Monday
BEIJING TO HENAN

I wish I could write that we almost slept through our wake up call, but unfortunately (as always) we both did the first day in China, wake up at 3:30 a.m. ritual. It was great to be able to have the extra time to talk about our trip goals. After a quick breakfast, we literally walked across the parking lot from our hotel to the China Center for Adoption Affairs for our meeting. It was SO productive and we ended up spending all of our available time that day there.

We began by discussing our medical program and we gave them the list of children we had healed in 2004. We discussed our upcoming art auction and told them (in hope) that we could most likely heal 12 babies. I know that is such an ambitious goal for one auction, but I really am hoping that with the right publicity we can spread the news that this auction is all about healing kids. The CCAA will pick one region with many heart kids and we will work together to make sure they receive heart surgery following the auction.

Our next topic was the LWB cleft mission for 2006. They gave us several ideas for locations and agreed that September or October would be a good time period. We will have a lot to discuss in the next few weeks as we try to come to a decision!

We gave them the beginnings of our special needs education manual and they were so happy with what had been done so far. We both agreed that this would help orphanages to better understand medical special needs and increase awareness that the majority of kids are absolutely adoptable. We are really hoping for a summer publication, with distribution to over 2000 orphanages.

We had a wonderful discussion about domestic adoption. The CCAA has now set up a division specifically for domestic adoptions and they hope that more and more children will be adopted within China. There has been a marked increase in domestic adoption as more and more people realize this is a wonderful way to have a family. Within the last six months, they have compiled a great deal of information on domestic adoption that will be posted online. The man who is now in charge of domestic adoption told us that he used to work in the matching room……it was very really neat to discover that he worked there during the same time period that our girls were matched. He might have been the very man who chose our daughters for us.

Following our discussions, we had a VERY short tour as we were cutting it close to our flight to Henan, but it was wonderful for Karen to get to see where her children first placed with her family. The CCAA will be moving shortly and I have to admit I am a little sad that the infamous matching room that formed so many of our families will no longer be this particular one that I feel looks so grand . There is something quite fitting to having a beautiful crystal chandelier shine down on all of those baby files. Karen really enjoyed meeting the director of this office and told me later how emotional it was to see piles of children’s paperwork on a desk with one big pile of dossiers next to it. Very soon……the beautiful children whose tiny photos peeked out from each page will no longer be orphans, as each of them will be matched with their own forever family.

We made a mad dash to the airport (after making the bellboys lug the same 200 pounds of luggage down that they had just lugged up the night before!), and once at the airport, Helen (one of our amazing facilitators) had the wonderful job of negotiating with the airlines on exactly WHY we should be allowed to be double the allowed weight limit on our bags. I heard the words “Fu Li Yuan” over and over (orphanage) and she came back smiling while saying “we are fine!”

As we went to our gate I reminded Karen that we needed to buy bottled water so we dashed into a store. Obviously we just didn’t read the labels well enough. I sat down and took a HUGE swig of what I later learned was “sweat water”. I’ll leave it at that.

The flight to Henan was very quick….just one hour, and it was interesting that they played a movie during the flight that didn‘t require headphones. It was an ancient Chinese war movie. I wasn’t watching it but every once in awhile I would jump in my seat when the clanging of swords loudly began again.

In Zhengzhou we were met by Zhang Ming, our facilitator, and he did a great job of not fainting at the sight of our luggage. We managed to squeeze it all into the van and we were off to Kaifeng. The drive was really pretty as we passed hundreds of tiny farms. The whole way, however, we only passed one small town as we were on the new highway.

Right now I am typing in our hotel…..it is an old hotel but absolutely lovely. In fact, they have given us the suite and we are sitting on leather sofas with an antique chandelier over our head. Not quite was I was expecting in rural Henan. It is absolutely perfect. We learned from Zhang Ming that early that morning, before we arrived, the director went to our hotel to make sure it was okay. When he saw the condition, with the dirty beds and carpeting, he was very distressed. This extremely kind man drove around looking at all the hotels in the city until he found this one. I am continually so touched by the kindness I am shown when in China.

We glanced through a travel book on Kaifeng while waiting for the director of the orphanage to come meet us, and there are almost 30 national historic sites in this small town, due to it being one of the ancient capital cities of China. There is something really amazing about reading that the buildings are from 900 A.D. I felt horrible for the bellboy here, however, as it is an old hotel and there is no elevator. He had to carry our six bags up the stairs, and it just about broke my heart when he came up with the last one absolutely panting. He tried to refuse our tip while deep breathing and bending over but there was no way he was going to win that argument.

Soon after the orphanage director arrived and we had a great meeting discussing the orphanage and its history. Then the fun for the day truly began. We went shopping for the kids! (one of my favorite activities) They took us to a large shopping mall, and we were off. The older kids needed school supplies, and we loaded the cart with pencils and markers and notepads. The director is so kind and was very hesitant to accept what we wanted to buy. While we were picking out pencils, Karen noticed him glancing at the smallest, wobbliest little table and she came over and asked me if I thought the kids had a place to study. We asked if the students had desks and he said “mei you” (we don’t have). So the desk shopping then began! We found a GREAT desk that had little shelves and drawers and was very sturdy. We bought five of them and got free delivery and assembly…..I know the kids will be so excited to have a place to put their things.

Then it was time for backpacks, and it was great to see the director picking out JUST the right ones for the kids. He wanted them to be different so there would be no mix ups (just like my house!), and he really took the time to make sure each one would work well for the kids. Then it was off to the water bottle section because you can’t have a new backpack without a new water bottle to go with it, right?

Karen and I took a moment to pick out some gifts for the aunties, and then it was check out time. By this time we were LOADED to the brim of our carts and we gathering quite a crowd of interested people. I loved as the moms brought their beautiful little toddlers over to see, bundled to the max for the winter in huge puffy coats and yet their little bottoms were open to the world in their split pants. I saw a lot of really cold looking bottoms. J We all started laughing when we got the total and everyone was standing around staring as our facilitator counted out the funds. We were so happy that the director was able to get a discount card after our purchase as we had bought enough for him to qualify for free membership! That will help for the rest of the year. I cannot believe how much stuff we were able to buy for $150.

Tomorrow morning we will head out shopping once again, this time for bicycles for the older kids who now have to walk a long way to school in the cold. I am so excited about delivering the bikes. I know they will be so excited! I really like this director as he isn’t asking for anything more than the exact amount they need. He told us they only needed five bikes, even though I know they most likely need more.

Well, I had better close as it is very late. We have not had access to the internet for two days. Maybe tomorrow we will find an internet café. I am so excited that I will get to see the kids we have helped medically that I know I will have a hard time sleeping. Tomorrow will be a busy day but I am sure it will be one we will not forget soon.