Saturday, October 18, 2008
FIRST DAY IN GUANGZHOU!!!

Today was our first full day in Guangzhou. Despite the small cramped room, we slept very well. We got up early and ate breakfast. I was very nervous about the breakfast situation as there are tons of people here for the trade fair. I imagined breakfast was going to be like it was our last day in Nanjing.... lots of people and no food. We were pleasantly surprised as we entered the breakfast area and found ample seating and LOTS of good food! After breakfast we went to the front desk and inquired about another room. They switched our room immediately without issue and we are now in a 2 room suite. We hated to spend the extra money but the thought of 5 days in a cramped room with a barely working toilet would have sent me into hysterics. We have tons of room now which includes 2 bathrooms!

We met our guide at 9am in the lobby to get Logan's visa picture and his physical done. We were the only adoptive family at the clinic! We walked right in with no wait. Logan weighs 23 lbs!!! He weighs more than Luke does and Luke will be 3 at the end of October! He got a clean bill of health! We have had the same doctor for all 3 adoptions.

After the physical exam I spent about 20 minutes doing Consulate paperwork with our guide. This consisted of writing the same information over and over again on different forms. After this meeting our guide left and we walked around the island for a couple of hours. We ate lunch at Lucy's and meandered back to the hotel. We met our guide again at 1pm to take a walking tour of the area which included the pearl market, clothing market and the pet market. Afterwards we spent some time in the hotel room relaxing.

It is still very hot here. So much has changed here in just a couple of years. Today we saw 3 adoptive families... that's it! Because of the slowdown in China adoption and the trade fair, the vendors here on the island have gotten more aggressive. I think the word I used was.... rapid. They want a sale immediately. They follow you down the street complimenting your baby until you enter their store. A lot of the stores directly across from the White Swan are now closed. We did visit Jordan's store. As soon as we walked up he recognized us! He is so very nice and not pushy at all. He loves to talk and we spent a lot of time just chatting with him.

We decided to eat dinner at the Italian restaurant down the street from the hotel. It was great but the kids were in rare form. Bread flew from the table, Kiah refused to eat, Logan continuously banged his cup on the table, etc. We went to Lucy's for dessert but we shouldn't have. We are all tired and the kids just needed a bath and to go to bed. Kiah is watching Kung Fu Panda and relaxing. Logan had a crying episode tonight and has finally fallen asleep.

We have had a couple of interesting interactions today. While we were shopping one of the shop girls stopped to chat with us. I had bought a couple of dresses for Kiah at her shop earlier in the day. She asked if we were going to church tomorrow. She explained that there was a church where the service was in English and Chinese. She looked at me and said ..."Do you know.... Jesus?" I said 'YES, I do!" She then patted her chest and said "I am a Christian!!!". Later on in the afternoon we saw a man digging in a trash can at the Noodle Shop next to the White Swan. He was taking food out of the can and arranging it to eat. He was also emptying cans of soda and milk into another bottle. I was brought to tears watching this scene. Everyone around ignored him. I looked at Brandon and said "How much money do you have on you? God sees everyone around here looking past this man. That's not wh at God wants us to do." We gave him some money to hopefully buy some food and drink. That kind of stuff breaks my heart... to see someone so desperate. Jesus was someone who got his hands dirty. He just didn't help those who looked good or acted perfectly. He loved imperfect people. So should we since we all fit that bill. I know in the past I have been guilty of looking past someone as well. Now I want to be His hands and feet.