Yue Yang and back to Changsha

Kristina on the shore of Dong Ting Lake, the second largest lake in China.
































A tiny infant in the Yue Yang orphanage. This was a bright, well-run orphanage that two of the girls in our group came from. There are not as many babies needing adoption as there used to be, but still lots of older or disabled children.
Here's Melissa, getting ready for an outing back in Changsha. She is showing us a wonderfully cheerful, interactive personality. She does have a few little issues that concern us, such as head banging in her crib, her flattened head on one side, and her low weight (16 and a half lbs. at 11 months). Her legs and trunk muscles are weak. We can't erase the first months of her life, but we sure do love her already. We think she will make great progress with us. She is already learning to chew soft food and how to crawl.


Melissa loves her two big brothers! She has been seeing pictures of them.


Three beautiful older children at the Yue Yang orphanage. Kids such as these are catergorized as "special needs" for various reasons. The girl on the left is in this category simply because she was abandoned very recently, as an older child. The cutie in the middle can't walk.



The Hunanese are very proud of their silk embroidery, and rightfully so. In this workshop Changsha, these ladies are working together on an embroidered silk picture duplicating the picture of Chairman Mau in the background. It will take them years to complete it.


Today Kristina tasted a fried Chicken head. Yum yum!! Yesterday, on Thanksgiving, we took a taxi to McDonald's for a hamburger feast. Not quite the same but at least American, and we have lots to thank God for. We pray that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving time too.