Farewell China...

As long as this trip has felt, it finally is coming to a close really fast.  Julie is currently finishing up last little packing details, Meili is snoring (not really, but she sure sleeps cute), and I am being lazy at the computer (I guess....Julie just knows what needs to go where!).  Today was so much fun with Meili and Julie.  We started out the day at Hong Kong Disney.  Yes, we did do what we were told not to.....we went to Disney.  Meili loved it.  She has no boundaries so total strangers are not a problem to her.  She seemed to be quite comfortable with the few kiddy rides we took her on.  It was well worth it to spend time that way on our last day in China

We then took a taxi to a mall near the Hong Kong Temple.  We did a little last minute shopping and then wandered in the general direction of the Temple.  It was cool to see Angel Moroni from the mall food court windows just like Lou Litchfield (sorry, now with a married name) said.  It is such a beautiful Temple in the middle of everything.  We enjoyed our few moments walking the small grounds and visiting with some couples coming out of the Temple.  We met a mission couple from Sandy, Utah, the Wilson's.  They were very nice and took our picture so we all could be in it.  After that we played in a park across the street and let Meili have her time unwinding.

We walked back to the Mall after the Temple.  Julie has carried Meili miles and miles on this trip.  She was about worn out when we finally got back to the mall.  Luckily we were able to get a stroller at the mall to spend a few more hours before we needed to get back to the hotel.  Meili is so cute with people she catches glances from.  She mostly waves, sometimes glares, and when she has had enough she lets us all know to back off.  Julie has been able to communicate with her very efficiently.  They are fun to watch.

Well, this trip has been all that we thought and hoped for and some more very sweet special moments we will cherish and hopefully recall.  We have met many wonderful people and have been touched by their personal journeys.  We would be ungrateful if we didn't thank the beautiful women at Beautiful Harbor for taking such special care of our little YuanYuan, Meili.  Lisa, Meilin, Grape, and others we love you dearly and know you are being blessed for the kindness you extend to these little ones in need of love.  It is a special mission you have chosen, God bless you.  President Gordon B. Hinckley said,"Love is the very essence of life. It is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yet it is not found only at the end of the rainbow. Love is at the beginning also, and from it springs the beauty that arched across the sky on a stormy day. Love is the security for which children weep, the yearning of youth, the adhesive that binds marriage, and the lubricant that prevents devastating friction in the home; it is the peace of old age, the sunlight of hope shining through death. How rich are those who enjoy it in their associations with family, friends, and neighbors! Love, like faith, is a gift of God. It is also the most enduring and most powerful virtue."  These women have shown us literally the fruit of LOVE.....We love you, ladies.  Our eternal family thanks you.

We are ready to bring Meili home and can't wait for her to meet her siblings and extended family and friends.  We have felt your love and prayers.  We have been sustained in our time of need.  We thank our Heavenly Father for answering our prayers in His own way and time.  We thank those of you who showed us by example that you need to do what you know you need to do...once your eyes are opened to what God wants you to do, a way will be prepared.  We have seen many small miracles in bringing Meili into our home and family.  We also have listened to others share similar stories.  Our journey is just beginning, just beginning.  Be careful what you pray for!!  We hope this blog finds you all well back home.  

Meili, we hope you will love us as we love you.  We are forcing a big change in your life.  Just know when you are older that we did it out of love.  That we did it so that you would know how you should be loved, in the most basic unit God has designed for us to learn and grow and become better and better....the Family.  There is a power in family that if we do our part we will learn sacred values and principles that will change us and prepare us for more understanding.  So when you are older and much wiser than us, we pray that you will look back on this decision that we have given chance to happen and know we did it out of LOVE.  God opened our eyes to your little life and touched our hearts with your sweet spirit and led us to you.  We don't understand it all, but we know that this is what we were to do at this moment in time.  You were loved in China and you were well taken care of, but it wasn't the end of your journey.  The women who loved you in China would say the same thing.  I have watched you ever so closely while you have been with us.  You are so special.  Sometimes you look in the mirror or at your reflection as if you understand more than we think, or also like you are searching for something.  So as we bring you into our family and someday you ask yourself why did this happen to me just remember simply the answer is because you are loved.  Remember you are special to not only us but to your Father in Heaven, who loves you.  You will hopefully feel this love from us in your life and we hope and pray that you will find God in your life and reach for him.  For it is only through his eyes that you will be able to understand this journey you have been on.  God can open our eyes and give us better understanding.  We pledge our devotion to you as a member of our family that we will love you and help you with all the energy and resources we have....we will also be looking to Heaven for those smaller details we will have overlooked.  Be brave little one.  Welcome home, finally.  You are great in our eyes and His.  We love you.  Your MOM and DAD (swak).  

Great job Julie.  I'm so proud of you.  I love you sweetheart.