Last Day in Nanning

Hello,

Our last day here in Nanning has been a little slower-paced. We have spent a little time getting some last-minute paperwork finished, including securing Bethany's passport. Glen took us to a marketplace this morning to shop and "hang with the locals" and then we grabbed some lunch at KFC...not quite the kind we have though! At lunch and shortly after, we experienced Bethany's strong will we've heard about, and we had a little bit of a tantrum. It was mostly due to exhaustion, and she fell asleep in my arms on our walk home. She awakened back at the hotel and was sad for a few minutes, calling for her foster mother, but with some distraction she quickly recovered and has been silly and jabbering all afternoon. She can be quite loud at times, so she'll fit in well with the boys. :)

Glen is translating the memory books we got from the Orphanage Director earlier this week, so I am anxious to read through the details of her first 3 years of life. Today at lunch he was telling me some of what he remembered as he works on it, such as "she is very stubborn and is always wanting her way" and "she takes care of everyone at school, making sure they are doing what they are supposed to." Sounds like a pretty strong girl to me!! (And maybe a little bit like her mother??) He also said that the papers say that she is very clever and enjoys doing detail work, such as putting beads on a string.

Falling asleep on the way back to the hotel after shopping.

A large mural of country leaders. I mean HUGE!


We ended our day by walking to the People's Park for some play time and cool air, and ended up taking a little boat ride. After some "on-the-job self-training," Dan and Darryl figured out how to maneuver our watercraft around the very green lake. We then walked back to the hotel, ordered room service, and began packing for our flight out to Guangzhou tomorrow.


Enjoying the ride in a paddleboat.

Dan & Darryl powering the paddleboat.
The year of the bull. Pretty neat eh?

Some of you have asked if this is real for us yet...that we will be bringing her home to MN. In a way, it isn't yet, because this isn't our "real life" right now. She is with us, but she is still in her culture with familiar sights, sounds, food, language, etc. We're pretty sure she thinks our home is a hotel room! And we don't feel at home here... I am trying to think in my mind of how things will work when we get back to our boys and our home, but I really am trying not to have any expectations. Those of you who know me well know that I would like nothing more than to hit the ground running, returning to the normal routine when we get home, but I know that can't happen. It will be a new normal, and although I am dying to know what that will be, God is asking me to "be still" and wait. Grrrrr....it's that lesson in patience and His timing again!! I just might have a tantrum like Bethany did earlier today. :)

Thanks for checking in on us again. We continue to enjoy and are encouraged by your comments and notes.

Lots of love, Becky (and Dan and Bethany)