Greetings from China

We arrived in China last Monday night. So far we have visited the Panda Reserve and had some delicious Chinese cuisine, both Northeastern style and spicy Sichuan. We really like both. Yesterday we went to an amazing Acrobatics show. Today we had a big day going to the Cloisenne factory and then to the Great Wall. On the way home we drove through the 2008 Olympic village. It was a neat day.

We've been joined by the other families who will also be getting their babies/children on the trip. The children are being adopted from various provinces and the families whose children are from Beijing actually already have their children. It's been neat to see how after just a few days of being with their families, these kids really fit with their parents and seem so natural. They are all adorable. Of the families in Beijing who've gotten their children already, the oldest is an 8 year-old girl and the youngest ones are 4. I believe Asher is going to be the 2nd youngest in the group and one in a group of about half boys. The rest of us leave on Monday to go to our various provinces and pick up our children. WHOOOOOP! This is an Aggie expression for those of you not in on that.

I still keep wanting to pinch myself. It's hard to believe that in less than 48 hours we should have Asher in our arms. We are pretty wiped out this evening so we came back to the hotel and ordered Pizza Hut which tasted very good. We look forward to continuing to update you. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. So far it's been a very smooth and delightful trip with only 1 delayed flight and a little upset stomach. Praise God for that. We know that Asher's first few days could be challenging. We've heard that day 3 with your baby is a big turning point. We'll see. We know that God isn't just a "day 3" God. We know he can make the transition peaceful and smooth from the beginning even as Asher deals with a lot of fear, grief and loss. Pray for wisdom and peace and good health for all of us. We covet your prayers and support.