Where's Adam? Part 3

On November 1st at 1300 CST at the Chicago O'Hare Int'l Airport, Adam Zhang Bei (pronounced Jong Bay) Tkach became the newest citizen of the United States of America. At the same time, our connecting flight announced it's final boarding call. Because we still had a good 30 minutes to get to the gate, we got to enjoy an additional 3 hours in Chicago. But finally at 6 PM EST, we landed safely in Dayton and Adam and his sisters met for the first time!

The girls and Adam enjoyed the evening together. The language barrier did not seem to matter. Adam enjoyed exploring his new house.

Many thanks to friends and neighbors for watching over our girls and house the past 2 weeks. The peace of mind you gave us was priceless. Adam's next big step will be to take care of his cleft palate. We'll begin that process soon and keep you informed.

Where is Adam? He is home with his forever family!

Last Day in China

Two weeks ago we set out on a journey that actually began last March when God placed Adam on our hearts. The 13 hour plane trip from Chicago to Beijing was tough and we are not looking forward to the return trip tomorrow from Hong Kong to Chicago except that it will bring us, and especially Adam, home. This has been a truly remarkable journey. We met great new friends in our travel group, not just friends, but brothers and sisters in Christ. We'll remember the stares form the suspicious Chinese people, wondering what we are doing with a Chinese child, and how their suspicions turn to joy when they realized we were adopting an orphaned child and giving him a new life. We'll remember all the new places we've seen, the remarkable beauty that is China. And we'll remember the places we've been to before, that were not only a part of Adam's journey but our Makayla's journey as well. We'll remember the greatness of God, who brought Adam and us together, and has gone before us every step of the way. And we'll remember all the precious comments we've received from you all, who kept us close to home during the past couple of weeks.

Last night we went on a cruise up and down the Pearl River in Guangzhou. The lights of the buildings and streets were absolutely beautiful. Adam seemed to enjoy the cruise. At the hotel last night, we were startled to hear loud booms, only to realize that someone outside was treating us to a fireworks display. This morning is another relaxing morning, to be filled with packing and maybe some swimming. Adam loves the pool as long as he is being held. The pool here is actually very large, with a beach area and a wave generator.

This afternoon we head to the U.S. consulate to pick up Adam's visa and take his oath of ctizenship. They won't let us take pictures there. After the ceremony we will share one final dinner with our travel group. We wake up at 4:30 AM Wednesday and begin a 37 hour day that will end at home!. This is probably our last post from China. We'll post again from home by Thursday.

Mackenzie and Makayla - We'll be home after 1 more sleep!

Psalm 139

Today was a fairly relaxing day. I am posting this before we go on our River cruise so we won't have pictures of that till tomorrow. The internet here gets extremely slow at night. Today, I just want to share some thoughts and a scripture. Before we left I posted a segment on why we adopt. When I look at Mackenzie and Makayla play together, and marvel at how well Makayla has become a part of the Tkach family, there is no doubt that God had planned for her to become a part of this family. Adam too, has been uniquely created to become part of our family. You can look at each of the children in our adoption group and see how God has perfectly placed them with their new families. It’s absolutely amazing to behold.

Enjoy the pictures and Psalm 139:13-18

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to [b] me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

Home in 2 days!

Red Couch Photos

Today (Sunday) we began our day in Christian fellowship with our travel group. We all met in a hotel room, shared prayer requests, sang, prayed, and one member of our group gave a sermon. It was a very special time.

In Guangzhou there is a hotel called the White Swan. We stayed there when we got Makayla. It is a tradition for all travel groups coming to Guangzhou to take groups pictures of their adopted children on a red couch in the White Swan. So today, we went to the White Swan to do just that.

The rest of the day was filled with shopping. We bought Chinese dresses for our girls and a couple Chinese outfits for Adam. We also bought souvenirs to commemorate our trip. In the afternoon, we went swimming. Adam continues to do well. He is a happy kid with great energy. He can be a little shy but warms up quickly. He loves to play. He can be mischievous.

Tomorrow we will enjoy a night cruise on the Pearl River.

For the most part, Guangzhou is a beautiful place to stay if you have to stay somewhere for 4 days. But most of all, we miss home and especially Mackenzie and Makayla. Girls, we’ll be home with your new brother after 3 more sleeps. We miss you so much.

As always thanks for your prayers. They are felt.