We're on our way!

Thank you to the Ward family for allowing us to bunk at their house last night & watching the kids for the next week.  Jason drove us to PDX this morning & we're waiting with Starbucks in hand to board our short flight to Seattle before leaving at 1pm on our 12 hour flight to Seoul. Please pray for safe travels.

China or bust - Take 2!

This is Lauren posting. Looks like we will be leaving for China on Jan. 4th, getting Chloe on Jan. 7th.  We are excited to begin this journey with our new daughter,.. I am not a big blogger, but that may change! I will be more insightful when in China I'm sure. this is a test to see if I can do this thing.

Good-bye Guangzhou, we're on our way home!

This will be my last blog post from China and what a way to finish out
our last night here in Guangzhou. All 10 Holt families took a cruise
on the Pearl River through central Guangzhou and past the White Swan
Hotel. We had a great time and enjoyed some Papa John's pizza on board
our cruise (much safer than the food they serve on the boat!). Now
it's time to pack suitcases and make our way home. We pick up Leeya's
US Visa on Wednesday afternoon from the US Consulate and immediately
head to the train station to catch the train for a 2 hour train ride
to Hong Kong. After staying overnight in Hong Kong we catch an early
morning flight on Thursday through Tokyo and back to Portland. Here's
our flight details:

Thursday, December 10
Depart Hong Kong (HKG) 8:00 AM, Northwest Airlines, Flight 296
Arrive Tokyo (NRT) 1:05 PM
Depart Tokyo (NRT) 3:45 PM, Northwest Airlines, Flight 786
Arrive Portland (PDX) 7:50 AM (10 minutes before we departed Hong
Kong)

Please pray for safety and all of our train/flight connections over
the next 48 hours. At PDX all International Flights arrive down in
baggage claim next to Baggage Carousel 10. Hope to see some of you at
the airport. Thank you for praying throughout our journey. You don't
know how much a difference your prayers made. God heard your prayers
and honored your obedience to Him. May all the praise go to Jesus as
we have shared our experiences. See you at home in a couple of days!

The infamous red couch picture at the White Swan Hotel

Yes, it's a tradition for all Holt families to dress up their children
in traditional Chinese clothing for the infamous picture on the red
couches in the lobby of the White Swan Hotel. Here's some pictures
from today's festivities and a group photo in front of the Christmas
tree and waterfall inside the hotel. Praise God that our visa
paperwork made it to the US Consulate today with no problems. On
Tuesday afternoon Leeya and I head to the US Consulate to take the
Oath of Citizenship. Our time in Guangzhou is winding down quickly. I
probably will get in only a couple more blog postings before Leeya and
I head to Hong Kong on Wednesday evening. Please keep praying for the
rest of our time here and our travels to Hong Kong on Wednesday. I'll
be by myself with Leeya on the train since the rest of the Holt group
doesn't receive their visas until later in the week. I'll post travel
details in my final blog post later in the week.

A family day of worship, playing, and Italian food!

Sunday was family day for everyone here in Guangzhou. If there is one
thing I have to say about Chinese families is that at least one day a
week is set aside for families to be together for the entire day and
that day is typically Sunday. We Amercians could learn a lot from our
Chinese friends as our culture at home appears to be continuing its
downward spiral from pursuing selfish desires where Sunday is just
like any other day and family values are something that is mocked by
the popular culture. Leeya and I started out the day worshiping with
the Christ Church Shamian congregation just down the street from the
White Swan Hotel. They hold a dual language Mandarin & English service
at 11:00 AM every Sunday and about 90% of the congregation are Chinese
while only about 10% are foreigners staying on Shamian Island. I was
surprised by how evangelical the service was. The congregation sang
contemporary English and traditional Chinese hymns alternating in
Mandarin & English many with hands raised in the air giving praise to
God. The Chinese pastor gave a great message based on Philippians
3:13-14. We need to pray for our Chinese brothers and sisters in
Christ. While I'm sure this church is officially sanctioned by the
Chinese government we know there are many others who don't have the
freedom to gather and worship freely in other parts of the country.
After a quick lunch and nap it was time for a stroll around Shamian
Island just to watch all of the families enjoying themselves on a
beautiful day. Then in the evening all of the Holt families went out
to dinner at a local Italian restaurant for some good food and ice
cream (yummy!). Monday is our visa appointment at the US Consulate.
Please pray that all of our paperwork is in order. Leeya and I won't
need to go the US Consulate on Monday as a Holt staff member will drop
off our paperwork across town. On both Tuesday and Wednesday we will
be at the US Consulate for Leeya's Oath of Citizenship and to pick up
her visa before we take the train to Hong Kong on Wednesday night.
Enjoy the pictures from church this morning and our stroll around
Shamian Island on family day.

It's nice to have friends with you when you're halfway around the world!

Today was a good day all around. Went to the medical clinic this
morning to have Leeya's TB test checked and she tested negative. She's
also not having any adverse reactions to the 5 vaccinations she had on
Friday--just a little sluggish and tired today as would be expected. I
didn't see our friends Marc & Jennifer Skipper at breakfast this
morning so I figured they might have slept in from getting here so
late the night before. After Leeya and I stopped by the medical clinic
late this morning I had a hunch they might be at Starbucks. Sure
enough who do I run into at Starbucks but Marc, Jennifer, and their
beautiful little girl Meili from Shaanxi Province. We sat down for
some coffee and exchanged stories from the past week while our little
girls eyed one another. Then it was back to the hotel for naps and
finalizing our US Visa paperwork that goes to the US Consulate next
week. We finished off the evening with a stroll along the Pearl River
and dinner at the German restaurant on Shamian Island as evidenced by
the pictures attached to this blog entry. Praise God that he used His
timing to bring friends alongside Leeya and myself to help us through
these last few days before we come home! We'll be doing a few group
activities with the 10 different Holt families in Guangzhou over the
next couple of days culminating with a nighttime cruise of the Pearl
River the night before Leeya and I pick up her US Visa and make our
way to Hong Kong to catch our flight back home. These are excitiing
times! Please don't stop praying for all the remaining details and
Leeya's health. I pray that all of you find something to give praise
to God for this weekend as you are out and about or in church on
Sunday.

Vaccination update & Christmas at the White Swan Hotel

Thank you for praying for Leeya and myself concerning this morning's
medical check-up and vaccinations. It wasn't pretty but Leeya survived
getting her 5 vaccinations. Now I just have to keep an eye on her for
the next few days to make sure she doesn't spike a fever or some other
adverse reaction to the shots. Tonight 9 other families adopting
through Holt arrive from the various provinces that their children are
from to complete the US Visa process like I'm currently going through.
I'm looking forward to seeing our friends Marc & Jennifer Skipper with
their new daughter who are part of this Holt travel group. Leeya and I
probably won't see them until breakfast on Saturday morning since they
don't get to the White Swan Hotel until late tonight. We'll probably
have some group activities planned for the next few days like dinners
in the evening or a Pearl River cruise when we're not working on
paperwork. I have proof that I finally got Leeya to be happy in a
stroller and not throw a fit every time I try to strap her in. Take a
look at the pictures around the White Swan Hotel and how it is
decorated for Christmas. Also some more pictures from our stroll
around Shamian Island. One thing is for sure, Leeya and I are going to
freeze when we step off the plane at PDX on December 10th. It's a nice
break from winter weather to be in pants and short sleeve shirts
strolling around Guangzhou with our new daughter. Oh and by the way,
sorry Oregon State University fans. I caught the last quarter of the
Civil War streaming over the internet. Being a proud Washington Husky
graduate I can't say that I had a stake in the game either way but I
was kind of pulling for the Beavers since my family has some ties to
OSU. Better luck next year Beavs...someday in my lifetime you'll make
it back to the Rose Bowl..........maybe!