Amusement Park and more...

Got your attention???

So this morning was a huge outing for the kids, as they got to ride on a bus to go to an amusement park with us. It is called the People's Park, and it is filled with antique county fair rides:) It's not about us though, and the joy on the kids' faces is priceless! Not only is it good for the kids to get out, but the exposure to the people of China is important. One man in particular came up to one of our team members and wanted to know where "these children" came from. Jake told them that these were local kids, and explained what an orphan is. The man was so moved that he pulled out money to give towards the orphans. Jake told him that they didn't need his money, but what they did need was his time. Jake pulled out the orphanages address and shared it with him. It was a special moment to watch, and I hope that it sparked something in this man.

This afternoon was lots of play time. The sidewalk chalk was a hit, but it was quite toasty outside, so you could only stay outside in small increments of time. Today we also purchased a refrigerator for the orphanage, as well as a printer/fax machine for the paperwork that they have to do for the children. We made sure our guide explained that this was to be used to register more children for forever families. We also found out today that three children have already been matched with their families, with a couple going to European countries. That was wonderful news.

Tonight we went back to the pagoda area where some of our team members sang on a microphone for a huge crowd. It was hysterical! The younger girls sang a dramatic version of a song from The Little Mermaid and the people loved it. They then were asked to go over to the ballroom dancing area where they proceeded to perform the Electric Slide, and even convinced some locals to dance with them. Again, it was hysterical, but something the girls will take with them for the rest of their lives. I think many photos are probably being posted of them on Chinese MySpace tonight!

We also learned today that the cribs are on a truck about 4 hrs. from here. It would be wonderful if they would arrive in the morning so that we could put them together before our big birthday party in the afternoon. That is our big finale with the kids, so we don't want to be spending time with the cribs in the afternoon. Please keep the prayers for this coming~

Halfway point....

It is so much fun to be able to be a big kid for 6-7 hours each day! Today it was cool enough to take the kids outside to play. We played with the parachute, took walks in the garden, played on the playground, made crafts, and played a little volleyball with one of the nannies (who was one of the orphans last year, but is now employed here). Needless to say, I got my exercise today (as did the kids...see tired boy below), topped off by another evening of walking around the city. We went back to the pagoda, which is teaming with action. While there we observed chinese writing on the sidewalk with a big broom, buddhists chanting, ballroom dancing, a form of hacky-sacking, and several forms of kung fu. And all of this for free! Better than any show we could've paid for.

Please pray the cribs to make it to Chaoyang before we leave Friday. Our guide offered the driver a big tip if he can get them here, and we really want to see them and help put them together. The mattresses are here already, and we have 20 handmade quilts ready to tuck the kids in. Although, in this heat, I don't think they will want to use them right now!

Day Two....

Another fun filled day at the orphanage. We spent the morning just playing with the kids, and also had an opportunity to give Chen-Chen a bath. He was the little boy from last year that loves to snuggle, and still does. However, he did not like a bath! He's pictured here with Mike after his bath. Mike got pretty sweaty this morning with all the rough housing he did with the boys. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more.



We let the kids get some rest and went out for a Manchurian style lunch. The workers wore traditional dress, and everything they brought out was presented beautifully. The food was good too, especially the tofu soup.


Beading and the macarena were the hits in the afternoon! The kids rush out of the building to greet us everytime they see us now, which really warms the heart. It's also what makes it harder to leave, but we won't talk about that now. Just enjoy today's pictures, from China, with love.

Full day....

Between the orphanage and walking around the city tonight, we've had a full day. We're happy to say the children remembered us and it didn't take long for them to warm up again. Three of the children have been adopted, but there were several new faces too. There were three babies less than a few months old, with one being only 5 days old! He just came out of surgery so they wouldn't let us hold him, but I sure wanted to (Lisa C., his sn is like your kids). The little girl with the cleft reminds us so much of Kaia when she was little. This girls sucks on four fingers at a time!

The afternoon was spent tie-dying, which they loved, and blowing bubbles. This evening we danced the folk dance with the locals, then walked around parts of the city we haven't seen. We will be exploring some parts in the daylight tomorrow. Tomorrow is also going to be parachutes and beading with the kids.

Still haven't worked out the email bug, so if you want to email us, send it to mcrebbin@gmail.com

Sleepless in Chaoyang...

It's 4:30 am here, and I'm wide awake, so I decided I would post a funny experience from yesterday. The drive from Shenyang to Chaoyang is primarily an agricultural drive amongst corn and rice fields. Last year we stopped at a "truck stop" about halfway through the drive, to use the restroom. It was most of the team's first experience with a squatty, and we all had quite a good laugh. Well this year we actually laughed harder! We stopped to use the same restrooms, only to be told the restrooms were under renovation, so we had to use the temporary ones out back. We had to wade through huge puddles to get to them, and boy, were we in shock when we got there. The picture below tells a thousand words, but hey, when you got to go, you got to go!


We're having a little trouble getting our email right now, so if you have sent us an email, we didn't receive it yet. For now you may just want to post comments. We will let you know when we have the glitch worked out:)

Well the city is starting to come alive. I'm going to watch the locals dance and exercise from my window this morning, as so far it's not raining.
Love, from China!

We made it!

We made it safely to Beijing yesterday, but were too exhausted to post (see Mike's crashed picture). We had a 7:30 am flight this morning to Shenyang, which didn't go as smoothly as yesterday's travels. One person did not have a seat, so he had to wait for the next flight. Fortunately it was one of our Chinese team members, so he was okay traveling alone. We also lost a bag along the way, but it has since been recovered.

We spent the afternoon shopping in Shenyang before our 4+ hour bus ride to Chaoyang. We shopped for the orphanage at the Walmart Super Center, which is always an interesting experience. As you can see from the photos, we also shopped at a couple stores that we were pleasantly surprised to find.

Once again we are exhausted, so we need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is our first day at the orphanage, and tie-dye is on the agenda. That is, if the rain stops long enough....

Underweight....

That's right, we're all packed and actually underweight! Of course, I had to buy a bigger suitcase today to get the large play tunnel packed, but it was worth it. My parents have arrived and we head to Seattle at 4:30 tomorrow morning. Our friend Tracie will be with us, and we meet up with the rest of the team in Vancouver, BC. We arrive in Beijing on the 4th of July, but for some reason I don't think the Chinese celebrate Independence Day:) We will try and post to this blog daily, and you can also view the "official" Visiting Orphans Chaoyang team blog. We should be able to read our email, or you can post comments here.

Please keep us in your prayers, and a safe trip home for Kellen on Saturday too.