Gotcha Day

Well the day we have been waiting for the last 4 years has finally arrived!!! We left Beijing early Sunday morning and headed to Xi'an City. Once we landed we were met by our facilitator, JoJo, who took us to our hotel to drop off our luggage and freshen up before we went to the Civil Affairs Building. At 4pm we went to the Civil Affairs building, the room was small and crowded with waiting families and their adopted babies. Shae Rose wasn't there when we arrived, but Karen was the first to see her and got a picture of her coming off the elevator. The visit with Shae went well at the Civil Affairs office until it was time to leave and for her to say good-bye to Amanda, the director of Starfish foster home. Shae started crying uncontrollably and calling out for Amanda. This went on for most of the night but we did have a few hours where we were able to divert her attention and she was happy, like watching Scooby Doo with Jared and cutting and eating her watermelon at the hotel's restaurant. When Karen saw the huge platter of fruit coming our way she said, "oh my goodness" and Shae Rose promptly said as plain as day, "oh my goodness." Please pray for God to heal her broken heart and give us the strength and patience we need to get her through the transition. Also, say a special prayer for Jared who is struggling with all of Shae's crying, as he doesn't comprehend the magnitude of her loss.