Walking In The Truth: Leaving Nanning

We are so grateful to God for this beautiful place. As we leave here with Elsa, we do so with thankful hearts for the woman who gave her life and the foster family that loved her for us until we could get here. God has truly been faithful to meet her needs as He promises in His word.

Elsa continues to amaze us. The language barrier is not insurmountable. With pantomime and gestures we are able to communicate with her pretty well. About once a day, though, we hit a wall where nothing but a good cry will do. On some level, I can relate. :) If you have something that she wants, she will say "please" for it if you ask her to. She loves chewing gum, body lotion, and pictures of herself on the computer. She does NOT like Snickers bars. She continues to LOVE her Baba. She called for Mama today when we left the restaurant. Todd got so excited because he thought she wanted me to carry her down the stairs. When I turned, she handed me her little purse, then turned to Dad for him to carry her. I was just thrilled she called me Mama! Baby steps!

Today has been a packing day. Boy! You can really spread out in a hotel room after being in it for five days! We visited the pool one last time as well as our favorite restaurants, NE Dumplings of China and RBT Tea Cafe. The helpful wait staff at both places are smiling faces we will remember for a long time. Our one adventure for the day was taking a taxi to a park the doorman recommended. The word park excited Annika. She had visions of swings, slides and climbing equipment. The reality was a very beautiful, landscaped park in the city center. Not a teeter totter in sight. It was a wonderful spot, but we didn't last too long. If Todd and I had been alone, a leisurely stroll there would have been wonderful. We settled for a quick run through some grass and a few pictures by some pretty flowers.

Our flight to Guangzhou leaves in a while. There we will begin the last phases of paperwork, meet the boys and have some wonderful family time celebrating the birth of our Savior. We cannot think of a better way to celebrate Jesus this year than to be altogether as a family with Chinese brothers and sisters in the Lord.