 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
february 4:
The Jade Factory
We learned more about jade than we thought there was to know. Jade comes in
many colors other than green like lavender and white. Among the things that make it
valuable are its hardness, its luster, and its translucency. Women in China practice
the generational custom of wearing a jade bracelet and passing it down to their
daughter when she turns 16 or when she gets married. The jade actually improves
in appearance with wear over the years as it absorbs body oils from the skin
The ship at the left was carved from a single piece of jade..
We learned more about jade than we thought there was to know. Jade comes in
many colors other than green like lavender and white. Among the things that make it
valuable are its hardness, its luster, and its translucency. Women in China practice
the generational custom of wearing a jade bracelet and passing it down to their
daughter when she turns 16 or when she gets married. The jade actually improves
in appearance with wear over the years as it absorbs body oils from the skin
The ship at the left was carved from a single piece of jade..
Marisa Mei-Lian Freeman
The Great Wall
We finally got to climb the Great Wall of China.
The section we climbed was STEEP! We were
winded after about the first ten steps which, by
the way are extremely uneven and worn from
the many many people who have climbed them
for many many years.
Air pollution in Beijing is really bad! We didn't
notice it much until today at the Great Wall. As
we were driving up in the mountains, we
realized that the evergreen trees weren't really
green, but brown from all the dust that had
settled on them. We couldn't see the
mountains clearly for all the haze. After we were
back on the bus, a group of us decided that we
felt like it must feel to be a heavy smoker with
emphysema climbing a mountain.
We finally got to climb the Great Wall of China.
The section we climbed was STEEP! We were
winded after about the first ten steps which, by
the way are extremely uneven and worn from
the many many people who have climbed them
for many many years.
Air pollution in Beijing is really bad! We didn't
notice it much until today at the Great Wall. As
we were driving up in the mountains, we
realized that the evergreen trees weren't really
green, but brown from all the dust that had
settled on them. We couldn't see the
mountains clearly for all the haze. After we were
back on the bus, a group of us decided that we
felt like it must feel to be a heavy smoker with
emphysema climbing a mountain.
Today's Videos
Above is a clip from the awesome bilingual church
service we attended at the Beijing International
Christian Fellowship. To it's right is a clip from our
walk up the Great Wall and then to the right is our
daily clip of all the pictures we took. Our song today is
Walk 500 Miles by Steven Curtis Chapman. Can I say
we feel like we did. :-)
Above is a clip from the awesome bilingual church
service we attended at the Beijing International
Christian Fellowship. To it's right is a clip from our
walk up the Great Wall and then to the right is our
daily clip of all the pictures we took. Our song today is
Walk 500 Miles by Steven Curtis Chapman. Can I say
we feel like we did. :-)
Table Number 1
To simplify things at meal times our guides have assigned us to tables with
families who are adopting from our same orphanage. We have enjoyed
getting to know the Cronks and the Gerlemans these last few days. The
Begemans were at our table yesterday, but things got rearranged a bit.
Today's conversation centered around our emotions about getting our
daughters TOMORROW! We are all excited but nervous, too. Will she like
us right away? What if she won't stop crying? What are you bringing with
you when we meet them? Do you think you'll adopt from China again? That
one is jumping a little bit ahead!
To simplify things at meal times our guides have assigned us to tables with
families who are adopting from our same orphanage. We have enjoyed
getting to know the Cronks and the Gerlemans these last few days. The
Begemans were at our table yesterday, but things got rearranged a bit.
Today's conversation centered around our emotions about getting our
daughters TOMORROW! We are all excited but nervous, too. Will she like
us right away? What if she won't stop crying? What are you bringing with
you when we meet them? Do you think you'll adopt from China again? That
one is jumping a little bit ahead!
Squatty Potty
Yesterday you got the split pants photo, and today you're
getting the squatty potty. What is so compelling about
bathroom functions?!
There are normal toilets in all the places we have visited so
far, but there are many more of these. I haven't personally
experienced the squatty potty yet, but I know that at least one
in our family has.
Yesterday you got the split pants photo, and today you're
getting the squatty potty. What is so compelling about
bathroom functions?!
There are normal toilets in all the places we have visited so
far, but there are many more of these. I haven't personally
experienced the squatty potty yet, but I know that at least one
in our family has.
This one's for you Jacob....
TURK for Congress supporter
spotted on the Great Wall in China!
TURK for Congress supporter
spotted on the Great Wall in China!
Goodbye Radisson SAS Beijing
This has been our home for the last three
days. We have enjoyed it, but we are ready to
fly out in the morning to Guangzhou, city in
Guangdong where little Lian Yuan Qiu will
become Marisa Mei-Lian Freeman!
This has been our home for the last three
days. We have enjoyed it, but we are ready to
fly out in the morning to Guangzhou, city in
Guangdong where little Lian Yuan Qiu will
become Marisa Mei-Lian Freeman!
It is 9:30 pm in Beijing and our bags are packed and waiting outside the door to be delivered to the airport. Our bus leaves the
hotel at 6:30 am. We will arrive in Guangzhou around noon and meet Marisa at 4:00 pm (that's 2:00 am for those of you in the
Central Time zone).
Please pray for a smooth transition for Marisa as she is torn (likely tearfully) from everything she has known in the first year of her
life. Pray for safe travel - both ours and hers - and lots of patience! We also ask you to pray that God will give her a
supernatural understanding of what is happening to her.
We serve an awesome God and we know that he cares deeply for orphans!
hotel at 6:30 am. We will arrive in Guangzhou around noon and meet Marisa at 4:00 pm (that's 2:00 am for those of you in the
Central Time zone).
Please pray for a smooth transition for Marisa as she is torn (likely tearfully) from everything she has known in the first year of her
life. Pray for safe travel - both ours and hers - and lots of patience! We also ask you to pray that God will give her a
supernatural understanding of what is happening to her.
We serve an awesome God and we know that he cares deeply for orphans!