Day-8: Zai Jian (Good-bye) ZZ SWI

John 14:18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you..."

Today we visited three important places in Moriah's first nineteen months of life. It was a hard day in some ways, but a good day. First, we went to the hospital where we think she was found after being abandoned. It is a huge, busy place. The original hospital has recently been replaced, but we took pictures of the old parts that remain and the gate at the entrance. It was a busy, bustling area, so it is easy to imagine that she was quickly found after being placed there.

Next we went to the Zhengzhou Social Welfare Institute (ZZ SWI) where Moriah spent some time. We are not exactly sure how long...possibly six months. We were welcomed by the orphanage directors and staff. We were shown to a conference room where we talked with the staff for a few minutes. Next we walked through the grounds to the orphanage. There were some very beautiful gardens and a vegetable garden that was being cultivated along the way. Another large building housed an old folks home. When we went into the orphanage building itself, we were ushered upstairs to a school room and play room (yet noticeably there were no toys around). There were about twenty children in these two rooms. We passed out lollipops to the children and took pictures. Some of their sad faces broke our hearts. It was especially sad to see older children who are past the age of being adopted. We were not able to see any sleeping or eating areas and I don't think we saw all the children. But we were thankful to see the parts that they were willing to share. We enjoyed seeing some children who will soon be adopted by people we have met through CCAI. It was great to tell them their parents will be coming for them soon. Before long, we were being ushered back out to our van. We said our goodbyes. It was good to hold her and remind her as we left that she is no longer an orphan, but our child and a child of the King. I also felt a deep sense of thankfulness to the orphanage staff who had put the paperwork together for Moriah to be adopted.

Our next stop was the foster home where Moriah has spent the last two months. It was a blessing to meet her caregivers and the other children who were there. She clearly enjoyed being there and felt at ease. It had a wonderful homey atmosphere full of warmth and love. This dear family has blessed us and we are thankful that He brought them into her life and ours. After a delicious Chinese food lunch with her caregivers, we headed back to our hotel.

So, we come away from today with a deep sense of the goodness of the Lord in His many Providences in Moriah's life. Clearly He has had His hand upon her. It was a great feeling to bring her home in our arms knowing that all of those places are behind her now. She fell asleep on the way home and slept hard for several hours. At one point during her nap, she woke up, looked around and saw us, gave a sigh and went back to sleep. She is a brave, sweet girl. It is exciting to think what the Lord has in store for the rest of our lives together.

2 Corinthians 5:17b "The old has passed away, behold the new has come."