Easter Sunday early AM

Its far too early to be awake this morning, but I did not sleep well. I woke up several times, had strange dreams, and just could not go back to sleep at 4:20am.  I guess I'm too emotional about today.  I'm excited, nervous, anxious, and overwhelmed all together.  My guide did call late yesterday afternoon and he's meeting me at 7:50am (6:50PM home time).  I went to bed later last night than I planned for a number of reasons.  First, I was praying for Rachel.  I wondered how she felt about knowing (I hope she knows!) that it would be her last night in life as she's known it.  I hope & pray that she's had a chance to say goodbye to her friends she's leaving behind.  I prayed that she would be ready for her new life and she would feel confident and comfortable knowing that we are NOT asking her to completely forget her past life.  Her orphanage life.  I think the fact that I am bringing a note from one of her friends who is already home will help.  I absolutely will let her call her friends at the orphanage as well as those who have already gone to their forever families.  They are like her sisters and asking to "give them up" would be cruel.  They are the only family she has known.  I wondered what she is like.  What is she feeling?  Is she the "roll with the punches" kind of girl?  Does she handle change easily?  Second, I prayed that I would know how to respond to her and that I would remember the Chinese phrases I have learned.  Ok, so maybe I've not learned them so well that I can recall them without referring to notes, but I have the "cheat book" as well as some notes of phrases I will probably need to use often.  How is she going to handle going shopping?  Will she want everything? Will she throw tempter tantrums when she can't have something/everything?  I don't know.  I'm trust God to provide me the necessary words/skills necessary to parent her the way she needs.

I don't know what time I will actually get Rachel as the guide just said that the orphanage was a little ways away.  I don't know what that means, but I do know that Beijing traffic is very unpredictable.  If I was guessing, I would say its probably more than hour from the hotel, but I don't know for sure.  I'm also guessing that he told me 7:50am to ensure I was a prompt person since he does not know me and we could leave by 8am.  Again, that's a guess.  He told me on Friday night that he had 3 other families here from another agency who are sightseeing before flying into their province.  So, I believe he was tied up with them yesterday and I'm guessing that he'll need to take them to the airport this afternoon.  He did say that we could stop at a store to shop for the clothes essentials and I'm guessing we'll grab some lunch, but I don't know that for sure either.

Anyways, I will post some pictures as soon as I get the chance.