We have been told that many times when the foster parents know the family is making a trip to the orphanage they will show up there. We have asked for many prayers for today and we feel good about how the day will go. When we woke up this morning, we have not felt any anxiety or nervousness this morning. We feel like this visit will be closure for Valerie as well as her foster mom.
The beginning of our two-hour drive was pretty quiet. I pulled out some notepads and colored pencils and the girls began to draw. Then we taught Valerie how to play Tic Tac Toe, thumb wars, and Rock, Paper, Scissors. All games she has never heard of. She is very smart and catches on quick.
After a while we got out the camera.
Thumb wars!
When we arrived at the Fuling Social Welfare Institute, Michael said that her foster mom was there. Valerie got out of the van and went straight inside. We gathered all of our bags and followed her. All of the caregivers and her foster mom were waiting for us.
We handed the gifts we brought to the caregivers. We brought some tile boards. They are similar to puzzles, but they are different shaped tiles that you put together to make pictures. You can either make your own picture, or place them them on top of a sample picture by matching the shapes. We brought some alphabet stamps and stamp pads. They are all of the capital English letters. We got some pipe cleaners and Pom Poms for crafts, and a dozen sticker books with all kinds of stickers in them. (I now have an entire suitcase empty for anything we want to bring home!)
We stood in the hallway for a while and talked. Michael translated for us. We asked a couple of questions about Valerie and found out that she had been with her foster mom for one year. I asked where she had been prior to that. They said that she had been in a boarding school. They also said that she had been at the old orphanage before they moved to this location. But nobody could really piece together all the times and places. Perhaps later.
We took a photo of all of us
And then asked for a photo of Valerie and her foster mom.
This is a photo album that we gave Valerie's foster mom. It has photos of us, photos of the girls playing in the yard, us at Forsyth Park, and the girls at the beach. Everyone was very interested to know where each picture was taken.
We also gave her a necklace that has a picture of Valerie inside. We thanked her so much for taking care of Valerie. We asked her to write a short note to Valerie, so that she could have something from her.
We were given a tour of the orphanage.
This was the playground area inside. It was in the main area when we first walked in.
This is the playground outside
This is also outside. This picture was taken from the window of the orphanage. Right across the street is the nursing home. They were walking over for lunch.
These were a couple of rooms as we walked down the hallway
Kitchen area
Parents who have adopted from this orphanage send photo albums of their children once they are home. This is where they keep them.
The Library
This is where the older children slept
Decorations as we went down the hallway
(Photos courtesy of my girls)
Now for the kiddos!
Got to do this one first.
It is for three very special people.
These lovely little ones are waiting for their moms and dads right now!
These families should be traveling to pick them up before the end of the year! How exciting!
Kelli
Sarah
Emily
It felt so wonderful to be able to give these children photos of their moms and dads!
The nannies were very interested to see the photos also.
We brought lollipops for the girls to pass out. This was the first class we went into.
These kids were so excited to see us. They did not stay in their seats very long.
They loved Rachel
What a lovely girl!
Precious faces
This little guy came and jumped right in my lap. He had taken one of the photos I brought and didn't want to let it go.
Another cutie
Then we went down to the nursery area, where the little ones were.
Serious cuteness alert! Lots of baby photos coming.
It was time for us to go. We headed back down the hallway to go out and this little guy "Bo" came looking for us.
Remember my empty suitcase? Hmmmm.
Having lunch
Getting ready for nap
This poor little girl was crying as we left, she desperately wants a mom and dad.
Our visit was one of great success. I attribute that to all of the prayers that have been lifting us up today.
Thank you to each and everyone of you.
Oh my goodness, I just can't thank you enough for these pictures! I've been smiling since I saw them. I am also loving reading all of your posts about the trip.
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