My last new visa.

My passport is back with a new visa! How many times have I started a blog with those words? The first time I typed it out, I was holding a one-year visa - which meant I shouldn't have had to say that again for at least another year. Boy, if I only knew! But each time I've typed it since, it's given me another reason to give thanks, another chance to see prayers answered, and another opportunity to be shown love by those that have come alongside and helped me. So once again, join me in giving thanks!

We had our first bazaar of the season last weekend. Our bakery keeps busy by traveling to various fairs, craft shows, etc., to sell our baked goods and distribute menus and brochures about our foster home. I've had the chance to tag along to a few of these and they're a fun time to meet other foreigners in the city and check out other expat-run businesses. Last weekend I got to hang out with two of our foster girls as we sold carrot cake, brownies, muffins, cookies and pizza. Here's JoHanna, hard at work!



We've had sweet corn from the States growing this summer that's made for some good dinner lately. Here's the view out my kitchen window.



You know how Nashville has the Batman building? Well, LangFang has it's own piece of the Nashville skyline. This is the international hotel, the place I go to use my ATM card. It also happens to be conveniently located near WalMart.



Speaking of WalMart... I bought this box of Cheerios and it had two mini-size bags inside. Odd.



I walked out my front door to head to lunch today and saw one of our construction workers taking his noon-time nap. I had to run back inside and grab my camera. This is a normal sight here, but one I want to make sure I capture and cherish.



It seems as if each time I'm just beginning a new chapter in my life, I'm already asking myself 'what's next?' I know when I arrived at this chapter, last December, I was looking ahead to see where this year would lead; to see what might be beyond. I have decided to return to Nashville at the completion of my year here. I've just booked my flight home for November 16th! This is certainly not a goodbye to China. This year has given me a broader picture and vision of things I'd love to see accomplished for God's glory, and I know those dreams will continue to take shape in my next chapter - a NASHVILLE chapter!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go mop my floors. Have I ever told you how much I love to see my floors SHINE!?

Four more months!

My passport is back with a new visa! Woohoo! My new visa is good until September 15th, so we have a little while to relax before it'll be time to renew again.

In celebration, my mom and I are heading into Beijing tomorrow morning and spending the rest of our week at a hostel and sightseeing. Tomorrow we'll be hitting the Great Wall, and then will continue the week with the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace, etc.

My mom has also booked a return flight home. She'll be departing from me on Monday evening, so it will be a bittersweet final week together. I'm so thankful that we've had this opportunity to be together in China!

Will check in again next week. Love you all!

Back in Beijing with bountiful blessings!

After a week of sightseeing in Hong Kong, I was issued my new 30-day visa. Yahoo! I had absolutely no problems getting through immigration and was welcomed back into China with open arms.

Our apartment balcony on Hong Kong Island.


The Peak overlooking Victoria Harbor.


My super mom is still here with me. She's decided to hang out until my next visa is issued. Yes, another one! We're trying for something longer than thirty days, and hoping I can avoid a trip back to the States to reapply. My current visa will expire on Thursday, so you'll hear from me and the status of my renewal before then...otherwise you'll be hearing from me from Nashville!

I can't begin to tell you how great it's been to have my mom here. I'm not only thankful to her for making the sacrifices to be here, but also to my amazing dad who made the sacrifice of staying behind. They're the best parents EVER!

We have a TON of photos we're excited to share with you all, but we've been having too much fun being together to spend our time sitting in front of the computer getting them all uploaded. Soon, though. Soon.

Love each of you!

Happy Days!

Greetings from Hong Kong!

When it was learned that I'd need to be returning to GuangZhou and then spending some time in Hong Kong, I sadly realized that'd also mean having to spend my birthday AND Easter alone. Well, my fabulous parents love me and brightened my life once again, and my mom was on a plane to be with me less than twenty four hours later.

I got to show Mom around our foster home and introduce her to everyone for a day before we boarded the train for another day-long trip to GuangZhou. We had a fun weekend at the hostel there that had become so familiar, and she had a great time seeing all her first real-China sights. The passport hand-off went smoothly, and on Wednesday afternoon we were on our way to Hong Kong, passport in hand!

An awesome contact here is putting us up in an apartment at no charge. It's on the 35th floor with a balcony that looks out over Victoria Harbor. We can even watch the nightly fireworks show at Disneyland from our bedroom window! My passport is now in the hands of the consolate and we should be able to pick it up on Tuesday. We were hit with a bit of not-so-great news while applying - they can only issue 30-day visas here in Hong Kong at the current time. So while it looks hopeful that I'll be returning to Beijing later this week, I'll only be able to stay in the country for another month. It's been advised that I now start thinking about returning to the States and reapplying from there. While it'd be great to return home for a visit, it also means another set of goodbyes that just always get harder, and even more travel expenses. We shall see.

Hong Kong is beautiful and I've always loved my times here, but my feet are yearning for rest and I'm certainly missing routine. It's been beyond wonderful to have my mom here and I've enjoyed seeing her experience the China I love and also the China that is sometimes tougher to love.

As always, thanks for keeping up with me and holding me in your thoughts. I have so much to be thankful for! We have a slew of photos we're excited to share once we get back to Beijing, so stayed tuned for those. Love you!

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.

Still Stuck

It's been a full business week at the Public Security Bureau and still no passport. Today I got to pick from a police line-up, and that was pretty exciting! I think I'm in the clear as far as being deported, and it sounds like I'll even be getting a good visa out of this. It's just more waiting until the investigation gets wrapped up.

I've done a lot of crying and my body is aching from being tense. It's just been a long week and I'm exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I am seeing lots of blessings and learning more about myself, and for that I am grateful. We'll get through this and it will make one great story!

Double Trouble

Just a quick update to ask for your thoughts.

I don't want to post too much information so here's a very very short version of the story. After arriving here in GuangZhou and meeting with officials, it became apparent that fraudulant documents were submitted with my visa paperwork. I've undergone two days of questioning now and they still will not release my passport back to me. They have assured me they understand that this is not my fault, but that I must still remain here until their investigation is finished. There are three other boys here with me who are in the same situation - we just met yet have experienced two days of incredible stress together!

The good news is that an American friend of mine from Beijing is flying down tomorrow morning to be with me. This is a HUGE relief in that I will no longer be here in this unfamiliar city alone. We have no idea how long this will drag on, nor what the outcome might be. It could be as serious as me being sent home and not being allowed to return to China.

Of course I had no idea I would be away for this long, so I only packed two pairs of underwear, but three rolls of toilet paper. This should tell you something! I just finished washing some items in the sink with hand soap, so let's hope it's dry by morning!

I'll keep you updated as I have online access. I appreciate you!

Headin' South!

Well, here comes an update I was hoping I wouldn't have to give you...

My passport was pulled for inspection at the office in GuangZhou. This means they are holding my passport until I come for a sit-down interview.

GuangZhou is a city in the south of China, about seventy five miles from Hong Kong. Without my passport, I'm not able to board a plane to travel down there. So, tomorrow morning, I'll be leaving on a sleeper train for the twenty-hour journey south.

Because I'm not able to say much during the interview, I'm told my chances of getting a new visa are slim. So it's most likely I will just be retrieving my passport and then crossing over into Hong Kong to get my exit/entry stamp. If I do get the new visa, it's not certain whether they will be able to process it that day, or if I'll have to wait and have it mailed to me. I'm hoping that whichever outcome happens, that I will have my passport in hand so that I don't have to take the train back to Beijing, but rather FLY!

I have bottled water and toilet paper packed, and in the morning I'll make a few PB & J sandwiches to tuck in my bag. So you can be thinking of me, I'll be leaving Beijing at 11 am, and arriving in GuangZhou at 7 am on Monday. I'm especially hoping that I don't have any smokers in the cabins around me and that I don't have to fight motion sickness, and I'd be grateful if you'd keep me in your thoughts regarding those matters as well.

Here's an idea of what my train will be like. This one looks exactly like the first China-train I took back in 2004. The middle and top bunks stink because you can't sit up on them, so you have to hope the person on the bottom will share of you're lucky enough to find a vacant seat along the aisle. I'll have a middle bunk tomorrow.



In other news, two of our girls, Faith and Talithia, both had their second leg-rodding surgeries last week. They're home now but are in casts and trying to entertain themselves from their posts on the couch. Then on Monday, our little Noah had a break in his femur. He has rods, but his bones have outgrown them already. Everyone is in good spirits, but they're a funny bunch to walk in and see in bandages! Little Lydia's adoption papers are all in now, and on Monday they have a meeting at the embassy to have them all notorized. We hope it's all in order and can proceed smoothly from here.

Thanks for all your thoughts! I'll update as soon as I'm back to a computer.

Ninety Days

Tuesday marks my ninetieth day in China. If you remember back to last fall, the visa I was granted only allows me to stay in China for a duration of ninety days at a time. As a last resort, all I'd simply need to do would be to cross the border into Hong Kong. I could turn around and enter again and be good for another ninety days. About a month ago, we began seeking out what other options might be available to us. There was talk of someone being able to 'walk it across' for me, without my having to go anywhere. Then just this past weekend, we were introduced to a man with some connections to a business that could possibly help me change my visa type altogether. We had a meeting with him on Sunday afternoon in which he explained that his colleagues in QingDao could switch my tourist visa into an 'F' visa - the 'F' visa being one that has the ability to be extended for a full year with no limits. Before the meeting was over, we had booked a flight for myself to QingDao for Tuesday morning, the 10th. I was scheduled to arrive there in the morning, had an escort meeting me at the airport to take me to the visa office, and then a flight booked back to Beijing again that same evening. It all looked very hopeful and I was excited to get on a plane!

Late Monday night, as I was wrapping up all my preparations to leave, my new 'business friend' called to inform me that I would no longer be making my trek to QingDao in the morning. Apparently there had been a drug bust that afternoon, and the visa office branch that I was scheduled to work through had been involved in processing the visas involved in the bust. The office would be shut down until further notice. Time for a new plan! So instead of heading to the airport the following morning, I found myself in a Starbucks in Beijing, meeting again with my new friend. From there we walked to the Subway station and boarded a train for his office. It was quite a walk from the Subway stop to his street, where he then infomed me we'd 'just wait' on the corner until one of his business partners arrived. When New Friend Number Two showed up, they took me to a tiny Kodak store where they told me I'd need a new photo to submit with my visa application. The one I had with me was 'not good enough.' After having my photo taken, I took a seat and waited. Friend One and Friend Two sat down at a computer and began typing to someone on QQ, a popular instant messaging program in China. "Oh, great," I thought. "I have to sit here and wait while they catch up with their friends. They're probably announcing to everyone that they're spending the day with an American." By this time it was far past my lunch time and I could feel my blood sugar beginning to drop. I was rummaging around in my purse, looking for some candy, and they must have sensed that I was getting restless. They turned around to assure me that they were "just talking to some of their colleagues" back in their office about my visa.

As I continued to wait, two women came in and had their photos taken as well. It appeared that their photos were for some type of employee identification card - you know, the type you might wear laminated and pinned to your shirt - not anything fancy. The first woman wanted to approve her photo on the computer screen, and then insisted they take another one. She primped her hair and makeup in the dingy mirror and sat down for a second try. Once their photos appeared on the computer screen and they gave their 'okays', the photo technicians rolled up their sleeves and began a tedious editing process. First they enlarged their photos on the screen to ensure that everyone in the store could see each of their pores in detail. Then they whitened their teeth, smoothed their fine lines and wrinkles, and blotted out any blemishes. Next they administered a complete hair makeover. It was amazing - each lady had to have been in her fifties and sported no small amount of gray hair, but oh, now their photo showed them with shiny dark hair. They shaved off any fly-aways around the hairline and erased the unwanted skin along their jowls. I was incredulous to how they showed no embarrassment and nobody else in the store found it odd in any way. "I would never have anyone watch as each of my flaws was displayed in jumbo-vision!" I thought. At last, the two women had their brand new ID tags in hand and seemed quite pleased. Finally they would be able to print my simple passport-sized photo and we could get out of there!

But then, oh, then, it happened. Suddenly it was my face displayed for all to see - zooming, and zooming, and zooming. "No, it's fine, it's just for my passport," I insisted. "We must have nice photo," argued Friend Two. I sat back, helpless, and watched as some Chinese teenage boy edited out each part of my appearance that he didn't think was quite good enough. He even did some slicing maneuver to my neck, rotating my head to give me just the right tilt! After my digital surgery was complete, it was sent off over QQ to their 'colleagues' and we waited again for a response. Thankfully it came quickly and I was happy to hear the news, "Okay, your photo has been accepted. Much better than other photo." Should I have said thanks?

We then left Kodak and walked onward to 'the office'. I was surprised to see that the mysterious colleagues did indeed exist, and had actually been working on my visa paperwork afterall. By the time we arrived, my information had already been submited online to another branch in another province. We should have my passport back in seven to nine business days with (hopefully) an 'F' visa inside. The 'F' visa will grant me three months until I need to apply for an extension. This extension can be done locally, and will then be good for another twelve months. Please keep my pretty little passport in your thoughts - that my new visa will be granted and that it will all return to me safely and soon.

I've added a couple new activities to my weekly schedule. On Wednesday afternoons, I'm now teaching an English class at a coffee shop on a nearby University campus. We've had two classes now, and each brought about sixty students. My time in China this time around has been much different than previous trips in that I've really found myself surrounded by foreigners the majority of the time. In the past, it was always the relationship-building and outreach to the Chinese that drove my time. Having this class now gives me the opportunity to reach out from my foreign-bubble and practice what first brought me here. I have to admit, though, my heart is not one hundred percent back in it. At the end of each class, the students have all lined up to speak with me one-on-one. It's hard to formulate answers to their questions that often don't make much sense, or really just leave me baffled as to why they'd wait in line for so long to ask such a thing. They each want my phone number and e-mail address and want to know if they can come visit my house on the weekends or take me to dinner the following night. While it would be wonderful to say yes to one person, it's impossible to say yes to all sixty. I hate having to dodge their dinner invitations. I'm not an incredibly social person to begin with and I'm afraid I'm already feeling exhausted by them. I'm hoping either my newness will wear off or I'll gain some incredible wisdom in how to manage my time with them.


They put my name on their marquee out front!

My second activity is a small group with a couple friends in Beijing. On Fridays, Ting has a driver take her into the city for her youth group, so I've been riding in with her. After she gets dropped off, I then meet up with a couple girls my age - one from Wisconsin and the other from the Ukraine. We meet at one of their apartments for dinner and study the Word.

Yesterday, as I entered the bakery and bounded up the stairs to my bedroom, something on the floor caught my eye.



It's a wonder I didn't miss him. He blended in quite well. But sure enough, there he was. I guess since I have a Lester the Chicken, I need a Larry the Lizard, too. I have had an awful lot of mosquitos in my apartment, so he's welcome to stay if he's hungry. All this talk makes it sound like I must be living in a lush, tropical locale, but don't be fooled. It's still mighty cold here and I have yet to see any signs of spring.






Thanks to all of you who have been following along with me. If you were here, I'd give you my phone number, my e-mail, take you to dinner, AND invite you over on Saturday (but don't tell my Chinese students that).