Last Full Day in Guangzhou!!!

This morning we were all up at 6:00am getting ready to go to our Consulate appointment:) This is the final step in the China adoption process:) Once again there were many families at the Consulate and it was so great seeing all of the little ones being adopted into the United States:) We tried to dress everyone in red, white and blue, but pretty sure that Mark was missing the color blue!!!! We will get Samuel's Visa tomorrow, right before we head back to Hong Kong, so today was our last full day in Guangzhou :( 
After the Consulate appointment, we headed back to our room to start packing all of our things :) We laid Samuel down for a nap, and just started organizing our chaos!!! It is amazing what you can accumulate in a Hotel room for 10 days!!! 
I was able after awhile to go visit with Patrick and Hetty in their room:) What a gift it has been to be able to see them and give them HUGS in person:) Again, only The Lord could have arranged all of this, and we are grateful!!!!
When Samuel woke up we all needed to get ready for the Pearl River cruise that we took tonight!! As we were boarding our bus for the cruise, we were like, Wow, we can't believe that it is our last night in Guangzhou... It feels like we just arrived!!!
The Dinner Cruise was so much fun, with many families attending, and many photo opportunities!!! It was the perfect ending to a wonderful adoption stay in Guangzhou:) The bright lights from the city and the boats going up and down the river were so beautiful and colorful!!! When we finished eating, we made our way up to the upper deck which is all outside.... It was a beautiful evening and just a great way to visit with other families and say goodbye to our time in Guangzhou:)
We returned about 9:00pm to our Hotel rooms, and did a little more packing, put Samuel to bed, and are currently just resting and getting ready for bed ourselves:) Abbie is reading:):):) ( I know that comes as a shock to everyone.... ha,ha!!! )
Tomorrow we check out of The Garden Hotel and head to the train station about 2:30pm:) We will take a train to Hong Kong, spend the night and leave on a flight the next morning:) We are excited to be heading home!!! Missing all of our family and friends:)
Love and Blessings to all:)
Patti, Mark, Abbie and Samuel :)

Beautiful Abigail in her new dress!!! Love her smile!!!

Sweet Boy!!!

Fast Asleep!!!

New friends?

Hi There!!!

More Panda's :)

Pandas

Yay!!!

We are HOT!!!

So sweet !!!

Yay!!! Finally will see Pandas!!!

Love these smiles!!!

Sweet Monkey:)

Loving this day at the Zoo:)

Jurassic Park!!! Abbie... This is so cool!!! Samuel...scared!!!

In line at the zoo:)

Yikes!! Safari Park!!!

Rise and Shine Samuel... Give God the glory glory... It is Sunday:):):)

We keep having to wake the boy up:)He doesn't like it!!!

Sunday in China

Hi Everyone,
Before we even begin to tell you about our day today, we want to say  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR SWEET DAUGHTER BRIANA ROE!!! So sorry that we are not there to celebrate with you honey... Hope that your day is Wonderful and that your year ahead is filled with JOY and BLESSINGS!!!!! A very special Thank You to you and Erica for setting up this blog and posting everything for us!!!! We are Grateful, and because you took the time to help, Samuel will be able to read all about his adoption journey someday:):):)
Today is Sunday and our time in China is drawing to a close :(  In many ways that is great, because we are anxious to get back home to see everyone we love and miss, and to just have the comforts of home..... But it is also bittersweet because Mark and I have come to Love China and love meeting all of the other adoptive families on these journeys:) We love the Chinese people, the beautiful countryside, and we love the special, end result of being here!!!! Bringing home a child whom God has chosen just for our family:):):) Believe it or not, there is a sadness when we leave as we are thinking, Wow, we are taking our little son away from the only home that he has ever known!!!! Even though we know that his new home will be a loving, good, secure place for him, there is still a sadness about leaving China:(  Our hearts are knit together in love for God and in love for this place, and in love for the orphans that we are leaving behind... They are all SO VERY REAL and there are SO MANY of them!!!!!  Please, please, please keep praying for them, they all deserve to be loved and held in a family's loving arms and they all deserve to have the chance to know JESUS and experience His love for them :):):)  
This morning we went to the Guangzhou Safari Park:) Abbie loved it, and we all were finally able to see some Panda's !!!!! I ( Patti ) have been to China   five times and this is the first time that I have been able to see the panda's:):):) The park was GREAT!!! We went with several other families and it was a beautiful day, although it was one of those really really hot and humid days!!! We were all drenched by the end of the day and couldn't wait to get something super cold to drink!!!! Samuel loved seeing all of the animals and kept calling their names out in Chinese:):):) He was a Trooper today as it was so much fun, but really hot!!! We bought some stuffed animals at the zoo.....like we needed more stuffed animals!!!!! But Samuel seems to like them, so he fits right in with all of our other kids and grand kids!!!! Stuffed Animals are always loved on at our house and played with at our house!!!! How many of you loved your stuffed animals when you were little? Could you ever have too many of them? Nope, Me neither!!!!
We came back to our room, cooled off a little, ate an early dinner,visited with friends,  went swimming and are currently getting ready for bed:) We have to be up at 6:00am tomorrow in order to be ready for our consulate appointment:):):)
I was sad that we didn't get to go to church today.... Every other time that we have adopted here we have been on Shamian Island and have attended Christ's Church there on Sunday!!!! This time the Safari Zoo trip was planned by our guide and we decided to go because it was all paid for!!!!! Please pray that Samuel will have a lifetime of getting to know Jesus and going to church!!! Please pray that God will draw his little heart to Himself quickly and in a strong, loving, passionate way!!!! Maybe someday his strong willed personality will be used in a powerful way by God.... Maybe He will preach to thousands about the Greatness  and Faithfulness of his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!!! Just like his Brother in law Bryan Roe!!!!! This is our prayer!!!!
Love you all :)
Goodnight!
Patti, Mark, Abbie, and Samuel Mark:)

A Visit to Yun Tai Gardens

Hello again Everyone:)  Today was a socializing day!!!! Which for me (Patti ) was Great!!!! I Loved it!!! Many new families arrived yesterday, so this morning at breakfast we met some of them and their new babies and children :):):) It is soo fantastic to see all of the other families at breakfast and throughout the day, shopping or at our various appointments:) Don't let anyone ever tell you that Our Heavenly Father is unconcerned with children!!! He is moving Big-Time on their behalf every hour of every day!!!! It is so much fun to get to partner with HIM on this adoption journey, and to get to witness others partnering with HIM too!!!
What I wish is that I could sit every family down and listen to their adoption stories and then collect them all and put them in a big book and send them to every family who might be considering adoption, hoping that the families would then be encouraged to move forward with an adoption of their own!!! :) Who knows, maybe I will do just that someday!!!
After breakfast our friends Patrick and Hetty came up to our room to visit with us :) Two of the children in their foster home have just been adopted.... and guess what, the children and their parents are here in Guangzhou right now!!! One of the little boys has been with Patrick and Hetty for 9 yrs. His name is David :) He is being adopted by a family in Iowa ( the state next to ours!!!) Naomi and David were foster siblings:):):) We hope to somehow reunite the two if possible in the near future :):):)  We had fun catching up together with our sweet friends while our sweet Abigail entertained her little brother :) Thank you Abbie for being such a great big sister and a really hands on Helper while on this trip to China!!! Thank You Lord for letting Patrick and Hetty come here for a time of rest and refreshment... Please wrap them in your love and encourage their hearts... Please protect them and provide for all of their needs and all of the Children's needs:) Please bring others on board to help them and support them... Let them know that they are not alone as they love and care for these little ones :) Help them Lord, they cannot do this on their own... They need You and they need others in Christ to persevere!!! Thank You Lord!!!
One of our favorite places to visit while here in Guangzhou is the Yun Tai Gardens:) We went there today!!! The first time that we went there was with our first Adoption group while adopting Abbie in 2003 :):):) She was 22 mos. old and loved being at the Gardens with her new mommy and daddy :):):) We were able to go again when we adopted Rebecca:) so today was our third time visiting this Beautiful, Magestic, serene peaceful place!!!! It was a beautiful day and so nice to be there with Abbie again and with little Samuel Mark DiBlasi!!! When we first walked into the Gardens I was flooded with so many memories of being there with Abbie almost 10 yrs. ago....and Becca 7 yrs. ago!!! I started crying, and was overcome with emotion at the remberance of God's faithfulness to us through all of our daughters adoptions!!!! My heart was and is filled with Thankfulness to God for all of our precious children and grandchildren and for HIS FAITHFULNESS to us yesterday, today, and forever!!! What a nice time it was at the gardens today... We all loved it and hope you enjoy the pictures!!!
When we arrived back at our hotel, we took the kids swimming and I met yet another new family from Nashville and talked to them for awhile:) They are adopting a sweet little boy about Samuel's age and he is their 7 th child too:):):) All of their children are adopted from many different countries, and their age range was from 4yrs. to 23yrs!!! Loved hearing some of their story:)
Back in our room we called Patrick and Hetty only to find that Little David and his new family were on their way to our hotel to visit a little and to meet us:) Yay God!!!!! Once again, only you could have arranged all of this in China!!!
We loved meeting David's new family and after visiting for awhile, we all went to dinner together!!! There were 13 of us and we all had a wonderful time getting to know each other, and talking about Guiyang, Patrick and Hetty, our children, our adoptions and our new boys :):):) Thank you Lord for letting us meet David's new family:):):) Now, we will count on you to help open a time where we can get David and Naomi together ,as for over three years they were Foster siblings, and would probably enjoy seeing each other again!!!
What a great day God!!! Thanks for weaving our Tapestries just perfectly!!!! Even when we are half way around the world!!!
I hope this post isn't too hard to follow... We continue to be amazed at what God is doing in our lives and in this place!!!
Goodnight:) Thanks for praying... We are Grateful!!'
Love,Hugs and Kisses to all of you....
Patti, Mark, Abbie and Samuel Mark:)

Playing puzzles with Daddy and Abbie!!!

Visiting with our sweet friends Patrick and Hetty:):):)

Sweet Abigail:):):)

Silly Daddy!!!

Silly Samuel!!!

Wisconsin here we come!!!

They have weddings here!!!

So pretty : )

Is this me or what!!!

Fun with our boy!!!

More fun with Samuel!!!

So fun to have Abbie back here:)

It's all about LOVE!!!

This is the spot where we took the pics of all the babies in 2003:):):)

Playing with a toy at the Gardens:) So Sweet :)

Palm trees and Sunflowers:)
So Beautiful!!

Beautiful Yun Tai gardens:)

Our pretty Abbie:)

David's New Family :)
Loved meeting them!!!

Fun at dinner!!!
Who knew what to order???

David and his new Sister and Grandmother:)
So fun to see him:)

Abbie and Katie :)

Sweet David... May God Bless You Always!!!!

Six Banyan Tree Temple and Friends

Hi Everyone
Today was a great day!!! We were all up early, had a quick breakfast at our Hotel ( again,) and then headed out to visit the Six Banyan Tree Temple:) Mark and I had been there before, but wanted to take Abigail so that she could experience and observe the Chinese culture first hand! Some of you will have to ask her about that experience in light of some verses that I had her read in Isaiah on the plane over to China:) We took a picture in the exact spot that we had taken a picture with Becca when we adopted her :) That was fun :)
After the Temple, we shopped a little as a group and then headed back to the Hotel:) Mark had to attend a paperwork meeting, and Abbie, Samuel and I went to the front desk to see if our friends Patrick and Hetty had arrived yet:) Patrick and Hetty Cillen are Naomi's foster parents who live in Guiyang, China. They Moved to China from Belgium 11 years ago, with their three young sons, to foster and care for special needs children. They currently are fostering 14 special needs children, which is fantastic because it means that there are 14 children who are not in the orphanage!!! Patrick and Hetty and their boys work hard to love and care for all of the children:) All of the children and babies are Special Needs children, but of course many of them still get adopted... like our Naomi Hope :):):). Mark and I are so grateful for this family, they are the ones who initially taught Naomi about Her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!! They love Jesus with all their hearts and their love is passed on to each child that they care for and foster:) You will not believe this, but a few months ago, when I talked to Hetty, she told me that she had to travel to Guangzhou to renew her passport... We both prayed about it and Lo and behold... God allowed them to come at the same time as us:):):):) They very seldom get to leave Guiyang, so we are excited that it worked out that we could stay in the same Hotel and actually see each other :)
Now, for those of you who know and Love our sweet Naomi....Please say a prayer for this faith filled family as they continue loving on and caring for orphans in China :) I will share more about Patrick and Hetty and their work in China in another post,but for now it is really nice to see them and be visiting a little with them :)
Another amazing thing is that we also were able to visit with our Good Friend Bill here in Guangzhou:) Bill was our guide with Abbie and Becca's adoptions and actually lives in Guiyang.... so we were able to see him when we adopted Omi as well:):):) Today after greeting Patrick and Hetty... We went up to our room and tucked Samuel in for a nap... We soon received a call from Bill that he had just arrived in Guangzhou with a family from Sunny Ridge ( our agency that we used with Abbie and Becca ) and he was on his way over to our hotel to see us:):):) It was so Great seeing Bill and so great that Abbie was able to meet him :):):) We love him so much for all that he did to help bring our baby girls into our family:):):) Thank you Lord for letting us see and visit with our China friends while we are here.... Only YOU could have arranged it all so perfectly!!!
Just in case some of you are wondering, Samuel is doing really well:):):) He is really a Cutie-pie!!!!He has been a great sleeper and a great eater!!! He is very spunky and fun, and likes to be in charge!!! He is sometimes very loud and sometimes very quiet ( depending on where we are and who we are with) The more at ease that he is with you, the more you will see his smile:) He has some behaviors that we are sure that he needed in the orphanage to survive.... that we will have to work on once we get home!!!!!  One of them is hitting, the other is yelling...and getting angry when things don't go his way!!!! We are already trying to teach him Be Gentle, and he can even say it.... However, he is not getting the concept yet!!!! He likes to push the limits... And then smiles as he is being naughty!!! ( And then, if he is in trouble, he runs to Mama because she is totally the softie!!! ) All in all, though, he is doing very well and we will continue to pray for him daily and ask God to draw his little heart to Himself:) We are confident that he will come to know Jesus and every part of him will change from the inside out!!! Please keep praying for him though,he is totally giving us a run for our money!!!! :):):) Can't wait for all of you to meet him:):):) Hope you enjoy all the pictures:):):)
Love you all!!!! Thanks for praying:):):)
Leaning on Jesus all the way!!!
Patti

Visiting the Six Banyan Tree Temple :)

Six Banyan Tree Temple in Guangzhou:)

Our guide Elvin is so nice:)

Samuel has been very sweet and patient today!!!

We took a picture with Becca in this exact spot 7 yrs. ago :):):)

Here at the Temple for Abbie to see and understand!!!

Chinese Buddha!!! Wood and Gold!!!!

These Buddha's are HUGE!!!

Open the eyes of their hearts Lord... Open the eyes of their hearts!!!!

I can do this myself!!!

Samuel has figured out his own way to carry his water bottle :) What a Cutie-Pie!!!

We have company in China:) Our friend Bill:):):) So great that he could come to see us:):):) We love you Mr. Bill :)

Looks good, not sure about the ingredients!!! :)

Samuel is a good eater:):):)
Fried Rice at Pizza Hut!!!

Samuel and Daddy snuggling after dinner:) Happy Smile!!!

Mommy and her sweet Abigail :) We sure do love this sweet girl:) Can't believe that it's been almost 10 yrs. since adopting her:):):) Our source of JOY:)

Sweet moment Big sister and Little brother!!! Love it!

Sweet Samuel looking at his picture book :)

Loving this smile :)