We then spent January 1st and 2nd site seeing in Beijing along with Laura and Shiyan. We had a very small travel group and would be in province alone as the 3 families were going to 3 different cities.
Then on Sunday morning we got up and headed to the airport. Click here for the post from that day.
The short story is 100 year record snow storm, hundreds of flights cancelled and delayed. As a frequent traveler I could see quickly it was going to be a long day as snow piled up on the wings of our aircraft. We finally ended up back at the hotel we had started at some 14 hours later and then took a train on that Monday morning.
That Monday we saw miracles as a chance meeting between Shiyan and a Chinese business lady led to them taking care of us at the train station and them getting us out to our guide. I am not sure what would have happened if those 6 business people had not taken us under their wings, they were a true blessing and answer to prayer. We finally make it to our hotel about 24 hours late and have time for a quick lunch before heading out to become Maria's parents.
Read the post from Gotya day at: click here
I have to say out of all of our travels around the world, that day in the Beijing airport was an experience. But in the end it was all worth it. We have had other bad experiences in that airport, just ask Aaron about "OK NO Problem" during Shiyan's trip and the 7 hour delay getting to her, oh what an experience that day was. You will have to dig back through the blog and read that post from March 2007.
As a parent you will do amazing things to take care of your children. I remember that afternoon knowing that Maria was about to head from New Day to Zhengzhou and that we would not be there to meet her. I remember telling the guide that I did not care if he had to rent a dog sled to get me there I was going to find a way to get to Zhengzhou. I finally had to yell at George our guide to get his attention and make it clear that we were going to find a way to get there. I ran up a $120 international roaming bill on my cell phone that day trying to get out of that airport. We called CCAI in the middle of the night here in the US to get them to help us make arrangements. It reminded me of the movie, Plains, Trains and Automobiles. In the end we made it and the transition went as smoothly as could be expected for adopting a 4.5 year old. God provided for her health, helped us get her home where an excellent medical team could care for her and repair her heart.
We are so thankful for the staff at New Day and for how they cared for her. For people that contributed to New Day so she could have that first life saving surgery. We are thankful for everyone that prayed for her before we were selected to adopt her, for those that continued to pray for her until we could get there and for those that prayed for her during travel, bonding etc. God was faithful in answering those prayers and today we look at a beautiful little girl that does anything she sets her mind to and amazes us on a regular basis.
We are thankful that we answered that call to adopt and for the blessing that Maria has been to our family.
So today we celebrate her Gotya day. We will go eat Chinese food as a family, we will be thankful for the blessings we have and for the ways God has blessed us through adoption. We are thankful that we were the ones chosen to be Maria's parents, as we are thankful for each and every one of our children.
Stay tuned we are only a few months from traveling back to China again, at least in Spring we hopefully won't have to worry about snow storms.
Happy Gotya Day Maria, we love you.
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