It continues...

I've heard countless names of people who have been lifting me up over the past two weeks. I can't say 'thank you' enough. I haven't had much online access, but seeing your notes of encouragement and knowing you're with me has made my steps lighter each day.

My friend, Jaime, came down from Beijing on Day Three of this ordeal and stayed with me in GuangZhou for five days. She was a great encouragement and help - and we were even able to have a bit of fun!

Ikea! The bed I have at home in Nashville is an Ikea bed, so I went and laid on 'my bed' in GuangZhou several times!


My hostel was located right along the Pearl River. For half a yuan, you could ride the boat across to the other side, to a little island.




This island use to house the old embassy district. Because all American adoptions have to be finalized through the GuangZhou consolate, the island used to be the hub for all the adoptive families. There's a famous hotel located there, called the White Swan. It was the popular place for the families to stay, and all the shops on the island feature children's traditional outfits and toys. The architecture is really neat, and it was fun to walk around and see where each country's embassy was located back in the day.













The streets around the river are lined with fishermen. You really have to watch your step, because slippery critters are everywhere. One day I witnessed a giant frog massacre! - a big pile of frogs with a man seated beside them, ripping them leg to leg! Oh, the horror! A lot of the fish are packed in these styrofoam crates and then carted away in every direction.


If you zoom in, can you tell what's inside these bags?


If you're ever thirsty or need a snack, there's always a man nearby selling coconuts and sugar cane.




One afternoon, we found a fun park to explore. If only these photos could express the heat and humidity! Can you find the snake and the frogs?













The great thing about GuangZhou is that their 7-Elevens have Slurpees! If you know me, you know this is HUGE! I don't understand why our Beijing 7-Elevens are so behind.



A big highlight was taking an evening cruise along the river. All the buildings along the banks are lit up in true Chinese fashion. Even the boats light up!




And I found a night-market where I scored a new purse. My time in GuangZhou at least had that bit of success.


After my friend left, I had another week of good alone time to process and ponder. One thing that stands out, is knowing that only when I shifted my focus from me to Him, could I continue to walk into that police station day after day. Finally, last Thursday, as I saw my third weekend in GuangZhou approaching, I felt the panic rising in me again. And for some reason (I think out of annoyance), when I put my foot down that day, they told me I could return to Beijing. Of course, they then told me my passport wouldn't be coming with me, but it was a big enough step towards freedom for me!

Since I still didn't have my passport in my posession, I again had to take the train back to Beijing. Remember how I mentioned it was a twenty hour ride? Make that twenty two and a half. So miserable! I'll never complain about a thirteen hour flight again!

I arrived back in Beijing Saturday evening - just in time to see the Hawaii and Nashville volunteer teams before they left. It's great to be back in the cooler weather. It even snowed on Sunday! Today we started right back in with a regular school day. I've been very much missing that routine. Today I've been fighting some body ache and chills. I think my body is finally crashing after the last two weeks of stress. I just hope it doesn't evolve into a cold or flu.

This afternoon, I got a phone call from one of the officers in GuangZhou. He told me they had finished processing my visa and I could come pick it up anytime this week. But did I get a new visa? Nope! They've given me a ten day EXIT visa - meaning I have ten days to GET OUT. Two of the other guys who are also tangled in this mess confirmed that they did indeed get their passports back today. It's a relief to know we're actually getting them!

Right now, the plan is to take yet another long train ride back to GuangZhou and pick up my passport. I'll then hop down into Hong Kong and start the visa application process all over again. This time I will pack for an extended stay, just in case! The only fear is that my passport might now be flagged or something, which would then hinder me from obtaining a new visa. They're making it sound like we've all been cleared in the investigation, so we don't understand why they won't issue us new visas right there in their office. It's scary to think of leaving and not know if I'll be back. How did quiet little me get involved in something like this!?

Thank you again for all of your thoughts. I couldn't do this without you and each of you are very much appreciated! I look forward to things slowing down and being able to connect with you one-on-one.