Teachable Moments From My Savior: Our Journey to Caleb 2007

Continuing our walk down memory lane through China. Here is our journal entry from May 5, 2007, as we toured Beijing.

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Where do I even begin about our day today? I guess with breakfast. The breakfast buffet opened at 6:30 and we were there at 6:30. As we walked in the door, we noticed that we were the only non-Chinese in the restaurant. We got a few looks, to say the least. There were a lot of "different" things on the menu but we did find things we could eat. After breakfast, we walked around the hotel and checked things out. There is a bowling alley, billiards room, swimming pool and spa! You can get a pedicure for about $7. That is a bargain! We also found the gift shop and got us a Pepsi! It is no Dr. Pepper, but it was great! I have a picture of Ben drinking the Chinese Pepsi (tastes the same).

We met our group at 9:00 and boarded the bus for our big day out. Callie was glad that 2 other little girls were here. Maggie is 5 and she was adopted from China and is here to adopt her baby sister and Macy is 4 and is here to adopt her baby sister. The girls became instant friends! Rosa gave us instructions on the bus about some of the things we would see and what we should and should not do. As we exited the bus, we were awed at some of the things we saw. I had no problem with my kids wandering off. There were beggers all over the street, street vendors, and people galore. It is a holiday in China so there were close to 17,000 people in Tiananmen Square. Probably the hardest thing I have ever seen is the little boy, about 10 years old, wheeling himself around on a board with wheels, because his feet had so many open wounds and were swollen like footballs, begging for money. If that doesn't tell you the conditions here I don't know what will.

We walked around Tiananmen Square and Callie and Macy became celebrities. Because of their blonde hair, people were coming up wanting their pictures with them. They were calling them "angels". They believe this brings them good luck. It was a little humorous! We had heard this would happen so we were prepared with hands on our daughters. Then, Ben had girls wanting their pictures with him! He's the man! We then walked around the Forbidden City, it is huge! Ben got a little concerned because of all the beggers but finally realized just to ignore them. Of course, we did at some point have to use the restrooms and got the experience of the "sqatty potty". You will see pictures! That is interesting. After the Forbidden City, Rosa told us that we were going to have lunch at a local family's home. Well needless to say, that concerned us all a little. But I have to admit, that was one of the most moving times of the whole day. We all got on Rickshaws and headed through the Hutong Disrict of China which is a very poor, crowded place and I have to say, I should never complain about traffic in Wilmington again. There are rickshaws, bikes, cars, buses, and walkers, and it is a "free-for-all". We took the rickshaw back in what looks like an alley that you shouldn't go down, and we stopped at a family's house. We walked in and they sat us around two tables with little plastic stools. They were so nice and that was some of the best food we have had! They explained their culture and how they live. They are considered "rich" because they have a little upstairs to their house. It is very tiny but nice. Our guide for this tour told us about the "one child policy" in China that started in 1979. Now it has been changed to one or two children, but most will not do that because it costs too much just for one child. The government only gives families 1,000 yuan to have a child. That is why there are so many orphans in China.

After lunch, we boarded the rickshaws again and were hounded by the street vendors. They are persistant! We took a tour of the Hutong area and then ended up at the only Deaf Kindergarten in Beijing. Because of the holiday right now, there were not many kids there. These kids live here and have been given the hearing aid and are learning to talk. One of the little girls came and said a poem for us. She is 8 years old and precious! That ended our tour and we headed back to the bus. Rosa told us that this is not usually in the tour for AWAA but because of the holiday, we are here longer than normal and they added this for us. I am so glad they did! This was so awesome to see how this country really lives. It is definitely a different way of life. The atmosphere here is smoggy, very dirty, and smelly! My heart was deeply touched today. I can tell you that I am so proud to be an American. I am glad to know that Caleb will never be a little boy rolling around on a board begging for money. I thank God that he called us! Pray for these people. It is a lost nation and so in need of a Savior.

We will post more of our day on another page because we can only add 20 pictures per page and we have a lot! It has been an amazing day, and all four of us have been touched in a deep way.

(Part 2)

We just got back from dinner! That was interesting too! On the menu: rabbit, duck, fish, beef, chicken, pineapple rice, mussel soup and white rice. Glad I wasn't too hungry. Of course, Ben and Matt tried it all! There was some Chinese dancing that was pretty nice but we are all extremely tired and ready for bed! We did get our bags back tonight! Praise the Lord! Caleb's clothes have been found! Tomorrow we are going to the International church service and Summer palace and the Pearl Factory. We found the Starbucks!!!!!! It is only 2 blocks over so we will be visiting that tomorrow! We also saw the KFC, Pizza Hut, and McDonalds. I don't know if we will make it there. It truly has been a wonderful time so far. We are exhausted, but I wouldn't trade a minute of what we have experienced. This is Caleb's homeland. I want to soak it all in! I have posted the rest of the pictures of today and look forward to posting more tomorrow! Thanks for all the encouragement back home! It means so much to us so please keep it coming! We love and miss you!

Good night from Beijing!

Matt, Allison, Ben, & Callie