Our hotel was fabulous! Our accommodations in Gansu province were rough. But, not the case at the Guangzhou Marriott! We had a beautiful room, and for the 1st time in our trip, a shower where the water actually got hot, and a toilet that didn't have a gross smell. The breakfast buffet was amazing, and in the hotel many of the staff spoke English.
Being in Guangzhou felt like a vacation complete with lots of adventure! I will share those adventures later, and let me tell you THERE ARE STORIES!
On our first full day in Guangzhou, we had to go for Adalynn's embassy medical exam. Everyone adopting from any province in China ends up here. I bet there were 100 kids being adopted, most staying in our hotel. Some of this busy day seems like a blur now, I couldn't tell you what the building looked like on the outside, but, it was pretty impressive inside. The part that really gets me, is just how emotional this day was for everyone. To look around at all of these families who were adopting, and all of these precious children. Some were babies, some were older kids. Some had mild needs and some with very severe needs. We saw kids with Downs Syndrome, kids missing appendages, a couple kids that were missing their ears, many with unrepaired cleft lip, which admittedly can be a little shocking if you haven't seen it before. There was one little girl who had her feet strapped to some sort of board. There was a little girl about 8 who had one leg and foot that was only about 6" from her hip the other leg was normal but, when she would walk she would have to squat down and walk in an almost seated position to accommodate both legs, but, when she would stand she would be regular height as she would stand on her "normal" leg, I can't help but, think what American orthopedics can offer her, and the wonderful improvements to her life and mobility that will take place with her new family.
You can imagine with 100 kids, and families to match, just how loud and hectic it was. Many of the families were not American, so we heard many languages in the noise. Mandarin, French, German, Spanish, English, and at the same time in the same space. There were parents trying to calm there new children, and some families devastated to learn that the needs of their child were much more significant than they had planned. Babies and toddlers who were screaming, (none louder than mine though:) Older kids who just looked terrified. There were parents of all ethnicities, all different backgrounds. And everyone was here to make a home and family for an orphaned child. To say..LIFE MATTERS, wanted, unwanted, planned, unplanned, healthy and with "defects", here, there, anywhere, LIFE has worth and a purpose, and every child deserves the unconditional love of a family.
"I will not leave you as orphans..I will come to you." John 14:18
This medical appointment for me was probably the clearest and purist time I have seen this verse demonstrated. It was the perfect illustration, of God's redeeming love and the way He adopts each and everyone of us, "defects and all."
