Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

In the morning we returned to Guandong Civil Affairs and completed the interview, got our picture taken and paid the remaining fees to the province.

We made some more strides as the guide Helen took us to a Chinese restaurant on Shamian that only cost us about $21 US and she discovered some food that Hai Feng would eat. Helen has been a great asset in gradually getting through to her because she is a shy person.

Hai Feng is very good on the computer. We are reacquainting ourselves with the location of the shops on the island. Many of the ones we remember are still there. Wednesday we will pay the fee to expedite Hai Feng's chinese passport and go to a large grocery store.

Today we met Hai Feng

Monday, January 17, 2011

Today we met Hai Feng at the Civil Affairs office. She was very nervous and somewhat stressed because of all the change in one day and no doubt she is missing her friends. The woman from the orphanage and Helen our guide were great at trying to help her relax. She got on the computer as soon as we got back to the room and talked to her friends. She has handled it as well as we can expect, especially since our communication is limited. I think it will help that we will be in the same hotel for several days so some familiarity and routine can take hold.

We meet Helen again at 9am to go back to Civil Affairs and go through the forms and pay the rest of the fees. God is our foundation. We miss our Zhuzhou friends so we could make the rounds of Shamian Island. We found the 7-11 again and Lucy's and got some good food to go from the restaurant here in the Victory Hotel tonight. The Victory is about 100 years old and used to be the Victoria Hotel under the British, but it is a nice hotel. We have a Japanese style suite and it sure looks Japanese. We will try to add some pictures in a few days when we get into a flow.

Thanks to everyone for all your support! I'm still a little sore from those steep grades in the half marathon Sunday. We will see you all tomorrow. Hi Mom!

We are in China!!!

It's Sunday night, 16th.  We're exhausted and finally in the Victory Hotel on Shamian Island.  We'll try to get pictures rolling as soon as possible. 

 

Thursday, we began the trip in Jacksonville with a 2 hour flight delay, which stranded us in Detroit Thursday night until we could get out Friday afternoon.  Delta did cover our hotel in Detroit.  Zoe also took advantage by playing in the snow that morning.  Taking off at 3:25pm,we flew north over Canada, west across Alaska, then south down the Russian coast.  I saw our flight path would cross the northern edge of North Korea, so that really perked my interest, but when we passed over Beijing, we made an abrupt turn to the west to avoid NK airspace.  

We landed in Hong Kong on schedule Saturday night.  Sunday, I woke up at 4 am involuntarily and at 6:30, off we were off by speeding taxi to the far side of Hong Kong for the China Coast Half Marathon.  After picking up my number and prior to the race, I asked the race director, Stuart Leonard, a very warm and friendly old Englishman, where I could pick up my race t-shirt.  In America, you always pick it up before the race if not a couple days before.  Not so in Hong Kong.  Stuart smiled and quipped in his best King's english, "Lad, you can't get your shirt until after the race.  You have to earn it."   I replied, "Stuart, I think you have the better method."  As a lifetime runner, I reveled in every minute of the 13.1 miles, despite the fact the mountain roads around High Island Reservoir were very steep and I run in flat Florida.  Also, it was very windy and cold.  I still loved it because it was obviously a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  

On the long way back to the hotel to check out and nervous to get to Hong Kong airport in plenty of time for our flight to Guangzhou, we had to take a green taxi halfway.  He let us out in front of a transportation hub because green taxis were not allowed to enter red taxi territory.  So after we paid the driver of the green taxi, we started to look for a red taxi to come by.  In less than two minutes, a red taxi started speeding past us.   Zoe, knowing we wanted a red taxi and before we could react, began waving excitedly at the red taxi to get his attention.   He circled out of sight but came back by soon after.  What an amazing five year old this kid is! We expected her main contribution to be bonding with Hai Feng, but that prior to meeting her sister, she would be a typical five year old on an obviously arduous journey.  Not so!  She is truly an asset, not just beautiful "window dressing". We are so blessed.

Christmas Picture Update

Here are pictures of Hai Feng's Christmas! She is so happy she will see her parents very soon. Here we can see she has her own cubicle, which we thought was a very thoughtful thing for the SWI to do.  The note she wrote us wishes us, her forever family, to be happy and healthy. 

                   We bought our international tickets today.  Going through Detroit to Hong Kong.  Here's wishing for a dry runway in Detroit next month.  Happy Holidays to everyone!

 

 

CHRISTMAS DAY UPDATE

Wow! Thursday, Dec. 23rd. We called our agency contact, Xiaoqing, when we read a message that they would be closed until New Year's. We asked what if our TA came in while they were closed? She contacted the Consulate and CCAA and got the TA and the Consulate appointment and got right back to us that afternoon!

We are flying to Hong Kong on Jan. 13th, see some sights, hopefully I get to run the China Coast Half Marathon with the British running club, Athletic Veterans of Hong Kong, on the morning of Jan. 16th, then fly to Guangzhou that afternoon. Monday, Jan. 17th we meet Haif Feng! Our US Consulate appointment is Monday, Jan. 24th. We return to Hong Kong Wednesday evening. Thursday, Jan 27th we plan on taking both girls to Hong Kong Disney and we'll fly back on Friday or Saturday.

It will be nine months since we claimed her off the shared list last April. Unless things change, our next update will be from Hong Kong next month. If we receive any Hai Feng pictures before we go, we will post them.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

December 14, 2010 Update

 

       The remaining Hague Convention requirements are in place, clearing the way for our Travel Approval from CCAA in Beijing, which should come in about 2-3 weeks.  Our I800 made it to the US Consulate in Guangzhou on Nov. 19th.  After the Consulate did it's thing, the Article 5 ("Hague talk" for our Letter of Acceptance of Hai Feng) was sent on to the CCAA on Monday, Dec. 13th. 

       Based on her experience, our agency coordinator, Xiaoqing, estimates that we will be in Guangzhou on Jan. 16th and meet Hai Feng on Jan. 17th, pending CCAA's timing and the Consulate appointment being confirmed. 

       We sent Hai Feng a small Christmas package and a letter to let her know she can expect us in January.    We currently have just these picture of the Santa and the letter we wrote in the package.

November 2010 Update

November 16, 2010

 

   Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  A lot has happened since our last post on 9/28 and events are picking up speed for our return to China.

          Such a small world.  Our original intensive drive to adopt Hai Yan back in January, contacting so many people and agencies in an attempt to claim her before she reached the "shared list", has come full circle unexpectedly.  

A couple with a large adoptive family is now in China adopting Hai Yan's foster brother, Nathan.  Their blog ( http://www.nineisenough.blogspot.com ) reveals that Hai Yan's foster family did not succeed in adopting her and she has been moved to another foster family.  She was with this family for six of her seven years.  She must be devestated right now.  Please pray for her angel to be with her and look out for her.   Her file has been sent to the CCAA.  She will be available for international adoption after all.   We would like to advocate for her to finally be rewarded with a family of her own.  She advocates for herself to anyone who comes to Zhuzhou SWI and she deserves for this journey to end.

One more amazing fact.  Nathan, the boy the family above is now adopting, we also considered, after we were told Hai Yan's foster family would adopt her.  This mission field is so rewarding when you form bonds across the country trying to do what you are called to do. 

We were sad to miss Hai Feng's birthday on Nov. 11th, but we'll have her for the big 11/11/11 birthday next year!  These pictures are from the birthday party a few days ago, which we ordered through a gifts to China service.  

We passed two more paperwork milestones recently!  Our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) arrived dated October 22,2010. This is the letter in which the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) gave us final approval to adopt Hai Feng.  Then just yesterday, November 15th, we received our approved I-800 from U.S.C.I.S., (US Immigration) which approves Hai Feng specifically to come to America.  

We are now waiting on two more interim steps prior to Travel Approval from the CCAA in Beijing; the US National Visa Center will "cable" the approved I-800 to the US Consulate in Guangzhou (in about 1 week) and the Article 5 (US govt certifies Hai Feng meets the Hague convention criteria (in about 2 weeks).  These two steps will give us our US Consulate appointment around which we plan our time in China.  

Please pray for the family adopting Nathan, Hai Feng's adjustments that are ahead of her, and all the older kids in Chinese orphanages who need adopting before they "age out" at 14.  In addition to the profound need for a family, an orphan who ages out and "graduates" from the orphanage has a very difficult time finding a job, because of a prejudice against orphans in the Chinese culture.  They are considered "bad luck" to a company's profit potential.