John14:18

One Less ~

This was a busy day. Jim and my sleep patterns are still way off. We were up at 2 a.m. Samuel had slept well ( with his little cars in his hands) and woke up at 5:30 just like the orphanage said was his routine. We went to have breakfast in the hotel. The room price includes the breakfast buffet in the mornings. Oh my, this little fella was in heaven. He ate like a 200 lb. man. He ate everything and would break out in song with each bite of new food. He wasn’t afraid to try anything, and if one can be intoxicated by food, I believe he was. He ate with his two little cars tightly in his left hand.

Our guide and driver met us at 8:30 and drove us to Civil Affairs. It is cold here in Jinan, so we had brought Samuel a little bomber jacket to keep warm. He loved it so much because…it has pocket for his little cars. So, a very full bellied and happy Samuel went with us to make this adoption thing officially official.

The Civil Affairs process was a little intimidating. Jim and our guide had to go do a business transaction as part of the process, so it left me to answer the questions and do more paperwork. I guess it all went well as Jim came back and signed papers and then just like that Samuel is officially ours. No longer an orphan, but a child who belongs to a family. We are so blessed that there is one less orphan, and that he is our son. Thank you Jesus!

After Civil Affairs we went to the police station to apply for Samuel’s passport and then to the Notary to register the adoption. This took several more hours and was more than a little confusing, but our wonderful guide Missy walked us through each step.

The orphanage director, nanny, and driver were also along with us throughout all of these appointments. After the Notary business was handled it was time for them to make the journey back to Jining City where Samuel is from. It was very sad, The nanny was crying and the orphanage director was visibly touched. They were very happy for Samuel to have a family, but it was obvious that they loved him and were going to miss him.

After we said our goodbyes we went with Mr. Lu and Missy to Wal-Mart to buy some bottled water. Wal-Mart in China is quite the experience.. and we were quite the attraction. People here are not used to seeing foreigners. They will openly gawk, stare, and take pictures. It sounds rude, but it really is not. They have all been nice, just interested.

We then went with Missy to eat. We were all pretty hungry and tired by then. We went to Pizza Hut. It was fun. Jim and I had pizza, and Missy had rice as did Samuel. Samuel also had pizza, and French fries, and more rice. Too funny.