 6 years old. Matter of fact, I don’t like it too much myself!!

We experienced the neatest eatery. It’s called the “Hot Pot”. We all think one would go over really well in Rockwall. There are these seasoned pots of water on a burner in front of your seat (the burner is under the counter). You have choices of meat (beef or lamb), then a choice from a number of vegetables. Noodles and an egg were also available. A bowl of peanut sauce with a type of hot sauce (for customization) to add to the peanut sauce was supplied for you to dip your cooked meat and vegetables in. There was no silverware, so we were forced to use chopsticks (Zhen Zhen came to us knowing how to use a spoon and fork – not chopsticks!). Hands down, it has been the best meal that we’ve had so far while in China.
Zhen Zhen fell asleep lying next to Samuel. I cannot tell you how proud I am of Samuel and Peter. Her face always lights up when they come into the room, and their continued help is making this trip much more pleasant for all of us! Right now, she’s the number one gal in both of their lives, and we’re good with that. They’re so patient, kind, loving, and protective – it’s good to see that in these young men.
We are so thankful for your continued prayers. God indeed has been gracious, giving us far more than we ever deserve. We are so in love with this little girl and we know that you all will fall in love with her too! We are reminded in Romans 8:28 that we are called to live a life here on earth for His purpose. However weak our flesh is, may the Lord continue to grant us strength!!

Much love to all of you!
Detra
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Gotcha Day (Part 2) 4/12/210

4/12/2010 As Zhen Zhen played yesterday, she was very happy, entertaining and engaging, and ate very well. She does know, however, what she does not like (and that would be green onions – not a problem at our house - and green peas). She will pick them out and put them aside. She has loved playing with the boy’s I-Touch. She figured out rather quickly how to move the images back and forth down the line. She loves to color!! I had taken a Winnie coloring book, and she also came with a Winnie coloring book from her foster mom. Her foster mom also brought sacks of her favorite snack foods, drinks, and sweets. She had a few baby books dated back to her birth in 2003. It is exciting to see the Lord’s faithfulness to us. Her foster mom has loved her dearly, instilled her with good habits, and a sharing heart. She would offer each one of us a snack and then eat one herself. Always putting others in front of self!! I love this and am thankful!! I told the boys that they would need to be good examples in front of Zhen Zhen . Actually, Zhen Zhen is being an excellent example to all of us. She is independent, however, still allows us to help. As we were lying in bed this morning (yes, it’s 2:30) I felt two small kisses, one on my back and one on my arm. She’s awake and coloring while I type.
When it came to bedtime, I gave her a bath. She jumped right in and started to wash her hair. She graciously allowed me to help, and we accomplished the bath together. When we got out she insisted that I fix her hair the way her foster mom fixed it that day. I didn’t understand why she wanted her hair fixed for we were about to go to bed. She would grab the amount of hair to go up in the ponytail and hand me the rubber band -it took me 3 times to get it to where she was pleased. We brushed teeth, went to the potty and made our way to the bed. I had taken her a new pair of pj’s and Rob took her to look into the mirror. She went for her coat – she thought that she was going home to her mama. This is why she wanted to have her hair fixed. She couldn’t understand why she couldn’t put her coat on and leave. In her mind we think she felt she had been good all day, and now she wanted her mama. This was a very emotional time for all 3 of us. I pray someday that we can communicate and the Lord will give me the perfect words explaining why this has happened. I am feeling very guilty taking her, however, as Rob points out, it’s only been our choice to receive her; someone else made the decision that she had to leave the only family she’s ever known, and it’s by God’s sovereignty that she’s become ours.
As said in Jeremiah 29:11 – the Lord does have a plan for Zhen Zhen and we are honored that the Lord has chosen us to be a part of this little girl’s life. She appears to have a healthy self esteem, she’s feisty, and we pray and trust that this zest for life will radiate the Lord’s love in her heart!

PIctures from 4/12/10

Gotcha Day

We picked up Lydia this morning. It was pretty rough, very emotional. Neither Rob nor I got much sleep last night, therefore, we are very tired. Lydia's foster mom was present as well, and this made it hard on Lydia - she would have nothing to do with us. I know that this is very hard on her foster mom, too for it is very apparent she loves Lydia very much and has done such a wonderful job with her – we included her in our prayers this morning to start the day. Lydia counted to 100 in Chinese for our guide, Grace. She seems happy now, loves to laugh and talk, and is very expressive. We know that there are many rough days ahead and are curious as to how she will react tonight. She told our guide that she wanted to go home. Grace told her that she was going home and she replied, "No, I want to go to my China home." Our guide says that she speaks like an adult – very fluent in Mandarin for her age. When asked if she likes to dance, she replies, "yes, but it's hard to dance in my red boots." (She came to us in very fashionable red boots – with rhinestones). It’s hilarious; she thinks that we understand her! We just shake our heads in agreement. It is very apparent that she has hydrocephalus (even more so than we’d expected) and her little eyes are crossed. When she colors, she holds her book very close to her face, and we are anticipating a significant vision problem due to her strabismus. Even so, she is very precise and stays within the lines when she colors. The boys have been simply awesome with her. They are being very attentive and she loves the attention from all of us. Thank you for your prayers, for God has been gracious!!
The weather here has been awful today – rain and wind this morning, followed by even higher winds this afternoon with a Chinese dust storm outside. The high today was in the lower 50’s, but we were instructed to stay in the room today, anyway, to bond. The rooms are uncomfortably cool, but when the family accompanying us had the hotel manager contacted, they were told it’s “out of season” to have the heat on! We get a chuckle, too, each time we walk into the bathroom and see the “Be Careful of Landslide” signage which depicts a man slipping on a wet floor. We’re having the experience of a lifetime in so many ways!
We're hopefully going to bed early tonight and sleeping more than 3 hrs. I'll try to post more pictures tomorrow.
Love,
Detra

Tianjin-Lydia's City

We arrived in Tianjin today. As we entered the city by the train, we saw the many apartments that looked as though they were hundreds of years old. It became real that this is the city where our daughter was abandoned. It is cold and dark, reminding us both of Gotham City! The city is very different from Beijing, and the people look different. I look at the people all around us and I see both very short and very tall. I look into their eyes and wonder where their hope lies.

Tianjin is a city with over 9 million people. Cars, buses, and bikes all fight for the right away. We see no speed limit signs and no stop lights - chaotic to say the least. After we check into our rooms, our guide, Grace, takes us for a walk to the shopping area. We walk amidst all this chaos and get gently scolded for running across the road. Pedestrians are not given the right of way here in China. Her instructions to us are to walk and stop, walk and stop, allowing the cars more accuracy as they attempt to prevent hitting us as we cross.

As we walk in the cold to the hot spot in Tianjin, we stop off at local shops to see the specialties the city people love. Our first stop is a shop sporting a favorite baked good. I’m not sure of the name right now and honestly, it didn’t look like something that I would ever eat. However, Rob’s a little more ambitious. He purchases one piece for all of us to share. It was actually not bad and we bought more to take back to the room, wanting to have some for when we get Lydia. As we make our way down the street, we see many stores, really nice stores - not like the stores that we experienced at the market in Beijing.

Just off the main street is a row of local food vendors, and our first stop is roasted lamb; pieces of lamb on a skewer cooked right there on a grill while we watch. I, of course, am very reluctant to eat; however, once again, Rob jumps right in. The lamb was delicious!! Our next stop was Chinese pizza, then fried squid, fried (“stinky”) tofu and last an ice cream cone (yes and it’s freezing outside). The lamb and squid were our favorites. We, too, took our allotted Pepto Bismol upon returning to our hotel room. As it became dark, the lights lit up the night. It was a beautiful sight!

The family that we are traveling with is just wonderful and we are so thankful to the Lord that He has chosen us to be together as we meet our daughters today. I, again, cannot sleep. Therefore, I’m up trying to get my thoughts straight. Once again, it’s 2:20 in the morning and poor Rob is trying to sleep with the light on over the bed.

I purchased a shirt from Adoptionbug.com that says “Blessed by Adoption” and on the back “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us…with every spiritual blessing in Christ…. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” Ephesians 1:3-5 I love wearing this shirt for it is a constant reminder of my adoption. As we enter this new phase of our lives, we know that the Lord is with us. Our prayer is that we continue to rest in this assurance and that we follow in His will.

May all the glory be given to Him!

Love to all,

Detra

We are praying for the Swearingens as we are also praying for Lydia's family she has had for 6 yrs.

What a day we had!!

We knew this would really be an eye opener for the boys and here it is the second morning and we start out with Psalm 118:24 - This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Let me explain...first thing this morning we blow a breaker in our room. We are thankful the boys have a room across the hall. We have no lights, therefore, I go across the hall to get ready. My Chi burned up and the boys can not get on Facebook or text their friends lol.

After a rocky morning, we experience a wonderful, all you can eat, breakfast. Rob was more daring than the rest of us and so far he hasn't gotten sick. He did run back to the room and take his allotted Pepto Bismol tabs. They were right when they said to try to eat a lot for breakfast. So far, we haven't been that excited about the food. As Peter says, it all smells the same, the food, the hotel, the bathroom...need I say more??? So thankful for the snacks that we brought.

Next, we were off to Tinanmen Square, The Forbidden City, and The Great Wall. It was a full day, but the weather was beautiful! We have such a fun group! We have a group of 6 families that we are with here in Beijing. We will all leave tomorrow and go to where our children live and stay in this location for 5 days. Then, we will all meet up again in Guangzhou. Our group all brought their children, so this has been so much fun for our boys.

We're still working on downloading pictures. The only way we can blog is to go through Rob's work account. It's crazy, because this doesn't always work either. It is now 2:30 in the morning. We have no problems falling asleep, just staying asleep.

We will ride a train to Tianjin tomorrow. A trip that usually take 2.5 hrs now only takes 30 mins. The train goes 220 kilometers/hr - should be interesting!

Hopefully, I will be able to get on tomorrow and have pictures.

Love to all,
Detra