Beijing China is Awesome!

Hello All,

(As we type this, it's 7:30am Sunday morning on 7-2....it's 6:30pm Saturday back home)

We have just learned how to get on the internet here in the hotel, and we're leaving here tomorrow. Oh well.

Everything is going really well. The flights were pretty simple except for a time crunch and a long run in Minneapolis and a really bumpy stormy ride from Tokyo to Beijing. I (Kristen) actually had a stomach ache.

We landed and got through customs and all just fine. We checked into our hotel and slept just fine too. We are a bit mixed up with days and nights, but adjusting well anyway.

Yesterday we went to Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, a pearl factory and a silk factory. We learned all about pearls, cultured, sea, and fresh water. We bought Adeline some beautiful pearl earrings that say "Happiness" on one and "Longevity" on the other. They are for her 16th birthday. Please remind me 16 years from now where I put them:) We also learned how silk is made. Truly amazing to say the least. I wish we would have video taped it, but it was hard to see. Adeline has two really pretty traditional dresses to wear back at home. In all we walked over 15,000 steps according to my pedometer. It is truly amazing to see the ancient history before your eyes.

Some of our more interesting cultural experiences involved two traditional Chinese meals where they pulled out all the stops. The food just kept coming, although we wondered what much of it was. Most of it was incredibly tasty, but the textures were more than I could bear. I (Kristen again) haven't eaten much due to mushrooms hiding everywhere, but I am not starving by any means. The breakfasts at the Radisson are really excellent. I just load up there.

After we got to the hotel from our very long and exhausting day of touring and shopping we decided to go to the grocery store around the corner. Now, let me tell you that whoever said, "If you don't have something, you can buy it there" never went to this store. We have never seen anything like it! You walk up a ramp to get into the store with about 1,000 other people. As you walk up the ramp and into the store you are given a hand basket and continue to herd through. I cannot describe the vastness of this store. Similar to a Super Wal-Mart, but so crowded you cannot really see anything. They sold everything from LCD high def TV's to piles full of squid on ice. We just wanted water! Then, to make things just a bit more interesting. We didn't know where to pay, or how to get out. All of the exit signs were pointing to fire exits. Finally, through some intelligent sign language (thank you very much) I was able to communicate where the check-out was and we were on our way. By far the most culturally interesting piece of our trip so far.

One thing we noticed is the service in China is the best anywhere we have ever experienced. We have never had so many people serve us and take care of us like we have on this trip. The people here really seem to take a lot of pride in service.

As far as today we are on our way to a South Korean church 5 minutes from the hotel. When church is over we will be climbing the Great Wall and touring a jade factory. If we are not too tired we can opt to go to the Chinese Acrobat show. While everything in me wants to go, I think we will need to repack as we leave Beijing in the morning.

We will fly to Fuzhou tomorrow morning and shortly thereafter we will meet Adeline and become a family. There just aren't words to describe how surreal this is. Don't worry though, we took about 650 pictures yesterday and you are welcome to sit down with us and go through each one:) We'll try to post some later, but I can't make any promises.

We are going to try to update our blog too, but I'm not sure when. Just know that all is well.

What can you pray for?

Kristen has been waking up with headaches every day, but Advil Cold and Sinus seems to work. We didn't bring 14 days worth of it though.

Steve asks you to pray about tomorrow. Once we get Adeline, everything changes (in a good way) but we haven't even gotten China figured out yet, let alone parenting.

Pray that we will be able to determine Adeline's needs and get the things that she needs.

Pray for strength, courage, and wisdom as we go into tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers. Know that we love you all,

Kristen, Steve and Adeline