Day 10--Guangzhou Sightseeing and Tea

We left the hotel this morning at 9:30 to go to a local museum that was a family temple of the Qing Dynasty. The ornate art work was incredible. There were local artists within the structure doing their craft. The first one that we saw was a gentleman who painted only with his hands--no brushes. It was amazing! The detail and the beauty of this work was not something that I had seen in this manner. The carvings (wood, ivory, stone, bone) were fantastic as well. The crafts that we thought were most unbelievable were the embroidery. There were some that were done with such precision that it looked like a photograph (unfortunately, no photos allowed in this room).

After this adventure it was off to a local tea house, where we learned about the Chinese art of making tea. One of the amazing things is that the tea, when done their way is only in the water for about 20 seconds. They say that if you keep it in longer it becomes bitter. We tasted several teas and were amazed at the pungent flavor of all of them. There are different teas for different ailments. It was a good deal of fun.

This afternoon was a wonderful lunch in the Food Street in the hotel, all the boys went swimming and Ruth was given 2 hours of down time to get some rest (Happy Mother's Day). Jadon took another bath and played a new computer game. Alan did some laundry. Andrew did some blogging, then off to dinner. Back to the hotel for some Skyping with Kirsten, some strong will confronting in Jadon, and then to bed.

I think we all shed a few tears today while missing Kirsten. It is time to all be back together again. Pray for continued wisdom in demonstrating to Jadon the family expectations while maintaining the process of bonding and trust-building. It is our prayer that Jadon would be brought into the security of love while knowing the responsibility of membership in the family as well. Pray that Ruth will sleep well tonight (Alan was pretty restless last night and kept her awake).

Thanks again for following our journey and for taking the time to think of us, pray for us, and write to us. It is a tremendous encouragement to have so many partners in this process. Love to you all!!