Foster Center and Hohhot--We're Getting Close!

We had a big surprise this morning when we woke up. Pearl skyped us to tell us she had lost her very first tooth just five minutes earlier.  This is a big deal. She's noticed several of her friends with gaps, and she wanted one badly. We were so glad we could share the moment with her. Those are jewels on her forehead; she had just come from a party at her aunt's.

We left our hotel early to visit the foster facility that has taken care of Ruby since she was just three months old. We got to tour the house and meet many of the staff there. We met the nanny in charge of Ruby. They arrange it so that one woman is in charge of three children, teaching them bonding through a family setting. This will be a huge help for us as we bond with Ruby. We also saw her little room where she had slept, and the crib she slept in before that. We met her night nanny, the woman who is on call all night to handle the needs of 13 children (!!). We also met the house mother, who gave us a precious life book showing pictures of Ruby since she came to them in December of 2010. The life book has journal entries about Ruby and her baby steps, everything you'd want in a baby book, she has, which is *very* unusual for a baby from China.

You see the photos of all the children the home has helped in the background. They only have 14 at a time. Grace, Ruby's nanny, is with us here.  Several of the children there when we visited were being treated for club feet; I could see the braces or casts.  The founders sponsor these surgeries themselves as their own spirit-filled ministry to needy children. 

It was so exciting to be there. We both got a little teary looking over the lifebook with Grace and one of the staff who spoke English. We took many photos and a video to help Ruby remember later.

After that emotional encounter we headed to the airport and flew to Hohhot on a quick one hour flight. Getting off the plane we immediately noticed a difference: the sky was blue, and we could see it. The 21 million inhabitants of Beijing and all their cars and construction fill the sky with smog.  Hohhot is a city in a valley surrounded by mountains, and the sky looks like the sky over Shippensburg.

We were picked up and taken to the hotel which is VERY fancy. Nothing was planned for the afternoon, so we left our bags and went for a walk through the city. We found a park filled with families enjoying amusement park like rides. One ten year old girl shrieked and jumped behind her father when she looked up and saw Jasper next to her.  We were told not many Westerners come here, and I guess her reaction testifies to that. The benefit to me is that people keep telling me I'm beautiful, which I don't mind at all. Some even take my picture sneakily as I walk by!

We found a restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet and worked our way there. We knew we wanted to try hot pot, but ordering was a big challenge. We just wanted the waitstaff to choose for us, but they didn't seem to understand, so we muddled along.  We ended up with this collection of raw chicken, mutton, and greens, plus two warm sodas. The broth in the middle has two flavors, blindingly spicy and just fine. I ate from the latter.

Hohhot is a rapidly growing city. We passed the old cultural museum which is four stories tall. Brenda, our facilitator, told us this used to be the tallest building in Hohhot until twenty years ago. Now 30 story buildings shoot up all over the city, and we're in one of them.  This is the capital of Inner Mongolia.

Tomorrow we'll while away the morning and anticipate 2pm (2am Eastern time) when Ruby finally makes her appearance.  We learned at the foster home that she is very physically active and not very verbal. They say her lip and mouth are in great shape, but I wonder if the repaired cleft palate has affected her speech, or her hearing, or if she just needs more one on one attention that she could get in a group home, no matter how good it was.  We learned about her strengths too, like her brightness, her advanced physical progress (sounds like Sapphire!!) and her empathy for the children around her. The nannies said that if she saw someone in need, she'd respond. She'd feed the younger children or get them a toy they wanted, or try to help them if they were crying. These all sound like sweet characteristics!

This is her little bed, which she is probably missing now that she has been in the Bayan Nur SWI for the last few days waiting for our arrival.  Soon she'll be sharing a room with Sapphire.

We also learned that she knows these songs in both Mandarin and English: 'Twinkle Twinkle,' 'If You're Happy and You Know It,' and 'Jesus Loves Me.'

We are so grateful for the love and care her nannies gave her for so long. What an amazing calling they have!

Oh, and the VBS closing starts in just one hour from when I'm posting this, but I'm not sure I'll be able to stay up until it is over (since we are 12 hours ahead). My heart and prayers for a great worship are with you!