Home at Last ...

Today was our first day back in our own home. It's so wonderful to be home again. There are so many reasons we are blessed to be living here in the USA and especially here in Alabama! We're all very tired and trying to catch up on sleep, so we probably won't post any pictures for a few days. But we did want to thank everyone who welcomed us home last night at the airport ... and to apologize for exposing you to the flu. We didn't know. No one was sick until somewhere over the Pacific Ocean when Austin started running a fever. Lily Grace and Lia Faith had their first doctor's visit together today and both were diagnosed with the flu. Austin is sick too now and has his doctor's visit tomorrow. Connie and I are OK so far. Please keep all of us in your prayers for the next few days as we try to get this flu bug out of the house.

For those of you who met us at the airport, the symptoms are high fever, severe cough, runny nose, and extreme lack of energy. Austin has been hit hardest, Lily Grace next. It starts with a really dry cough, followed by the fever, loss of energy, and then full symptoms! Lia was first to have the cough, but so far she hasn't had fever. Austin was next, then Lily. The fever began for Austin somewhere over the Pacific and was very high. We asked for ice from the flight attendants and the next thing we know, every attendant was busy doing something for Austin. Then they announced that if there was a doctor on board, please identify himself/herself - Chinese or American, doesn't matter. A Chinese doctor saw both Austin and Lily Grace (Lia was asleep and we didn't dare wake her) and confirmed that Austin was running a fever, but could do little else. So we continued the ice packs and water. Lily Grace did not have a fever at that point. Later the captain came back to check on Austin and later, the flight attendants reassembled to get our names. I was certain that we were going to be quarantined in Atlanta, but thankfully we weren't. Connie pointed out that at least the kids didn't develop fevers in China and have to see a doctor in a very unfamiliar setting.

Hopefully, no one else will get sick. Thanks for your prayers. Pictures from home in a few days.

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of Five

St. Joseph's Cathedral ... Finally a Mass to Attend!

She said "I want to know who this Jesus is, as she looked me in the eyes."

That was two and a half years ago, but it hardly seems like a few weeks to me. If you look closely in the picture above, the girl who asked this question is there in a white dress. In Beijing, there are very few churches. In fact, there are only 4 Catholic churches that are official churches. There may be others, but only four are recognized. One of those is the East Church, also known as St. Joseph's Cathedral. I have written about this church many times since we visited Beijing in July 2006. It has a certain grace and beauty about it that is hard to describe. Ever since we adopted Lily Grace, I have had a longing to come back to this church and bring Lily Grace to see it. I believe that it was God's plan for that to happen and we were very blessed and honored that He allowed us to come back here with both Lily Grace and Lia Faith and to show them this beautiful church in the heart of their beautiful country.

As soon as we got to Beijing, we checked into the Wangfujing Grand Hotel, dropped off the luggage and headed out to see the church again. This time, we were able to meet several people who work at the church, either as teachers or artists, and have some conversation with them. I can't wait to share some of that with you when we get home. The church is even more beautiful than I remembered from 2006 and I was able to stand in the very spot where God challenged me two and a half years ago to tell Lily Grace "Who this Jesus Is." This time with both Lily Grace and Lia Faith. We stood in the foyer and looked at the pictures and scripture as I explained to them what these pictures were and what the words meant. Even though they are young, I believe that they know, perhaps better than many 'older' followers, that God loves them.











There were many changes here since 2006, most noteably the number of people frequenting the church courtyard. Of course, the last time I was here, the sun had barely risen, so maybe that had something to do with the number of people around. We met a few artists who showed us their works in the basement and later purchased a few - my favorite is an oil painting of the church itself - a prized possession! I also met a teacher at the church who had been teaching there 5 years.







Every day since we arrived, we have been hoping to attend a worship service, but it's really confusing to find out when the services are held. Finally, on our last night here, I was able to attend Mass and see the inside of the church. I had thought to go to the church one last time before we leave and see it at night and I had heard there would be Mass at 6:00 pm. But again, the doors were closed and there appeared to be no service tonight. As I was standing outside the church, I silently asked God if I could go inside and thought to myself, "I'll only go in if someone invites me." That will be His sign. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, a gentlemen came up and asked me if I would like to see the inside! So I went in and sat through Mass while I prayed for Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith.

Inside, the church was very beautiful, but simply finished. I was not able to take any pictures, so I'll try to describe it to you. There were no fancy pews or marble floors. In fact, the pews looked as old as the city and the floor was made of old tiles. There were 16 stained glass, arched windows, 20 columns, and 44 glass chandeliers. I'm not familiar with the details of Catholic churches, but it was as I imagined it might be.

The pews were rather small and held only a few each. The service was amazing, with songs of praise in deep, very emotional passages followed by reading of the scripture (in Chinese of course). I recognized "Amen" and could tell when there was prayer. The congregation seemed to come and go quite a bit - I'm not sure if this is commonplace in Catholic Mass or not? The occupants of the pew I was sitting in changed at least 4 times in the 45 minutes I was there. There were probably 250-300 people in attendance at any given time. There were no children in attendance that I could see. Many of the congregation smiled at me when they saw me there and I felt very welcomed, though no one spoke to me, nor I to anyone. I took the following pictures tonight after the service so you could see what the church looks like at night.





This was an amazing way to end this journey, to sit in the St. Joseph's Cathedral and thank God for the blessings He has given us and to pray for our little girls, that they might know Him the way we know Him. That they might experience the love and awesome power we have seen in Him and the miracles He has performed in our lives. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel back to the United States tomorrow. It will be a long day, but one we have been anticipating now for several days as we long to see each of our friends and family and to celebrate Christmas in the U.S. again. When we get home, we will be able to introduce you to our newest little princess, Lia Faith Xurong Green.

God Bless You,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of Five

Lunch in Beijing ... Authentic Chinese Fare!

We had the best guide we have had since we have been in China. Her name was Helen and she was the sweetest person we have met. She took us all over the city, bought tickets to the acrobatics show - front row seats, and introduced us to the finest Chinese food in the city. Austin's taste buds even lead him to comment that the food was really, really good. After we ate, Helen mentioned that she had intended to tell us not to eat the small black things mixed in with the chicken, it's really hot. But I had already consumed a few and so I was sweating and my glasses fogged up! Lily and Lia, of course, were eating up the Chinese food.







On our way home soon!

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of Five

Silk ... Made in China

Today, we visited a number of different places in Beijing, as we sought to take in as much of Lily and Lia's culture as we could. Connie and Austin liked the silk factory and proved it by purchasing new bedspreads while I chased the two little girls all over the factory! I think the owners were happy when we left.




Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of Five

Beijing ... in a Rickshaw!

"Two princesses and a prince and momma and daddy in a rickshaw touring Beijing on a cold, very cold winter's day."

We set out to make sure that we took in as much of the Chinese lifestyle and culture as we could, so that we'd be able to show and tell Lily Grace and Lia Faith as much as possible about their birth country. Today, we toured a Beijing Hutong on a rickshaw. It was one of the more interesting days we have spent in China. And it taught us much about the culture and ways of life of Lily and Lia's former fellow citizens.





The Hutong is a quaint, little Beijing neighborhood. It's basically a collection of small homes with interconnecting roofs between the high rise buildings. Actually, the Hutong were here first, but appear to have sprung up to occupy the space between the newer structures. Families live in groups of four, sharing a courtyard and some portions of their homes. The living spaces are meager at best, but the families there don't seem to mind. Our guide hooked us up with another guide, Amy, who took us to visit a home in the Hutong. We were able to visit with a nice lady and her dog, named Lily!, for a little while. She showed us pictures of her family and wanted to know about ours. She served us tea and was very happy to meet us. But it was very cold, both inside and out. They heat their homes with charcoal, just like we use in our grills, but the charcoal is compacted into cells for longer and more efficient burning. This was an eye-opening experience that will remain with us forever.





By the way, a rickshaw is a little two seat carriage fastened to the back of a bicycle. So we were outside for the entire tour. Several people living in the Hutong spoke to us as we passed through. Most were cordial.

Tomorrow, we leave Beijing for Shanghai, where we started our China journey. After that, we'll be on our way back to the USA! See you all very soon.

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of Five

Merry Christmas ... from Beijing

"Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born unto you. He is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

"St Joseph's Cathedral"

"In the Foyer"

"History of East Church"

"How do you like our Christmas dresses? Aunt Tracie made them for us!

Merry Christmas from Beijing, China. We arrived safely in Beijing yesterday, after leaving Guangzhou first thing in the morning on Christmas Eve. Our first stop here was the East Church! Wow, what a wonderful blessing God has given us in our new daughter Lia Faith and getting to take her and Lily Grace and Austin to church in China. In Guangzhou, we went to the Christ Church on Shamian Island. Here in Beijing, we will go again to the East Church, otherwise known as St. Josephs Cathedral on Christmas Day. This is a beautiful church and holds very special meaning for me personally.

Unfortunately, we were not able to attend the midnight mass on Christmas eve because we didn't have a ticket and the crowd was overflowing - another blessing! And besides, the girls were sound asleep - very tired from the day's travel. There aren't any more services at St. Joseph's Cathedral while we are here, but we have met a few artists who work at the gallery in the back of the church - maybe they will let us see the inside tomorrow. We spoke with them and they gave us some tea and showed us their works. Wow, they are really, really good. They are a real credit to their beautiful country and this beautiful city. Just to look at the paintings and drawings they have done in the name of helping the children affected by the earthquake in Chengdu sends chills up and down your spine. They sell their work and donate 70% of the money to earthquake relief. Once you have seen an artist's work and listened to him describe it's meaning, you are able to feel the emotion that inspired the art. We look forward to showing Lily Grace and Lia Faith the beauty of the East Church and telling our daughters "Who this Jesus is."

"Anybody know how to get to Whoville?"

"A Charlie Brown Christmas!"

We really, really miss our family and friends back home. While we have enjoyed the blessings God has given us here in China, we do miss several things. Like waking up at the crack of dawn and seeing our children's eyes light up when they see that Santa came, ate the cookies, drank the milk, and left a few toys for them to play with. Opening stockings and acting surprised even though we saw each other stuff them Christmas eve. Like going to Granny's and Memaw's for homemade turkey and dressing or honey glazed ham with deviled eggs and baked beans. Orange blossoms and chocolate cake!!!! Football on Christmas Day (using an oblong shaped, leather ball with a white stripe around either end) the way it's supposed to be played. Who won anyway? Christmas music from 6:00 pm Christmas Eve until midnight Christmas Day. Houses decorated with white lights, not all the colorful glitter that we have here. Santa Clauses with big round bellies that shake when they laugh, like a bowl full of jelly. Running from place to place to see everyone and coming home stuffed, but still with enough room for one more orange blossom. Christmas Eve come and go communion. Silent Nights. Holy Nights. Stores that are closed after 6:00 pm on Christmas Eve, instead of open through Christmas Day (we had Christmas Dinner at McDonalds!).

"Did we mention our Christmas dresses that Aunt Tracie made for us?"

All that said, we have had the most wonderful Christmas ever here in Beijing. Because our Lord and Savior lives and He has granted us our wishes and given us a new baby girl to share our lives with and to teach. We had our own Christmas here, complete with a Ficus tree decorated with little girls hair bows. We got up and had the girls see what Santa had brought. Even Austin got a few things delivered by Santa, mostly things he already had seen, but that's OK.

"How do you like our Bama dresses? Aunt Tracie made them for us!"

Merry Christmas from Beijing
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of Five

She's All Sworn In ... Saying Goodbye to Guangzhou

"Green, Party of Five"

"Thank You, Jesus!"

Lia Faith had her big day at the U.S. Consulate yesterday afternoon. She and Lily Grace look really stunning in their Consulate appointment dresses made by Robin. The appointment actually turned out to be December 23rd, we were thinking the appointment was on the 22nd. I guess it was the 22nd back in Alabama. This was a day we have been waiting for since July 31st, 2007 when we first began the adoption process for the second time. The consulate appointment is essentially the last milestone in the adoption process, at least before arriving back in the U.S. And so we were extremely excited to complete this step.

"Sisters"

Children adopted from other countries into U.S. families are sworn in as U.S. citizens in the consulate or embassy of the host country. It is a formal ceremony, as formal as can be with 40 or so babies, toddlers, and pre-teens involved. After the ceremony, families are given a brown envelope to be opened at the U.S. Customs office upon return to the U.S. We have our brown envelope and after a brief stay in Beijing to celebrate Christmas, we will be bringing home the newest princess of the Green household, the latest toddler for Isom's Chapel, and a sister for our sweet baby girl, Lily Grace, and her big brother Austin. Though we are extremely tired, sleepy, cold, and missing our family and friends at Christmas, we are a very, very happy family today. God has blessed us much more than we deserve and we are humbled by His addtion to our family. I'm not sure whether you've noticed or not, but she looks a lot like Lily Grace. Most people here think they are twins (but that could have something to do with the matching outfits). But the two do look like sisters, so much so that it's hard to believe.

"Loading Up for the Consulate"

Most of you know, but just in case you don't, the adoption process is very lengthy and very emotionally draining. It begins with prayer and a family answering God's call to reach out to His children in need and ends with a family being blessed with another forever member. The consulate appointment is the last step. The time between can be several months or several years, depending on the complexity of the adoption and the host country policies. Unfortunately, the process is becoming more and more lengthy for some countries, which can be quite discouraging to families in waiting. So, part of the reason we write this web journal is to encourage those families that they may know that the process does indeed produce fruit. And for those families still waiting, we admire your dedication and your will to expand your families in accordance with God's will and we pray that you will soon get to hold your precious children as well. Meanwhile, we hope that you have enjoyed reading about Lia Faith's adoption process in this web journal.

"Daddy's Sweet Baby Girl, No Momma's Sweet Baby Girl"

"A Little Bit of GZ"

We spent our last day in Guangzhou, finishing our shopping and eating at the new Italian restaurant. Closed caption for Hammonds and Weathers (and anyone else preparing for a mid-winter trip to Guangzhou), don't pass up the Italian restaurant on Shamian Island. It's a bit of a hike from the hotel, but I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Try the oven baked pizza and the spaghetti with meat sauce. When you're finished, be sure to order a slice of cheese cake or a cup of gellato. Mmm Mmm!

"The Italian Restaurant"

"The Cheesecake"

Lia Faith liked the spaghetti so much that she face planted and began sucking the noodles up like a vacuum cleaner. She really is concerned that she might not get more food, even though she doesn't look like it! If you're really lucky, the laughing, embarrased, shy Santa Claussete will make an appearance at your table just like she did ours. The waitresses were so friendly and loved seeing Lily and Lia, so they put on a Santa show. Poor thing was laughing and so embarrased, she had rosy cheeks even though her usual skin color is pale white! And she was skinny as a rail!

"The Laughing Santa Claussette"

Oh, and while we're on the topic of recommendations. Do not go to Jessica's to get your laundry done. Unless you want your whites returned pink and all your clothes damp and smelling. Austin and I are wearing pink socks this week and pink ... well nevermind. I guess I'm paid back now for laughing about Connie's little (big) bird incident at Jinci Temple!

"Austin and His Fan Club"

As far as the shopping, it reminded me of how Lily Grace (and any other toddler) gets when it gets closer and closer to bedtime. The more tired we became, the more rapid and illogical the pace of expenditures and purchases became! I didn't think we'd have to do this, but we actually purchased another suitcase that resembled a small automobile. The girls at Hope of Love really loved us. Austin was their favorite, but they were more than willing to play with Lily and Lia so we, er Connie, could shop - imagine that! We forgot that we already had too many suitcases and too many people to make a smooth exit from GZ. But at least Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith have outfits for the next three New Years! But only six pair of squeaky shoes ... oh my. With all our luggage, we must have looked like the Beverly Hillbillies on their way to Beijing. Come and listen to a story about a man named ... The only thing missing was the big ol' hound - and they even tried to trade Lily Grace a real puppy for her Panda, nothing doing of course. Poor Rebecca. She's going to be talking about the Green's for years!

Speaking of Rebecca. This is an angel placed here on earth for His purpose. She is very adorable and lovable and was absolutely the best guide and helper we could have hoped for. She is funny and helpful at the same time. She loves Lily Grace and Austin and Lia Faith, though she's probably not to happy with the punctuality of their parents! She and Lily do an awesome job - Karla, if you're reading this, you do an awesome job too, but we wanted you to know how important the staff here in GZ is to the families as well.

Saying Goodbye to Guangzhou ... and Hello to Beijing.

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of Five

Christmas in the Gardens ...

When we first got to Guangzhou, the weather was beautiful. Nice sunny skies, warm temperatures, weather fit for shorts and shirt sleeves. Unfortunately, it could not last through the week. The cold weather caught up with us on the day we were to visit the Botanical Gardens. Not really cold, because I know many of you are freezing back in the good ol' USA. The wind is what really got us here. Connie and Lia decided to stay in the hotel room for some extra bonding time. Knowing that Memaw and Granny would have loved to have seen the Gardens, Austin and I braved the weather and took Lily Grace to see Guangzhou's finest flower garden. Yes, two men and a baby, we decided it was the right thing to do. And once we got there, we were not disappointed.

"Lily of the Valley"

The gardens were beautiful. In retrospect, it wasn't really the flowers, but they way they had constructed the gardens. Even Austin was impressed. He climed the 300 steps to the peak and got a beautiful view of the entire city. I think if the weather had been better, the gardens might have been even more impressive - some of the flowers were themselves hiding from the bite of the north wind. We got lots of looks from the locals, some smiles, some frowns, some excited, some sad. Many people try to talk to Lily Grace, but she is generally turned off by their approaches and I'm left to give polite nods and the occasional, Ni Hao or Zhao.

"Austin found a peak for this shot of Guangzhou"

It's funny, the entire garden has a sound system to pipe relaxing music in for the guests and they were playing Christmas music, not the secular type, but things like Away in a Manger and Oh Holy Night. I wonder if they knew? The local guests were hearing the Gospel and perhaps didn't even know it. But it was relaxing to us. Lily and I sat down beside one of the speakers, while Austin climbed the peak, and just listened with our eyes closed, longing for home and for the beautiful sounds of choirs singing Christmas praises to our King. Oh Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining, it is the night of our dear saviour's birth.




"We can't be that far from home?"

We closed the visit to the Botanical Gardens with a few bong bong tongs - suckers - for me and Lily and Austin. The locals really love it when you speak to them in their language, even if it is only to order a few suckers.

Later in the evening, we were treated to a dinner cruise on the Pearl River around Shamian Island. If you've never seen this, it is quite impressive. Imagine Las Vegas with a river around it and multiply the number of lights and lighted building by 100! We had Chinese food on the buffet, real authentic Chinese food, with some delicacies appearing to be looking back at me and some appearing to be moving. Lily Grace and Lia Faith enjoyed the buffet, while Connie, Austin, and I simply picked through our plates to find something nourishing and tasty. "Dan Gow" was OK. That's cake.

Tomorrow is the big day for Lia Faith. First, we will go to the toy market and then in the afternoon, we have a very important meeting. We go to the US Consulate and have her swearing in appointment. She will gain approval to immigrate to the United States of America. And when the customs office in Atlanta stamps her Chinese passport, she will become a citizen of the greatest country on earth! We're very excited for her.

Wednesday morning, we leave for Beijing, the last stop on our journey. There we will celebrate Christmas and visit St. Joseph's Cathedral. We'll keep you posted.



Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of Five

A Girly Day in Guangzhou ...

All we could do was follow along, dig out the plastic, and carry the bags. Austin and I just tagged along while the girls did their thing. We went to the children's clothing store, toy store, jade shop, pearl outlet, and finally the DVD store. And to top it off, Lily Grace finally got her nails done. Of course, it wouldn't do for Lily to have hers done and not Lia, so Lia bellied up to the table and stuck out her little fingers for the new paint job as well. The ladies at the place where the girls had their nails done really got a hoot out of the whole scene!





We bought toy cell phones for the girls at the toy store and they've been on them all day. When Lia Faith answers hers, she says "Wei, ni hao!" meaning, hello, how are you. Then Lily Grace imitates her, speaking in Chinese as well.







We went to an area of Guangzhou that we hadn't been before. It was kind of like a pedestrian street - no cars or bicycles, just thousands upon thousands of people, all with jet black hair bobbing up and down. Some dress in funny costumes so they can keep up with each other. And some dress up in costumes to promote their goods. It's a big square, with restaurants of all kind and stores of all kind lining the walkways. The 10 story shopping mall is smack dab in the middle of this thriving market district. It would seem that capitalism at least has a foothold here!



Austin enjoyed the DVD store and helping to pick out and barter for necklaces for Lily Grace and Lia Faith. He did really good in getting two jade necklaces, one a monkey and one a dog, for the girls. I don't know how many DVDs Austin got, but he'll have plenty to watch on the plane ride home!

One of the DVDs we got was the Teletubbies. Lily picked out that one for her and Lia. As soon as we put it in, Lia was glued to the screen and when the teletubbies began appearing, Lia promptly counted to 10 in Chinese. I was surprised! So just to make sure she knew what she was doing, I extended her from 'ba' (8) by saying 'joe'
(9). She promptly followed with chur (10). Then she sang a little song with the numbers in Chinese.

We went to church this morning at the Shamian Christ Church. It was overflowing, because it was the Christmas service, so we didn't get in the door - is that a praise or what!!!! We did take pictures outside though and met a very nice couple from Indiana who likewise didn't get in. The sermon is piped outside, so we could hear the Gospel being preached in Chinese and it was beautiful.





Tomorrow, our paperwork will be reviewed by the U.S. Consulate, one of the last remaining steps in our adoption. We'll also go to the Botanical Garden and to the toy market. Two girls in the toy market. Uh oh! I sense a fit coming on.



More on Guangzhou later ...



Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of Five