Tuesday-Wednesday,
May 13-14, 2008

Hi everyone,

Greetings from Guangzhou.

We arrived here on Tuesday before lunch. It feels great to know that we are on the home stretch. We went to Lucy’s Restaurant immediately and had fried chicken and french fries. I think that even I have had enough Chinese food for awhile.

We met with our travel group and had visa photos made and medical exams completed for the kids. Hannah is 35” tall and weighs 27.5 lbs. She was very cooperative throughout the process. After we finished, the girls went shopping while the guys filled out all the consulate paperwork. For those of you who have “been there, done that” and are in the process of doing it again, you will find that Shamian Island is changing. The familiar shops catering to adopting families have all moved. I think the buildings that housed them have become prime real estate. Many of the shops have closed due to decreased business with the slow down in China adoptions. I did find all my favorites, just farther away from the White Swan Hotel. They are all concerned about being able to stay in business as Shamian Island seems to be targeting a more business clientele. For now though, we still get the “Going Home Barbie” and all my friends are still in business. I admit I don’t like change. Guangzhou has always been the “light at the end of the tunnel”. When you get here, you feel like you’re almost home. There is a great sense of family here. I will hate for that to disappear.

Last night our Guangzhou guide, Elvin, took us to a restaurant where you pick your dinner out of a tank or cage as you go in. No thank you very much! It was a fried rice night for me.

Today was US visa application day. We didn’t have to do anything except be available if there were any questions from the US Consulate regarding our paperwork. Everyone’s applications were cleared so we will all take “the Oath” around 4pm tomorrow. We will check out of the hotel around 2pm and go straight to the airport from the Consulate.

We ate lunch as a group today, and then Frank took the guys on a watch shopping expedition. Later we met our Nanning friends, the Cannons, for dinner at Lucy’s and then had to say goodbye. We do hope to visit them in Michigan and I think they will find their way to South Carolina. It has been such a great trip and we have met some wonderful people. In fact, we’re bringing one of them home with us! I can’t wait for everyone to meet our newest daughter. She is precious and we can’t imagine our lives without her.

We will arrive in Beijing late on Thursday night, and then leave for the US on Friday. I don’t know that we will get to post again before we leave, but we will try. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. We have really felt God’s love and protection during this entire trip. Please continue to pray for our family as we complete the last part of our trip and our family is united again.

“We are bringing Hannah home!”

Blessings,

Frank, Jennie, and Hannah

P.S. We were finally able to contact our friends in Chengdu. It has been a terrifying experience but they are all safe. Praise God! China has had a really tough year. Our guide became quite emotional while talking about this latest disaster and expressed his appreciation for the US offers of help for the earthquake victims in Sichuan Province. Please pray for all the people affected by the tragedy.