It's 8AM here and it's already been a long morning. We woke around 5:15 to help David pack to leave. Having him here with us has been a real blessing. I'm so thankful he was able to share in this with us and more fully understand my heart and emotions. Being together here really helped bring more clarity to what my Creator wants for me. Last year, I left struggling with whether I should open my home to some of these children. We tried and the answer He made clear was no. My heart was crushed...still is. A little background on the center, there is no child at this center with an open file for adoption. It doesn't mean it couldn't happen, but its a long shot. Most children here have families. Many of the children have lost their father and their mother has left them behind to start a new life with a new man. This is something I just can't understand. For some, their grandparents or extended family attempt to provide care, but it becomes too much and their local village will contact a center to help. Adoption may not be the answer, but I'm beginning to see other ways I can help these precious children and I'm excited to see His plan and that He allowed David to be a part of it. I will miss having David here. I'm a little nervous about the girls and I navigating alone.
Many of the children woke up early to see David off at 5:30. We were able to ride along with him to Pingxiang where he caught a bus to Changsha and then a flight to Beijing, Seattle and then home. He has about 26 hrs of journey today.
After David was safely on the bus, we went to see little David in the hospital. Around December, he broke his arm and was in the hospital for a while. One morning this week we woke up and he was gone. The way the other kids described it, he was going to have his arm amputated with some type of saw :) my translation was that he was most likely having a pin removed.
Hospitals here are much different. One, smoking is freely permitted in your room. There were four people to a room and they freely sit on other's beds. The lady in the bed next to little David moved over so my girls could sit on her bed with her (Dear Lord, please let her be in the hospital for an ingrown toenail or something and not some crazy communicable disease!). The bed next to her had a man and a woman sleeping in it together.
In the hospital, you don't wear a hospital gown. You provide your own clothes and do your own laundry. Meals are not provided either. Your family member has to acquire your food. They also keep you in the hospital for a long time. David's procedure was four days ago. However, he was allowed to freely leave the hospital to go have breakfast with us.
Speaking of breakfast, yes, we were talented enough to eat these rice noodles with chopsticks!
David holds a special place in Jaclyn's heart, so this goodbye was tough. Her tender heart has had many farewells this year. I hurt seeing my kids heart broken, but it does make a mother proud to see the tender loving spirit of her children.
I can honestly say that my heart never recovered from our goodbye with these two brothers last year, so I know He allowed these circumstances to happen to prevent this year's goodbye from being worse. I'm thankful the boys will have some time with grandparents. Family is important. Brad was sad not to be able to stay with at the center with us longer.
They did let him come back for one more day and we were blessed to walk to school with him the last morning (but in typical 13 yr old boy fashion, he asked us not to go the entire way and we said a quick goodbye a few streets away).
Goodbyes can be tough, but only because our hearts were allowed to love and I'll always choose the love!