Visit to MaoMing

Yesterday was an emotional day, to say the least. We laughed. We wept. And in it all, we worshiped. The Father to the fatherless is providing for orphans, and you and I have the privilege of being a part of His plan. We’ll start from the beginning.

After a four hour car ride, we arrived at the special needs orphanage in Maoming, China. This city of six million people is where Ruthie was born just eighteen months ago.  We drove through the gate—the same gate where 16 months ago, our daughter was left early one morning in a brown paper box. It is illegal for a woman to abandon her baby; consequently, children are left periodically in the early morning while it is still dark. The orphanage staff believes that Ruthie's family learned of her heart condition, and a short time later placed her at the gate just before dawn.  

Our visit was important, yet difficult, as Ruthie had opportunity to interact with the children she has been around and caregivers who have nurtured her.  We hope that this time offered her a bit of closure while also giving us a glimpse of her life to this point.  We had prepared for the worst as we knew of families who had very difficult days with their children wanting their old life.  And since Ruthie was very attached to her nanny we were very mindful of this possibility.  To our amazement, Ruthie seemed to remain very attached to us while at the orphanage, exhibiting no desire to go back to the women who had cared for her the past sixteen months.  We could tell that Ruthie's reaction took the staff by surprise as her main nanny left without saying goodbye.  We know she was sad and understandably so.  As we walked away from the day we realized God was kind to us here.  

Here are pics and vids from the day.  

Playtime before our long car ride

Ruthie has become a huge fan of elevator rides.  The girl is a little social butterfly, so any opportunity to leave the room and go outside is met with much excitement.

Car ride to Maoming.  And yes children's car seats are not required in China. which is scary by itself.  When you see the traffic in China the notion of no car seats becomes even more terrifying.

Today was children's day in China which equals massive crowds.  Above is a typical market in Maoming - fresh pork and fish with no ice = yum!

Stopped at the Maoming Walmart to pick up gifts/supplies for the orphanage.

After spending time in a couple of other different places in the orphanage, our next stop was the floor where Ruthie used to live, eat, sleep, and play. We were looking forward to this moment, and we had prayed intentionally for it. Knowing that just one week ago today, Ruthie was taken from this place to a totally different city and placed in the arms of completely foreign people, we were not sure how she would react to being back. Similarly, we were not sure how the caregivers at the orphanage would react, especially her primary caregiver. We had seen one particular woman in most of Ruthie's pictures, and we had been told that she was the primary person to care for her over the last 16 months. This one woman had held our little girl, fed her, nurtured her, changed her diapers, cared for her when she was sick, played with her, taught her, and simply been the most important person in Ruthie's life to this point. We knew that meeting this caregiver would be an emotional moment on a variety of different levels—for Ruthie, for the caregiver, and for us—and we had prayed specifically for that time. We wanted this woman to know how grateful we are to her.

Ruthie clings tight to mama at the orphanage (which was such a blessing to mama!).  The woman in the pink glasses was one of Ruthie's primary caregivers at the orphanage.  This woman LOVED SiFang and would eventually leave our time together crying.  A bitter sweet reunion as I know she is glad that Ruthie has a home, but sad too because she has great affection for our little girl.  To have Ruthie hold tight to mama during this time was a great testimony to the bond she has already made with Natalie.

Picture time with the some of the orphanage staff in Ruthie's old playroom.  The staff member on the far left is the Maoming orphanage director.  She was incredibly kind during visit and cares for the children very much.  She knows each of one of them in great detail.

Many of the children have pictures posted on the walls of the playroom.   Here's a few of our Ruthie

Thought this was a sweet picture here - Natalie and Ruthie playing on the floor with old toys while "nanny" looked on.  To think, only five short days ago, it would have been this nanny taking care of our little Ruthie.   

Make shift toys in the orphanage 

Overlooking the orphanage courtyard. This building predominantly houses children of various ages, though there is also an area where senior adults are cared for in assisted living. Different floors contain classrooms, eating areas, playrooms, and bedrooms (full with either beds or cribs). 

Orphanage construction

View of the neighborhood surrounding the orphanage.

Of course, Ruthie would pick out the pink tutu!

Ruthie's finding place - this is a spot just outside the gate of the orphanage.  

Neighborhood opposite of Ruthie's finding spot.  As Natalie mentioned in a previous post, we couldn't help but think of Ruthie's birth mother and the prospect that she still lived close by.

Neighborhood playground down the street.

Street of Maoming orphanage.

Couldn't help myself with the next few pics.  These are some of my girl on the way back from Maoming.  She feels safe and comfortable and for this we are grateful.

Picture entering Guangzhou

This was our fearless driver for the trip.  You wouldn't believe the traffic here in China even if I described it (unless you've been here before).  Let's just say they use horns instead of brake lights and blinkers.  By the end of our trip, we were glad this guys was driving instead of us.