We had the medical checkup yesterday (Monday) for the girls. The children were taken to four different stations to check vitals, be examined, weighed, etc. For children over two years old, the final station is where their blood is drawn to test for TB. The clinic does not allow the parents back when the blood is drawn so all you can hear is their screams as they are trying to find a vein. Hope was easy, Faith was not. It took them several minutes to find a vein and when the were finished she cried herself to sleep from the traumatic experience. Poor thing. 😦

We also had McDonalds for lunch. I would like to say that it was delicious to have a taste from home but not being a McDonalds fan to begin with, the food was just as bad here as it is in the States. We closed the night down by going on a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. Apart from the haze, it was quite beautiful. The bridges all have neon lights which make for a fun show for the kids. We were able to see one of the largest buildings in the world, the Guangzhou International Finance Centre. The children did well and were quite entertained with the juggling act and other children on the boat.

April and I have been struggling with stomach issues for the past several days. Nothing overwhelming but we have that constant feeling of sickness. We have just three nights left and then we’ll begin our long trek home. Please pray that the TB tests for the girls would come back negative. We get the results back this afternoon between 3:00 and 4:00. If the either girl has a positive test, our trip home can be delayed as the US will not allow an active case of TB into the country. Also, please begin to pray for our trek home. We will provide more details later but we will wake up at 5 p.m. Thursday (EST) and will not get home until Friday at 9:30 p.m. (EST).

Much love to all.