Benjamin

Dear friends and family,
Culture shock is alive and well. We so quickly forget what it feels like to be "foreigners" in another land. China is so diverse in its unique beauty. The real beauty is its searching people looking for Truth and purpose for their existence.
Our dependence upon God is certainly increasing. This lonely/overwhelming feeling at times is something we'd appreciate you to pray over on our behalf.
We woke up between 3 and 4 o'clock this morning hearing horns honking and a restless boy (Christian) moving around in bed. He had slept out his tiredness as he slept the last 3 hours of the flight and then again in the 2 hour van ride to Tianjin. All in all, our flights and van rides covered 17 hours of our first day of travel. We were beyond exhausted arriving at the Golden Ocean Hotel, Tianjin, China. ("Golden" only as China can describe it:)
We showered and went down for the early morning breakfast buffet that opens at 6:30 am. We enjoyed omelets, great varieties of vegetables and fruit. We needed to meet our interpreter in the lobby by 9 am. We enjoyed our leisurely breakfast and thereafter climbed into one of our many taxi rides to our first meeting at Benjamin's orphanage. We only had a 10 minute ride to get there which was so nice. Our taxi entered into a back alley as the driver dodged bicycle riders and innocent bystanders making their way to work. Your heart lodges somewhere in your throat as you watch near death experiences while making your way across town. We get out of the taxi and enter a gray/dingy building where we will meet our son for the first time. We enter the building and two doors on the left would be the first time we see the face of my four year old son in person. Today I saw his tears for the first time and within 30 minutes experienced his first smile for two complete strangers that speak, smell and look nothing like him and yet we're called to be his mama and baba.
He is at this time running around our hotel room playing with the many toys we brought from the U.S. We spent some time watching him discover the remote to the T.V. and every light switch available to his reach and short stature. After 2 hours, he is calling us mama and baba (daddy). He tells us when he's hungry and thirsty as well as what he needs to do on the potty. Some of his Chinese words are familiar to us as Christian used them four years ago when he came out of China.
We have already visited Pizza Hut for lunch where it is impossible to get a special order pizza. Just point at the seafood pizza or the pineapple/ham combo or the Thai flavored delight. No such thing as a vegetable pizza. The boys enjoyed our lunch and a taste of ice cream after wards. We shopped a 5 story Walmart for bottled water and some snacks. We greatly enjoyed holing up in the hotel room for the remainder of the afternoon where we spent some time dedicating this chosen child to his Creator. It is remarkable to us that amongst the masses of 143,000 orphans, the Sovereign God of the universe has selected us to parent this remarkable child.
As I wrap up this update for the night, I can hear Art and the boys out in the hall giggling and kicking around a beach ball. The laughter alone is worth every penny of the ransom paid for his soul. Benjamin is a child that was planned for and promised a hope and a future by his Creator. Continue to pray for us all as Christian is already saying that he is ready to go back to America and Art echoes his sentiments. We only have two more weeks to go!!
Upheld by His right hand, Wendy, Art and boys.