RETURNING TO HANZHONG . . .

Beijing Zoo then Home

2007-10-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

On our last day in Beijing, we visited the Beijing Zoo and then it was off to the airport for the trip back to the States. We had a wonderful time in China, but it was great to get home. Terry had a great time with Aunt Carol and Uncle Doug. It was so good to see him at the airport. He looked so much older even though it's only been a couple of weeks.

I am so happy to have had the opportunity for Maggie to see her homeland. I know it has provided many great memories for her. We will never be able to adequately express our gratitude to the beautiful people of ELA who have worked so hard over the past decade to create such a nurturing environment for our children. We are truly blessed.

More Pictures from Shekinah Shalom

2007-10-15T05:16:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from Shekinah. The first picture is of me with Terry's house mama. I can't tell you how wonderful it felt to meet her. There's also a picture of Maggie with her new friend Pearl who lives in Australia. There's a photo of two Shekinah workers enjoying the photo albums that families sent. And that adorable guy in the pink shirt is Enoch!

Back in Beijing

2007-10-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

After two delays and one canceled flight, we arrived back in Beijing on Sunday evening. On Monday, we visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. We then went to a tea ceremony and lunch at a famous noodle restaurant. After lunch we went on a Hutong tour by rickshaw and visited with a local family followed by a walk through Prince Gong's Garden. In the afternoon, we went to the Pearl Market, the playground at a local park and finally dinner featuring Peking Duck. Delicious! It was a very busy day, but Maggie had so much fun playing with our guide at the park. I think she'd had just about enough culture for one day and just wanted to have fun.

Tomorrow we go to the Beijing Zoo to see the pandas and then it's off to the airport for our trip home. We have had a wonderful time in China, but we are really missing everyone and are ready to go home.

More Fun with the Kids

2007-10-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Maggie and I went for a walk around downtown Hanzhong. We ate lunch at the Tropical Rainforest restaurant where Maggie had french fries and “the best spaghetti” she’s ever eaten. So much for embracing her heritage. Afterwards we walked through the street market which was full of interesting sights and scents.

In the afternoon, we took a taxi back to Shekinah Shalom to play with the kids. We visited three apartments and were greeted with beautiful smiling faces at each. Jessica, we got to play with Benjamin and I took several more photos which I’ll send to you. Mary, we also were able to visit Xin Jia He. His English name is Marco. I got several photos of him which I’ll send to you when we get home. Both Benjamin and Marco are adorable, happy little guys. Both mamas know they will be adopted to America and were happy to show them off. It was hard to leave the kids when it was time to go. I am so thankful Maggie had the opportunity to visit Shekinah Shalom and witness firsthand the love and care the kids receive. I know it has provided answers to some of the questions she has had about her early life. This place will always hold a piece of my heart and I hope to return in a few years with Terry.

Tour of Hanzhong

2007-10-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we went to a famous plank road outside of Hanzhong. Plank roads were wooden roads built into the base of the mountains during the first dynasty to allow travel through the mountains. The original plank roads are gone, but they’ve reconstructed the roads along the original path. The plank road we visited runs along a river which flows between two mountains. Beautiful scenery. We learned that Hanzhong was a very important city to the military during the early dynasties. Because of its location between the northern mountain range and the southern mountain range, it was the only access to southern China for northern ememies. Therefore whoever held Hanzhong, held access to southern China. Our guide told a story that during the first dynasty, the Hanzhong military pretended to be making repairs to the plank road we visited so that the enemy would think it was the road they were going to use to attack. They then attacked via a different plank road and defeated the enemy from behind.

After lunch, we visited a new river walk along the Han River. On the opposite side of the river is where Hanzhong is expanding. Lots of new apartment buildings including one called “Sydney Living Australia”. Our guide said it has a sign that says “Don’t spend money on plane ticket. Live in Sydney here.”

The Celebration!

2007-10-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, we took two buses to Eagle’s Nest for the official celebration. Eagle’s Nest is the administration building which is located about 5 minutes from the Children’s Village. Eagle’s Nest and the Children’s Village are both located on the outskirts of Hanzhong. I was told that orphanages are often located on the edge of cities – people don’t want to be reminded that there are children who have been abandoned.

It was cold and rainy, but we didn’t let it put a damper on the celebration. When we got off the buses, a band began playing festive music. We were greeted by some of the carers who gave us 2008 calendars filled with pictures of the children. We were then directed to a side building for refreshments. Afterwards, we were taken into Eagle’s Nest for a tour of the facility. We were then led out to a courtyard for the official program. The courtyard was decorated with a large banner, balloons and a long table for the local dignitaries. The band was playing and the local television station and reporters from the print media were there and filmed the ceremony. The ceremony itself consisted of several speakers from Hanzhong and two from the English Language Association (ELA). ELA is the Chinese non-profit organization, founded by British volunteers, that is supported by Caring for China in the US and by other groups in England and Australia.

The highlight of the ceremony was when a little boy named James spoke. James is now 9 years old and lives in England, but he lived in the orphanage during the first months of his life. He gave a speech in which he thanked the carers and China taking care of him and then he thanked God for all the blessings in his life. All afternoon, the word “God” had been carefully avoided by the adults, but then this beautiful child stood up in front of the government officials and simply spoke from his heart. It was a very touching moment.

After the ceremony, we went back to the hotel for lunch and then boarded the buses for our visit to the Children’s Village (also known as Shekinah Shalom). This was what we had all been waiting for – a chance to see the children and meet the carers. When we arrived at Shekinah Shalom, we were taken into Morning Dew where the babies live and where the rehab rooms are located. We visited several classes and got to play with the kids for a few minutes in each class. We also got to visit the nursery rooms to see the sleeping babies, including twin girls who were sharing a crib. The babies were so tiny and were wrapped up snug in several layers of clothes with quilts keeping them warm. The facilities are very clean and decorated in bright colors.

While we were touring Morning Dew, I explained to each carer who Maggie was and showed them pictures of when Maggie was in the orphanage. Many recognized her immediately. They would run out and get other carers and bring them in to show Maggie to them. Her Chinese name is Yang Yuan, and they all kept exclaiming “Yang Yuan” and hugging her. It was wonderful to see. We found the carer who undressed and bathed Maggie when she was first brought to the orphanage. We have pictures of this carer taking Maggie’s clothes off and bathing her for the first time. When this carer saw the pictures, she got emotional and hugged Maggie for a long time. Maggie has been great – she loved playing with the kids and although she doesn’t remember the carers, she recognizes them from her pictures and is happy to see them again. We took lots of pictures with these wonderful women.

After Morning Dew, we went to the school building where classes are held for the various age levels. Classes start when the children are two and continue through their teenage years. There are classes for mentally disabled children – both orphans and local children from the village. That is one of the goals of Shekinah Shalom – to serve the local community as well as the children who live at the orphanage.

After the school, we visited Bethel. At Shekinah Shalom, there are two apartment buildings which were built so that when children turn one, they can live with “house mamas” in a family setting rather than in the main orphanage building. Each house mama has an apartment where she lives with five children. This family setting helps with bonding and attachment and better prepares the children for adoption. The first apartment building is called the Blue Palace and is not part of the ELA program. Therefore, we were not allowed to visit it. The second building is called Bethel and is run by ELA. This is where our son Terry lived. I asked our guide which apartment Terry lived in, and she took me to it. When we entered the apartment, there was Terry’s house mama! Our guide explained who I was, and we hugged and hugged. I showed her updated pictures of Terry, and she was very excited and happy to see how he has grown and what his life is like in America. It was a very emotional moment for both of us.

After we left Terry’s apartment, I asked if I could see Benjamin since I wanted to get a picture for his parents who are waiting for travel approval. We were taken to his apartment and I was able to take a few pictures of him. He was eating dinner, so we couldn’t stay. Maggie and I both noticed as soon as we saw him that he was wearing the same shirt that Terry had on in one of his pictures we had received while waiting to travel.

Our guide also took me to the apartment of a little boy named Enoch. She said he was going to be adopted to America soon and thought I might know his parents. So, if Enoch’s parents are on the Hanzhong Honey list, I have pictures I can send to you. Just send me an email.

The third little boy who is soon to be adopted to America is Marco. I wasn’t able to see him because we had to return to Morning Dew for the closing show. Mary, we are returning to the orphanage on Saturday, so I will try to get his picture then.

The closing show was adorable! Everyone returned to Morning Dew and sat in the activity room. We were treated to wonderful performances by the children. The four boys in Marie’s rehab class sang hello to each country that was represented. Then the younger children performed four dances for us. They were amazing. They did it all by memory without the help of the carers. So cute!

On Thursday evening, we had a celebration party at the hotel. I was able to give our donations to ELA at the party. Jennifer, they were so thankful to get the purification tablets. I was also able to deliver the photos and letters directly to Natalie, the ELA coordinator at Shekinah. I had bought small photo albums and put each family’s pictures and contact info in a separate album. I went through each album with Natalie and pointed out specific requests for information. She indicated that she would read through them and hopefully those of you requesting info will receive it directly from Natalie. We then shared the photo albums with the whole group which included some of the carers, and everyone was so happy to see the kids. Several of the ELA volunteers remembered some of the older kids from when they were here in the late 90’s. Lisa, I met the man who named Adam. I’ll send you his contact info when we get back

The Drive to Hanzhong

2007-10-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

(Sorry for the delay! We didn't have internet access in Hanzhong)

On Wednesday morning, we met up with 27 people who were also headed to Hanzhong for the celebration. We met at the bus station in Xi’an and boarded a coach for the four hour drive to Hanzhong. The first two-thirds of our drive took us through the beautiful green mountains of central China. We went through 140 tunnels during this stretch of the trip. The remainder of our trip took us through the patchwork fields of the countryside outside of Hanzhong.

On the bus trip, we were able to meet the wonderful people who had traveled from England, Australia, Ireland and the Netherlands for the celebration. I finally met Jon and Jennifer Dietz – such great people. This group is so filled with God’s love and they do such incredible work here in Shaanxi.

While waiting for the bus, I was talking to a woman named Kay from Australia who had worked at the orphanage in 1999. I told her that Maggie was there in 1999 and that her English name was Brooke. Kay’s eyes widened and she said “my daughter named Brooke and we’ve been praying for her”. She explained that her daughter, Genaya, was a teenager at the time and was working at the orphanage when Maggie was brought in. Genaya was given the privilege of naming the baby, and she chose “Brooke”. We both teared up right there in the bus station. I later looked through Maggie’s pictures from the orphanage and found one of Genaya holding Maggie. What a blessing for Maggie to know who first named her. Kay and her husband have a 9 year old daughter named Pearl who was also adopted from Hanzhong. She and Maggie have been having a ball playing together.

Xi'an

2007-10-09T03:35:00.001-07:00

We arrived in Xi'an at 2:30 this afternoon and are staying at the Bell Tower Hotel. It's cold and rainy today, so we just ran across the street to the mall for lunch and are going to stay in tonight and watch a movie.

Tomorrow we will travel to Hanzhong. Note to the Hanzhong Honey group - I am hoping they have internet access at the Hanzhong Hotel. If not, I'll post the pictures as soon as we get back to Beijing on the 15th (14th in the US). I know there are a couple of moms out there who would love to see updated pics of their little guys. I'll do my best. If you don't hear from me tomorrow, then check back in on the 14th.

(By the way, when you open Blogger in China, all the words are in Chinese, so if these posts are a mess, it's because I'm having to guess at what buttons I'm pushing)

The Great Wall

2007-10-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the Great Wall at Mutianyu, a section of the wall I had not been to on previous trips. I have to say I prefer this section for its scenery. It's much less crowded and a cable car takes you to the top of the mountain. We walked along the wall and climbed to the top of a "big and tall" lookout tower. The weather here is BEAUTIFUL. It's in the 60's and the sky is clear and blue - another new experience in Beijing.

After our climb, we went to lunch at a nearby restaurant and visited an enamel factory. On our way into Beijing, Felix took us by the new Olympic stadium which is under construction. It's made of sweeping bands of steel which resemble a bird's nest. Afterwards we went to a silk factory, and Maggie worked with a team of women to stretch the silk into a comforter.

Maggie is having a great time although we both miss our family. Our guide and driver are both spoiling her rotten. They keep buying her special treats - after the Great Wall, we returned to the car to find an ice cold bottle of Coke that our driver had bought for her. And on the way back into the city, I noticed they were searching the shops along the streets. Suddenly the driver pulled over and Felix jumped out only to return a few minutes later with a beautiful chocolate ice cream sundae. What a treat!

Today, we fly to Xi'an to meet up with others who are going to Hanzhong for the reunion. We'll spend one night in Xi'an and then take a coach for the four hour drive to Hanzhong. I'm really looking forward to seeing the countryside as we drive into Maggie's hometown. Should be a special memory for her.

Beijing

2007-10-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

After a total of 23 hours in the air, we arrived in Beijing at 3:00 pm yesterday. All of our flights were on time and very smooth - just long! Maggie loved the seats on the flight from Los Angeles to Guangzhou as you can see in the picture. She's been a trooper - we've played cards, rock/paper/scissors, and made up our own secret handshake. So far our travel has been uneventful except for a minor snafu with our luggage which necessitated a trip back to the Beijing airport at 11:00 last night to pick up our bags. The city is beautiful at night - it is evident in the new construction that the Olympics are less than a year away. We met Felix, our Beijing guide, at the airport and today he is picking us up for a trip to the Great Wall. Will post more later - Maggie wants to post now:

Hi Mrs. Spencer. This is Maggie. I am having so much fun here in China. Today we are going to see the Great Wall of China. Also we can't drink the water from the faucet here so we have to use bottled water. Love, Maggie

Here We Come

2007-09-30T19:41:00.001-07:00

When we adopted Maggie in 2000, we were not allowed to visit the Hanzhong City Social Welfare Institute. We were, however, given a lifebook filled with pictures of Maggie's life at the orphanage. We treasure this book for the glimpse it provides into Maggie's early life. It has helped answer many questions over the years, but we have always longed to visit the orphanage and meet the women in the pictures who were holding, bathing and feeding Maggie when she was an infant.

Our prayers were answered this summer when we received a letter from Caring for China inviting us to visit Hanzhong for Shekinah Shalom's 10th anniversary. The celebration will be held on October 11th, and any family with a child from Hanzhong is invited to attend. Although Maggie will miss several days of school, we knew this was an opportunity we couldn't let pass. Maggie and I will leave on October 5 and return on October 17. (Dan will once again be staying home with the kids - wish him luck.) We will spend four days in Hanzhong visiting the orphanage and touring the city. The remainder of the time will be spent in Beijing visiting various sites - the Beijing Zoo to see the pandas, the Forbidden City, and of course the Great Wall. We're excited to see the city as it prepares for the 2008 Olympics.

This will be Maggie's first trip back to China. As most of you know, I returned to China last year to adopt our son, Terry, who also lived in Shekinah Shalom. Terry is 3 years old, and, while I know the carers would love to see him, we decided not to take him on this trip. We want to focus on this as Maggie's homeland visit - a special time for her to experience whatever emotions may bubble up and for me to be there for her when they do.

Meeting Maggie

2007-09-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

On January 24, 2000, in a cold hotel lobby in the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, China, the most beautiful baby girl was placed in my arms. She was sound asleep and wrapped snug in a white snow suit with the hood drawn tight. The only part of her I could see was the perfect circle of her face - the tiny pink lips and distinct arched eyebrows. Although I had loved the idea of this child for months, nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming emotions I felt that day.

We named our daughter Margaret, and she has brought more joy to our family than we could have ever imagined. She was nine months old when we met her, and she had lived up to that point in the loving care of the nannies at the Hanzhong City Social Welfare Institute. In 1997, a remarkable organization called Caring for China had started a model child care center in this welfare institute. The center was named Shekinah Shalom which means radiant glory and peace. Maggie was blessed to have lived in Shekinah Shalom cared for by Chinese, British and Australian nannies whose mission was, and continues to be, to shine God's love on the children of China.