Safe In The Arms of the Shepherd

Safe In The Arms of the Shepherd
This is Who we want our children to know!

Saturday, December 8, 2012

More foster family pics . . .

We hired a taxi for the day (600 yen - @ 100 USD) and drove way out into the Chinese countryside. The transition from city to country was quite rapid and surprising. Gasoline and cars cost too much for anyone to live much out in the suburbs, so the cities and packed, and I mean packed! The roads were excellent, wide and empty. Even in the countryside there was no grass to speak of. Just reddish dirt everywhere. Michael did tell us, however, that the government pays a per tree stipend to anyone who plants young trees to help China be tree-covered. They have to have the money to buy the trees, but they receive so much per year from then on, and it can be a handsome income for not having to do much. So we could see young trees planted in ways that nature did not accomplish all along our way.

They have a friend who owns a car, and with cell phone contact they were trying to intercept and meet us. It was confusing because we kept pulling off the road to look for them and make a call. When we finally found each other, we got out of the car, expecting greetings, and the dad picked up YiLi and ran to the other car and got it! Rick turned into super dad and also ran over and got into that car! We did not know what was going on. Turns out they were just excited to see her, but Rick and I has already talked that she would never be out of our sight just in case!

When we arrived at the village, everyone literally streamed into the house. It became very joyful and chaotic at the same time and I can't wait for everyone to see all the pictures and hear the whole story! We were a tiny bit afraid that YiLi would become mix up, but at the end of the day, we said our goodbyes and she jumped into the taxi and said that that was not hard at all. I am glad that she was able to transition, but I disagree. This was a very difficult day, especially at the goodbye part, and I feel compassion for that mama and baba who raised YiLi as a daughter for almost 8 years and then lost her, even though they know it is for her best. Pray for their hurting hearts please. They care for YiLi deeply and I felt such a connection to them.

When I first photographed the food dishes, there were 6, Then there were 8, and then MORE THAN 20 dishes in our honor, all on a low table like a coffee table, and we sat on camping stools around the food. They went next door and got us big spoons because they felt so sorry for us with our chopsticks. Several types of seafood with the sea being so close. Amazing! Ohm and the neighbors made dumplings and brought bowls and bowls of them over . . .











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