Arrived safely in Zhengzhou!!!!

So, the sightseeing is over, and now on to the real reason for this trip. Here are some photos from yesterday's tours in Beijing...enjoy! Anna and Jared each wore their class T-shirt on the wall...I need to e-mail it to their teachers. There is also one shot of the Olympic Birds' Nest Stadium and the Water Cube.

I am sitting in our lovely hotel room in Zhengzhou city, Henen Province. Our flight was short and sweet, and our new agency reps, Evelyn and Yisha, are already a wealth of information and helpful tips as we all begin to get prepared emotionally (aaaaaaahhh!) and physically for the events of tomorrow.

I just returned from changing money for the various fees tomorrow, and stopped at a convenience store to get some toddler-friendly snacks for Lilly (and some for us, too!). Next to me is a little crib, with the blanket that Anna and I made for Lilly hanging over it. I feel like an expectant mom standing in her baby's nursery, rubbing her tummy and smiling to herself. I also, at times, feel a sense of disbelief and awe that God has called us to such an awesome responsibility as bringing home our precious An Xiao Xue, soon (very soon!) to be Lillian Joy. Now and then Tom and I look at each other with wide eyes...wow. The friends in our group are all sharing in the excitement, anticipation, and anxieties about what tomorrow holds.

The rest of today we have free time to get paperwork in order, wrap presents we brought for the orphanage nannies and other officials, and enjoy the beautiful Crowne Plaza's pool and other amenities (kids are happy!). Tom and I are also happy to have bigger beds in this place!

Tomorrow, our group will walk in smaller groups based on orphanage to receieve our children at an office about a block from here. Those of us with babies from Anyang City will meet in the lobby at 9:50am. So those of you back home, think of us on Sunday evening!!

This morning on our bus ride to the airport in Beijing, Shane, one of the adoptive dads in our group who pastors a church in Seattle, shared a short, wonderful, little sermonette about the fact that these babies are like David in the story of David and Goliath. David, the most unlikely candidate to defeat the giant, was the one chosen for that task. In the same way, these children, who were abandoned and really are without hope, are now chosen for a different life of greatness, and we parents have the privilege of watching how their lives will unfold and blossom. He had many of us in tears....I suspect tears will be common in the next 24 hours!

Thanks so much for following and posting comments! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers! Stay tuned....... Pray that we can sleep tonight!!!