02/23/2013

Caitlin is an amazing little girl.  In spite of her fears and a good deal of "stomach-emptying" air sickness, she smiled during most of her first flight today from Hefei to Guangzhou.  Why has God blessed us with such an incredible young lady?  Perhaps we will never know.  One thing is for certain.  If we had not stepped out of our comfort zone, trusting Him, in faith; we would have missed out on so much of His plan for us!

02/19/2013

The vehicle shuttered as it splashed through another pothole and sprayed slush into the air.  The old dirt road was probably never in great shape but had long since passed its prime.  The car rattled again as it passed an old factory and then was bracketed on either side by the snow-covered mounds of a Chinese burial sight.  Then it pulled through the archway of the oldest and poorest orphanage in the province of Anhui.  Children of all ages came running as the vehicle approached, waiting to see their dear friend one last time.

From within the vehicle, stepped Caitlin Guangzheng Armstrong.  An orphan herself until a day earlier.  Clean for perhaps the very first time and dressed in clothing from her dreams.  Around her neck sparkled the heart of a necklace - A promise from her new parents to love her forever.  Her twelve year old hands were weathered well beyond her years by the bitter cold.  There is no heat in this facility anywhere and the water is barely above freezing.  Her nearly anorexic form, steeled by years of hardship, held strongly against the onslaught of children.  Tears rolled down her cheeks as she greeted her friends one last time and the pain of her life reflected powerfully in her eyes.

The crowd swelled around her and followed as she showed her parents where she lived, slept and perhaps more accurately, survived since she was two days old.  Her parents tried unsuccessfully to hold back the pain of what they saw, recognizing that this was beyond even their worst nightmares.

Then one incredible women entered the room.  The one women that taught Caitlin how to love and be loved in return.  This women had been there through all the pain of life and had walked with her every step of the way.  Tears, sadness, heartbreak and joy - a rush of emotions to strong to comprehend.

Caitlin walked the group back to the vehicle and picked up the many gift bags she and mommy had prepared.  This was her job and she would carry every one of them herself.  The group flocked around as she passed out her gifts, each desperately wanting a precious nick-nack.  Caitlin knew exactly were each bag would go and no one would dare try to dissuade her from her chosen course.

After the children received their gifts, the group headed to a bigger room for a piece of cake.  A special favor she had asked of her parents two weeks earlier.  The party was a great success; then it was back to the vehicle for a final farewell.  Words were spoken, thoughts were exchanged and with one final wave of her hand - she was gone. She was queen for a day but the memories will last forever!

So this was part of today's adventure.  An experience which SongAe and I have both agreed will change us forever.  Seeing how our daughter lived; the conditions; the smells; the lack of food; the bitter, icy cold - it will not be something we will ever forget!

The strength of our daughter is unimaginable.  As we drove away from the orphanage not one more tear was shed.  She was full of smiles as we arrived at the police station to apply for her passport and equally as joyous as we waited an hour plus in line.  She grinned at the compliments two Chinese women threw her way as they told her she was beautiful. The two had figured out what was going on with the adoption and asked Caitlin if she spoke English.  Our daughter giggled and said no as she beamed at the compliment.

What's absolutely remarkable is Caitlin's condition today compared with yesterday.  This morning I was awakened to the steady banging of pillows on my head as SongAe and Caitlin decided to wake me up in typical Armstrong fashion.  I, of course, struck back and we had a great bit of family fun!

This evening she decided she was going to communicate with us, one way or the other, and is becoming quite the chatter box.  She is evening correcting our Mandarin pronunciation.

Our evening concluded with a Skype call from Grammie and Grampa and her two brothers.  She was soooo excited to see them all and waved emphatically.  She was also extremely excited to visit with her grandparents for the very first time.  After a while, she looked at us and said "mei mei"?  Where is my younger sister?  She was still asleep so we arranged another call 30 minutes later so the two girls could visit.  Both girls, across the sea, got their barbies out and used the dolls to wave to one another.  Our daughters had their first playtime together!  Words cannot describe!

So how do we explain the difference between today and yesterday?  There really is only one answer possible.  God is amazing.  His loving hand has been upon this union from the start.  The prayers of friends halfway around the world have been heard ........ And He has answered!

Make no mistake, the road we have ahead of us is filled with potholes ......... But maybe .......... Just maybe ....... You too may find His blessings underneath an old, broken down archway on the other side.  Don't be afraid to travel where He leads you! - You'll miss out on the best part of life!

Oh, and by the way.  Today it became official - Caitlin Guangzheng Armstrong is forever our daughter!  Glory be to God!

By His grace,

Jeff & SongAe

02/18/2013

Dearest Friends,

For almost a year now I have slept with my IPhone shining brightly beside me.  The screen prominently displayed my beautiful daughter, half a world away.  It reminded me to think of her; it reminded me to pray for her; it reminded me of the gift God has generously given us.

Tonight, for the first time since we found our daughter, I will sleep with my phone off.  I no longer need it.  She now sleeps in the next bed beside us!  Today, in China, in the province of Anhui, in the city of Hefei, we were finally united.

A shy little girl came meekly around the corner and leaned against the wall, unsure of what to do with herself.  Her parents timidly approached and gave her a hug.  She smiled and looked down at the floor, back up and down again.  She was gorgeous, afraid, thin as could be and she was ours!

We visited for about 45 minutes and filled out paperwork.  We gave her some gifts - primarily a heart shaped necklace which symbolized our promise to always love her.  The translator/guide explained this to her and she seemed very pleased.

Shortly thereafter we discovered that she got up at 5am to make the two hour drive to Hefei.  The care givers at the orphanage had decided not to feed her because they thought she would get car sick.  Where would you like to go to eat Caitlin?  "KFC".  And off we went!

After KFC it was off to Walmart to see our first grocery store.  She loved pushing the cart and was immediately drawn to the "Barbie Section".  Yes, she is now the proud owner of her first Barbie doll.  Then she chose some candy for her friends at the orphanage.  Tomorrow we will be making the long trek back to her home city of Huainan to see the orphanage.  Given that Anhui is the poorest province in China and the orphanage in Huainan is the poorest orphanage in Anhui, we could use your prayers tomorrow.

Caitlin's triumphant return will be to the sound of many gift bags, candy for the children and a giant cake for all.  We will be having a farewell party and staying for a couple hours before returning to Hefei.

This day has been filled with an unbelievable level of emotions for us all.  The joy of first seeing our daughter!  The sorrow as she cried multiple times throughout the day, missing her caregivers at the orphanage who raised her for 12 years.  The laughter and wonder as she experienced new things. (This was her first time "ever" outside her hometown)

Caitlin has now called her nanny back at the orphanage about 8 times today.  4 of those times were because she was so sad (crying), she didn't know what to do.  4 others were because she was so excited she could hardly contain herself.  (Should be an interesting hotel phone bill!)

Caitlin and daddy went swimming in the hotel pool today only to discover it was freezing. Correction - Caitlin and daddy went swimming in the hotel hot tub today and had a great time.  I am certain she will make a great swimmer!

There was one other family here today receiving there child.  A couple from Florida who also brought their biological children (8/girl - 4/boy). They were a Godsend!  Our doorbell rang this evening and the mother of the family (whom we met again at diner) wanted us to come to the their room.  She'd heard we were having some trouble and wanted us to see her friends who had adopted from the same orphanage that our daughter came from. (BTW they adopted a 2 year old girl today). Caitlin reluctantly followed and the second we entered their room our daughter smiled.  There must have been about 7 or 8 girls from "her orphanage" displayed on the screen.  They all had families and they were all happy.  Instead of just her friends that disappeared, never to be heard from again; they were alive and well and smiling faces in the pictures.  Caitlin was practically jumping up and down as she pointed and spouted off all their names.  But it got better!

Next, our new friend, Deidra set up a Skype call with two of the girls who left six months ago and they chatted away for about thirty minutes.  That is, after Caitlin's friends remembered how to speak Mandarin.  Seems she'd forgotten at first.

Our day ended with a short prayer and a warm hug from our beautiful daughter.  It's 11:30pm and I think she's finally asleep.  She has gotten up at least four times and re-arranged all the gift bags for tomorrow.  She is very excited once again.  Let's hope it stays that way for at least an hour or so.

We are, all of us, overwhelmed with emotion and exhaustion.  Tomorrow will be an incredibly difficult day for each of us but especially Caitlin.  She will have to say goodbye to her caregivers and friends a second time and navigate these confusing feelings once again.  Pray for our protection and emotional strength, pray for Caitlin's healing and pray that we show our love for the Lord in all that we do.  Love to you all!

By His Grace,

Jeff & SongAe