Entering Wuhan

On the way to the airport today in Beijing we got to talk again to "L" and it was a tremendous experience. He asked so many questions about our beliefs and was fascinated--especially by the fact that our faith did not require a priest to go to God before us. This was intriguing to him and gave us an opportunity to talk to him even more. We gave him one of the "Awaken" CDs from Brook Hills as a gift and he was delighted to receive it and wanted to listen. Please continue to pray for "L" that a seed planted may be further developed by other believers in China and elsewhere in the coming weeks and months.



Well we made it to Wuhan on Saturday evening and got to our hotel at around 7:00 p.m. The hour drive in from the airport here was enlightening... this is a VERY different city than Beijing. First of all, about half the size. 11 million here versus 22 million in Beijing. Secondly, a more rural and agricultural area.

Wuhan is bisected by the giant Yangtze River, the largest in China. There are many crops grown along the river and this is a trade center as well as goods are shipped up and down the river. There are many poorer communities here--we saw quite a bit of poverty and lower-income areas, unlike Beijing where everyone lives in relative comfort. Some of these housing developments are huge. One apartment complex alone has a population of more than 80,000 (that's the size of greater Hoover, Alabama)--and that's just one complex. But again we've found the people friendly and hospitable. And did I mention it is crowded?

Tomorrow we'll be given a brief tour to get the lay of the land around the hotel, which will be our home for the next week. On Monday morning, bright and early, we get Eden. We are so excited. We could not wait to arrive in Wuhan and I think we will not be getting much sleep tonight or Sunday night. The other families in our group are here at the hotel and everyone is on pins and needles. We are SOOOOO ready for the week to begin! One of the tasks for tomorrow is to make our list of questions to ask the Orphanage about Eden... that'll take some thought and time.

Please be in prayer for us over the next two or three days especially. At about 8:00 p.m. on Sunday night (your time), it will be 9:00 a.m. on Monday here, and we will be meeting Eden for the first time. We've been told the crying will last for a few days at least, so we're getting ready to be a loving mommy and daddy to a reluctant 18-month-old.

Continuing the China theme of contrast--there is a McDonald's here, and a KFC, and a Wal-Mart. There's a Porsche dealership. We've also seen some really terrible living conditions and I am saying a prayer of thanksgiving as I type this that God has allowed our daughter to receive such great care in the midst of obvious hardship and need among her own people.

There is just and endless sea of people everywhere we look--hardly a glance you can make anywhere in this city without seeing throngs of folks on foot, on bicycles, in buses and cars. We flippantly use that phrase all the time "God cares about each and every person," but here it takes on a very special meaning. Partly because there are just SO MANY people, and partly because He has chosen to bring us together with Eden--two among 300 million meeting one among 1.3 billion. Wow. The world is big but our God is bigger.

Okay, we're going to try to settle on a DVD to watch on the computer and hopefully get a little rest before tomorrow. ZZZzzz.....