ORPHANAGE VISIT

"Jehovah will perfect that which concerns me: Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, endures for ever." Psalm 138:8

It was a foggy day in Hefei. Our guide met us at the hotel lobby at 1030am, 2 hours later than originally scheduled. Our visit was to be short, as we needed to return to Hefei before the fog thickened again at sunset.

The expressway from Hefei to Anqing - great roads, heavy truck traffic, 2 hr drive. The fog clouded most of the scenic drive. It was Miranda's first car ride with us. Without a car seat, she was happy on my lap, and extremely curious to see everything about her. We sang songs, played peekaboo...
Our gifts were well received at the orphanage, although we did not get to deliver them to the children. Typical of Chinese manners, they preferred not to open the boxes in front of the givers. They expressed their thanks on behalf of the orphans.


We were then taken on a brief tour of the orphanage. We saw Miranda's room, her crib, her nannies. To my surprise, Miranda did not cling to her caregivers. (I was prepared for a teary battle) Instead she clung to me and refused to go to her nannies. After some coaxing, she warmed up and was willing to be passed around, receiving hugs and kisses from them. She was happy to be returned to Mommy :)

Next, we were taken to her abandonment site, right by the entrance of the orphanage gate where was found on April 28, 2005.

Finally, we rounded off our 2 hour visit in AnQing with a late lunch hosted by the Asst. Director.