What a wonderful day! Tahlia has shown amazing attachment …I believe she is really starting to see me as her momma. And, with a growing understanding of having a momma, means that she ONLY wants her momma. No chance that she is going with daddy …but she still loves the tickles and giggles and kisses from him. He just can’t hold 🙁 her AT ALL….so far. We are comforted though, because we’ve been told by many adoption families that this is quite normal, and common…and that her bonding with him will come in time. We have no doubt he will win her heart.…baby steps each day. Brian is amazingly understanding and patient…..but, its still hard on a daddy’s heart. please pray for a growing trust from his daughter…..and a growing bond. I love that man!
This morning started with our fabulous buffet breakfast and then we swiped some toast from the bar and went out to the courtyard to feed the fish. It was Tahlia’s first time feeding fish, and she loved it!!
We found out about a Christian church that is on the island from other families who have gone there…and it was sunday, and we were craving church. How could we not worship the Lord who brought us here and blessed us so immeasurably! The service was both in English and Mandarin which was so cool. And, it was packed!! There was standing room only! It was just so encouraging to worship with brothers and sisters in another nation. The sermon was about sharing the Gospel with the lost in China…China needs the hope of the gospel because of many who live in fears and beliefs of superstitions. Christ brings peace and eternal security…something that buddha just can’t provide. It was a powerful sermon…especially to hear it bilingual.
Tahlia did so wonderfully during the hour long service. She just sat on my lap and ate snacks. She is very easygoing when it comes to things like this…..and it perfectly content to just hang on my lap! I hope that continues!
After church we went shopping for souvenirs at Jenny’s shop! Jenny and her husband are believers and are so friendly. We hung out with them in their shop for over an hour, just chatting and sharing stories. Jenny is also from MaoMing like Tahlia, so she was able to tell us about Tahlias birth town. She shared a special connection with her. Her husband shared his testimony with us, and of how his grandparents introduced his family to the Lord and passed on the legacy of faith in a land that at one time was VERY hard to be a believer in. Christianity is not common at all in China. It was an honor to hear his story….I wanted to stay with them all day.
The island was buzzing with activity compared to how it was a couple days ago. The parks were filled with Chinese locals and little chinese children everywhere. Sundays are the only day that the kids aren’t in school and the parents aren’t working. We saw men and women practicing Tai-Chi, playing china board games, dancing, taking pictures and just having fun! It was so nice to see Chinese families relaxing and enjoying their children….Sunday just had a different feel than any of the other days in China. Oh, and many locals stopped Isabella and myself to take pictures of us….especially Isabella, it was too funny!
We took Tahlia to the playground and she just sat on my lap and observed all the children laughing and running around…I think she loved all the activity, because she was mesmerized! we don’t push her to do anything stressful, so we didn’t make her go up the slide or climb. She’s had enough stress this week. But, we experienced a very special moment and I am so glad we got it on camera. Tahlia decided that she wanted to take a few steps away from mommy to walk around in her squeaky shoes, among the children. This was TOTALLY self initiated with no prodding from us. It was so sweet…because she would muster up the courage to take 5-10 steps w/in a little radius around us….then, she would walk back to my legs for a boost in security. It was a special moment, as I felt like she was seeing me as “mommy” in the crowd of people…..my heart leaped! A pivotal moment for sure.
She also got her first taste of American french fries and I must say she LOVED them! Yup, she’ll fit right in!
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| Tahlia day 7 (church in China!) |
short video of our church service
Tahlia being “brave” at the playground….but returning to the security of momma 🙂 SO CUTE!!!!