Hong Kong, and then Finally, Finally Home...

The beginning of the end started two days ago, when we finally waved goodbye to our wonderful friends in Kunming and hopped on the plane to Hong Kong, the last leg of the trip.

{She's Chinese and she sort of knows how to use chopsticks.}

The plane landed along an island runway that was right on the shore of the ocean, with the outlines of mountains in the distance. After we went through customs, we drove into the city and passed by literally hundreds of high-rise apartment buildings, built into the green mountains that cover Hong Kong island.

{View from the hotel window; typical Hong Kong.}

We arrived at the beautiful Conrad Hotel, where we met our cousin, Susie, who had arranged everything for us to have a pleasant stay on our last night in China, and ate lunch by the pool. Then, while Jay, Angelle, Rebekah and Anna took a nap for a while, Micah and I left with Susie to drive around and experience what little bit of Hong Kong we could before leaving in the morning.

{Our Hong Kong tour guide and wonderful cousin, Susie. Thank you so much for everything!}

We drove all the way to the southern end of the island and back up to the northern end where the city (and our hotel) was, passing beautiful villas and compounds built into the sides of the mountains, overlooking bays and inlets and the other, smaller islands that dotted the horizon out in the distance. After stopping at Susie's apartment and seeing the amazing view there, we stopped by a beach nearby to get our feet wet in the Pacific Ocean.

{At the beach...and loving it.}

We stopped by the hotel afterwards, picked up everyone else and headed out to the nearest tourist attraction, The Peak, where we could see the Hong Kong skyline and had a candlelight dinner overlooking the bay.

{View from the Peak, daytime.}

After dinner, we took one last look at Hong Kong's beautiful skyline and boarded the famous Peak Tram to head down the mountain back to our hotel. We even managed to find our way back to the hotel by using Susie's directions and asking a few policemen along the way.

{Us on the tram, a little tired.}

{View of the night skyline from the Peak. Simply amazing.}

Hong Kong is a very, very amazing city (interesting fact: I could actually access the blog in Hong Kong and read through the comments, but due to our short stay could not post while we were there) and was a nice close to our long, somewhat hard, but very memorable trip here in China.

And now, for special thanks for special people who helped us through a special trip...

To our amazing trip coordinator, Elsie. We definitely could not have done this without you and we appreciate your longstanding patience. I will always remember that look you gave us, the numerous times we walked up as you were standing there, waiting for us, by the bus.

To Cindy, Aggie and Rebecca, our local guides in Beijing, Guiyang and Guangzhou respectively, thank you for your support and your friendship!

{Amazing Kunming friends, with Micah and I.}

{More amazing Kunming Friends, with Angelle and Rebekah.}

To our amazing friends in Kunming and their wonderful support staff and precious children- thank you for welcoming us into your lives for such a short period. It was such a great experience being able to visit for a few days.

{Me, blogging.}

Thank you so much, to our cousin Susie for taking us around Hong Kong and understanding where we were at the end of a such a long and hard trip. We enjoyed our time, although it was very short, very, very much.

I cannot say enough about our Baton Rouge support team during the Guangzhou crisis....but, here goes...

To the wonderful Jerrie LeDoux, Ginger Stringer, our social worker, Paula Davis, Mr. Joshi, Dr. Elofson, and all of our friends at the offices of our Senators and Congressman...thank you so, so much, again.

To our precious grandparents, Momee and Papa, thank you so much for all you have done while we have been gone. Your welcome presentation made coming home all the more special.

{Papa's 'Welcome Home' Sign. The Chinese was so good, we thought it must have been a Sumrall sign. Good job, Papa! The Chinese says 'Welcome Home!'}

To my great friends: Pairrain, Caroline, and Aunt Vicki, the skypemasters (Aunt Vicki has been trying to get me on skype for a while). Thank you for helping us to set everything up and to communicate more directly with so many people. That encouraged us so, so much!

To our wonderful Chinese tutor, Mrs. Ling Zhang, who prepared us as much as she could for the language barrier in China. We hope we made you proud! :)

To my very good friend, and your very own Blog Editor, Kevin Roddy. You do not understand how much we appreciate what you do. You turned a censorship problem in a foreign country into something that touched people all across the country, and touched our family so very much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

To all of those who prayed, supported and gave to our family...too many to name, but it meant so much to us. Thank you so much!

Now, we are finally, finally home with six people in our home, taking a good, long rest. Stay tuned for a few more pictures of Anna in the days to come.

To all who followed us the 8357 miles, it was a wonderful trip in so many ways. Thank you for letting us share our story. Anna is home, at last.

Top Ten Things we have Learned/Enjoyed/Thought were Funny or Interesting in China...

Today, we had a wonderful day spending time with our friends here, visiting for most of the day and going out to have an authentic and also very tasty Chinese meal, Yunnan style. Now that we are packing and preparing to leave for Hong Kong early tomorrow morning, and saying last good-byes to our friends, their staff and the children they support here in Kunming, I thought that Micah and I would let you guys know about some of the interesting cultural differences we experienced while here in China. Of course, although being confused with Harry Potter and having people want to take their picture with you quite a few times certainly are interesting experiences, we had to narrow them down. We have rated them from 10 to 1. So, here goes.

10. "Oh yeah, it's only a small city of 3-5 million people."
Translation: There are A LOT of people here.

I've never seen a small grocery store so packed, I've never seen a Wal-Mart so packed, I've never seen a mall so packed, and I've certainly never had less personal space than at some of the tourist spots in China. There are people everywhere in China and they are all doing something or going somewhere. In fact, I don't think I've ever been so close to so many people I didn't know in all my life. At the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City, it was so packed going up those stairs that I think someone could have easily bodysurfed on the crowd across the entire plaza. And, when the crowd didn't seem to be moving, people just started pushing.

It happens in traffic as well, cars cutting each other off, swerving in tight corners, running off the road, all just to move a few feet. They say that here in China, you have to fight for every inch and we have certainly seen that to be true.

9. What are you looking at?
Translation: People have no problem staring.

When I was young, I always remember being brought up to not stare at somebody who was unusual. I guess that little life lesson is kind of forgotten here in China. Now granted, we are from America and we were in some places where foreigners are unusual. Not only are we foreigners, but we are foreigners walking around with two Chinese children. I can see how that might have been confusing. But, that can't even begin to cover for the unabashed head-to-toe scrutiny we got, even in the larger cities. Walking through Wal-Mart, we felt like we were in a zoo. People would literally drop the shopping bag, put down the screaming baby, halt the cart and just...stare. Up and down, up and down; long, serious, interested stares. We would make eye contact and they just went right on staring. As I type this right now in the hotel courtyard, a few people have come up to me and snapped pictures.

8. "No ice in that coke, please and thank you."
Translation: Cold is not that important here in China.

We were always told that we would have to ask for ice in our drinks in China. Way back then, as we were getting ready to leave, I always just excused it as maybe the problem was that ice was difficult to make, or something like that. Being from the south, I don't see how you can get through a hot day (and China can definitely compete when it comes to heat and humidity) without a cold drink with ice. As we got through the trip, though (and after I had asked for ice numerous times), I began to see something very strange. You see, it is not that ice is non-existent or that it is difficult to make. It is always back in some side freezer or in a little bucket on the airplane cart, accessible and everything. The problem is: nobody wants any. One time, we asked for ice and we got two cubes. Thanks, a lot. To me, there is not a whole lot that is worse than a hot coke on a hot day and I saw plenty of people, as hot as I was, wanting the coke off the shelf, instead of the coke off the freezer.

Even when you walk into a store or home to get out of the heat, the air is not any cooler. And, these are the shops that do have air conditioning. They just only turn it up to about a fourth of the power we do. Let's just say, the beauty of 'cold' has not come full circle here in China.

7. "It's hot outside, let me roll up my shirt."
Translation: No comment.

Speaking of heat, whenever it was extremely hot outside, in every city we have ever been in, it is apparently the style for the men to take their shirt and roll it up half-way (not the sleeves, but the actual shirt), just above their stomach. It happened everywhere, regardless of whether it was in the mall or the village road. It didn't matter if it was a muscle shirt or a long button-down, it was rolled halfway up. And, for some reason, it always seemed to be the men with the large bellies. It was just something we at first thought was one weirdo at a time, but after a while we noticed a trend. Finally, we had to ask ourselves, "What's up with men and their shirts rolled up half-way?" We never figured out. This made for a very...interesting cultural experience.

6. "No scribbling or firing in the Bonsai garden."
Translation: We got a kick out of the language barrier...on both sides.

So, the joke goes: Someone that can speak two languages is deemed bilingual, while someone who speaks only one language is called...an American. Thankfully for us, most of the signs in China are in English and Chinese and there are so many people in so many different places who speak at least a little bit of English (better than our 'little bit' of Chinese). However, in spite of this wonderful commitment to never leaving us English-speakers confused, some of these amazing translations including the ones on official monuments and museums, left us a little puzzled...and laughing as well. For example, we still haven't figured out what the scribbling or firing was all about, but I can assure you that this was on an official government sign at the Huangguoshu Waterfalls we visited in Guizhou. Some of our other favorites include: "North Gaet", "Rice Krisples", "Honey Nutos", "Grown (supposed to be Crown) Prince", and a breakfast menu that marketed granola-like breakfast cereal to us as oatmeal, and when we tried to explain, brought us their "porridge", a watery, brown, thin mixture.

Experiencing a very real language barrier has also been difficult at times, but still funny nonetheless, as when Jay famously decided to simply walk out of the restaurant with the food to demonstrate 'to-go' after a long and drawn out process, or the time in the Beijing KFC where my mom and clerk across the counter screamed for joy when they had finally communicated the idea of 3 sandwiches, two with the meal combo. When we have tried to use our Chinese we have been moderately successful, but it is interesting to watch a slight smile creep up on their faces as you try wildly to remember how to say 'cup of coffee.' We would like to take the time to apologize to our Chinese tutor, Mrs. Ling :).

5. "Mommy, look! There are cars driving on the sidewalk!"
Translation: Yes, drivers are crazy in China.

Yes, it is true. There are so, so, so, so, so many people here in China, that at times, if the driver gets frustrated enough, he will simply drive his car on the sidewalk instead. Either, it's not against the law or the law doesn't matter. At times, both are probably true, so take your pick.

Motorcycles on the sidewalk are already a common occurrence here, so I won't say much about that. In addition, contrary to your instinct, in China, when the light turns green, do NOT go. You might not survive the attempt. The cars simply keep on going. Rather, it is up to you, the helpless little pedestrian, to somehow doge the cars, motorcycles and bikes all the way to the other side of the street.

4. Chinese Television = Comic Relief
Translation: We died laughing.

At times, for those of us who were sick and confined to the room for some periods of time, there was not a whole lot else to do besides turn on the television. When we did, we got much more than we expected. Take the cheesiest soap opera you've ever flipped by and multiply that times ten and you've got the typical Chinese television. Not only does the quality look like something done with a simple family video camera, but the acting is also hysterically The extreme close-up of the fake eye-drop tear as it rolls down someone's cheek and the strange, forced, contorted facial expressions. They are a must-see if you ever come to China. Even their reality TV is hilarious. If you can get a music video, though, those are the best.

3. Don't Drink the Water
Translation: We deserve a medal for our ability to refrain from drinking, brushing our teeth in or even ingesting a small, small amount of Chinese tap water for almost a month.

You should try coming to China for as long as we did and see if you can go the whole time without so much as getting one drop of tap water in your system. It is very, very difficult. I don't know what would happen if we would have drunk the water, but thankfully, we never found out. Let's just say, it was an interesting experience (even if not an entirely cultural one), especially that time (we all had one) when you suddenly realize what you have been brushing your teeth with and you scream and spit and....let's not go into the details.

2. And you thought people in Louisiana ate weird things...
Translation: Wow. Just, wow.

There have already been plenty of posts that have described in detail the things we have all witnessed. Let's just say, Chinese people enjoy eating just about every part of everything and they like seeing it live (or at least proudly displayed) before they eat it. We were reminded of this when we went to eat our meal with the children and they served us the all-time favorite: Chicken feet.

1. Two Chinas

On the way home from going to visit the children we support the other day, our friend talked to us a little about China and some of the problems it faces. The way she put it, China is constantly behind a mask. For the Chinese, it is all about the presentation, all about the outward image, all about saving face.

To explain it a little better, there are two vastly different Chinas. On the one hand, there is the China of the twenty-first century, the China of the growing economy and the creation of a new middle class in the cities, the China of the five star hotels and the luxury resorts. This is the China that is often presented to the West. On the other hand, there is the China of the small villages, the China of the forgotten orphans we visited on Saturday, Anna's China. This is the China that the West rarely sees, off in the small, remote towns and villages in the rural areas, where poverty is rampant and most people do not have enough money to eat from day to day. This is how the world-renowned golf resort lies on one side of the mountain and on one bank of the lake, while a village where half-clothed children play in the rubbish with the hens and the dogs is set on the other side of the mountain, only minutes away, but disguised nonetheless.

One prime example is this city where we are in, Kunming. Kunming is desperately trying to expand and make itself an international resort city and tourist destination. This explains the great expansion of the beautiful, well-landscaped government section of town and the creation of the beautiful, high-end golf resorts and a brand new international airport. In order to become a beautiful, international city, Kunming is having to deal with the issues of poverty, lack of education, and lack of food and basic necessities for many of its people in the slum-like areas that are dotted throughout the city. Instead of working to solve the problem, however, the tenements that the poor live in are simply bulldozed and the beggars and homeless, and the poorer families that inhabit these areas are simply told to leave. Another mask is put on and a true problem simply covered up. Our friends tell us that it is this way all over China, with all sorts of problems.

All we can say is that it has been a truly eye-opening experience to see and learn about both Chinas and both ways of life. This is a beautiful country filled with a new sense of opportunity and growth on the horizon, but still a country with so many problems. The most we can do is hope that these problems will be solved in the near future.

Next stop: Hong Kong!...and then, finally, home!

More from Kunming

On Sunday, we began the day with a visit to our friends’ apartment for lunch and some quality time. Then, later that afternoon, we left to go see a piece of land they are interested in to further help them take care of the children.


We rode in the jeep across fields green with rice, corn, sunflowers, Chinese cabbage, and other crops, and then into the long tunnels that cut through the mountains.

After traveling through this long series of valleys and mountain ridges, we turned off the interstate and onto a bumpy, red clay road worn into the side of one of the mountains. All along the mountainside, we passed peasants driving small horse-drawn carts loaded with the crops that grew on their respective plots, as well as the old stone graves of the ancestors of the village below. We arrived on the plateau our friends were looking at and walked around a little. The view was breathtaking. A huge, natural lake (one of the cleanest in all of China, we were told) almost filled the entire valley. A section of it was cordoned off into commercial fishing ponds and small villages clustered on the banks as well as a small island in the middle of the lake. Everywhere, natural white, purple, red, orange and blue flowers grew next to the cultivated sunflowers, very popular with the farmers in this area for the sunflower seed oil.


After videoing and photographing this area for records, we drove down the mountain and through an extremely poor village where our friends are looking at other facilities that might help the children. Trash was lying around and the street’s pavement was somewhat broken up with weeds growing all around. Mangy dogs wandered and mingled with the children that ran around or played on the street. Some chickens walked around the small gatherings of old men playing traditional board games or women chatting and husking corn. As we approached an older part of town, the streets were narrow and more windy, twisting in and around the old, slightly eroded mud houses with thatched roofs. Really the only signs of the 21st century evident here were the electrical lines pinned from house to house and the business adds plastered to the wall.

We left to eat dinner at a high-end golf resort, purported to be the ‘No. 1 Golf Resort in Asia’ (Kunming plans to grow to be a recognized, international city and is currently in the midst of building many new golf resorts on the scenic mountains that surround the old part of the city; it is amazing to see the commercial growth that this place is undertaking). The contrast could not be starker. What we had seen ten minutes before, simply vanished- left behind in the rice paddies and we were now driving through a luxurious resort with million-dollar villas, a ritzy hotel and a beautiful golf course built right on the lake. We ate on the patio of the restaurant on a hill overlooking the golf course, the large, long lake and the mountains in the distance as the sun set. It was strange to see two totally different worlds, so close together, and yet so out of sight from one another. The trash, wandering children and animals and buildings that were falling apart, were literally next-door the beautifully land-scaped grounds of a fabulous hotel and dozens of beautiful villas, ready to rent. This vast disparity is China’s great paradigm.

It was wonderful to see Yunnan’s beautiful scenery and we enjoyed the day very much!

Women ai nimen, cong nimende Meiguo pengyou: We love you, from your American friends

Yesterday, we woke up after a good night’s sleep to go and visit our good friends at their home here in Kunming. There is a reason that Kunming has gained for itself the nickname of ‘Spring City’. At an altitude of about 6,000 feet and with position closer to the equator, very similar to that of a place like Mexico City, its climate is very unique. The weather has been beautiful, with bright, clear, blue skies and a crisp breeze that almost makes it cool at times. Everyone seems to be recovering. The only thing we have to worry about is that Micah is complaining about a slight pain in his stomach, perhaps from eating bad local water or food somewhere along the way. Anna is doing wonderfully; she loves to tease, she loves to laugh and she is very smart, imitating almost every word we say. She knows everyone’s name, except mine of course. I am afraid we might have to resurrect Rebekah’s old nickname, Nonny…oh well.

It has been a long time since we last saw our friends here and we enjoyed the time we had with them, exchanging gifts and just getting a chance to talk. We ate lunch at a small café (amazing salads, hamburgers and soups) with their son and his family nearby.



Then, later that afternoon, we had the great privilege of being able to see the homes where the sponsored children live. As we entered, they lined the stairs leading upward, singing a welcome song and passing out cups of water and handmade cards. On every floor, there were large racks with lots of removed shoes and a wash station. There were little pots with flowers everywhere and the rooms, with two bunk beds in each, were laden with colorful blankets and lots and lots of hand-drawn pictures on the walls. We first went to see a small girl recovering from a severe case of a spinal condition which left her severely bent over and her growth stunted, who had just been provided with world-class medical care for her back. She was happy to see us, although a little nervous, and sang a few songs. After so much work to help fund children like her, it was such an amazing thing to actually be walking through these halls we had seen so many times on video and through pictures.

We passed by several small classrooms with little backpacks on the benches, on our way up to a homemade dinner, cooked by one of the woman workers. On the open patio on the roof of the building was an entire array of different sized pots holding all kinds of different flowers. Our friend told us that she believes it is important for the children to see how much everyone cares for them by making sure the facility is in good shape and decorated beautifully with lots of flowers and art. Our entire family split up to eat dinner at all different tables, in order to talk to the children through an interpreter over the meal.



After dinner, we gathered with all 150-250 kids in a large room, where our friend introduced us and where we shared some about ourselves- how excited we were to see everyone and how much we loved them even from so far away.

Children were playing with Rebekah and Anna as they sat on a couch; they were having a lot of fun interacting with each other, despite the language barrier. Then, several age groups performed songs and dances and the floor was opened for several of the children to talk to us. This exchange was probably the most touching- how many times we have thought of them all the way on the other side of the world, and here we were meeting them for the very first time. It is amazing to see these kinds of things happen! To close it all, we stood by the door passing out candy, stickers and pictures of our family, telling each child goodbye as they held our hands, told us ‘xiexie’, waved, and filed out the door. It was such a beautiful thing to see the joy and happiness that fills this place- children so loving, so happy and so grateful, despite the numerous obstacles they have all faced. That is something I will never forget.

A Visit to Kunming . . .

We arrived in the early afternoon at Kunming's airport, after a morning of packing at our Guangzhou hotel. It was hard to say goodbye to Elsie and Rebecca after so long...Thank you guys, so much! Elsie helped us through so many difficult situations all along the way; we first met her when she picked us up from the Beijing airport.

We arrived at the hotel safely, and our friend picked us up at the airport and took us by where we were staying- a small hotel that looks like it might be rented out as an apartment, much more space than we are used to having. Then, almost immediately, we left for the park where more of our friends were waiting for us with all of the children they support. They came, running, waving, so happy to see us. For Angelle, it significantly brightened a trip that has been difficult as of late. Rebekah and I were suddenly guided by a small little hand to a table where all we could do was smile, high-five, laugh, hug and do some limited sign-language. We've seen so many pictures of all these little ones that it is such a blessing to finally be here! We are going to really enjoy the next few days!

At night, we opened the window and watched the setting sun cover the huge mountain that towers over the city and the rows upon rows of apartment high-rises that cover the skyline of Kunming. It is a beautiful, but a smaller and more rural city here, famous for the tourist destinations that lie very close. The city itself holds about 3 to 4 million people; and our friend told us that all of this, pretty much, used to be just rice paddies only 9 years before- a testament to China's amazing growth. We settled into bed with the honking, bustling, rushing (even at 10:30 pm) Beijing Lu (Beijing Road- every city has one, sort of a main street that always points in the direction of Beijing) right below.

We are so excited to spend more time with our friends and the children at school and at their homes tomorrow! Hello, Kunming!

Goodbye Guangzhou...

Although there are many obvious similarities amongst all Chinese cities, it certainly cannot be said that if you've seen one, you've seen them all. Each city we have visited has had its own unique feel. Guangzhou, the third and last stop on the adoption trip and the third largest city in China with a population of up to 15 million, is no exception. It is similar to Beijing, looking perhaps a little newer and more modern. The buildings look somewhat older and more traditional than the apartment towers and skyscrapers in Guiyang, but cleaner. Things run at more of a relaxed pace here, although it is still China and it is still busy. The weather here is very hot and oppressive at times - the humidity is such that you can break into a sweat while standing still. We are staying at the massive China Hotel, which is very beautiful in its own right. However, Jay and Angelle are missing the famous White Swan Hotel on Shamian Island, where they stayed for Rebekah's adoption.

Our favorite place in Guangzhou, so far, is Shamian Island. Most of the buildings are roughly 200 years old and were used as Western corporate offices and embassy buildings in the 1800's and 1900's. They still have that old world charm as well and most of them have been kept up rather nicely. The island is bordered by the Pearl River that flows through the city all the way to the China Sea. All along the river wall that surrounds the banks of the island, huge, ancient Banyan treas grow, with their gnarled trunks and their hanging aerial roots that look somewhat like Spanish moss. This very quaint, very antique, very European feel is also mixed in with the flare of modern Chinese culture- a very interesting combination. It makes for a really enjoyable place and we have had fun bartering with shopkeepers, talking with the many adoptive families that stay on the island and eating at the nice restaurants.

On Sunday, we stayed inside for most of the day getting things organized, watching Chinese television for comic relief, and working on Anna's paperwork. Over breakfast we had a nice conversation with an Australian winery owner/professor from Perth. Later that night, we walked down the street to an authentic restaurant for dinner with other families in our group. The entire front of the restaurant, open to the street, housed rows and rows of water tanks of all sizes. These tanks held every living thing you can imagine: beetles, eels, turtles, frogs, snakes (actually a few different kinds), snails, clams, mollusks, and all kinds of fish, including catfish, flounders, salmon, and mackerel. There was also a cage of ducks, and, as we discovered after our meal, there was a small crocodile pond with quite a few crocodiles swimming around, in back of the hotel. The most interesting part was that this mini-zoo was actually dinner waiting to be selected, cooked and served. As we entered the restaurant, we could see the kitchen through huge windows (they made sure you could see every last detail) where the newly-prepared heads or feet of duck, whole fish, or segments of snake or crocodile were displayed. Needless to say, we ate very typical Chinese food that night, but it was a very interesting experience and we took quite a few pictures like the silly Western tourists we are.

On Monday, while Micah slept in, I got up early to go see the tomb of a Nanyue king (c. 100-200 BC), a ruler from an old dynasty that ruled in the south during the Han rule in the north. The mausoleum was cut deep into the rock, with small, confined little chambers where we could walk around. The museum next door was filled with interesting artifacts as well, all dating from around the time of the golden age in Greece. There were cooking untensils, jade, gold and silver jewelry, official seals, old musical instruments, old swords, spears and bows and arrows, all pretty well preserved.

We joined the group in the afternoon to take the bus to the "mall"/shopping center and to eat dinner on the island. We went to look for pearls and jade, as Guangzhou is considered one of the best places to find quality pearls and precious stones. Butit wasn't a mall, as we know it in America. It was a massive 5-10 story building with huge sets of esclators and stairs. It extended several stories below and quite a few stories above the ground level. There were entire floors dedicated to one type of merchandise. For example, there was a pearl floor, a jade floor and silver floor. There was everything- toys, food, clothing, music and videos, jewelry, furniture and local crafts. In the huge open spaces in the center of the mall that typically would act as a central location for finding the store of your choice, vendors and shops had set up temporary tents with piles and piles of wares spread out on tables that stretched on and on and on. It makes you completely stop what you are doing and just watch, when you come upon something so enormous and busy and thronging with people and you feel somewhat exhausted just from watching. At one point, we had to visit the baby section of the mall, so we crossed a huge plaza and entered into another huge mall (apparently it was actually just another part of it) opposite and identical to the one we had just left. Since the baby store was not inside this building, we simply had to pass through the second mall to enter out onto a vast plaza with several main avenues, crammed with shops and vendors, leading off of it. I do not think I have ever seen so many people doing so many different things and going so many different places, all at the same time. It was truly a sight to see. Exhausted, we enjoyed our dinner at Lucy's, the favorite American restaurant on the island and headed back to the hotel.

Tuesday became our 'Shamian Island Day'. After finishing up some paperwork, we hailed a taxi (a 'chuzuche'- probably our favorite Chinese word) to the White Swan. From there, we walked all around the island and enjoyed the day thoroughly. Every shop (and there are dozens of them), looking for tourist customers, will have someone standing right outside in the narrow street, something Jay termed 'the scout'. These scouts, if you will, literally walk right out in front of you and begin to talk to you about how much they have inside and how you should come in to take a look and how they have the best selection on the island. They are usually very, very persistent and if how much we spent is a measure of their success, I would say they are doing pretty well. That is not to say we didn't barter, however.

We enjoyed walking along the island's narrow streets, under the low-hanging banyan trees; on Tuesday, the weather was not that terribly hot, either. The old, European buildings with their quaint architecture turned into little shops with all kinds of merchandise, gave everything a slight New Orleans feel. The Guangzhou Starbucks became one of our favorite stops as well (so far, we've gone about three times in four days...shameful, I know). It is also built into a beautiful, white, old world style building with a small court yard and porch. We enjoyed the different encounters we had that day. We befriended quite a few shopkeepers and one Starbucks employee. We ran into several American families from other agencies that were just walking around the island as well. At one shop, the owners asked us if we were Christians and said they were as well. The entire shop wall was covered in plaques with verses of Scripture in Chinese and English and they sold NIV Chinese-English Bibles. The store next door, called 'Gift from China' was probably our favorite shop. All of the proceeds benefited disabled and foster children, as well as orphans and some minority peoples. I enjoyed talking with one of the clerks who knew quite a bit of English. Our most interesting encounter of the day happened as we walked by the Catholic and Protestant churches and by the guarded entrance to the American consulate. As a consulate employee made his way outside the building, Jay hailed him and began asking him a number of questions, on everything from religion in China, to the work of the consulate, to the difference between a consulate and an embassy, to his recommendations for restaurants and shops. Jay even took his picture and got his card. In what was probably the best close to an awesome day, he recommended that we go to the Italian restaurant on the island, La Dolce Vita and it was fantastic, even if we were eating Italian in China. Our backpacks loaded and carrying several shopping bags, we headed back to the hotel.

Wednesday, we stayed at the hotel for most of the day as well as we sorted out paperwork problems. As it turned out, the consulate had still not received the necessary documentation That meant much more faxing, scanning, emailing and skyping and more hard work from our amazing team back in the US. After we had finished all we could do with the paperwork, Jay and I set out on a search for jade cufflinks for my eighteenth birthday. I thought it would be a nice souvenir and we looked at some in Beijing, and had already asked several shop owners on the island for them. At one shop in particular on Tuesday, the shop owner, Linda, had asked us to come back the next day when she would have acquired some for us to look at. When we got there, she had gotten several jade cufflinks of very high quality as well as some with agate and pearl inlay. So, finally, after a long season of searching, I now have my jade cufflinks, along with some agate and pearl as well.

Thursday, we stayed at home and mostly packed things, getting ready to leave for Kunming. We are excited about seeing our friends and the children they sponsor! We left about 3 in the afternoon to go to the American consulate building for Jay and Angelle to take the oath promising to care for Anna and be truthful to the American government about all the facts regarding her history and adoption. Arriving at the consulate, with Angelle, Rebekah and Anna all wearing their matching, gold gowns Momee had made (thank you, Momee!), we filed up the escalators, showed our passports and were escorted into a large room with lots of toys in the back and interview counters lining the front wall. The adoption officer got up to speak and talked to us about advice for when we go back to the States as well as a brief overview of the process. Then, in a very simple, informal and somewhat chaotic manner she asked the adoptive parents to stand, raise their right hand and swear or affirm that all the information that they had provided was correct to the extent of their knowledge. Then, just as it started, it was over. The adoption had been finalized in that simple little step. It was, again, very amazing to watch.

That night, Jay, Micah and I, decided to say one last farewell to Guangzhou by taking our river cruise on the beautiful Pearl River. We got to see the skyline as the tall, oddly-shaped building began to light up with their flashing adds and signs. The sky darkened, turned red, then orange and finally the sun set. It was good farewell to a city that has been beautiful, but somewhat troublesome as well. Goodbye, Guangzhou! Hello, Kunming.....and, later....welcome back home! [Once again, I apologize for the excessively long post- but, I did cover four days...]

Here Comes the Sun: More News from Guangzhou

We are very glad to announce that after a few days of spending lots and lots of time on email, skype and at the business center, our updated paperwork that allows Anna to enter the United States as a special needs child has been approved and is at the US Consulate. Our friends over here and our amazing team over in the states have pushed through many bureaucratic logjams, taking two days to do what would ordinarily be done in two weeks. We will be leaving Guangzhou tomorrow early in the morning with Anna!







Special Thanks: To the amazing Mrs. Jerrie LeDoux (the lady with all the contacts) and Mrs. Ginger Stringer who covered the legwork in Baton Rouge for us all the way to the end - we could not have done it without you! To Mrs. Paula Davis, our social worker, thank you for going above and beyond and doing what it took to get Anna home! To Pairrain and Mr. Vijaya (VJ) Joshi for helping us know more on the medical side, thank you so much! To all of our new and old friends at Senator Vitter's, Congressman Cassidy's and Senator Landrieu's offices- Amanda Swanner, Brian McNabb, Lynn Hopper, and Shannon Langlois- we could not have broken this logjam without you! To churches, friends and family across the nation who continued to support us throughout the entire week, including First Presbyterian and Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, thank you for keeping us in your prayers. And, finally, to my dear, dear friend and your blog editor, Mrs. Kevin Roddy, for keeping you updated and supporting our family in every way possible. Thank you to all these amazing friends and all their hard work and support! It took two United States Senators, one United States Congressman, lots of amazing friends, roughly 200 emails and thousands of prayers, but the logjam has finally been broken!

Little Anna is coming home!

Great Thanksgiving!

We just received a call from Jay confirming that Anna's VISA has been approved. Woohoo!

The necessary form updating Anna's VISA was downloaded at the U.S. Consulate and is now in their hands. This gives the Consulate permission to issue Anna's VISA, and the Highs will leave in three hours to take the oath which finalizes the adoption from the U.S. perspective.

(I hope I've got that right. *smile*)

Here is the thing that amazes me most: they will be taking that oath with the rest of the families as originally planned! We knew all along that the Lord was working this on His timetable, but that He would be pleased to have this take place according to the original schedule, despite the obstacles, is remarkable. So, I'm remarking!

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."
~ Romans 12:15

We have had the opportunity to do both during this leg of the journey. God is so good.

~Kevin

Good News!

We have good news to report!

Many of you have been aware that the Highs have been working and praying to get the final paperwork necessary to bring Anna home, after learning that her status was being changed from "healthy child" to "special needs child."

In the process, which involved many steps, they hit a roadblock at the final turn. An official in the immigrations office here in the United States refused to expedite the necessary paperwork to see this through.

Many have been praying, members of Congress have been working, friends have been contacting those that could possibly help . . . and in the midst of this, the Lord saw fit to remove that barrier.

This official finally forwarded the decision to her superior and the end result is that the Highs expect to hear within the hour from the U.S. Consulate in China that they have received the paperwork and can proceed with the process.

Jay said he thought the woman finally realized what a bulldog she had attached to her leg -- I was reminded of this passage:

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”
~ Luke 18:1-5

I don't know how much sleep they received last night, but what a joyful start this is as they begin this new day.

Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“ Therefore I hope in Him!”
~ Lamentations 3:22-24

We will update you as soon as we hear anything from them.

~Kevin

What I Tell My Heart . . . About Another Little Heart

A note from Angelle . . .

Pierre got a Pediatric Cardiologist on Skype with us today. He said that the fact that her lips and fingernails are pink is a big, big deal. She has survived these 21 months, is very spirited and energetic.... He is encouraged. He would strongly suspect that the condition she has is not very bad or irreparable, based on what he is hearing and seeing. He also said that the fact that we can pinch an inch on her upper arm means that she is not terribly malnourished, very thin, yes, but not excessively malnourished.

When I described what I feel when I put my hand on her chest and when I described the way she perspires when she sleeps, he said that perhaps there may be a hole in her heart, but again, this is repairable and she can lead a normal life. It would be open heart surgery and a four day hospital stay... but it can be fixed!! We are all doing this without the aid of the echo-cardiogram, but we will just have to be patient until we get home. He said that going to Kunming should be fine. Another assurance he gave us is that some of the noisiest murmurs are some of the least harmful. This was all good news.

A little something from me . . . listen . . .


For best quality, please pause the music playlist while playing this.

Giving credit where credit is due:
• All of these photographs were sent from Landon and are featured on previous blog entries.
• The music is taken from a CD that Angelle gave me years ago: "Count the Stars" by Sheila Walsh.

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Final thoughts to all of you . . .

Though the Highs are not able to see the blog itself while they are away, they have been able to read the comments. You all have been an encouragement to them beyond measure.

It is a privilege and a pleasure to pass their story on to you, dear family and friends.

"Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. " II Thessalonians 3:16

~Kevin

True Love: News from Guangzhou

Today, on our first bright morning here in Guangzhou, as we enjoyed the beauty of Shamian Island here in the middle of the Pearl River, we learned some very sad news about little Anna.

At a routine medical check-up (required for granting her visa to travel back to the U.S.), doctors at the clinic discovered what they termed a heart murmur. Undetected, it seems, throughout all of her medical check-ups throughout her abandonment, her time with the foster family and when she was prepared to be adopted, this condition forced the doctor at the clinic to fail her health examination this morning. We now believe that her very small size in comparison with the rest of the girls in our group may be a symptom of this heart condition. At this time, we do not know the impact or the gravity of the particular heart murmur that Anna has.


Please, please begin to pray for Anna and our family as we rush to work things out here in China and please include us on as many prayers lists as possible. Please pray that Anna's condition would be harmless and not serious in any way. Please, also pray that our work to re-do the visa and adoption paperwork would be expedited and that it would come at little to no extra trouble or extra time in China.

This condition has now placed her in the special needs classification, as opposed to a healthy child. This is something we were unprepared for in a number of ways. Our paperwork and the documentation required for her visa into the United States does not cover what is required for a special needs child. Currently, we are working on expediting this process in order to update our paperwork to handle this unforeseen situation.


It is also something that we were all unprepared for emotionally, but it is also something that brings out what I believe is most beautiful in Anna's parents and in this entire process. The way everything was intended to be, we have waited for four years in the healthy child program to adopt a healthy child. But, we all know how seldom things end up how they were intended. We often sit still to stop and wonder why. Why us? Why her? Why me? I don't know if we will ever know the full answer, at least not at present. I believe God has a purpose in everything. And, I don't think that the question 'why' is really what matters at all; I think it is our reaction that is most important.

I know one thing: It has been really a wonderful, eye-opening experience to stand where I am and watch Angelle and Jay and their reaction to this crisis. This is what real love is. Here the reaction is what has taken the front seat. The foremost question here is how to fix the paperwork problem and how to get Anna home.


I stand amazed at how our ideas about things change with time and with perspective. You see, I don't think we were supposed to travel the 8,357 miles to adopt just any healthy child, even though that is what we signed up for. We were supposed to travel the 8,357 miles to adopt Anna. Maybe we were supposed to be patient, waiting those four years and maybe Anna's heart condition wasn't detected...all for a purpose.


All I can say for sure, is what a joy and an honor it has been to watch Angelle and Jay continue, even in light of recent difficulties, to follow through on the promise they made four years ago- the promise to adopt someone on the other side of the world. I believe this is how it is supposed to be.


As I close, and as I think that we are all here beginning to question a little and beginning to feel sad and overwhelmed, there is something else I think you should know about today. Today, as we wandered through the beautiful streets of Shamian Island with their 19th century European architecture and ate at one of the favorite American restaurants, Lucy's, Anna laughed, and ran, and played and smiled...a lot. It was pure, free, unhindered joy. She wandered around the hotel lobby as Angelle worked problems out with Elsie, bumping into the tourists signing in and throwing her balloon everywhere. She even put her very, very small hand in mine to go up a flight of stairs...and she hadn't really taken to me before this. She is so, so beautiful when she laughs. And, I think this part of today deserves to be told just as much as the first.