Last Day in China

Day 17 - Friday, April 6, 2007

Well, it is Thursday night in Lafayette and our church family is presenting the Passion Play to the Lafayette community right now. Lord, please give them good success in presenting the simple gospel message. There are many in our community who live without an understanding of the free gift of eternal life offered through Christ. That is true in Indiana and it is true in China. So many people live and die and never here about God’s love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

Today is also our last full day in China. We go to the consulate today to take an oath (not sure what we are promising just yet, but we will find out). We will also receive Julie’s passport and visa so that we can leave the country tomorrow.

I think that we are all looking forward to leaving China and getting home to the people, family and country that we appreciate so much. However, there is also a sense of sadness that our China odyssey is nearly over. We have enjoyed the adventure of navigating our way through a totally foreign culture. We have enjoyed all of the sights, sounds, smells, and personal exchanges that are so different from Indiana. We have enjoyed the food, the people who fawn over Julie, and watching Julie come out her shell and develop. Maybe we will come back again someday.

Julie continues to progress. Just yesterday one of the ladies in our traveling party noted by pudgy Julie was. She has gained over 3 pounds (from 16# to 19+#) in the 11 days we have had her. She eats voraciously and we are thinking that we are going to have to start managing the amount that she eats. She continues to progress mentally. She plays with us, mimics what we do, “asks” you to keep doing something that she finds pleasant, and giggles and squeals. She is also able to roam around as a crawler, but still doesn’t take steps without assistance. It is very rewarding to see how human contact, play, conversation, and personal feeding is helping her to develop quickly. We love her.

Looking forward to seeing Courtney and Alex Saturday night!