Day 7

Today we started out the day in our new hotel in Guangzhou where there are many more American families staying. At breakfast we met a family from Oklahoma who were in China adopting their seventh child! It was an encouragement to hear about their story.

Linda had to get her medical checkup today. Our guide tried to explain to her in Chinese what was going to happen. She didn’t seem fazed by hearing about the procedures, and she did a great job. She actually was smiling with some of the doctors as they were giving her the exam. She has probably seen a lot of doctors in her life, so she felt quite comfortable with them.

While at the clinic, we were able to meet Stephen Kendrick and his wife who just adopted a little girl named Mia. He and his brother Alex have written and produced several Christian films, including Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and Courageous. Jake and Dean were especially excited to hear that we met him since they enjoy filmmaking and follow the works of the Kendrick brothers.

We took Linda to McDonald’s for lunch and she loved her hamburger and fries! It reminded me of some of the first pictures we saw of Linda almost two years ago when Brodie had taken some pictures of Linda while visiting Harmony House on a missions trip. I tried to recreate the scene and took an updated McD’s picture!

 

 

This afternoon at the pool, Linda was a little reluctant to get into the pool at first. When our friend’s daughter, Violet, got out of the pool and shared her floaties and floating ring with Linda, she finally wanted to get into the water. She had a blast and was enjoying the freedom of being in the water without being held! Hearing her giggle and laugh as we played with her in the water was such a delight.

We went with the Griffin family in a taxi to Shaiman Island for dinner. Linda did a great job in the restaurant eating her noodles and soup and some of my fish and chips – there isn’t much the girl doesn’t like to eat!

Before going to bed tonight we were playing a little game where I would pour a bunch of beads in a small container, and then she would dump them into a basket. I was trying to have her say “more please” when she needed more. She is pretty good at repeating, but what was really cool was later on she said “more please” on her own without being prompted. She is starting to show signs of wanting to communicate more verbally with us, both in Chinese and English. We just pray that she continues to feel comfortable with us and continues to transition well. We are so thankful for her!

 

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 106:1