Christmas in Beijing - Day #3. Tomorrow Salem!

Riding through Hutong

Meeting Mrs. Zhang

Drew in Forbidden City

It was an interesting Christmas here today. We had to keep reminding
each other. Thankfully, my thoughtful and always electronically
prepared husband brought his battery operated Zune speaker for the van
which set the mood.

Driving into Tiananman Square was sobering. I wasn't sure how to
feel...it felt strange to be spending my Sunday Christmas there. The
weather was freezing and the seemingly endless walk through the
Forbidden City left my toes numb. A quick warm up in the van was just
what they needed before catching a rickshaw through Hutong. This was
my favorite tour of the day...an authentic look at the old city and
the average life of mixed class living together in such a beautiful
community. At one point we thought we passed a church...it sounded
like people singing to the Lord. At least that is what we hoped. We
were even invited into the home of a lady who had lived in Hutong for
30 years. She served us jasmine tea and peanuts and shared her
experiences living in Beijing and Nanchang. That was particularly
interesting to us as we will be traveling there tomorrow to meet our
daughter. She allowed us to ask her questions and thoroughly enjoyed
sharing her stories, as we did hearing them. At one point during the
day's tour, we passed a man with chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
We thought it quite appropriate for the day and snagged a picture.

We arrived back at the hotel earlier than expected which left room for
rest and an early crack at repacking our overstuffed luggages.
Although in country flights have more strict weight regulations on
checked luggage, as long as you can carry it, they are supposedly wide
open on the amount of carry-ons you can bring. After packing, the
three families shared Chritmas dinner together over three boxes of
Pizza Hut delivery and a can of Moravian Spice cookies. Yes, I
brought them all the way from home. Christmas just wouldn't be the
same without them:)

Now we try to sleep and wake up in time to check out and leave for the
airport at 5:40 in the morning. Tomorrw we meet Salem at noon. Four
days will be spent in Nanchang until we reunite with the other
families in Guangzou on the 30th. We will be the only Bethany family
in our province, however, there may be other agencies sending families
to meet their children alongside us. We will find out when we arrive.
Until then, we can only assume that we will be flying solo with our
guide, Mary. She will meet us at the ariport and escort us to the
hotel, then serve as our lifeline for the remainder of our time in
Nanchang. Bethany has taken wonderful care of us through these local
social workers and we are grateful! Though they don't know it now,
they will all be blessed to have their very own can of Moravian Spice
Cookies as a thank you...gotta share to love!

Good night for the last time in Beijing. Next time we post we will be
with Salem and will most likely have pictures to share. Here we go!

Chestnuts roasting...

Tiananmen Square

Merry Christmas from Beijing

Merry Christmas from Beijing! Happy birthday to our King! Ha:)...it seems fitting to begin the day with singing:) Well, to those of you celebrating Christmas Eve, we are awake with you. I have been awake since 2:00am our time and Drew in and out all night. What woke me was an unsettling feeling in my stomach. Of course, the first thing that came to mind was a stomach bug...an all too familiar travel companion that seems to follow us to the third world. I remembered that the probiotics I packed have remained untouched and took it upon myself to crack them open and chase this nasty thing away. As I returned to bed unable to even relax my thoughts, I realized that this might just be nerves. At least I am praying toward that end. I have learned that when I wake and can't go back to sleep that the Lord is giving me an opportunity to pray, so I met with him in the dark and enjoyed sweet fellowship over my active thoughts.As I initially laid back down, I realized that our family was visiting with Great Grandmother in Mount Airy and it made me glad to be awake, feeling as if we, although thousands of miles away, were with them all along. Currently, it is almost 5:00pm Christmas Eve and I am well aware that my sweet boy is probably eating Moravian buns and sipping all too sweet coffee right now as he sings Christmas carols and hears the story of the nativity. Hopefully the snack is distracting him from running to the front of the church to act out or correct whoever is telling the story. This has been a favorite activity in our home this month:) I'm sure Gommy, Grandmother and Granddaddy are joining forces to reign in the little boy's energy and excitement of the day, at least for the remainder of the Love Feast. I am glad to be awake now...it feels like I am there singing along with them as I have my entire life on this day. But, I am thrilled to be here, in the wee hours of the morning, counting down the hours until I meet my daughter.

She has been a welcome thought this morning. As she wakes up later this morning, it will be Christmas and her last full day with her foster family. I am praying for them, thanking God for their care over her, and asking the Lord to comfort their hearts as they prepare to say goodbye to our sweet girl. In 24 hours we will be waking up to packed bags and a waiting plane to take is to Jiangxi Province. We will barely have time to get to our hotel before Salem arrives. I am praying for a timely flight and quick ground transportation so we can be ready to see her walk through the doors. I have to be careful not to create too many expectations about what that will be like. Drew set the perspective well for me..."If they throw her into our arms as we step of the plane that will be ok." :) She will be ours when and however that initially takes place. I am nervous though, so pray for a calm spirit about me, How will she react? Who will she want to be held by? Will I know what she needs? Will our questions be answered thoroughly These thoughts have cycled through our minds many times as we have anticipated this day. Only God knows the answers and we are comforted in his foreknowledge of our union and all that it entails.

As for the families sleeping down the hall and waking up in Guangzou this morning, I am prayerful over them and their families at home. Somewhere in South Dakota, Michigan, and Wisconsin, loved ones are waiting to hear the news just like you. Until then, we wait and celebrate our King Jesus, His life, death and resurrection and OUR adoption as sons and daughters into His forever family! Merry Christmas!

(Received from Amy 5:37pm EST, which is 12/25 6:37am in Guangzou, China!)

Day #2 in China

What an incredible day of experiencing China first hand! We are completely zonked yet so grateful for beautiful weather and the opportunity to experience our daughter's country and culture.

After our fill of the ultimate chinese breakfast buffet, we metJasmine for a tour of a lifetime. First, we drove for what seemed like over an hour to the Cloisonne factory only to find out that it was closed for the holidays. So we took a little detour and had the welcome surprise of visiting a jade factory where we watched master craftsmen carving beautiful and unique sculptures from all types of jade mined in different regions of China...oh and we spent a little bit of money on a sweet necklace pendant for Salem:) From there, we ventured through the mountains where we hopped on a cable car which took us directly up toward the Great Wall. We spent about and hour and a half climbing up and over ancient stones. The wind was furious but a welcome cold with all the exercise we were getting. We could have spent the entire day up there exploring. With every turn, a new perspective emerged keeping the family photographer intrigued:) Looking over the endless mountain ranges, I pondered again at the majesty of the Lord and His plans to have us here. To be absolutely on the other side of the world, so far from home and family, yet so close to our newest family member, ready to scoop her up and escort back home brought tears to my eyes. For such a time as this, we have become parents to this beautiful creation God has made. On our way back to the cable cars for our descent, I realized that in 48 hours, we will see her face for the first time. The long wait is closing in and the union is near...the thought even more breathtaking than our view!

The other families we are with have been so inspiring to us. We have both thought this and expressed it to each other and want to bless them with those words at some point tomorrow. Both families are adopting special needs girls, one with spina bifida and the other with cerebral palsy. It has been fascinating to listen to their stories and the journey that God has carved out for their families. It has specifically blessed me to hear how in the Lord's leading, they have responded in faith and fiercely pursued these girls. Our long hours in the van has created much time for hearing these stories and for pondering the greatness of our God in His deep care over us. We have noticed and they have expressed their nervousness over what will take place in a few days. As they have been faithfully praying for God to prepare the hearts of these girls to meet their families, please join us all as we lift them up. Our sovereign God has ordained these moments yet to be experience by us near-sighted individuals. May we look to Him in faith to provide the strength an courage to trust Him in His wisdom in building our families for His glory! In the midst of these conversations, we were surprised by a visit to another Cloisonne factory and family style Chinese lunch greatly welcomed by our worn out bodies. The intricacy of the artwork done by this culture is mind boggling. When we see the work and dedication put forth to producing just one piece, our appreciation for thefinished product leaves us in awe. After shopping and filling our bellies, we headed out to our last stop, Olympic Village!If you know me well, you know that I am an Olympic fiend! Not much gets done when they roll around every 2 years and Beijing 2008 was no different. It was nice that I had a great excuse for doing "nothing" that summer. Jonathan was only a few months old when Michael Phelps won his 8 gold metals. It was epic and I was just sure that my long and lean, web-footed son would be the next to break his record. I am still holding to that:) So, to have the opportunity to see the Bird'sNest and the Water Cube was incredible. Not only did we see it, but we got to get out of the van and walk around, take pictures, and refuse to buy every nick nack the vendors felt sure they could sell to us unsuspecting Americans...I must say it was difficult to pass up the ashtray in the shape of the Bird's Nest or the "gold" metal encrusted with jade. I could have hung that on Jonathan's wall for inspiration! Oh, well. Drew snagged some great pictures and I fulfilled my giddy need to be a part of the event that happened 3 and a half years ago...better late than never!

With weary bodies and droopy eyes, we all tipped the driver well and stumbled to our rooms for a rest before dinner. Only four of us made it as one couple fell fast asleep for the night. Dinner gave way to yet another wonderful conversation about our journeys and a deepening of respect for those walking this road with us. Please lift up along with Salem, Meilynn and Quinn. Their adjustment will be very different from Salem's as they are much older. Please pray for them to feel at peace and comforted by their new parents and to be accepting of these wonderful couples who have come so far for them.Pray for our first moments together, that God will give us everything we need to love and serve our girls, and for the days to follow. As I write this, our Christmas Eve is coming to a close, and Christmas Day will soon be here. Ironically, we will be spending our day at Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City and on rickshaws through Hutong. Our hearts will be celebrating Christ, the reigning King over even this vast country and all of its devastation. His kingdom is coming here and all over the globe. Happy Birthday to our great King Jesus! We love you all and LOVE sharing China with you!

Our adoption group.

China day #1 update

Amy here:) Here are some pics to post and an update of our day.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Travel to the eastern hemisphere has been long, yet suprisingly we seem to be close to catching up to a 13 hour jump into the future. After landing in Beijing around 9:00, we had managed to stay mostly awake (with the exception of a few short naps) since 4:00 EST. From the time we left Chattanooga to arriving here, we had been traveling for 26 hours, and as we fell asleep, we said goodbye to a very long day of 31 hours. At the airport, we met up with another Bethany family, flew though customs, and met Jasmine holding a Bethany sign. She escorted us to our hotel and we called it a night. I must say that we are grateful to the Bethany team for our travel schedule. Arriving here when we could take advantage of a full night's sleep was ideal!

We awoke to the honking of horns on a beautifully clear morning. At 10:00 we met up with two other Bethany families and Shiyan for our orientation.

Shiyan has been working locally with Bethany for over 20 years. Speaking with her brought much comfort and clarity to the process. Her experience is so valuable to us and we are thankful for her. Shiyan told us that the workers in Salem's province take very good care of the children. In such a poor province, the opportunity for work is appreciated and taken very seriously. Families commonly foster children there as an added income. From what we know, Salem has been very well taken care of by her foster family. Although we won't have the opportunity to meet them, we are grateful for their deep love and care for our daughter.

Salem is the youngest of the group (11 months). The other families with us are adopting children 2 years and 8 years of age. One of the other families traveling with us is here for a second time, so they have been wonderful to have as experienced travelers.

Lunchtime gave way to many stories and created a time for the three families to bond. It is nice to have such a small group as we can comfortably fall into getting to know one another and sharing the experience. After lunch, we followed them to a favorite market where we stocked up on bottled water and snacks. At 4:30, Jasmine met us in the lobby to escort us to a Chinese acrobat show. Traffic here is much like traffic we have experienced in South America. I think Drew wanted to be in the driver's seat. It equates in his mind to a real life video game. It was enjoyable to watch the locals on a Friday evening navigate their way home from work in the mangled yet considerate way they do. It makes for good entertainment on an hour's ride that should have taken 20 minutes. By the time we arrived the show was half over, so Jasmine managed to get us tickets for the next show, too!

In the meantime, we got to experience Chinese KFC. We, along with Colonel Sanders I'm sure, were disappointed. You just can't mess with his original recipe.The acrobats were amazing! Jasmine shared that most of them begin training when they are younger than 10, some starting as young as 3. The level of strength and precision displayed left me realizing that we have been given great potential with our bodies and that this one needs to get back to the gym:) Sleepily we rode back to the hotel and said our goodnights.

Tomorrow will come earlier than today as we head out to the Cloissonne Factory and the Great Wall (so stinkin' excited about that!) Can't wait to post pictures tomorrow. In the mean time, enjoy some from today.

Thank you for your continued prayers for us and Salem. Please pray that our good health would remain for the duration of the trip and that the Lord would continue to prepare us perfectly over the next few days to meet our daughter and care for her well. Please pray that He would build in her heart an affection for us and that in first seeing us she will feel at home and comforted. We have reason to believe that she has seen our faces in the pictures we sent in her care package a few months ago, so she very well may recognize us as her "mama" and "baba". We also know that this transition could be very tramatic for her, so pray that the Lord would bring her comfort quickly. We love you all and are so glad you are taking this journey with us. More to come tomorrow...

Safely in China!

We landed an hour early, and arrived at the hotel around 10:30 tonight. We're 13 hours ahead of you guys. We'll go through orientation tomorrow, and then we'll get our head around the next few days. We met one other family in our group of five. They were in front of us in the security line, and we got to know them while waiting on luggage and riding to the hotel. They are from South Dakota. Other than the extremely dry air and the coughing it produced, we had a very good flight. We stayed awake as much as possible, so it feels like it was one really long day. Looking forward to going to bed now. Will hopefully share a few pics tomorrow night of this side of the world.

Packing our bags

Well, all our documents are in hand, and we are a few days away from the 35 hour trip to Beijing. We're very thankful for so many people who are holding the ropes while we are away for two weeks. We've got house sitters, subs, and extra help all over the place.

Now that we have the official travel invitation, we can share Salem's picture online. Of course, the only pic we have is now almost five months old, so we are very eager to see her in person.

One person who will help us out here is my brother, Chris. Assuming we can get email through the great firewall of China, I'll send him pics and updates to post on the site. Thanks, Chris.

Obviously, we didn't switch over to a different blog site. Chris is most familiar with blogger, so we are staying put.

Please check back with us in a couple of days. I'll post our travel plans as soon as we have them (yeah, crazy). I'm putting together a list of ways to pray for us while we are in China. Check back Tuesday.

We've seen Salem!

It's finally here. We received the referral package on Tuesday, and we hope to travel before Christmas to get Salem and bring her home! She was born in January of 2011, so this will be her first Christmas! Our agency has encouraged us not to post the picture right now, so bump into us and we'll share her beautiful face with you.

Yesterday, I realized that most people in Chattanooga have known us longer as "the family waiting for their daughter in China" for the majority of the time they've known us. That's pretty crazy. Well, we're about to change status! Jonathan is thrilled, and he's already bought Salem a pink giraffe blanket to match his Kiki Monkey.

When we can share more, we will happily post it. Until then, we look forward to the rest of our matching group to get their approvals in the mail (ours was mailed back within 5 hours of receipt!) so China can begin processing travel permissions.

Thanks so much for praying with us through this long wait. God is so kind, and we trust His timing as much as His faithfulness. This little girl is Salem Scott, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Next stop: Jaingxi.

One more thing. Next week, we're moving our blog to Wordpress. After being away from blogspot for a couple of years, I feel like I just stepped back in time. I'll post a link then.

Easter 2009

We had a beautiful Easter Day and took lots of pictures.....it was a worshipful morning, remembering the ressurrection of Jesus, and celebrating Christ risen to live in us daily!!!

Jonathan's First Swing into Spring

Consignment sales are great when there's something you've been wanting and you actually find it there...such is the case at the Scott house with J's new Little Tikes Swing...oh the joy of a little boy discovering new exciting adventures...only one of the many he has yet to delight in:)

There's just nothing sweeter than the laugh of your child...enjoy with us!

Jonathan at 6 months

Can you believe it? Little baby Jonathan is a big 6 months. Our little boy is 28 inches tall. It's been a while since we've added anything - December was a whirlwind. I've got a few videos I'd like to get up in the next weeks.



In the meantime, you can enjoy some more of Diana Simpson's photography! She came by today to photograph Jonathan at 6 months. Go to her blog for more pics and a slideshow.

Jonathan's First Swim

Saturday was the day Amy's been looking forward to for a long time! We suited Jonathan up and ran over to the Y for a little free swim. I think he liked it.

Jonathan at the Park

We took a trip to the park last week to take some 3 month photos of Jonathan. Drew did a great job of capturing his budding personality.

He is smiling and laughing a lot---loves to look at any face, and will talk to you if your commit to having a conversation with him:)

Daddy picked out the alligator toy. He and Jonathan became friends very quickly!

At the Lake House

We enjoyed a couple of relaxing days with our friends Todd and Diana at their folks' lake house last weekend. Jonathan turned 2 months, Daddy turned 408 months, and Mommy turned a couple of 360s on a kneeboard. It was a lot of fun.

Jonathan's Mat Time

Where's our certificate?

We've completed the first month of our new homeschool class, "Parenting by the Seat of Your Pants." Jonathan is one month old, and we are enjoying every day. He is getting more cheeky, and we realized he's put on a nice round belly. He's starting to fuss a little more, so it turns out we don't have a "freakishly perfect baby." I'm learning the upside down principle of tired babies: if baby gets too tired (from going out or breaking routine), their little brain prefers crying to actually resting. It didn't make sense at first, but now I equate it to nights that I'm so tired, I can't turn off the TV. Boys never learn.

Gommy brought Jonathan a special shirt from Oak Island, slightly modified to reflect our story. It says "Someone who loves me went to Oak Island, NC and got ME." Just right.

I've shot some video, but I need to sit down and get it into a watchable format. I've always said that I would NOT be the parent who makes friends (or enemies) sit through 15 minutes of video to find that one scene when the kid does something adorable. ("It's coming up soon - I promise!") I look forward to sharing a little montage of Jonathan's first month.

Amy's been keeping one eye on Jonathan and the other on the Olympics. It's been exciting to think about China and Salem as so much media attention has been focused on China, her people, and her culture. I look forward to seeing the "Bird's Nest" in person when we go and get Jonathan's little sister.

Our friends have been great - folks are bringing a couple of meals by each week, and everyone asks about how we are doing. We are good. Sleepy at times, but not edgy. But what you really want to see are pictures, so here ya go.

By the way, don't be surprised if we move the blog over to Wordpress. Me no likey the way blogger works with photos so much. We'll let you know.

2 weeks old and hittin' the road!

We're gearing up for our first family road trip since Jonathan came home. Gone are the days of two duffel bags and "if we forget it, we don't need it." Jonathan has been sleeping well, so we are eager to see how he does in multiple venues.

We're going to a conference north of DC with Sovereign Grace and we are excited. A great conference will become a bigger adventure as we enjoy it with the little man. As a bonus, we will get to visit with the Northern Scotts on the way back.

In case you haven't heard, God did an incredible thing last week through our church. As surprised as we were byJonathan's arrival, the necessary fees were a bit of a shock as well. We trusted God knew what He was doing, but we didn't know how we were going to see Him take care of the expense. Our church family stepped in and generously provided what we needed. That's no small thing - praise God! You can read our response on Concord's blog.

Baby pictures!

Our friend, Diana Simpson, is an amazing photographer. Just to prove it, visit her site to see some pictures of Jonathan. She spent Tuesday morning with us, and we had a blast. I had no idea a photo shoot could be so much fun. You can look at more pics as a slide show on the same site. Thanks, Diana!

Amy's mom and Drew's parents have been with us for the last several days, fixing up the nursery and getting our house retrofitted for baby. It has been a huge blessing.

We need to figure out how to share stuff folks actually want to read, but a day by day journal would be pretty dull. We'll post when he adds a new trick to his crowd pleasing routine of cry (politely, or course), eat with enhusiasm, burp, poop, and sleep beautifully.

A funny thing happened...

A funny thing happened on the way to finding Salem. And it happened quickly. We'd like to introduce you to our son, Jonathan David.

We'll post more in a bit. We're all doing fine, although a "good night's sleep" now has a different standard of measure.

Thank you for praying for us as we receive this amazing blessing. And don't forget to pray for Salem. With the Olympics and other issues in China, we still expect to wait another 18 months to hear news from Beijing. In that time, we'll have to update our files and China wil review us again. Plus, we'll be raising Salem's big brother. Praise God!

By the way, Cody is learning to love Jonathan, too. He has not, however, offered to help with 3 a.m. feedings.

A Heartbreaking Article

Hello all. I've been looking forward to posting some info about our work over the past 5 months getting the house ready for Salem. I've also had several thoughts I wanted to write out. All very cheery, very hopeful stuff. However, reading this heartbreaking article prompted me to post it first. Thanks to Tim Challies for the reference.

From the article:
The demand is so high that child traffickers unable to find enough willing parties have resorted to snatching youngsters off the streets - and 70,000 disappear each year.

Wang Lee started trading in people in 1985 when he was offered money for his girlfriend. After his wife died, he sold his toddler son. "There's plenty of demand everywhere," he said. "You can sell anywhere, anytime. Demand isn't the problem. The problem is supply.

"When I started you could hook eight out of ten girls, just by having sex with them. It was easy to trick them. Now I'm not selling women so much, mainly just children. If it's a pretty girl then maybe I can get £500 or £600.

"But girls who are ugly, you can't give them away. A boy - goodlooking, a few months old - £700 to £800. But a one or two-year-old boy can fetch an even higher price: £1,100 to £1,200. If the boy's cute and the buyer is rich, maybe more. It's all about negotiation."

Child trafficking is a reality in China, and as our wait has grown, I have found these stories more heartbreaking. It's not because I believe child trafficking is slowing down our adoption - that would be an incredibly self-centered response to this article. This is so much bigger than our slow-coming family. Rather, it is another glimpse of the broken families and the broken system from which our daughter will come. I cannot help but think about the predicament that Salem's birthmom will find herself in when I read about Wai Ling and her newborn at the top of the article.

I am, at the same time, grateful that Salem will be spared from this scenario. Thousands of girls are sold as instant or future wives or much worse. Pray that the Chinese government will act against this abuse. And pray that families will take the courageous (though illegal) step to leave their children to be adopted rather than marketed. I'll also ask you to pray for God to intervene, both in changing the culture that puts all hope in male heirs for the future, devaluing women and turning children into commodities and in the abolition of China's One Child policy. These are not easy problems - they are deep and interconnected. The Gospel has the answer to both of these issues, so pray for the believers in China.

Finally, pray for the lost daughters (and now, sons) of China.

A Sleepy Saturday

Hello to all:) I must say we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends who are faithful to pray and check in on us, even after taking a 10 month hiatus from our blog. You guys are great:)

Today I woke up feeling a little puny, so I am having a sleepy Saturday. The Scott's (Drew's parents) are here for a week to help with the house project. They are in the back of the house getting the walls ready for a second coat of compound while I sit here and rest. (Thanks!)

I guess I should fill you all in for those of you who don't know what is going on here at our little cedar abode. After months of sporadic contemplation on moving to add more space, we began to envision our home being the home our children know. So, we spent the next few months researching, drawing countless blueprints, and planning. In April, we demolished our garage to make way for stronger walls and a second story. We have spent our summer here, working and learning a lot (not only about building a home, but about each other:)). Many people from our church and home have come to help us during each stage of the process. Last week, we finished hanging sheet rock and now have one coat of compound on the walls. Added to the back of our house, now rests (atop our garage) an upstairs master bedroom and bathroom, and a nursery:) We are beginning to imagine little feet pitter-pattering their way down the hallway. It's so fun to go into the nursery and envision the room where our daughter will sleep and play, the corner where she will read countless books, and walls that will surround her.

In the waiting, as the Lord has faithfully led us, we have been so blessed by the many twists and turns that have been in our path. At a time when many people seem to acknowledge the long wait as a negative thing, God had poured His grace on us to recognize it as His time for perfecting of our hearts. Daily we are growing and being challenged in this race of life, and in the midst of it all, He is building our family into a stronger one. We are so grateful for the wisdom of the Lord, to lead us in the way we should go, and for seeing our need for this time in preparing us to be parents.

Please continue to pray for Salem. Pray as the Lord prompts your heart. We love you all!!!