Our Last Sleep!

It's almost 9PM here in China. We are staying on Sha Mian Island in Guangzhou. Tomorrow is the big day.
My plan to have pictures up for you when you wake has been spoiled by the fact that Blogger is blocked here. Grrr.... But my back up plan is to email everything to my mom and she will post for me! So now you have to wait for her to wake up! LOL!
Leaving HK and entering China has definately been the most challenging portion of our trip. They took our temperature at checkin, then they riffled through my carryon because I had fingernail clippers and tweezers. My bad, but they've been in there all along. The funny thing is that I looked all over for those tweezers the night before and figured I had left them at home! Not! Then when we landed, we were unable to even stand up and get our bags. The 'guys in the white bubble suits' entered the plane from the rear and took each person's temperature. It hadn't even been an hour since we had it taken in HK, but oh well! A guy 2 rows up from us set the thing to beeping... twice! He had to remove it hat and lift his shaggy bangs and it still beeped. So the guy in the white bubble suit made him shut the blinds and turn on his air vent. He returned and tried again and he was fine! Whew!
Our hotel room is very small here, it's making me miss HK! We have a King size bed here as well, but it's about 1/2 the size of the one in HK. Oh, well, the room is about 1/2 the cost too. The food in the hotel is terrible, so we're going to HAVE to venture out.
Our guide is wonderful! She's so sweet and we're going to enjoy spending time with her. Tomarrow, at about 2:30 PM here, 1:30 AM there, is when we are scheduled to get Jia. This at times just overwhelms me if I pause long enough to let it. Mostly we've just been on survival mode... just get our selves through this 14 hour flight, just get ourselves through Japanese immigration, customs, get ourselves to and from the hotel in Tokyo because we missed our connection, just trust the airline will reschedule our flight, just get in the taxi and tell them where your hotel is, just do this, do that, etc.... etc.... I know once we get home, this is all going to hit what we've been through, but for now, we just do what we gotta do and don't think about it.
I can't even begin to tell you the emotions... there are just too many. Of course there's fear, doubt, fear, doubt, we're tired, we're hungry for some real food (oreo's), we're homesick at times when we let our selves think about it, and part of us is just ready to come home.
BUT.... tomarrow is the day we've waited over 3 years for! We're overjoyed. I really feel such peace about getting Jia. I know she's meant to be part of our family. I know she needs a Mama, Baba and 3 Ge-Ge's desperatley. I know she needs us. We will hold it together and get her home. The thought of 2 more weeks here though is excruciating. We'll certainly have to take it one day at a time. Once we have her I know it will be different. We'll catch that 2nd wind for a few days... then we'll just have to take it one day at a time again!
We did spend a little time walking around the island tonight. I must say, I can't wait to shop! All those adorable little Chinese dresses made my head spin! I can't wait to buy some! Our guide has a hertiage tour of 12 adoptees coming in the 26th, and she said when we have the big group, she'll take us in to Guangzhou to the pearl market. She's also invited us to her home to have her husband cook for us one night! And there's another family that will be getting their daughter with us tomorrow. Their daughter is not from the same orphanage, but the same city! So our guide is going to ask if our 2 families can travel to the city and visit the orphanage. I'm not getting my hopes up because of the swine flu... but I truly hope we can!
I can't think of much else to say except that if you're reading, please comment. Please email us... we get them just fine. Please leave me messages on Facebook! It's so lonely to get on Facebook when you're all sleeping! We've had a couple of emails from Brad and Tolane and we just look forward to them! Please leave us some encouragement, some scripture, some Rah! Rah! Ree! Something. It really is nice to hear from you all and feel connected.
We Skype with my parents and the boys most every night and morning, it's really working out well. We can talk free via the computer through a headset and it sounds like they're right here with us.
Anyway... 2:30 PM here for us, 1:30 AM there for you.... if you're up and feel compelled to pray for us, please do so! We need it!
Love you all....
Jack and Joy
PS... I just proof read my post and thought portions of it may sound a little troublesome. We truly are fine, we just feel very displaced. Can't wait to get our daughter and get home!

JUST ONE MORE SLEEP!!!!

Can you believe it? It hardly seems real to me. Just one more sleep!
Our flight leaves at 1:10 today and we go from HK to Guangzhou. Arriving there at 1:44. Our guide, Molly, will meet us there and take us to the Victory Hotel, which will be our home for the next couple of weeks.
Tomorrow afternoon we will get Jia! I hope that by the time you guys get up, I'll be able to have a couple of pictures up. But we'll see. My priorities will be different after today!
Talk to you all soon!
JMS

Saturday in HongKong

Let's start at the beginning. This is on our flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong. We sat right about the wing... Jacen check out how long it is! And Jory, can you see that we're higher than the clouds?

THIS... is the view from our hotel!

I need one of these to finish drying my pants!

We got up and had a wonderful breakfast then walked to the Star Ferry Pier. We rode the ferry to the Hong Kong side. This is taken from the ferry looking towards HK.

Another from the ferry towards HK

Once we got to HK, we took a taxi to the Victoria's Peak Tram Station.

This is while we're waiting in line for the tram... here it comes!

On the way up! It is so steep that the floors are slanted for those who stand! At one point it was so steep, that it hurt your neck. You could feel the strain to just hold your head up!

Once we got off... looking back down.

One view from the top. Looking back towards Kowloon.

Once at the top, there's an entire shopping area, walking trails and lots of gorgeous flowers. I saw this up there and thought of cousin John!

It is soooooooooooooo hot and humid here. My straightner wouldn't work this AM, not that it would've helped. The humidity is reaking havoc on my hair... making it so curly that even my curls have ringlets. UGH! Hate it.

From the top of the peak...

Jack from the top...

This is the sky tower that is at the top of the peak. We were on the top of this taking pictures.

Here's inside as we were walking back down.

Another view down, you can see the Disneyland HK ticket counter at the bottom!

Some of the flowers up there....

This butterfly was huge. It felt like a bird flying by.

Inside the Galleria shopping center at the top of the peak.

PR... here's one for you!

Children playing in the fountain... it was tempting!

After Victoria's Peak, we still had plenty of time left to do something else. We hopped in a cab and went over to Lantau Island for Ngong Ping 360. We had seen this when we come in from the airport and thought it looked cool! So we went for it!

Taking off....

On our way... it actually takes you between like 5 mountain tops. Then you end up at a monestary and a little shopping area and there's a huge statue of buddah.

This was our first glimpse of buddah. You could walk all the way up to him, but we passed.

Looking back from our cart... where we just come from!

Ahhhhhh.... we were soooo glad to see this sign! This is home for now!

We had a very busy day! We are so tired and hungry. We skipped lunch, but it was to hot to eat anyway. We have enjoyed our stay in HK, but look forward to moving on and getting Jia! Just 2 sleeps and a wake!

It all sort of seems unreal... I know we're going to crash when we get home!

Love you all..... JMS

Saturday AM in Hong Kong

We've just finished breakfast and I'm sitting here waiting for my family to get on Skype before we take off for the day. I'm also waiting for my hair to dry... literally. The humidity is 70% here. I washed out my capri's in the sink yesterday... the nylon little excersize ones... that should dry quickly... still drenched!

It's about 8:30 AM here and we have plans to take the Star Ferry to the Hong Kong side and ride the tram up Victoria's Peak. There's also HK Park and a Botanical Garden right there, so I hope to get lots of pretty pictures. However, if you look at HK on the weather map, there's a big red swirl over it!

Last night we just stayed in and ordered room service... fish for Jack and I had amazing Macaroni Cabonara. The ice-cream was wonderful, probably the best I'd ever had... but the chocolate brownie was deceiving! This moringin we had eggs, sausage, hashbrowns and waffles! VERY GOOD! Lunch today will have to be out though... so cross your fingers!

I thought I'd go ahead and fill you in on the people we met from our agency! I noticed Sarah W. is following along - HI SARAH! So I wanted her to read this especially! While we were boarding the plane in MN, I noticed a guy coming down the isle with a name tag on that said CHSFS so I grabbed him and introduced ourselves. He was taking a group of Korean adoptees on a hertiage tour. We visited for a while and he was so kind. We kept running into him and when we were in Japan he offered to let us stay with his group so we weren't all alone trying to find our way around. Again... very kind! We went on, but as we were in line checking into our hotel, we were visiting with a guy from Austin Texas. He was on his way to Vietnam to visit his brother who was becoming a priest. I told him the reason for our trip and a lady behind me grabbed me and said "I heard about you!" She was with the CHSFS group, she's the head of the Korean program and was going on the heritage tour as well. We visited with her for a long time and the guy again as well. I didn't even realize they had all come to the same hotel and were behind us. Anyway, the entire group gave us their well wishes. We seen the gentleman from the plane the next morning as we were waiting for the shuttle for the airport. It was just really cool to see people from our agency, and even though they had nothing to do with our trip, or the delay, they were willing to take care of us!
I better go... rain looks like it's on the way and I really want to see some stuff today!
More later..... JMS

We've made it to Hong Kong!

So! I don't even know where to start! You have to know... we don't travel! We went to the Bahama's 3 times, but that was 16 years ago and we were with a large group. For us to take off on our own and make this trip is so out of our league.
We left KCI and made it to Minneapolis in plenty of time. We thought we better go find our connecting flight first and that turned out to be a very good idea! That was our first eye opener that we're not in Missouri anymore! They began announcing (in broken English) something about a volcano errupting in Carrille (?) near Russia and all Asia bound flights were being re-routed. I don't know how we were planning to go originally, but now we had to stop in Portland for about 50 minutes to re-fuel. This was making everyone possibly miss their connecting flights. They thought they may delay some of those, but of course... we got in Japan about 8PM last night. Our flight was scheduled for 6:40. God bless all those ladies on RQ who recommended an extra set of clothes in the carry on! The airline put us up in a hotel and rescheduled our flight to Hong Kong. We were about 2 hours going through immigration, customs and getting the new flight information. Then we ended up on the wrong bus to our hotel... it actually went to another. It's 10 PM and we're at the wrong hotel and the shuttle bus driver speaks no English.
This very kind lady with the most adorable baby sort of translated for us. They called a taxi to come and get us, but the taxi did accept US$$. So we were headed for the hotel to exchange money when the taxi pulled up and they lady said "I'll pay for it..." And she did. We couldn't convince her otherwise. She paid the driver and gave him our destination info. As we were getting in the taxi, we gave her $20 US... she tried to refuse but we insisted. I pray it was more than enough. I still haven't got my caculator out and checked it.
So we rode the shutle back to the Japan airport this AM got all checked in and headed to McDonalds. First let me tell you, our choices for dinner on the plane were chicken and beef. I had mine and Jack's hot roll! So I'm simply starving this AM!!! It was so late there was nothing open in the hotel last night when we got there and we just crashed anyway. So McDonalds! We had exchanged US $ into Yen and found the McDonalds. It was glorious! I NEVER thougth I'd find McDonalds glorious, but it was! We met another American there and he sat down beside us. He was headed somewhere on business, but we enjoyed our chat with him. Our flight from Japan to HK was about 45 minutes late because someone on the plane was sick and had to get off. So anyway! We've arrived in Hong Kong!
We left KCI at 12:20 Wednesday and we arrived in Hong Kong about 3PM on Friday. Oh, and apparently I can't sleep on a plane. I tried. I tried so hard to be still, close my eyes, and go to sleep, but I just couldn't. So we got a few hours in Japan last night, but had to be about 5 AM to get ready and ride shuttle back to the airport. So if this post is a little mixed up that's why. But I didn't want to wait to write it!
Another time, I will tell you about the people on the plane from our adoption agency! It was way cool! But my King size bed is calling me for a nap... Jack is already there!
Eternally His and Grateful! JMS

Zai Jian

Well - We're off! Jia here we come! Tomarrow (Wednesday) - we leave KCI at 12:20ish and we'll get to Hong Kong on Thursday night at 10:30ish! LONG FLIGHT!!!
Then we stay in Hong Kong until Sunday when we travel onto Guangzhou. On Monday, June 22nd we'll meet Jia in the afternoon! The next week will be filled with paperwork, paperwork and paperwork! Oh, throw in a medical exam, a bit of sightseeing and a LOT of shopping! On July 1st we'll take an Oath at the American Consulate office and pick up Jia's Visa. Then July 2nd is back to Hong Kong and all day July 3rd is travelling home! We leave HK at a bit after 8 AM and arrive in KC at 5:10 PM. Don't forget to figure in the 13 hours time difference though!
Can someone please make sure there's fresh milk in the 'fridge and oreo's a plenty at my house on Friday July 3rd. I have had oreo's and milk everynight before bed since... well, like high school. Can't sleep without them. I know that's the first thing I'm going to want, even more so than my bed!
The boys are staying at my mom and dad's while we're gone. They will be missed terribly.
It has been so crazy here though, I'm really looking forward to the long flight!
Before I go, I wanted to share about the 'surprise' party that Jadeth threw for us Sunday night. Actually, let me back up... Sunday was one of the best days ever for Jack and I. Church was just awesome and at the end, Pastor Randy called Jack and I up front and many come up and prayed for us. It was so wonderful. Then at 2PM was Run To The Cross! From our church to the large Cross East of Trenton is exactly 3 miles. Some ran, some walked and some were crawling, but soooooo many participated and made it to the Cross. You have to see the humongous hill that we had to go up to get to the Cross to really appreciate the run. The one who finished first made it in 22 minutes!
Then at 5PM we had church services at the Cross! It was so great! There were so many people and so many that sang, just a fabulous, fabulous time!
At 7PM was our 'surprise' party. I say 'surprise' because Jadeth spilled the beans, but we pretended to be surprised! Anyway, many of our family and friends came to wish us safe travels. We roasted hot dogs at our firepit and had homemade ice-cream! It was so wonderful and we were so proud of Jadeth to put it together and even purchase all the food on his own! Thanks Jadeth.... we love you! Still waiting to hear the toast!
Well, before I sign off.... here's a little slice of Heaven for you!

Jiana Ellan QiuWen Stotts!