Happy Easter from Chongqing!

Sorry about the shortage of posts for the last few days. Between a lightning tour of Beijing, trying to get rested, and Sydney having a hard time with jet-lag, we haven't had much time to sit and process, let alone compose and post updates.

After a two-day tour of Beijing that included the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Olympic Village, and a performance of Chinese acrobatics, we left Beijing early this morning for Chongqing. We were met by our agency rep in Chongqing, Anita, and found that we were in good hands. We have arrived at our hotel, and have about an hour before we need to meet our group again to get an orientation of the surrounding area so we can be self-sufficient for the next week when Anita is not around. We've unpacked into a wonderful hotel room. The one flaw seems to be insufficient storage, so some part of our stuff will have to stay in suitcases. The room itself, though, is very nice, and leaps and bounds beyond the hotel room we spent a week in four years ago when adopting Sydney. Hopefully the internet connectivity and power situation will be more conducive to more frequent posts than the hotel in Beijing. Let's just say it makes it tricky when the only way to turn off the lights in a room and get it dark for Sydney to sleep also shuts off all power to the electrical outlets...

But anyway, I'll post a few photos below and you can see an overview of our time in Beijing.

We anticipate getting Kate tomorrow afternoon, and we'll be posting here as soon as possible afterwards to let everyone know. Between now and then we'll be trying to get more sleep, fill out paperwork, and get all the monetary transactions lined up that have to happen to the various agencies and officials that are part of this process. Passport office, notary fees, orphanage donation, registration fees, etc, etc, etc.

If you are able, please pray for the following:

• Sleep! We need more of it, with fewer interruptions at 1am, 2am, 3am, 4am, 5am, etc. Every night...
• Health. I would love to stay healthy this time around, and I know that is entirely in God's hands.
• Amy's lip. She is currently having an issue where her lower lip is sore and bleeding off and on. That makes a number of things difficult, including talking, eating, interacting socially, and kissing on the kiddos. It has happened a few times in the past, but there is no way of predicting when it will end. Prayer truly seems to be the most effective medicine, as it behaves quite erratically no matter the care she takes of it.

We covet your prayers!

A few photos:

First, Amy and Sydney in front of "the bird's nest" easily recognizable from last year's Olympics.


Next, part of our group standing in front of some large obstruction we happened upon in the countryside...


Taking a riksha ride through a part of Beijing...


Spring-time in a green part of the Forbidden City:

A not-so-green part of the city. This is in Tiananmen Square, looking at the entrance to the Forbidden City and of course, Mao.