An Emotional and Exhausting Day

Today was a doozie! We took a three hour bus ride with Chloe and the other families to visit the orphanage Chloe spent the first months of her life. There are 80 kids (age newborn to 2 1/2) living in a clean, humble yet well maintained government facility. There are 10 kind people caring for all these sweet babies who are mostly girls.

I was surprised we were able to visit the room where Chloe had been only five days earlier. It was a cold, clean room with approximately 40 steel cribs with wooden "mattresses" and no covers. Some kids were crying, some standing staring at us, some oddly were sitting on the cold linoleum floor and others were amazingly sleeping. Many of us clung to our kids as we looked in amazement and shed tears of sadness for those who still needed parents. I took some pictures but felt a bit wierd about it -- what was I taking pictures for really? I saw a baby crying who was not in her crib so I picked her up hoping the caretakers would not mind. We were all walking in a daze until it was time to leave. I am amazed that Chloe is so well adapted clearly having a clean and caring place but little staff to care for all the needs little ones have.

Most orphanages do not let families visit let alone take pictures due to an extremely negative documentary on Chinese orphanages ten years ago yet we were priviledged to do so. As you look, please pray for the children that they too will have parents one day soon.

Our bus ride on the way back was stressful and tiring. There was been a shortage of gas due to teh hurricanes that have hit China so we were a bit anxious when our bus had stopped at the third gas station and the signs said "No GAS". Scott and I prayed that the next stop had gas as we could not imagine bearing the heat with a bunch of hungry and tired babies on the bus!! What a disaster that would have been. Sure enough at the next stop there was gas. God provides! Hallelujah. After the gas crisis, we hit traffic about 30 miles away from our hotel and it took us SEVEN hours to return. I have never experienced such a traffic jam in my life! Here in China they do not believe in lanes or lines -- everone just squishes in and tries to go their way. Some of the problem was due to some semi trucks stopping in the far right "lane" for a nap. People were getting out of their cars, trucks etc. It was a mess! We all cheered when the bus driver pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. It was late so we ordered room service (which was less than desirable) and hit the pillows hard.