Lsst Day

Today is our last day in China.  Tonight we begin the long trip home.  We leave at 9:30pm tonight (Thursday for us)  For you it will be 9:30am on Thursday.  Please pray that Miss Mary realizes it is bedtime and sleeps on the long flight.  Also, please continue to pray for the infection on her face.  I have seen tiny improvement, but am anxious to get her home and to an American doctor.  Thank you all for following along and loving on our family.  Once again I am amazed at God's provision for us.  I'll post some on my final thoughts once we are HOME SWEET HOME!

We will miss the amazing buffet breakfast at our hotel!

 

Mary has gotten really good at the "shock face"

More shock face!

 

Mary and I will both miss the amazing breakfast buffet at our hotel!  

Zoo

This tiger is even trying to hide his face from the sun!

Yesterday we visited the Guangzhou Zoo.  What can I say about the experience?  It was hot!!!!!!  I hate that I keep bringing up the heat but it is the thing that pushes our every move.  It is like walking out the door directly into a sauna.  Throughout the day today we kept trying to find animals that were hiding near shade, breezes and drink places. 
I did get some good pictures of Mary along with some animals.  I think she had a great time.  She really loves big animals.  Elephants, giraffes, hippos, and the zebra'.  All in all, it was a good day because we got to share it with some excellent families who love these kids.  It has been nice having other families with me this week.

Selfie at the ZOO.  Yes, I know, her face looks worse.  I am on it.  I promise.  The Dr. said it would take 48 hours to improve.

Even sweet Mary had to protest the heat of the day!

We are told at the beginning of our trip not to venture out very far on our own.  In China you do things as a group because it is simply not that safe to be on your own in this big city.  "I should remember this next time I decide to take a taxi to Shaiman Island."
A couple of days ago when we were on Shaiman Island, I gave a shop owner directions on what I wanted for a painting with Mary's name on it.  We have gotten these paintings from the same man for all of our girls.  He told me it would be ready the next day.  Not listening to my statement about traveling in groups, Me and Mary girl grabbed a taxi and off we went to pick it up.   I was quite confident in my ability to venture out alone.  I was an old pro!!!  No problem!!!! Been there, done that!!!!  Most of you know that I live in the country where if you see a taxi it is either lost or on a rollback!!!!  I told the cab driver I would be in and out quickly.   It took me all of 5 minutes.   When I returned to the taxi he told me he couldn't take me back because his shift just ended.   No problem I thought.  How hard can this be?  Chinese do this everyday.  Hold your hand up and scream TAXI!!!!!!  They say something else but you get my drift.  After one hour and probably 40 taxi's that sped right passed I was getting just a tad bit worried.  Earlier in the day I realized that I had put Miko's phone number in my phone wrong.  Not an option!!!  What to do next??  I decided to take my phone off of airplane mode, spend a few more American dollars and see who I could find.  Isn't that what we do when we need something.  Scroll through our contacts and see who can possibly help.  As I turned my phone on, the first thing that showed was a text from my sister Julie that they were awake and praying for quick healing for Mary's infection.  I chuckled to myself, and replied back to her.  "You might want to pray for a Taxi in the islands. Mary and I may be living on the streets tonight!!!!"  I hit send, looked up, saw a green cab, and yelled taxi with my hand up really high and you got it, he stopped!!!  I looked up and said loudly, thank you Jesus!!!! (And Julie).
Today we traveled to the American consulate building and I was sworn in to keep my Mary Just like that,  she officially became ours!!!!  Tomorrow around 5pm we will begin our quest back home.  What a wonderful time I have had with my Mary but I sure do miss my other 6 kiddos and my dear Jennifer.  I am so looking forward to seeing them in Charlotte on Friday morning.  Maybe one more post before we board our flight tomorrow or maybe not.  Check in to see.  I will definitely send one final thought out this coming weekend.  Take care.  Bobby and Mary

Back to the hotel to cool off and have some lunch!

Mary's personality is beginning to unveil itself.  Here she is copying my lion roar!!!

Baby has a boo-boo!

I remember back, what seems like an eternity ago, when while in China, adopting my Lainie and having to experience the Chinese health care system.  Well, as some of my pictures will tell you, I got to re-live it again.  Miss Mary, as most of you have seen on previous post, has a sore on her nose.  Well, she has scratched it so much that it is infected.  She woke up hot this morning and I became concerned. (Actually, Jen saw it via Skype and she became concerned THUS, I became concerned as well.

We went from a pleasant little morning in our room.....

to hanging out in a medical clinic.......

I will get back to the main story in a bit but I must relive a particular part of Lainie's experience for you.  Lainie is one of our "heart babies".  Nothing major, just a tiny hole (heart murmur), but at the time we had no idea what to expect.  I do believe Lainie was running a fever so we had our guide take us to the local "emergency room".  I think we were in a place that they filmed one of the Friday the 13th movies but I could be wrong.  When we arrived we had expected it to sort of be in a place like home, very white, very lit up, with a lot of people waiting.  Only the last was true.  Not many light bulbs worked and it smelled like it had not been cleaned in days, The floor was covered in multiple unknown bodily fluids.  I have not been anywhere as scary or as disgusting before or since.  Here is the meat of the story.  The nurse came out into the waiting room, with 80 of my closest Chinese friends, and handed us a rectal thermometer and expected us to get a 14 months old temp, right there at that very moment in our laps.  Good thing we weren't first time parents!  We could have died. Long story short, Lainie was fine, just a respiratory infection.  We paid our $5 ER fee and left.
Back to Mary......
A day after gotcha day I noticed a small bug bite on her nose.  Probably a mosquito, but I was not sure.  Mary's legs are covered in bites but I still have not seen a mosquito.  Thinking it would just go away by itself I did not really bother treating it.  As the days went by, it did not get smaller, it got larger and redder.  She would not leave it alone and it has gotten infected.  As she woke this morning and I reached into the crib I could feel the heat coming off her back.  She is a very quiet girl but I could tell, Mary was not Mary.

John and Crystal Curry in our group are adopting a little boy from China and Crystal has taken up Jennifer's role in helping me think like a mom.  Luckily she is two doors down from me and she had a thermometer.  Yep, Mary had a temperature.  Thanks to the Curry's for being there for me and Mary.
After our morning Skype session with Jen, she went on the quest to get Mary the best possible treatment/care.  She talked to our great friends in the states, one a Dr. (thanks Steve) and another a pharmacist (thanks Cecil) They helped me to have a plan of action when we went to see the Dr.  It was much better than Lainie's visit back 6 years ago but I would much have been in Locust NC waiting to see Steven.  We did receive some antibiotics and some day and night cream for her nose.  So things should begin to improve soon. We would appreciate your prayers.  We certainly don't want to go back to the hospital and hang out for IV antibiotics.

Again, she is a great girl.  When I put that bandaid on her nose she just grinned and looked up at me and I just had to die laughing.  She is asleep right now and has not ripped it off.  Amazing!!!!
I continue to talk to other adoptive families in China that have had the same experiences that I have in their child's orphanage.  We all still believe that this epidemic of way to many orphans can be overcome!!!!  Please continue to pray for orphans in China, around the world and right in our back yard of North Carolina.  As you pray, I specifically ask you to do one thing.  Social networking has become so large, it is almost out of control so let's us it for good.  Please help me use this to fight over crowded orphanages.  Everyone and I mean everyone, share my blogs.  Share my post with everyone you know.  It is a very simple thing that could get to that one person that needs to hear it.  Take care everyone.  Love you from China. Bobby and Mary

Just Another Day in China

Today was the scheduled shopping excursion.  Lots of outside walking in the HEAT.  Our Mary is NOT a shopper (sorry Jen).  She cried every time we walked into a store.

Each day as our group boards and unloads the bus I have the wonderful priviledge of lifting this sweet angel on and off.  So happy that she is going home to a wonderful family. Her mom is her adopting her while her dad is back home.  She and I have become a team.

It was around 100 degrees today.  I can't think of anything much more miserable than 1) shopping, 2) with a 2 year old, 3) in excessive heat.

We came home and stripped down to cool off.

Being a Barbee and loving OREOS go together!

We start each morning by sitting here and Skyping with family back home.

Faith In China

Things are still going extremely well with the best Mary girl in the world.  Today 4 additional families with our agency arrived in Guangzhou.  They have spent the last week in their child's province.  Lucky for me, Mary's province is right here in Guangzhou so we have been here already.  As I sat with the new 4 families tonight at supper, I was almost embarrassed at how my girl was acting.  It took about 30 minutes for everyone to get their food and meanwhile their children were everywhere.  Running, screaming, yelling and banging spoons on the table while my girl sat quietly beside me eating her cherrios.  She is amazing.  Still goes to bed around 8 or 9 and I am forced to wake her to go eat breakfast.  Many prayers were answered for this trip.

These two girls are being adopted by families in our group.  I wish that you could see them and feel their excitement about finally having a family.  You're never the same after you witness such joy and hope.

I will say that I did find out that Miss Mary can cry.  Just like our experience with water today I found out she also hates doctors.  We  had our required medical exam today and she let me know that her voice is very strong.  She still has not muttered a work, but crying she can do. Every child is required to have a TB test before leaving.  Please pray that Mary's is negative so we an be on our merry way without further testing and a delayed homecoming.

This is our dear friend Elvin.  He will definitely go down as one of the people who has had the most lasting impression on my life.  He was our guide for our first three adoptions.  This time our agency uses a different guide service, but I have had the pleasure of running into him several times.   I'll devote a whole post to him later.  He is the most humble and compassionate man I have ever met.

I want to tell you a story about last night at supper.  When you are the only family for a week in your province, you have a lot of time to walk and find different places to eat.  Mary and I put on our finest attire and took off for an adventure.  After walking about 40 minutes, we came upon a wonderful Italian restaurant.  Wow, we had some great spaghetti but that was not the cool thing about the night. 

Another noodle lover!

Being in China and talking about your faith and walk with God is not something you do on the streets in a loud voice.  As I stroll the streets and eat in restaurants, I always wonder who is a believer and who is not. 

I had the opportunity to speak with 2 college girls that were sitting next to Mary and I.  They asked me the obvious question that everyone thinks but will very seldom ask, "why do you adopt from China?"  I simply told them that it is something that my God has led my family to do and we do it.  I saw one smile and ask me if this was the Christian God and I said yes.  She told me that she, her mom and sisters were Christians but her dad was not.  Also her friend said that she was a Christian also.  So I sat in a Chinese eating establishment talking to 2 new Christians about their faith!!!!!  How cool was that!!!!  I remember My pastor, Jeremy,  and also my father-in-law talk about how China was exploding with new believers everyday!!!!  And with very, very few church buildings!!!!!  I think America needs to learn how the revival is working in China and start rolling up our sleeves and meeting the lost where they are, not where we want to take them!!!!!

Guangzhou Social Welfare Institute

On my itenarary for July 10th was this. " Meet in lobby at 9:45, visit orphanage."  It should have read like this, "We will meet in the lobby at 9:45 and what you are about to see will change your life forever!!!!!!"  I have always considered myself to be a man that gives a lot of me.  I have always loved doing for others.  Making sure that the other person got what was best!  It made me feel wonderful knowing that I let someone win, come in first or made someone else comfortable by me taking something last.  That all has new meaning now.

It started when we first walked into a class of boys at the orphanage ranging from age 7 to 14.  5 of them sitting in desk looking at books with English and Chinese writing.  My guide, Miko, told me that all of these boys have a forever home (been adopted) and they were preparing them for the transition. 

I noticed the oldest boy in the back of the room talking to a cell phone.  He was obviously an albino boy.  Very tall, and very white.  The lady helping him asked me if I would like to talk to his family, from Oklahoma, and I said sure.  He was able to "face time" with his family!!!! How cool was that!!  I was able to grab the phone and talk to his mom and tell her how good he looked, how clean and nice the place was and that he was very excited about coming to their family.  As I talked to the family, I noticed another albino boy in the back ground.  She told me that he would be there 8th child.  I chuckled to her and said she got us by one.  She could see the beautiful Mary in my arms!!!  What a giving family from Oklahoma.

After wiping the tears from my eyes and leaving with all the boys waiving goodbye to me, we walked to what I knew was little pre school rooms.  Classes that were ready for all the kids to come and play and learn.  Miko looked at me when we turned the corner and said that this was Mary's class.  A chill went all over my body.  Knowing that for the last year she was in this room daily with her other friends and teachers.  One of the helpers brought me over to the table in the center of the room and showed me the sweetest picture of a little girl taped on the table where she would do her work.  It was my Mary!!!  Let the emotions flow.  I took pictures of the photo and then the lady took it off the table and handed it to me.  As I cried some more I could only pray that many more children could have their pictures removed off of the tables in orphanages and handed to their forever families.

Mary's photo that marked her seat at the work table.

Mary's picture outside her classroom door.

Then I heard the sweetest voice come into the room with a joy that I will probably never hear again.  Miss Mary has not smiled much and has not shown much emotion but when Yang Na, the sweetest lady that I will never forget, came and saying her name, she smiled the biggest smile I have seen. She talked to her as sweet as I have ever heard any voice of any teacher.  I knew that she loved Mary as if she was her own.  I made sure that Miko told her that I thanked her from the bottom of my heart for loving her and caring for her like she did.

Mary's teacher

After some more tears and pictures we made our way down a walk way that had cribs and beds in it.  I was about to see where Mary stayed every night.  But before I saw that, I saw about 60 to 70 tiny little faces looking at me.  Boys, girls, tiny babies, 3 year olds waiving so big at me.  Children in corners and children with the saddest faces you have ever seen.  Children that looked like our American children and children that had major special needs.  My heart has not ever hurt like this.  I was never able to visit our other girls orphanages and foster families but this time God knew I needed to be shaken and I was!!!!!

Finally I passed these rooms which seemed like miles, I came up on the last room with cribs.  First crib on the right as I walked in was Mary's.  It looked exactly like the other cribs but it was very special.  Mary has slept in it.  On the outside of the door was a chart of children and they were in color code, blue for boys and pink for girls.  Only one pink name tag and it was my Mary's.  Again I was given the pick name tag and again I thought, when will the rest be taken?

Mary's teacher showing me that Mary can indeed walk.  She just doesn't like it!!!

As I left the hall way and waved goodbye to all the kids, about 30 watching a cartoon, I could not help but think, how can I make more of a difference?  How can each child be saved? How can I make it where every, and I mean every family in the US, Canada, UK, Germany and the far reaches of the world see what I have just seen?  Great question!!!!!  Don't know!!  Some how, some way I am going to be an advocate for every child in an orphanage!!!!  Every child needs to have a chance to have a mommy and a daddy to wrap their arms around them and call them there own!!!!  I do not know what that is going to look like and I do not know my next physical step to take but I do know this.  When God calls us to do something, he has promised that mountains can and will be moved!!!!!  Please pray for guidance that God will show Jennifer and I what to do next.  Secondly, pray that God will move in you and your families lives to act in some way.  Adoption is something that is very scary but if you will see the faces of these precious children I promise God will take the fear away. 

I am sorry that I sounded preachy but I do not care!!!!!  These children need homes.  You cannot save all 147 million orphans, but you can save 1. 

Love,

Bobby 

 

More From China......

I've discovered one thing Mary does not like..... WATER!  She hates a bath and she absolutely hated the pool.

This smile was short lived.  She started screaming as soon as my feet hit the water.

She loves yogurt!

Pretty in purple!

Mary likes to ride in the stroller!

Thankfully, She calmed down quickly after her bath!  Here she is playing with blocks after her bath.

My wonderful daughter is an excellent sleeper.  Down at 8, up after 6:30.  It gives me time to get ready for the next day.  It is 5:46 am in China.  The curtains are pulled back and I am waking to a beautiful day in Guangzhou.   I love thunderstorms and will sit on my porch at home and watch and listen to the power and yes beauty that it brings.  Well, being on the 16th floor of a hotel in a major city gave it new meaning.  One of the biggest lightning storms I have ever seen last night.  Still was not scared but a little anxious at how close the lighting was.

So what did the father/daughter team do when you can't go out because of rain?  Put on our finest attire and went to the 2nd floor of the hotel and spent way too much money on sweet and sour pork and drinks.  (Have you priced apple juice lately at your local fancy resturant?)  No worries though, we had a blast.  After dinner we came back to our room, woke up the whole Barbee family with Skype and they were able to see the miracle that is  Mary Anna XiaoJun Barbee.  I asked many of you for one specific prayer, that she would fall in love with her Daddy!!!!  God is good.  She loves me!!!  Last night Jennifer was amazed at watching her put her hands together with mine to patty-cake.  I even got a small smile!!!!  Oh well, got to go get ready for the day.  Get to visit the local Police station and start the process for her passport.  We may do some swimming today also.

PS.  Had lunch with the Mullins today.  Ethan is still the cutest boy in China.  Love knowing that Mary and Ethan are the same age and will get the opportunity to grow up together.  The Mullins will be heading to Hong Kong tomorrow to begin their journey home.  Love everyone!!!!!  Take care.  Bobby and Mary