We made it!!

Just wanted to let everyone know we made it back...everything went very smooth until the drive home...Benjamin did NOT like sitting in a car seat!  More later...

thanks,
SB

The Grand Finale

Today was our last day in Taiwan and we tried to “recap” everyone’s favorite things that we have done during the whole trip.   The kids unanimously voted to go swimming in the Jacuzzi tubs and go back to Peace Park to play on the playground.  Scott’s favorite was the food so we made sure to go back to our favorite spots to eat.  The kids learned how to use chopsticks and are very proud of it!!  My favorite was shopping for souvenirs, which we did some in the morning as well!  We had a great final day and are very excited to get back home!

We start our LONG trip back at 6:30 AM to travel an hour to the airport for the 18 hours in the air, flying to Tokyo with a 2 hour lay over, then to Minneapolis with a 6 hour layover and finally arrive in Birmingham at 9:45 PM.

I wanted to take a moment to give thanks to God for our trip.  It has gone so smoothly and I am very aware that this is the answered prayers of many people.  The LORD has been so gracious and merciful to our family and I am humbled to be a part of His perfect plan for our family.  We are so blessed to know Christ personally and we will continue to pray for the country of Taiwan, where we have seen people praying to many different gods in Buddhist temples.  This has been a great learning opportunity for the kids because they hear about people not knowing Christ at church, but now they have witnessed it.  As we start our journey home, our continued prayer is that we can have the LORD’s wisdom and guidance in how to raise our kids to glorify Christ.  

AIT appointment

We started our day early today and ate breakfast quickly in our room so that we could be down in the lobby to go to our big appointment at 8:00AM.  We had no clue what to expect except that we were to bring all of our adoption papers as well as our passports.  We arrived at the AIT and there was a very long line of people waiting, but we were escorted inside.  We were told to sit among many other people in this waiting room and occasionally, Scott was called up to the window for more information.  We expected to be taken in to a room with just us and talk to some American people about the process, but we were all totally wrong…  After about 1.5 hours, we were done and told that we could pick up Benjamin’s visa later that afternoon.  We did not see one American person and they did not serve hot dogs and apple pie!!

                 

We headed to the Taipei Zoo and enjoyed seeing all the animals, including 2 pandas and penguins.  Benjamin did very well, but did end up sleeping the last part in a stroller.  We headed back to the hotel for a few hours.  Scott went with our tour guide back to AIT and received Benjamin’s visa, so we are all set to return to the US!!

                 

 Check out the little kids on a field trip...

 Nice giraffe

I'm tired!

We decided to get dim sum tonight and went to a restaurant in the hotel b/c the kids were tired of walking.  We got the kids milk to drink and we got 2 cokes, which unbeknownst to us were priced as gold!!  Our food was $22 but the drinks were $34!!!  In general, the shops on the streets are inexpensive.  All 5 of us ate for $6 at one spot, so we were in shock!!  Oh well….  One more day to go and we head home!

Fun times in the hotel!

A sobering reminder…

We have had a great time the past 3 days.  Benjamin is doing great, Bryce and Elise are being the best big brother and sister anyone could ask for, and we haven’t gotten sick yet!  We are so thankful for how the LORD has blessed this trip and our time together.  However, there are things that keep reminding us of the conditions Benjamin was raised in his first 3 years.  When we were in the orphanage, and in particular, in his room (shared with 7-8 other kids) we saw a child (<1 year) lying in the crib on his back just staring at the ceiling.  He probably stayed like that for hours upon hours because he was not crying or requiring any attention…so he lays and he lays on his back.  One of the things we have noticed about Benjamin is the back of his head is really flat…probably because he was lying just like the boy we saw for hours and hours.  No attention, no one reading to him, no “tummy time’, nothing…just lying there staring at the ceiling.  Another indicator of his past is that he goes to bed with a bottle of water mixed with milk and wheat powder.  He just lays on his back with the bottle straight up and drinks it until he falls asleep.  He has probably done that his whole life, propped if unable to hold…. These are sobering examples of the fact that his first 3 years were not ideal and will impact him for the rest of his life.  We do rejoice that he gets to be a part of our family now, and hopefully those scars will gradually get smaller and smaller, so please continue to pray for him…

On another note, we traveled to Yangming mountain today, and hiked up (1.7 km) to the top.  Benjamin wanted to be carried the entire way so I put him on my shoulders and off we went.  We got to the top and it was overcast and foggy so we just took a break, had a snack, and came back down.  Afterwards we went to a memorial in Taipei that had another changing of the guard.  The kids liked it and while we were there, several of the people wanted to take pictures with us.  I warned everyone before we got here that that might happen and on a few occasions people have wanted to take pictures with Elise.  I asked her if that makes her “feel special” or makes her “feel weird” and she says, without a doubt, makes her feel weird!!  She has handled it well, smiles and comes back to us.

We got everyone to bed early because we have an early morning appointment at AIT (American Institute in Taiwan).  The US does not have an official Embassy in Taiwan because of relations with China and the different political ramifications of acknowledging that Taiwan is independent.  We are not sure what we will do, but it will take care of the immigration paperwork so Benjamin can come back to the US with us.  So, another great day and 2 more to go…

Swimming and Touring

We had another nice day in Taipei…it started with Benjamin sleeping until 9:20, that boy likes to sleep!  While waiting for him to get up, both Nanette and I went for a run (at different times ;-) ).  After everyone was up and had breakfast we decided to go up to the 20^th floor of the hotel and feed the fish in the garden.  When we got up there, all of the kids wanted to put their feet in the water of the Jacuzzi tubs.  So we let them and I knew it was going to lead to everyone getting soaking wet.  Instead of fighting it, I went and changed and we decided to take a little dip.  We were real concerned about B & E getting the contaminated water in their mouth and drinking it, but we figured we would live on the edge!

After playing in the pool, we came back and cleaned up and had lunch.  Funny thing about eating out here is that there are no forks and usually no napkins.  So just imagine having 3 kids who can’t use chopsticks try to eat noodles and soup without a napkin…it just doesn’t work.  At one point I told Elise to just wipe her hands on the tablecloth!  I think we have finally come to the realization that we need to BYON –bring your own napkins wherever we go.

We then took a train to Danshuei, which is an old port town that is primarily a tourist trap now…but it has a great view of the water and mountains with some shopping.  It is extremely hot/humid here, so walking around really wears the kids out quickly.

After Danshuei, we went to the Shinlin night market, but it was so crowded and hot that we decided to just get some dinner and then head back to the hotel.  Dinner consisted of the kids eating sausage on a stick and we had traditional won-ton soup and an oyster omelet.  Not bad, but a little greasy…

Benjamin is doing well, seems to be having fun and he calls us mama and baba (Chinese for Daddy).  Bryce and Elise are being great big brothers but they would much rather just stay at the hotel and run around nearby as opposed to doing all of the touring…but we are going to see as much as we can.  Big appointment on Tuesday at the AIT (US Embassy in Taiwan).

Learning English

It's been 1 day and Benjamin is already starting to learn some English and copy our words.  This video is dark and I'm not sure how to get the edited video up, but I thought it would be fun to try and post a video (~28sec long).

I hope it plays...

He’s a sleeper!!

After his first bath!

We have been blessed with a junior suite at the hotel, so we have the 3 kids in one room and we are in the other.  The doors are like shutters with the slanted wood so light/sounds can get through.  We got everyone cleaned up and in bed about 7:30 last night and we all crashed.  Well, of course, Bryce and Elise were up at about 7am this morning so they came into our room and we all just reflected on the day yesterday and looked at the pictures.  Their teachers sent a lot of work with us because B & E are missing 2 weeks of school, so we had them get started on some homework while we waited for Benjamin to wake up.  Our guide/translator was coming to pick us up at 10am to tour around Taipei.  At 9am we wondered when Benjamin was going to wake up…we finally decided to wake him up at 9:15 so he could have time to eat breakfast and we thought it might be a little scary for him to wake up in the hotel room (probably the first time he has slept anywhere but his orphanage).  He sure is a deep sleeper because Nanette, Bryce and Elise were all touching and talking to him, while Scott was going to Dunkin Donuts, and he still would not open his little eyes!  Thankfully, he got up and was happy to see everyone and all 3 kids started playing where they left off yesterday!

Our first tour stop was the Lungshan Temple, a 300 year-old Buddhist temple in the middle of Taipei.  We walked around and admired the architecture and watched people of all ages pray to multiple false gods and make offerings of food, incense, and other items.  It was a great opportunity to explain to our kids that we worship the one and only true God, who hears our prayers.  We reminded them about the story of Aaron making the golden calf for the people of Isreal to worship, which was very similar to what we were witnessing.  As I walked around and looked at their faces, it made me thankful that I had parents that introduced me to Jesus Christ at an early age and that the LORD drew me to himself and saved me through His Son.  We have heard that Taiwan is ~85% Buddhist, and who knows if anyone would have introduced Benjamin to our Lord.  However, in God’s sovereignty, Benjamin has been placed in our home, where he will hear about the saving grace offered through Christ! “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph 2:8-9

 Notice the offerings on the table and people praying.

 People praying to the gods...

 Enjoying a cold drink on a very hot day.

Happy and Hot

After visiting the temple, we went to Taipei 101, the second tallest building in the world.  It was the tallest until they opened up the Burj in Dubai a few years ago.  We had a great time; Nanette carried Benjamin most of the time so her arms got a nice workout.  It is great to see him want his mama!  Bryce and Elise had fun and we toured the top and got to go out on the observation deck, which is on the 91^st floor.  We could tell Benjamin was getting tired so we then came back to the room so the kids could take a nap and we could get some rest.  We have had him for about 24 hours now and things are going very well.  We just need to learn a few of the key words like “hungry, nap, etc…” and hopefully that will get us through until he learns a little English.  It’s frustrating for us when he talks and we don’t know what he’s saying, so it is probably even more frustrating for him.

 Taipei 101

View from the top

IT’S OFFICIAL!!!

Well it’s official, we are a family of five and Benjamin will be spending his first night with us tonight. 

The day started with the four of us taking a tour of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.  The architecture was beautiful and it was very interesting to see more about Taiwan’s history.  The kids loved the changing of the guards.  See pictures:

 Out in front of the memorial

 We watched the "changing of the guards"

 A view from the top

 There was a museum inside...these two are not into museums!

We then came back to the hotel for lunch and a little rest before going to pick him up at 2pm.  We arrived to the Chung Yi Foundation and we had to go through some paperwork.  They had to give us some of the official documents (adoption agreement, birth certificate, passport, etc…).  They also gave us everything that he owns, which all fit into a small suitcase that we brought.  Interestingly we filled it up with some of Elise’s old clothes to donate to the orphanage and now everything that Benjamin has fits nicely into it.  Most of the items were things that we had sent him while we were waiting to come get him.  Since he has been at this orphanage since 5 days old, we were really surprised to get his baby book and a photo album filled with his baby pictures!!  What a very special surprise!!

As we were going through some of his prior history with the social worker, another lady took Bryce and Elise to go play with him.  After we got everything squared away, they brought him to us.  We were very excited and he was very calm and just taking in the whole situation.  At one point he told one of the social workers that “I’m going to America, isn’t that great”.  We played for some time, took a lot of pictures and just hugged on him and let him know that we loved him. 

 Arriving with his big brother and sister!

 Dad and son

Mama loving on her new boy! 

The beach ball was a hit!! 

Another family picture.

We left Chung Yi and headed back to the hotel, this is when it really sank in that he was ours and it also made him a little sad.  As we drove to the hotel, he stared out the window with tears filling his eyes and running down his cheeks.  He never really cried out loud in the van but he was sad and we could see it in his face.  Our hearts were hurting with him and we just hugged and loved on him.  Bryce and Elise were so very kind.  Elise sat and held him with Nanette in the van.  When we got back to the hotel room, he lost it and was upset.  So we changed the scenery to keep busy and went up on the 20^th floor of the hotel that has a garden overlooking the city and just sat for a while.  He continued to be sad but just took it in and didn’t do much of anything.  After a short time he started to cry so we knew it was time to change locations again. 

That is when we decided to go to a park that we had been to the previous day.  It was called Peace Park and it is a short walk from the hotel.  While we were walking we played some games and Scott gave him a ride on his shoulders and he started to liven up and have fun.  Again Bryce and Elise naturally started to do “kid” things, which he quickly participated in like walking on benches or walls.  At the park, there were swings, slides, and an old fashioned teeter-totter.  All the kids ran around and just had a great time.  Scott even recognized the words that he needed to go to the bathroom, found one, and successfully completed the job!

 Giving him a lift, this was a hit!

 Big fun!

 Benjamin grabbed Elise's hand and was taking her over to play!

Not a juice box, but rather a tea box!

We then walked back to the hotel and stopped to have dinner.  We weren’t really prepared (no toys, games, or any other distraction) but we made it through and just kept him sandwiched between the two of us.  We got back to the hotel, gave him a bath and he is lying in the bed right now.

Overall, it was a great day and simply couldn’t have gone any better.  He is already learning his name and Bryce and Elise’s names.  Amazingly, his first sentence that in very clear English was “I love you”.  We’re pretty sure he doesn’t know what it means but it sounds cute and we get very excited when he says it!  Hopefully he will sleep through the night and we can have a great weekend. God has definitely answered prayers today in an amazing way and we give Him the glory for our first day as a family of five!!

By the way, our luggage was delivered 30 minutes before we went to meet Benjamin yesterday, so Scott and I did not have to wear dirty clothes to meet our son! (another answered prayer!) =)

WE MEET BENJAMIN!!!

Zechariah 7:9-10—“Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”

We have been reading through the whole Bible this year and it is amazing that today’s reading was from Zechariah, who was very concerned about social justice for widows, orphans, and foreigners.  I read this passage while we were traveling to an orphanage in Nantou County, Taiwan to meet Benjamin.  I have never been to an orphanage before so it was quite an experience to see the many children who deserve so much better, to have a mom and dad to love and take care of them.  To see the look on some of their faces with their arms outreached, longing for you to pick them up.  It was quite an emotional time, especially when you consider that this situation could be played out in millions upon millions of children around the world who do not have parents to care for them.  We wanted to bring them all back home with us.  Just think about your children and how you would do anything to make sure they were cared for, wanting the best for them.  Many children have no one to fight for them or care for them…it’s one thing to read about them, it’s another to actually see their faces…

The name of the orphanage.

Here is a picture of his room.

This is Benjamin's bed and the pictures Bryce and Elise sent him.

It took about 4 ½ hours to get from Taipei to Nantou County, due to the long distance and there was also a lot of morning rush-hour traffic.  When we arrived at the orphanage, they took us to a side room and Benjamin’s care-giver brought him in to us.  There were many people in the room taking pictures and staring at him, so he was very scared and shy.  He looked at us very cautiously and did not want to engage at first.  He started to cry and clung to his caregiver.  We were prepared for this reaction and were actually pleased that he has someone in the orphanage that he is bonded to, which will be good for the long-term, but will make the short-term somewhat difficult. 

He's a little scared of us!

We moved to a “play-room” and played with some balls that we brought for him.  He really enjoyed playing with Bryce and Elise and they were great with him.  They gave us a tour of his orphanage to allow us to know more about his living situation.  Then we all played for about 45 minutes and then got ready and went to lunch.  We are in the middle of the country and where do we go?  McDonalds!  It wasn’t our first choice, but what kid doesn’t like a happy meal from McDonalds?  We ate lunch and played on the indoor playground for about 2 hours.  We were thankful for the indoor playground due to the extreme heat outside.  We had a really fun time with Benjamin and the we think the bonding has already began.   Benjamin did repeat some English words and phrases, but it was so hard to have him talk to us and we had no clue what he was saying!  I would love to know what was going on in his little head!

Ronald McDonald in Taiwan.

Being silly

Everybody loves ice cream!

After playing, we returned to the orphanage and met with the caregiver to ask questions and learn more about Benjamin’s routine and his likes/dislikes.  They seem to know him very well and were very helpful.  His primary caregiver told us that he is very well-liked by all of the children in the orphanage and is very independent.  His caregiver was very emotional and sad to see him go, and we could tell that she loved him very much.  The whole place was very hot, the only air conditioning was in the children’s room which was probably only on when they were sleeping.  After playing and spending the day there, everybody was wiped out.  It was very emotional to see and discover more about Benjamin’s life.

Overall, the day went well, and we appreciate all the prayers.  Tomorrow he will be brought to us in Taipei and will officially be ours.  We are anticipating some difficulty with communications, so pray our hand signals and charades work well!!

FIrst Dinner in Taipei

Last night we went to dinner at a local restaurant, by ourselves without our guide/translator.  It was quite an experience when we sat down at the table and there was a bowl of tiny fried fish (heads and all).  It took 3 different waitresses to take our order and we were still not sure if what we ordered was going to be good.  The food came and all went well…we had some dim-sum, fried rice, and a chicken dish.  They did not have an option of silverware—it was chop sticks or nothing.  The kids ended up using the soup spoon!

Travel to Taipei

We got up at 5:00AM and left home at 6:00.  Thanks to John for the ride!!  Our flight left at 8:00AM on Monday and we had a great time traveling!  The kids did absolutely fantastic.  God has blessed us with some troopers; they did not complain one time.  The first flight was full of excitement because they don’t remember flying before.  The second leg was even better b/c it was a double decker plane (747).  The kids thought this was the best!!  This flight was extremely long--12 hours.  The kids went to sleep for a few of them, Dad did not sleep at all, and I slept for maybe 2 hours.  The final flight had TV screens at each seat and that made it fun for the kids.   We got in about 9:45pm Taiwan time and only 3 out of the 4 bags made it.  Unfortunately, it was the bag with Scott’s clothes and mine.  It was a downer when we met our ride to the hotel and found out that Taipei City was one hour away....  We checked into our hotel at 11:30PM Tues.   The kids got to bed at about 1 AM on Wed (Note 5AM on Mon to 1 AM Wed).

Elise got up before 7 AM, but Bryce had to be woken up at 10 to eat breakfast.  

Another funny, the room is a suite, and very nice.  However, it only had one bed and a couch that is not a sleeper.  We called to get another bed, and they brought up a crib (we did not know they were doing this).  However, Elise was sooo excited about sleeping in a crib so we told them to just leave it—funny that our 6 y/o can still fit into a crib and was excited about it

Today we have explored some of Taipei, here are some pictures:

Enjoying a nice Coca-Cola on a very hot day!