Home sweet home...almost!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our most dear friends and family. How we miss you all and can't wait to see you. Our computer battery charger went down again, so I haven't been able to post without using the very expensive hotel computers...they make money anyway they can. Anyway, sometimes I just have to know I am connected with all of you and it is worth the money. We leave later today...less than 24 hours until we see our other beautiful children. We had Thanksgiving at a Beijing restaurant after touring the Great Wall...chicken, tofu and sweet potatoes Chinese style...delicious actually. We love Chinese food at home, but it's kind of like eating at McDonalds when you have the real thing here. I will miss the food, as will our dear daughter. I am sad for her. It will be hard to make such a drastic transition. But I am going to try my hand at fried rice and noodles...it can't be that hard. nbsp; The Great Wall is truly great. What an amazing achievement...but at a very high price...many lives were lost to build such a structure. It was a cold foggy day yesterday, so our pics couldn't capture what we were seeing, but when I get home, I will share them with you.

Charis is doing very well. Yesterday was another breakthrough day. She verbalizes a desire to go home to America and she began teaching us Chinese...I have been wanting her to teach me since we met her, but she hasn't even tried until yesterday. Scott cracked her up when he tried to say the Chinese word for nose...it is a very difficult sound for our mouths to make. We all had a great laugh. I can't write what the Chinese word for "no" is. Just take my word for it that if you heard our daughter say it, you would think she was swearing!! We laughed so hard!

We have Charis' citizenship papers ready to give to the immigration officials when we arrive in Chicago...she will be a citizen when we cross the border! We are packed and will check out of the hotel in about 2 hours...then we will enjoy Peking Duck (I just can't leave without having that!) and then it's off to the airport....13 hours in flight...it's long, but our family awaits us at the other end, so I would fly 23 hours or 33 hours or however long necessary to be with them. I am most looking forward to hearing Faithy's high pitched little voice scream "mommy" and "daddy" and "Charis." And of course to giving and receiving a BIG hug from Josiah. We have missed them soooooooooo much.

I have so many things welling up inside of me to share with all of you. You probably won't be able to shut me up for quite a while when I get home. BTW, Chinese coffee is often prepared in advance...WITH milk AND sugar. For those of you who drink coffee with me regularly, you know I prefer my coffee black. Oh well, I thought of all of you every time! I thought of all of you so often and I just can't stop thinking of you all right now. Tomorrow just can't come soon enough. Know that you are all so loved by all of us. Scott and I are so very blessed by our Lord to have such rich friendships and family relationships. Thank you for loving us the way you do. Pray for us and especially for our children over the coming days, weeks and months. An adjustment period will be taking place as we learn what it means to be a family of five. Charis will experience church for the first time...pray for her for that. And she will learn the true meaning of Christmas. Pray for her salvation. She initiates us praying now at meals and before bed...but we know she still doesn't have any idea who we are praying to, but when we get home, we will have our friends translate for us and we can't wait to tell her about Jesus, her Creator, her Savior, her Redeemer, her LORD! Oh how loved she is by God and we can't for her to realize that. Blessings to all of you and again, know that on Thanksgiving, we gave thanks to God for you. See you all very soon. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and give you His peace.