4 DAYS

or maybe it's 5 depends on how you count them......   :-)

I can't believe we leave in just a few days.  We had our group conference all on Thursday (which is exactly 1 year to date from our original conf call with our agency).  It was wonderful to hear from one of the founders of CCAI talk directly to us about our upcoming trip.  I just LOVE this agency.  They are with you 24/7 from the very start to after you get back home.  They even sent us a detailed outline itinerary for our trip.  Once we are in China our guides will give us the specifics for our time in each city, 

While in China we will have CCAI guides with us 24/7.  Though we will have few free days they will still be available to us the whole time we are they.  Upon arriving in Beijing we will be greeted by a guide and taken to the hotel.  Friday and Sat we will do a few tours/sightseeing.  We are looking forward to the Great Wall and have our special locked picked out already.   There is a place on the all where people bring locks and leave them.  We just need to document where we put ours so when we go back again we can find it. lol  I'm sure it's easier said than done.  

After leaving Beijing we will travel (with most of our group - there are 8 families total in ours) to the capital of our little guys province Zhengzhou (easy pronunciation Jung Joe), Henan (pronounce Huh-nen).  Gotcha day is Jan 19th.    Let's take a little side step here.

                     I know there are some people who frown on the word "Gotcha" as it means to take possession - as if to own.  To me Gotcha has always been a term of endearment.  After all I can't be the only one who hears Sonny and Cher "I got you babe" song when hearing the word "gotcha".  I think of it as something my parents or siblings would say when I was younger and we would play.  After a game of chase who doesn't love the part where a loved one says "I Gotcha".  Or while attempting to jump off the side of the pool hears "it's ok I Gotcha".  When I married my husband I told him I Gotcha, we are one, we will Always be together, nothing will tear us apart. When I am fearful and unsure I hear God tell me "I Gotcha" and I am at peace knowing I am safe from all things.  THAT'S what Gotcha means to me. 

We ask that you please pray for our little guys, us and all of our group that day.  It's a big, emotion, and scary change for our little ones and us too.  We did find out our little guy will be going from his foster family to the orphanage before we see him.  It could be a few days before or just the morning of.  In either case he'll be given a double whammy by having to leave the only home and family he's known to being in the orphanage, then coming to meet these strangers who look, smell, talk, act, and do everything different than what he's ever known.  I can only imagine the roller coaster of emotions he'll be feeling.  We continue to pray that our lord wraps his arms around our little guy and that he will start to find peace and safety with us soon.  This in itself is a long road and could take months or even years to accomplish.

During our time in Zhengzhou we will also travel to his birth city of Louhe to apply for his passport.  While here we hope to visit the orphanage and another place that is only for our little one.  We will also have plenty of time to bond during this week.

Our last stop is in Guangzhou (Guan Joe) this is where the US Consulate is where we get little guys Visa to come home and take our oath. We get his visa the next day and will return home soon after.

Time to get back to preparing for our trip.  Thanks for following along!

Blessings to you!