We're in China!

We landed safely in Beijing on schedule last Friday night. TJ was pumped beyond belief as we flew from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Seattle. Then even halfway over on the trip. With a few hours left in the flight, he hit a bit of a wall. As we all did. At that point, we just were ready to get.off.the.plane. It's like pulling an all nighter and being stuck in an itty bitty place without even having a paper to write.

Although, one of the highlights of the flight was peering out the window to see the amazing mountains in eastern Russia. It was desolate as far as people were concerned and as far as we could see  snow capped mountains spread for miles and miles. It was magnificent to get that privileged view of God's gorgeous creation.

View over eastern Russia 

Our hosts picked us up promptly to where we spent a short time chatting, but went swiftly to bed. Alan, his sister and his wife Lily definitely went above and beyond and took care of us like royalty! They had the entire day planned so we could get to know Beijing in record speed! We loved experiencing a bit of this cultural center and also getting to know their family.

In the morning, we found out they had plans to take us to the Great Wall of China! The Badaling section, which is apparently the most recognizable and famous. The drive to the wall was so neat, especially when we got to the mountainous area and spotted sections of the wall from the freeway. The actual climbing of the wall was pretty challenging, but so worth it. It was impressive to think of the massive undertaking it was to build that wall under the direction of multiple different dynasties. If one fire was lit in an outpost it was a small army attacking, if two fires lit it was a bigger army attacking and so forth. What a treat to be engaging with such a rich history of this country.

A hazy day, but if you look carefully you can see the Great Wall lining the mountain behind us.

TJ was the "hero" as, our host Alan, kept calling him. Not necessarily because he saved the day, but because he was such a crowd stopper. I think we had at least 5 people stop to ask to take pictures with him and a handful more who took pictures of him on the sly. Then, there are the abundant smiles and stares. Apparently his blue eyes, long eye lashes and the fact that he was wearing shorts in October, made him quite the sight. I asked him tonight how he feels being so looked at and awed over. He replied "It's awesome."

TJ obliging his fans.

Later we were able to visit Tiananmen Square where many historic events took place. Again, another couple wanting a picture with TJ while standing in line for security check :) We topped it all off with Peking Duck for dinner, with Alan calling it the best in all of China.

Tiananmen. The Forbidden City is not far behind here. There were not enough hours in the day to visit there.

Throughout the day, we were blessed to have conversations surrounding Jesus, culture, history, customs, adoption and parenting among others. We appreciated Lily and Alan's openness to ask questions and receive questions. What a gift.

We were able to skype with Jude, Annie and Ben at the Connors a few times already. They all seem to be enjoying each other and it's been such a comfort to see their smiling faces.

We now have successfully made it to Nanjing by train and both Kevin and TJ are in bed already. The jetlag has been a little rougher this time. Please pray for our sleep and Kevin's health. Kevin is battling a cold with a cough so that doesn't help. Our guide, Nancy, met us at the train station tonight and helped us get settled here. She has told us to meet her tomorrow in the lobby at 2pm where she will take us to Civil Affairs to meet our new daughter.

Honestly, it's still all a bit surreal. Like TJ said at some point in the last day or two "I feel like I'm not really here." That sorta describes it for me as well. As we've been child proofing the hotel room (AKA putting the remote up high, hiding anything breakable, etc.) we're remembering the first few days with Ben. Will it be the same? Will it be different? Who knows. We'll know in a few days! But one thing we do know is the same. Jesus is with us. And we will need to depend on Him. God is the designer of our family and He will be the constant that will uphold all of us through this huge life change.

Please pray for Him to prepare our hearts and fortify us all for this next chapter.

Blessings on your day!

TJ and I playing with the features on my phone on the train ride from Beijing to Nanjing.