Travel Journal
March 31, 2013
He is Risen! What an unforgettable Easter we've had!
After breakfast, the three families here with our agency caught cabs to Shamian Island. This is the little oasis where the White Swan Hotel is located. Until a few years ago, almost all adoptive families from the US stayed at the White Swan. When we were here with Dayna, we lived on this little island for a week. Right now, the White Swan is under complete renovation, and the island looks a lot different.
Still, we remembered the little yellow church across from the hotel where we first worshiped with Dayna. They conduct services in English and Mandarin every week. It was such a blessing that the Stokes and Yang families wanted to come this morning as well.
Annie looked very sweet in her new dress from Aunt Donna. The rest of us wore what was easily packed into a suitcase with minimal ironing (actually, no ironing) needed.
Annie made it through the first part of the service, which mostly involved singing. As guests, we were all given a copy of the Gospel of John in Chinese and English. Annie's first Bible! (We grabbed an extra copy for Dayna.) It was wonderful to watch the Sunday School children lead the congregation in a Chinese worship song. We were also able to sing "Because He Lives." Once the sermon started, however, Annie was done. Unlike our last visit, where there were so many newly adopted babies, this time fussy babies were not quite as welcomed. So Alaina and Annie slipped out into the courtyard and listened to the sermon over the speakers. The message was on 1 Corinthians 15 and the reality of the Resurrection.
After church, we went with the Stokes to Lucy's Diner to have an Easter lunch of cheeseburgers, fries, and milkshakes. Quite possibly the best Easter meal ever (or maybe it's because cheeseburgers taste SO good by now!)
After lunch, the Stokes headed back to the hotel and we attempted some shopping in the rain. Annie took a nice nap in the stroller while we were able to get a lot of gifts. Most of these will be given to Annie each year on the anniversary of her adoption. We also plan to buy her a wedding gift tomorrow. So many of the shops have closed with the closing of the White Swan, but there were still many to choose from.
(Word of advice to future travelers...don't go to Jessica's. The longer we were in her store, the harder it was to leave, and the pushier she got. As our visit continued, Dan started having recollections of the very same lady cheating us over 6 years ago over some t-shirts. Out of all the people in China, and all the time that's passed, we find it telling that Dan would remember this one.)
As our shopping trip wound to an end, Alaina's foot was bothering her again. So we caught a cab back to the hotel, where we all pretty much crashed. A really fun side of Annie is starting to come out. She will grab your face and give you kisses...about ten in a row! Then she'll giggle. She loves to be tickled. She's also always wanting to be where the action is. Unlike Dayna, Annie's not much of a snuggler. We'll have to find different ways to connect with her.
One thing we're noticing is that when we have to tell her a stern "no", she'll look at us, giggle, and get this cute little smile on her face. The girl definitely knows how to charm people, and we've got a lot of adaptations to make to our discipline style. Just now, Alaina had to give a pretty loud "no" with a tap on her hand. This was the first time that she stopped in her tracks. She did redirect well, and was lavished with a lot of praise for stopping the behavior.
Tomorrow will be an early morning, as we leave at 8:00 to make Annie an American citizen. This is bittersweet, as we have to renounce her Chinese citizenship for this to happen. But in our hearts, she will always be Chinese AND American. Alaina shared some of her thoughts about this in a recent blog post.
Prayer Requests:
• Still experiencing dizziness
• Sleep (still very fitful and interrupted for all of us)
• As we're all ready to go home, that we will appreciate what we are seeing and experiencing in China, rather than just feeling ready to leave.
Praises:
• Ability to worship in China - to show Dayna the first church she ever attended, and do the same with Annie
• Celebrating the Resurrection of Christ
• Cheeseburgers, fries and milkshakes
• Travel companions who share our faith
Shamian Church Service Video
Annie's Easter Dress
Family of Four on Easter
Scenes from Church Service
Lucy's for Lunch
White Swan Construction
White Swan Construction