The group had the opportunity to have our adopted children blessed by a Buddhist Monk. Our guide informed us that the monks are very pleased that these children are being adopted and are more than willing to give them a blessing. As the monk chanted and sprinkled everyone present with the scented water, Jen quickly got up and hid behind Paul. She wasn’t about to be sprinkled. After the ceremony, she said that Monk still got her and even got some water in her eyes.

If I told you that Jen pouted for the better part of the trip because someone had given Yong a piece of candy would you believe me? She wasn’t even in the same area when he was eating it. She just saw him swallowing it and knew she had been ‘cheated’.

We spent the afternoon doing the very thing that everyone from the USA who adopts children in China must do. We went to the US consulate to get our children’s visas. There were 55 families today at the consulate. It was basically a hurry up and wait situation. Everything went smoothly and we were out of the consulate with our brown envelopes by 4:45 pm. The brown envelope contains all the information that the immigration officials at the port of entry in the US need to declare Yong a US citizen as soon as his paperwork is stamped.

We have spent this evening doing some last minute shopping and packing. It is now 11:15 pm and we are packed and ready to go to bed. It is hard to believe that these two weeks in China are coming to an end. Yong is such a different person that he was just 10 days ago. We love him so much and are anxious to get home, but at the same time realize that there will always be a part of China in him and in our family, too.