We have now made our way to Gavin's Provence as of 6:30 this evening and before we meet Gavin in the morning I wanted to be sure and post about Beijing.
We fell in love with our guide right at first and she took very good care of us.. She was especially protective of Olivia. Lulu drew the most attention when we would go out and I stopped counting how many time people would stop us and want to have their pictures taken with her or with all of us. It was really strange to say the least.
On Friday we celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary and did......
~Olympic Square/ The Birds Nest and Water Cube
~The Jade Factory
~Chinese Lunch
~The Great Wall
~The Chinese Acrobatic Show
~Tienanmen Square
~The Forbidden City
~Chinese Lunch again
~The Panda Zoo
~The Silk Market
We will meet Gavin at 11:30 am on Monday / 8:30 pm Sunday in the Pacific NW. We also found out when we got here tonight that we will be meeting him here at our hotel, not at a Civil Affairs office like I had first thought. It looks like we will be going to Gavin's home town also, this is something I am not crazy about. It's 3 hrs. away one way so we are looking at 6 hrs. of driving in the car with four kids and to make things worse they have us doing this two different days for appointments. Please pray this issue will get worked out. I don't know if my kids can take all that driving back and forth.
Also this Providence we are in seems to be much more remote and even though we got some stares in Beijing there is flat out pointing and gawking in Jinan. My kids were very overwhelmed tonight and we just got our dinner to go so we could come back to our room to eat. They were so upset that two were crying and they all said they just want to go home. Please pray for them and that they would feel better in the morning. They are all so excited to meet Gavin, I'm hopeful that they just need a good nights sleep from traveling today.
By the way we are getting every ones comments and appreciate each one, they are such an encouragement. If you don't know how to comment just click on the # of friends say Ni Hao.
Blessings from China
~Marla
14 comments:
As we are sitting here reading your post, we realized that you should be holding Gavin right now...it's 9:09 pm on Sunday. Marla...Happy Mother's Day. This will be a Mother's Day you will never forget. We will be praying for all 4 of your children. We will pray that the three older children will be able to adjust to the culture shock that they are experiencing and we will pray that Gavin will adjust well to his new family. Looking forward to your next post and hoping to see an updated family picture! :)
Wow - you should be with him now!! Just stopped everything and said a prayer for your family, and for a smooth transition for all of you. Can't wait to see your next post!!
Hey family. How exciting that God gives you your new family member on Mother's Day!! WOW only He could have planned that. :) It's 9:41 here so you must be enjoying Gavin as I'm posting this. Hey kiddos, hang in there and enjoy your time. We Love You. Uncle Keith, Aunt Chelle, Abby, Kylee, and Emmett.
Gabe just saw this and said, "Awesome." That pretty much sums it all up. I just prayed for you all, and specifically for Gavin to feel some excitement and joy soon. We love you and can't wait for the first FAMILY photo. Blog soon!
Here are all the gimmaka's screaming "We love you all the way to China! So happy for you all because it is officially 9:50 and you already are holding Gavin in your loving arms....On mothers Day of all days....Many blessings to you all and especially will keep Avery, Levi, Lulu and Gavin in our prayers....Hugs!
By now you should be the TenKley 6! We are so happy for you to finally make your dream a reality. We hope that all the long hours and worn out troops are out shadowed by the new brother and son that you so graciously welcome into your family. May the rest of your journey be filled with overwhelming joy and peace. May your return home be safe and restful.
- The Larrabees
We can't wait to see the new updated family photo. We missed the kids in Sunday School. They missed Mr. Alsum's burning bush and the live frogs and turning the water to blood (red food color)
Can't wait to have you all back home. Praying for your safety and adjusting to the culture.
Jean
Marla failed to mention that it was mothers day as well. We on the "Delta Rock" sure miss her desserts. I'm glad you put how to leave a comment..cause I couldn't figure it out a couple days ago. Sounds like it is an exciting adventure and hope it is going well. Looking forward to meeting Gavin. Have fun and God bless the rest of your trip! P.S. I bet Gary is wearing his 6&7 Boiler hat everywhere over there.
I couldn't sleep in antisipation of seeing the 6 of you together. It is 2:28 a.m. monday.. I am praying all is going well.
I will know to pray for Avery, Levi and Lu, as they are adjusting to all that is going on.
It sounds overwhelming, but they will look back on this with so many stories to tell.
I am heading back to be, will try again in the morning.
Love you all, mom
First, you all WILL get through this week! You will, there is no doubt. You will look back on this and say WOW, God, you are amazing because I couldn't do THAT alone! I too loved Beijing, I actually cried when we drove away from our hotel. Province is hard, and a rural one is probably even harder. Once you get Gavin, your focus will change. I will be praying for those car rides! Keep us all informed how things are going and what you specifically need prayers for.
All of this brings tears to my eyes, all of it must seem overwhelming, by now you have your little one in arms can't wait to see the next update, we will be praying for comfort and strength for all of you, HI KIDS we will pray for a safe trip to Gavin's home town and for all to go well! LOVE TO ALL!
Ok that was Karen Holt on the last note oops! :)
Wow he is so cute! Can't wait to meet him in person. We pray the rest of you time in China continues to be a great experience. We love you all, talk to you soon.
Love, The TK's
We also loved Beijing and had many locals take pictures with us...so strange. Who was your guide? Our's was Charlotte, and she was darling !
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