A Day of Quality Time (Day 9)

A Day of Quality Time  (Day 9)

Today was another great day of quality time together. 

Each night seems to get better with sleep for Alia, and her appetite has begun to increase.  She still has her stubborn two year old moments with eating, but is broadening what she will try to eat.  She has fully recovered from her stomach bug and we are so thankful for better health!  Alia definitely has a stubborn streak, we think that she may have learned that if she threw a big enough tantrum she would get fed.  Her few fits tend to crack us up with her priceless facial expressions and the way she collapses onto the floor for attention.  

She will still go back and forth to daddy but has definitely become more attached to mommy, requiring mommy to stay within sight and to be the primary feeder, etc.  she is so precious in how she blows us both kisses and will wave and say bye-bye or 'xie-xie' (thank you) to others.   Evening her interaction with others, Alia is clearly most comfortable holding on tight to Brittney.  We are so thankful for this precious bonding.

In order to prevent us from going stir crazy, we had a three hour excursion around town.  We started by heading to the city park that is called Qianling Mountain Park.  It is a beautiful lake side setting where many people go walking and exercise.  Different groups performed Tai Chi to include a sword-wielding version, a ballet version, and an American music version.  We also noticed several men playing a one person version of tennis, using a ball that is tied to a long elastic rope.  Jonathan couldn't resist the temptation and asked permission to borrow a racquet and ball and a nice man let him play.  Jonathan also wanted to use the Tai Chi swords but the adoption group didn't entrust him with swinging sharp weapons.

After the lakeside wandering we ventured up to the top of the mountain to see the monkeys.  Not your typical zoo exhibit but rather wild monkeys roaming free.  The guide warned everyone about not feeding them and shared how she had been attacked twice by the monkeys and personally hates them...then she said, 'let's get off bus and see the monkeys.'  Lol.  The American ladies were terrified and corralled their children and themselves.  The American men were ready for a little Planet of the Apes action, but the Chinese simply fed the wild monkeys and kicked the rascally ones.  It was amazing to have monkeys so close.  The mother monkeys were really cute with the babies holding onto their bellies.  When the adoption group was finally surrounded by 100+ monkeys coming out of the woods, the guide and women requested backup and the bus came to the rescue for pickup.

Chinese history and architecture is amazing, and we saw both in an ancient Buddhist temple in the park.  Despite the cultural interest it was saddening to see so many making sacrifices to the demonic and to false gods.  The smoke of their sacrificial incense was overpowering and we prayed that they might come to know the one, true living God who sent His Son Jesus to be the final, perfect sacrifice for sin.

Later in the day we had the joy of hearing the most beautiful sound.  China has a government sponsored, regulated, and controlled Catholic and Protestant (Three Self) church.  Although some of these above ground churches are faithful to the Scriptures, they are rarely so.  In the whole of Guiyang (population 4 million+) there is only one legal above ground Protestant church.  Thankfully the Lord has provided for many believers to courageously meet in their homes despite the government opposition to such gatherings.  Our ears joyfully heard (we couldn't visit for fear of endangering them) them singly Christian hymns boldly and beautifully out the windows of their skyscraper apartment.  May the Lord continue to multiple His disciples in spite of the government opposition.

On adoption day we had the joy of another family joining us.  They are Europeans who choose to live in China to care for orphans.  They have three biological children and have adopted five children from China.  On our group's gotcha day they adopted the sweetest little six year old boy with cerebral palsy (who otherwise would've died without their care).  They are such an amazing couple who provide love, care, rehabilitation, and education for hundreds of orphans.  We toured their school and it was amazing to see how our newly adopted kids thrived in that environment.

Their school freely takes in orphans from foster care and the orphanage by day to provide them a loving and nurturing environment in the midst of their difficult situations.  One of the children adopted in hour group had actually come weekly to this school with his Chinese foster parent.  It is so amazing to see Westerners moving and sacrificing to help these children survive (literally) and thrive.  If you'd like more information on how to support this particular family or another couple amazing foster families in China, please contact me by email (jonathan.l.carl@gmail.com).

The coolest part of this visit to the school was seeing Alia in action.  She absolutely loved it.  She pushed strollers, grocery carts, played with toys, climbed stairs, and bounced on a trampoline.  Our hearts were so encouraged to see her determination to play and keep up with all of the other kids.  She is amazing and inspiring.  We also found a green toy that we had to have her picture on...you see, this pose was almost identical to one of our most favorite pictures of her from a year ago as we waited for her.  How cool it was to be with Alia in a similar environment in China a year later.

Our travels by morning were by a chartered bus, but our afternoon travels were a new experience for most as we traveled by crammed full Chinese public buses.  It was an adventure but as we became the spectacle we also became a platform for a fluent brother to boldly share the Good News!  God is good!  We finished the late night with a pit stop at KFC and went back to rest out weary legs at the hotel.  It was a great day of quality family time together, bonding with our sweet Alia.