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- Nothin’ like travelin on a jumbo jet…
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- Using a rickshaw through “Old China”
Wednesday, December 17th our journey began. My awesome brother took Alan & I to JFK airport & we arrived there around 12:00 noon. As soon as we got in line to check in, the family in front of us noticed our America World Adoption tags & introduced themselves!!! How cool is that??? They are the Miller family from Virginia & were the only other family on our same flight from our group. We were excited to meet them so quickly!!! So then we endured a FOREVER flight, but all was well & we got to watch 3 movies. 
We arrived in Beijing Thursday night, December 18th around 6:30pm. It felt like we lost a day. We arrived at our hotel, the Radisson, around 9:00pm.
Our guide Sherry has been awesome & very helpful. Our hotel is beside a Carrefour,China’s version of Wal-Mart, & across from a Pizza Hut & KFC.
Today, we met 3 other families in our group. The rest of the families will arrive sometime today. We went on a tour this morning of “Old China” where the streets are so narrow that cars cannot get through so we had to use rickshaws(the bike/carts). Then we went to a Kindergarten to see the children there & to get an idea of what the orphanages that our children are in look like because we are not permitted into the orphanages. The children were too cute. Then we went to a couples house to see what a “traditional Chinese home” looks like. It was very humble & we found out that there is no bathroom in it so they must use the public restroom down the street. I can’t imagine!!! Then it was on to a restaurant for a Chinese lunch. My favorite……………eggplant, believe it or not. We will have 2 more days of touring, Great Wall, Tieneman Square, & the Forbidden City. It will be COLD!! The weather here is similar to home.
Then Monday is GOTCHA DAY when we get to meet Hope for the very first time!!! We can’t wait. We miss you all, especially our precious boys.
So glad you made it to China okay. I’ve been praying for you and checking for updates! Enjoy your tours over the next couple of days. And I will be praying for you and Hope on Monday!
I woke up this morning thinking about you guys and prayed for you, so know that the Lord is putting you on people’s hearts! Glad you got there safely and how exciting to be able to tour China! Kathy, you’ll be able to do a homeschool presentation on all you are seeing! Have a wonderful weekend there, in anticipation of meeting your daughter on Monday!
Glad to hear you made it to China safely. Thanks for the update and the pictures – it was great to hear from you! We miss you!! Our family is praying for you every day. We’re counting down the days until you meet Hope.
God IS Good. Our first prayer for a safe trip has been answered. The boys sound great and I’ve been keeping in touch with Lanette. We love you guys and pray daily for the awesome day you meet Hope. Enjoy your few days together and take in all the sights. Love, Aunt Janie and Uncle Keith.
We are excited for you and confident that you are having great experiences! When we were in China we found the people to be fantastic, hope you are having the same experience. Keep posting, get us some pictures of Hope!!
Blessings
The Kelly family
Thinking of you today. Just a few hours until Hope is in your arms! I can’t wait to hear about your meeting and see pictures of you with Hope. My Mom says she is praying and she is so excited! Annie (and Debbie)
Praise God that you made it to JFK in time and to China safely! I am glad you are experiencing/touring China, enjoy! We saw Timothy, Josh & Alan’s Dad at church, they seemed happy. You are covered in prayer here, take ALOT of pictures and I am feeling all the nervousness/excitement for you when you meet Hope for the first time. Oh, I am so excited for you and Alan. Love, Tracy