Yesterday and today we spent time learning about Lily's country and culture through the sights and perspective of our Chinese guide, Sherry.  Sherry is quite entertaining and speaks very good Chinglish!  She has been leading adoption tours around China for about twelve years now and absolutely loves what she does.  I had the priviledge of coming to China a year and a half ago with several other Americans to work in an orphanage and we did a bit of sightseeing at that time, but it was wonderful to return to some of these places and have Sherry explain what we were seeing with details about Chinese history and traditions.  She has helped us gain a better understanding of the Chinese people, their lifestyles, the government's role in the lives of the people, their traditions,, views on family, money, all sorts of things.  Like pearl cream (it gets rid of wrinkles and the Chinese have been using it for years).  And dogs (you can't have a big dog in Beijing unless you live outside the 7th ring of the city. And the little ones require a 300 USD fee every year!).
 
Our sites have included the Forbidden City, Tienenman Square, the Great Wall, and the Summer Palace. We've learned how silk is made and how to distinguish between fake pearls and real and how they carve jade, checked out the Bird's nest, the water cube, and enjoyed some great Chinese food, of course. Christian has been mistaken by some Chinese girls for Justin Beiber and Drew roped into teenage girls' photographs on our adventures.  They both proved themselves to be real men (dragons!) today by making to the top of the Great Wall, which was a highlight for them. I think the highlight of the past two days for me was the worship service we attended this morning in Beijing.  Since there are now many foreigners in Beijing, the government allows them to meet together for worship.  The Biejing International Christian Fellowship rents out a theater and has a large group of believers that attend.  It was a beautiful reminder that the gift of Jesus is given for all peoplesl and some day we willl be united with Him in heaven, many nations but one Lord.

Well, on the way home from the Great Wall Christian said to me, "Mom, this is the last day you will be the mother of just five boys...Cherish it!" :)  We all got a great laugh out of it but truly, I have LOVED being a mother of five boys.  My heart is full and I feel so blessed. They are most wonderful young men I could ever have asked for.  The love that God has poured into our hears for each other over the years is now about to be extended into a little girl we have never met. Tomorrow is now a few hours away and with the signing of a paper, Lily will be ours. FOREVER!!! :)  I hope she likes brothers.