Ok, first, my rant……

Cigarette smoking is perfectly acceptable in our hotel!!  Yuck!

We are on the no smoking floor!  Out of 17 floors, only 1 is no smoking!!

Yet, when you get off the elevator, there is a sand pit thing for cigarettes!!

Yes, Taylor has his inhaler and every other medicine known to man as well as the rest of us!!  🙂

Second, our hotel is lovely!!  (Other than the smoke!!)

One hotel employee speaks pretty decent English!  I’ve run her ragged so far!!

On the 6th floor is the spa area……wonderful!!

I checked, a massage is about 68 yuan..that would be just a little over $10!!

Kennedy was ready right then to get one!!  She may be just a little spoiled when we get back!!

I asked, but they do not do pedicures!!  🙁

We all ate at McDonald’s (I know, adventurous) for $12!  Crazy. Cheap!!

BTW, I have pics from McD’s if you want!!  Just don’t have my camera in the lobby with me!!

We will do more Chinese food, but we have to wait for our guide and she is busy this afternoon picking up our friends Hugh and Vicki Keller!!  They will be here soon!  Actually, I’ve never met them personally, but through the power of FB, I have many, many friends!!

Well, this is the information you are all waiting for……Gotcha Day!

It’s tomorrow…….tomorrow morning.

We are supposed to be in the lobby at 9 am our time/9 pm Indiana time.

So that means for those of you following our blog, tonight, Sunday night, at 9 pm, we will meet our guide to go get our daughter!  Our appointment is probably for 10 or 10:30.  I was told it will take 20 minutes to get to the Civil Affairs office.  We will sign paperwork and make sure everything is in order.

I’m nervous, excited, nervous, happy, nervous, and thankful!

See a theme?

This is the day I’ve waited for for almost 2 years!  Why am I nervous?

Maybe it’s not so much nerves, but a broken heart for my daughter who is about to lose everything she knows.

That is devastating enough……then……..she gets handed to 4 complete strangers and told this is your Mama, Baba, Jie Jie (sister), and Ge Ge (brother).

Can you imagine her thoughts?

Um…..hello…..these people do not look like me!!  How can they be my family?

I’ve prayed for this moment for over 7 months now……ever since I saw her precious face.

We sent her a care package back in January…..I really don’t know if she ever got it.

In it was a photo album of us, her family.

If she did indeed get this care package, then maybe foster grandma has been talking to her about Mama, Baba, Ge Ge, and Jie Jie…..and showing her our pictures.

That has been my prayer, for over 7 months.

But……..

If Grandma has not spoken with my daughter about us, I believe my God has……

I believe He has whispered into the depths of her heart about her family.  Her forever family.

I believe He has gone before us and prepared the way.

I have to……I have to believe this.

As we landed this morning in Taiyuan, my ever so patient husband reminded me of this.

That God has called us and that He and only He will equip us.

We’ve done our part….we’ve done all we can.  Now we trust.

That is hard for me.  I believe that is hard for most of us.

So my prayer is this…..God, give me the faith to believe that You will do what You’ve promised You will do.

Prepare my daughter’s heart for the grief it’s about to endure, but prepare it for the love it’s going to receive.

Prepare me for the rejection I may receive from her……prepare my family for the rejection they may receive.

Prepare us for the attachment that will happen.

Pray……I covet your prayers!!