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 91st 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
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