Today we thought we didn’t have much to do since our consulate appointment had been rescheduled to 1:00pm, therefore we leisurely got up and headed to the hotel diner for breakfast. Upon walking in we ran into our guide. She quickly said hello and “be ready in 30 minutes, we are leaving for the consulate because the system is back up and working I think”. I looked at John and told him grab me a croissant and I am running to the room to pull all the paper work, bottles, Theo’s food and diaper bag together. It was a crazy 30 minutes but we pulled it together... the entire group of 15 families pulled it together too! We were all on a greyhound bus headed for the consulate AGAIN and praying for a better out come than yesterday. I thought I was smart today by packing a duffle bag instead of a back pack since yesterday they would only let diaper bags in. Well, guess that security lady really didn’t like me. She said no to my duffle bag today also. At that point I almost lost it. I think she could see the first burning in my eyes and as John pleaded with her, she gave in and let me take the duffle bag despite it not looking like a diaper bag. Phew.
Once we arrived back to the 2nd floor in the adoption consulate room it was crazy. Their were twice as many families due to combining yesterday’s and today’s appointments. It was very loud with tons of crying children and we could barley hear our number called. They called us into a room, looked through all of our documents, took one look at our now snoring Theo on my chest and then asked us to take an oath. It was not terribly intimidating but made me nervous knowing that all that paper work over the past year, (hours and hours and weeks of my life) all boiled down to this exact moment.
View inside the consulate
I am very excited and happy to say that the consulate came through and issued our visas within a few hours so we would not miss our departure from Hong Kong. Thank you for all of your prayers!
Theo’s Passport, Visa, and Adoption Certificate
Once we got back to the hotel we quickly packed up everything and headed to Hong Kong by van. We were able to ride with our friends the Richardsons, and even though John was getting car sick from being in the front of the van while trying to fill out entry and exit forms for China and Hong Kong. It’s a little trickier since in Hong Kong the steering wheel is on the other side of the vehicle. It was about a 3 hour drive and we had to go through border patrol when entering Hong Kong. It was a bit nerve racking because they scanned everyone in the van’s forehead checking for fevers. I had cranked the AC right before we got there in anticipation for the possible “fever” check. John is typically a furnace so I made him take some ibuprofen just in case. We all passed and made it safely to the airport hotel in Hong Kong. Phew….what a day.
China Customs - Checkpoint
As we received Theo’s visa today I smiled because it is also exactly the same day Theo was abandoned one year ago! March 17, 2014. It was also the same day he was found by the amazing couple we met last week, and one year later it is the day his visa was issued to become a United States Citizen. God continues to show us his providence through this trip. We continue to pray for peace for Theo’s birth mother, where ever she is. Maybe someone will tell her the story of two Americans coming to the market in Jinan with a baby who was found there last year…
Theo spending his last night in Asia (for a while)
As our trip comes to a close, we are so thankful for all of our guides getting us this far. China is in the rear-view mirror and many memories and friends were made. It will be sad to say good bye to the Richardsons tomorrow, but also such a relief to be headed back to the USA. We cannot wait to introduce Theo to his brother and sister!
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