Pearl Market & Shopping

Today the agenda included a trip to the Pearl Market and shopping center.  The Chinese shopping center is like nothing I have ever seen.  There are shops and malls and alleys full of clothes, jewelry, shoes etc... tons of things to buy.  They are all in the same large area.  It was unusual.  Of course like anywhere in China, there were tons of people there.  Our travel group all met and rode the bus over together.  Our guide took us to a reputable store within the pearl market to buy our pearls.  They had different qualities and different colors.  They sell the pearls at a wholesale price.  I got a set of small white pearls and we had Brynn a bracelet made with the left over pearls from the strand they used to make mine.  It is a little big on her now, so will fit her for a few years to come.  We also had her a bracelet made to give her on a special occasion such as a graduation or her wedding day. After we finished the pearl shopping several of us ate at McDonalds.  It actually tasted somewhat normal!  I don't know if Brynn has had McDonalds before, but she sure loved the chicken nuggets and french fries.  From here the group split up to finish shopping.  It was each of our responsibilities to catch a cab back to the hotel when we were done.  We shopped around some more taking in all the interesting things going on around us.  It is hard to describe how this place was set up.  I included a picture of the indoor mall where the pearl market was.  It is hard to describe how the rest of it was set up.  There was lost of counterfeit clothing, jewelry, and handbags.  We passed a lady who was holding her baby over a drain in the sidewalk and he was just tee teeing everywhere.  He had split pants on of course and I guess the urine made its way down the drain eventually.  The Chinese people also spit everywhere.  It is very common for them to be walking along and just spit.  In fact at the museum we went to in Henan there was a sign that said "No Spitting" and showed a guy spitting with an X through it.  So in addition to the urine, there is also spit everywhere.  A pretty dirty place!  We use sanitizer often!  After we made our way through this interesting shopping center we got our cab and came back to the hotel for naps.  Today was a littler cooler and windier than it has been since we have been in this part of China.  It made our evening stroll to Lucy's for dinner a little more uncomfortable.  We made a stop by the shop where we purchased Brynn's hand stitched doll because the picture I took of the infromaiton about the ladies who make them was blurry.  I wanted a good one so I could remember all about the doll and where it came from.  We shopped around in there a little more and noticed some pictures they had of Bible verses in Chinese.  The same young guy was in there today that was in there working yesterday when we went in.  He was steady stringing beads and making bracelets.  Robert told him he noticed the scripture and asked him if he was a Christian, if he knew Jesus Christ.  He said yes he did and everyone who worked at the store were Christians.  He said he just can't read an English Bible.  He told Robert how all the proceeds from the store go to help orphans with disabilities in a province in the far west region of China.  Robert told him that Brynn was from Henan and the man reached under the counter and got a magnet out to give to us.  It is in the shape of China and says China large on it and Henan smaller.  He was such a kind man.  Around the corner from the shop there is a Christian church that I took a picture of.  They have services in Mandarin and English.  I am so glad there is a place where Chinese Christians can go to continue to grow in their faith.  We ate at Lucy's for dinner (this time inside since it was cooler tonight).  We skipped our Starbucks and came back to the hotel to get ready for bed.  Brynn did her sad spell at bedtime, but was content as long we were were touching her while she fell asleep.  She is still trying to warm up to Robert.  She likes to show her spunk and grunt at him when he gets too close... unless she is rested and has a full tummy, then she does a little better.  She prefers that I hold her, so the stroller has basically been used to cart our bag around in.  We are slowly building her trust.  We do everything we can to show her that we are here for her... forever... no matter what.  We know that it will take time for her to fully trust us.  We love her dearly and are looking forward to the day that she feels contentment, security, and comfort in being in our family.  On another note... tomorrow is our last full day in Guangzhou!  We are going to start getting our suitcases reorganized (again) so that we will be ready to hit the airport (again) on Thursday.  We will fly back up to Beijing and spend the night there.  Our flight leaves Beijing very early in the morning on the 10th and we arrive at DFW early on the 10th!  I think December 10th is going to be the longest day ever since we will basically live it twice, once on China time and again on U.S. time.  We are getting so excited that it is so close to being time to come home!!  We miss everyone!  Please pray for our safety as we make the journey home.