Sights and Sounds

Yesterday, Saturday, Aaron and I switched lodging (moved from a hotel to the guest house in our agency which had an opening and is quite a bit cheaper) and then we shopping for the kids.  By far, my favorite thing we saw was this picture.  It looks slightly blurry because of the sortof holgram quality, but the writing is the best.  Read it closely - could be a good fit for us large Americans.  Man, I wanted to buy it and hang it in our dining area and just see who noticed.  You just can't find gems like this back home.

(In case you can't read the writing, its says, "I am the food shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.")

Then we ventured over the more cultural area for shopping.  There's a lot of really great Korean items you can find like fans, pottery, silk, scarves, and other trinkets. 

This is a girl's hanbak - the traditional Korean dress.  We got one for Liv that'll fit her right now, and Tate's foster mother had bought one for him.  I'm hoping to get their pictures taken in them together.

Also, we've been watching the Olympics in Korean.  They are (obviously) airing the sports featuring Koreans.  We've seen women's handball (cross between basketball and soccer - very interesting), archery, rowing, judo, fencing, and a little swimming. 

Last night we met another couple who had just taken custody of their little boy who's exactly 1 month older than Tate.  Oh, it just broke our hearts.  He was so sad and forlorn.  The expression on his face was so fragile that it seemed the slightest thing would put him to tears.  They are staying right down the hall, and everytime we've heard him today he's been crying.  It's just so sad.  On this side of things, adoption is seen as such a happy occasion - and it is.  So much paperwork and such a long wait finally ended with excitement to finally see this little person face to face. But for the child, adoption first starts with profound loss.  Loss of one of the deepest relationships between a parent and child.  And now for these little guys, another loss of the only mother they've known.  I have ached, cried, and prayed for Tate.  And now tomorrow our lives, and his little life, will never be the same.  We are so excited and ready to bring him home to our family, but we do so with a profound dependence on the Lord to meet us, and especially to meet Tate, in all the ways we need.  We're excited to bring him home and settle him in, but we want to be sensitive to his needs and his great adjustment.  Please keep praying for us and especially for Little Man.  He's a special little guy I can tell, and I can't wait for you to meet him too :).