Happy Thanksgiving! It was not a holiday in China, today! We left this morning to visit a typical village in rural China. Of the 1.3 billion people in China, 75% of them live in the conditions that we visited. It was very eye opening. All of the babies in our group came from villages like we visited. It made me want to hug Addison closer and get her home. We took a lot of pictures, but they feel very personal for Addison, and I think I will save them to someday share with her when she has questions about her heritage. I think about the sacrifice her birthmom had to endure, in order to give Addison a better life. She was abandoned, but these babies are abandoned in places where they know they will be found, and then cared for. You cannot imagine how poor these people are, and the conditions they live in. And yet, they were the most kind, polite and content people I have ever met. It was very humbling.
We were also able to visit some porcelain shops today, which Jiangxi is known for its beautiful porcelain. I was able to pick up a couple of little souvenirs to someday pass on to Addison. For thanksgiving lunch, we were VERY thankful for some McDonalds!!
Before dinner tonight, our group of 11 families met for some time of prayer and thanksgiving. It was an awesome time as we thanked our father for giving us the ultimate example of adoption and unconditional love. Then we tried to get all the babies to sit for a group picture. You will see in the pictures we weren't very successful!! We ate together as a group at our hotel restaurant buffet. They had prepared one small turkey and were surprised when it didn't feed our whole group! Riley and I tried a few things, and finally settled on eating some chocolate cake and coke!! Happy Thanksgiving to us! ha
Tomorrow we finish up a few formalities of paperwork, and then fly out of here to Guangzhou,
our last stop. We are feeling ready to come home. My jeans are fitting looser, and I am out of M&M's.
Russ and I want to share how thankful we are for all of our friends and family today. We thank God for the gift of this precious little life He has entrusted to us, and we thank Him for the precious lives of our other 2 children. We are blessed beyond measure, and thank each of you for being a part of our lives.
With much love and thankfulness
Russ Becki Alyssa Riley and Addison
9 comments:
Happy Thanksgiving, Carlsons! I just want to cry when I read about your experience and the joy of God's blessings! You are truly blessed! And what an awesome experience to be with a group of believers. Especially for Alyssa and Riley. What incredible memories! Hugs to you all!
Auntie Kate
Happy Thanks-living from the three Carlsons in Pittsburgh.
We are thanking God for His many blessings on our family.
Grandma and Grandpa Carlson
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! You're in our thoughts today ... wish you were here!
Next year for sure!
Love to all of you!
Rich, Lisa, Luke, Brooke, Paul, Nancy, and Lori!
Happy Thanksgiving all! We are in Indiana with Amy's family. Maybe we can all meet up here so that Addison and Madison can see each other in person. I'm sure you won't want to travel again any time soon though! :)
What a neat opportunity to spend more time in rural villages, and I'm excited for you to see the graciousness of the Chinese people. They are so special, and my heart grows for them with every trip.
Our love to you five,
Julie and family
Thanksgiving blessings to you!!! I loved catching up on your adventures in China... surely an experience of a lifetime and one that you will never forget. Congratulations to all of you! Surely God is GOOD!!!!
Love
Amy, Steve, Grant, and Jodie
Happy Thanksgiving Carlsons!! We have so enjoyed reading about your journeys. Addison is so precious!! What a wonderful blessing. Kyle says "HI" to Riley, he thought the Great Wall was so cool.
Take care,
DeLynn and Kyle Mallen
what a great thanksgiving day for you all!!!! gave thanks this morning for your precious little one!
PS- I still heat up lilys milk. she is 2! yikes!
-Kendra
Your blog has been a blessing for all of us -- so great to follow along with your adventures. Love the pictures -- the "shades" are precious!
Love and blessings to you all,
Uncle Bill and Aunt Marge
Dear Addison, Riley, Alyssa, Becki, & Russ,
Yesterday I was in the kitchen washing a mug. As I turned it over, I read, "Made in China". My heart stopped. w o w. I realized that because of an Asian beauty with four teeth, I will never think of China in the same way again. Thank you for documenting this magical odyssey. I have never enjoyed using my computer so much--with the possible exception of an eCard someone sent me that involved dancing penguins. 8-)
Know that you are loved, and your return is eagerly awaited.
Godspeed,
Margo & Dave
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