Bringing Hannah Home

May, 8^th 2009

We get inside the airport which is absolutely beautiful and so clean. First we walk all the way across the airport, felt like 1 mile but was probably only half of that, then we go through the “foreigners” line, we hand over the papers that show we have not touched a pig in the last 2 weeks, they take all our temperatures, we pass with flying colors, I know they thought I had a temp because by this time, ( as all who know me) my face is very red from walking so far. We go through customs, (have nothing to declare), we finally get to baggage claim after 3 different checkpoints, everyone has been so nice and so helpful all smiling. We stsrt finding our bags start counting them and yep you guessed it 1 is missing it belongs to Sarah my 18 yr old granddaughter, ok we keep looking, an official comes to help, then an assistant, they search and look, we go to lost and found they look, we find one that is identical to Sarah’s but belongs to a woman from Arkansas. AHA…the lady from Arkansas must have it. We leave the airport after James has filled out many forms, we have been in the airport for 4 hrs by now, we load all our luggage in 1 van and we get in the other, they are from the adoption agency, and head for Langfang, where we will stay until Sunday, we get 10 minutes from the airport and James gets call from airport, they have found the lost bag, it will be returned to the airport by 7 pm it is after 5 now, so we have to make a quick decision, go back to airport wait on bag, go on to Lang fang and come back,(which sounds like a really bad idea to me), our driver does not speak English, we get out the phrase book, get him to stop the car which he does, on the side where the road splits (the sign clearly states no stopping), the other van is not with us it is either ahead or behind, we get someone on the phone that can translate for us….. we get in touch with the other driver, they come back to join us which takes 30 minutes, (we left the airport at the same time)….James gets in the other van goes back to the airport we head to Lang fang. The country side is beautiful, lots of traffic lots of people on bicycle and mopeds. I nod off several times and keep praying that I don’t start snoring and scare the driver to death..

We finally arrive at Shepherd Fields the Compound where we will stay until Monday. We unload our bags and decide where we will sleep, (girls in one room boys in the other, 2 large beds in each room. Sarah has chosen our room, she and Janine share a bed and I and my C-Pap and computer share another. The Building we are staying in is wonderful. Lots of pictures to follow.

We go to a very close by and have our evening meal which is like a feast with all the food served in bowls in the middle of the table on an enormous glass lazy Susan, there is soooo much food, do they think there are more coming, when we are finished, they put all the left over’s in containers for us to take with us. We come back to the compound after we have taken a short side trip to see where David, one of my grandsons, was raised until James and Janine adopted him.

We got back to the building where we are sleeping. And I tried to work on the computer but the router does not reach upstairs and so I turned it off and went to sleep.

Up in the morning early for a tour of the compound, lots of picture taking.

Now down to some serious talking here, Let me describe the compound. It covers 6 ½ acres, it has a school, numerous offices, several buildings for children to live in, a large building that houses a large kitchen where they do all the baking and cooking a large building where they make “arts and crafts” which they sell to support the children, they use 2 old sewing machines and pray for a new sewing machine, I want to run out and buy them a dozen on the spot and have to slow down my heart and thinking. So much is needed. Tim shows us 4 new stoves that have been donated to them, they are small like our apartment size stoves in the states, he says here they cost about 1200 American dollars each, they are made in Budapest. They are building new buildings also. One of the new buildings is for training in fields of computers and other things to aid the children in supporting themselves when they are old enough, if the children reach a certain age and are not adopted, they go to another place, that is a place that has nothing for them to do, that is what they are trying to prevent from happening, the children are so special and so loving and so filled with wonder and questions. My heart is so filled with the wonder of Gods work going on here. Tim, The head of the compound, is great in explaining the workings of what they are doing and what they have done so far. There is a large playground for the children.

We walk all over then head back to the main building where we are going to eat, and it is also the building we are sleeping in.

There are oil paintings all up and down the halls of children, they are beautiful, they are also for sale, for the children, they range in price from 200. To 1200. That is RMB or China money, American it is $20. To $ 120. I see at least 20 that I want….Don’t worry Ken I will only choose one when I decide.

We eat a light lunch that we have seen prepared, and Sarah helped. It consists of pocket bread stuffed with chopped pork and vegetables and is delicious. And of course our favorite, bottled water. Then we are free until 2:30 when the children awake from there naps and then we will go to the other buildings to visit them.

So I go to my room to write…..And James heads to the bank with Tim to exchange money.And to get me a straw hat which he gets at "WALMART", you can see both in the pictures...and he went to A dirt market, where they were shopping for used tables and chairs that are needed for the buildings. They decided to build them instead...Then we go out for Peking Duck with Tim and Pam his wife and 4 of their children, they have 1 living in US in Texas, 1 in Beijing in college, and I am sorry but I cannot remember where the other daughter lives.they have 3 sons 4 daughters. Pam is absolutley wonderful and also works here at Shepherds Fields...we come back and fall into bed.

so until tomorrow friends, God be with you.

Labels: 2nd day

# posted by deemercerRN @ 7:53 AM