May 22

Today found us on a "cliff-notes" tour of Shanghai. Our guide, Ian, and his driver arrived at our hotel at 9:00 a.m. The first stop on the day's tour was to the Temple of the Jade Buddha. The Jade Buddha holds particular significance as it has not been damaged in any of the wars and conflicts of China's history. While at the Temple of the Jade Buddha, we watched a portion of a blessing ceremony being conducted by a dozen or so Buddhist monks. The ceremony was complete with chanting, incense burning, cymbal clanging, drum beating, and just like at home the drum beating monk checking his watch to see how much longer he had to endure!

The balance of the day we spent at the Bund, the waterfront, and Old Shanghai. We also had a two hour tour of the Shanghai Museum. Tomorrow we leave Shanghai and fly to Yichang to begin the Yangtze River cruise portion of our journey.

God's peace and love,
pb

May 21, 2008

After a two hour delay at O’Hare due to a mechanical issue, Caroline and I settled into seats E and F of Row 54 for the 15 hour flight to Shanghai. With the exception of the stereotypical “ugly American tourist” (loud, obnoxious, complainer, had to have things her way) sitting next to me, the flight was non-descript; good food, fair movies, and plenty of sleep.

As we boarded the plane, we noticed a number of Asian families with infants boarding with us. It was, in a sense, at least for me, a defining moment of the journey Caroline and I are embarking on; when next we board a 747, we will do so with Ellie, our Asian daughter. Walking the aisle of that huge plane, seeing all the Asian infants and toddlers brought a measure of clarity that what had three years ago been a dream, was soon to become a reality. Even our guide, Ian, and his driver, shuttling us from the airport to the hotel was able to acknowledge the significance of our travel in China. Ian told us what a wonderful deed we were doing for one of their children. He also added that his wife has expressed a desire to adopt one of the thousand of newly orphaned infants due to last week’s earthquake.

The more that I’m blessed to travel this world, I’m reminded over and over, we as a global village and as people of humanity share more in common than the differences that seem to divide us. We are all participants in caring for the global village.

God’s peace and love,

Brad

It's midnight, Tuesday, May 20. In six hours Caroline and I will be zipping up our DaKine Wheelie bags, giving Kirby and Max their good-bye pets, buttoning up the house and making our way to the International Terminal of O'Hare Airport to board our 10:20 a.m. flight. It's been an amazing few days filled with all manner of emotion; one would be calm and focused, while the other was manic and scattered. One of us has been working with little sleep; the other tending to multiple to-do lists.

Having waited three years for this day to come one would expect a level of preparedness to be evident. In a sense, there is; visas received, emergency contacts provided, trip finances accounted, and litter boxes cleaned. Yet, in the scope of the pending life-changing reality, can there really exist any true level of preparedness? How does one embrace the magnitude of leaving an intact, comfortable, albeit hectic lifestyle, knowing that on the afternoon of June 1st all will be remarkably incomprehensible; a person whom we've never met will hand to us an infant whom we've never met, yet loved even before we knew her name...one for whom we will be her forever family. Perhaps our time on the Yangtze will provide some clarity. For this morning, it's simply enough to have everything packed and ready to go for our 6:05 a.m. departure to O'hare.

Introducing Elizabeth Bo Satre

With great delight Caroline and I are thrilled to introduce to you, our daughter, Elizabeth Bo Satre.

We received "the call" from our agency on Friday, April 4 @ 11:45 a.m. Elizabeth (Ellie) was born on July 29, 2007 in the Jiangxi Provience of the People's Republic of China. Ellie's Chinese name was Bo Tong; Bo means "waves" and Tong means "red". Ellie is waiting for us at the Social Welfare Institute (SWI) of Poyang County. Ellie was found at the entrance to the Poyang County Bus Terminal and processed for intake at the SWI on July 30, 2007.

We had expected the "stork" (UPS Truck with the official referral documents package) to arrive sometime on Saturday, April 5. Caroline and I held a vigil on our front porch from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., looking down the street at any vehicle sound. No "stork" came. An email later that day provided the answer; the "stork" had been scheduled for Monday, April 7 delivery.

The "stork" did arrive as promised on Monday, April 7 @ 12:45 p.m. We eagerly poured over the documents, wanting to absorb all nuggets of information about Ellie. One of the documents that needed to be returned to CHI was an adoption agreement; this form needed to include Bo's American name. We sat in our family room, practicing names saying things like, "Sophia, it's time for lunch," or "Carly Elizabeth, I'm not going to ask you again," or "Ellie, it's bath time," or "Elizabeth Bo Satre, do I have to stop this car!" Ellie and Elizabeth Bo Satre stuck.

The birth narrative of Jesus in the first chapter of Matthew's Gospel reads, "Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, fro he will save his people from their sins.." All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, God is with us.' When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus."

In antiquity, the giving of a name was a sign of acceptance; in the receiving of a name, a child was claimed to be the father and mother's very own. This story of Joseph, is an adoption story. In his act of naming the child born of Mary, Joseph claimed Jesus as his very own son. On Monday, April 7 a bit after 1:00 p.m. Caroline and I claimed Bo Tong as our very own...she is our daughter...Elizabeth Bo Satre...a daughter who is precious in our sight.

God's peace and love,

Brad

Precious In My Sight

In the Old Testemant of the Bible, the prophet Isaiah writes:

• "But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine...because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you." (Isaiah 43:1, 4a)

After nearly a three year journey, these words of God spoken to the prophet will take on new meaning. Within the next few days, our international adoption from China, begun on Mother's Day, May 2005, will begin moving to completion; we expect to receive our referral notice. Thus begins our journey as parents; parents who will shortly thereafter travel to China and say to the little one resting in our arms for the very first time, "we have called you by name, you are ours...because you are precious in our sight, and honored, and we love you."

Many of you have been with us on this jounery, too, for which we offer you deep graditude. Over the course of the next few months, we invite you to continue with us as we travel to China. It is our hope to be able to send you updates, pictures and videos so that you may also become familiar the one who is precious in our sight.

God's peace and love,

Brad