Little Empress Gracee 'trys out' chopsticks (like her Mommy and Daddy) while sampling wonderful, local Hefei fare on Friday evening--our last night in her province.

Our departure is bittersweet. We are anxious to move forward in Gracee's Big Adventure--bound for her new home; but we are saddened to be leaving her home province, where she was given life and where she was placed into our arms. Only God knows if we will ever return to this province, but it will always have a special place in our hearts. For it is the place where we met the little girl we loved before we ever saw her face, before we ever heard her name, and before we ever held her little body tight to ours. Somewhere in this province is a woman who for some reason left her baby for someone else to hold and who tonight has no idea where that little girl is. We can only pray that God, in His infinite wisdom and power, will speak to the heart of that woman and assure her that her daughter is safe tonight and in the arms of a family who will always love her. We are grateful to her for giving Gracee life, when so many little girls are denied it. We have seen the best, and perhaps, the worst of Anhui. Tomorrow afternoon, we will board a plane to Guangzhou with the most precious treasure this poor Chinese province has ever produced.

With Gracee in our arms, we will look forward, expecting and knowing that God has done and is doing a great work in her life and in our lives. In this province, He has taken us on a journey I never imagined--even though many tried to describe it. With five children already, many have questioned why we would want to "start all over again." I might have asked myself that same question two or more years ago, but now I know the answer: It is because God placed in our heart a burden to give a little girl, who otherwise might never have hope, hope. Hope for a prosperous future in a free land; hope to succeed, and at times, to fail; and to know the Living Christ who gives eternal hope. In the five days we have been in this province, God has blessed us more than we could ever have imagined. We stand in awe of His majesty and His might and His abiding love for a little girl from Bengbu, Anhui who needed a family. Thank you, God. Thank you for allowing us to have this blessing.