Fifteen months and twenty days ago Terri, Dalen and I began a journey. We really did not know what direction the journey would take us, what the results would be nor when we would arrive. Throughout this journey we have encountered many hurdles, a lot of emotion and a deeper appreciation for humanity. We have developed many new lifetime bonds and we have strengthened old friendships. We have prayed, we have cried and we have rejoiced. Ultimately, people say we have changed a little girl's life. That is humbling. I actually think a little girl has and will change numerous lives. Her story, and other stories you have followed the past week and a half, will help others make that final decision to adopt. For some it will help them to open their minds and hearts to the children of need around the world. And for others it will hopefully help them to be more appreciative of their families and friends.
For over fifteen months time seemed to stand still. The past week and a half has been a blur. Eleven days ago we landed in Beijing, China. We never dreamed we would ever have the opportunity or the desire to travel to China. We were very nervous. Soon we realized that we were in a safe environment. The people were nice, they actually enjoy conversing with Americans - very curious. The only thing we had to fear were the taxi cab rides and the traffic. While in Beijing we were able to visit Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, the Pearl Markets and Silk Alley. We walk on the Great Wall of China - wow! We toured and learned much about the country and her deep, rich culture. On Sunday we flew to Guangzhou and promptly received the most precious gift in the world - Annalei Ying Dow. The rest of the week found our time consumed with getting to know this little girl. Dalen is going to love her. The Chinese government could not have done a better job matching her with our family. We can not wait to introduce her to all of you. And tomorrow this incredible journey will come to a close and many of you will have that opportunity and the rest of you in the weeks to come.
We will leave the White Swan at 6:30 am Saturday (5:30 pm Friday at home). We will fly to Beijing, then to Newark and finally, after 29 hours, we will arrive in Indy at 10:09 pm Indiana time. Many of you are planning to be at the airport to greet us, and we can not wait to see you. I know you are going to be excited to see Annalei and we are excited for you to see her as well. I want to ask you a favor, please. We have not seen Dalen for eleven days and he will now have to share us with a sister. If you could, please give us a few minutes with Dalen when we arrive. We would like to introduce him to his new sister and let her meet him as well. I thank you in advance for your consideration. After his is comfortable, then we can celebrate.
For all of you who have supported us through this journey we would like to express our sincere appreciation. It would have been a difficult journey without your support and prayers. We will update the web site in a week or two to let everyone know how Annalei is adapting to her new home. As a side note, I wrote of Jordan, the Christian shop owner, and noted that he had requested that the next time we come that we should bring him some bibles. Graciously many of you have asked how you can help. I shared the news with Jordan, and unfortunately, the government will not allow bibles to clear customs. So, his request is that if you are traveling to Guangzhou, that you pack a few bilingual bibles and bring them to him. Jordan passed along his appreciation, but as of now there are to many government regulations in place. Again, I want to thank everyone for their support and Dalen, we will be home tomorrow night. Can't wait.
