We got to Skype with Hope!

Tonight was awesome! We got to see Hope on Skype (free video conferencing over the internet using webcams)! It was sooo special to actually see her smiling, and to see her moving around and being her. It was sooo fun to see her and talk to her! She was signing the word “hello” to us! She was smiling, and making lots of squeaky sounds. They said that they have nicknamed her “Mousie” because she makes a lot of squeaky noises. It was exciting for everyone, and challenging too, since Hannah wouldn’t let go of the microphone! 😉

All I can say is that girl is GORGEOUS! We love her so much and cant wait to bring her home! She looked so happy and was having so much fun. She showed us how she gives kisses to her nanny. It was neat to be able to meet and thank her nanny over the video connection. Hope started to get fidgety, as it was time for her walk, so she left and we got to talk to Guillaume and Delphine, the founders of Bethel Foster Home. They are really making progress at the new facility, and Guillaume took us around with his wireless laptop and gave us a tour, and we got to meet some people, including our friend who has been sending us all the photos and updates!

We also got great news that we are going to be able to pick up Hope there at Bethel, and stay there and then travel with her to the original orphanage in Qianjiang! This was something we were really hoping for, as it would be hard on her to have to go back to the orphanage first by herself. This is what the plan was originally, but their request to have us pick her up there was granted. Guillaume told us that they sometimes make the children go back to the originating orphanages for a month ahead of time, so we are glad that it’s looking like Hope will be spared that unnecessary experience!

They also clarified for us that they haven’t received the book we sent yet, but they did actually get the original care package we sent with Elisa back in October. So hopefully it will eventually get there.

If you haven’t checked out the Bethel website, you’re in for a treat. They are some of the most incredible people I have ever met. God called them to China 5 years ago, to work with the blind orphans. They sold everything they had, and moved, and started out with a few children. They now have 32 children, and a staff of 56! They just moved into a huge 15 acre ranch, where they are doing their own farming, getting animals, and are on the road to becoming self-sustainable. Its truly amazing what God has done with them, and they are both still in their 20’s! They are truly an inspiration to us, and we appreciate all that they have done for our daughter, and all the other kids at Bethel.

Guillaume extended an open invitation to Skype often with them, and so you can bet we will be taking him up on that offer. We will record it next time, and post it here, so you can see it too! We were going to record it this time, but had to rush to make the meeting and didn’t have time to set it all up… Skype is great by the way. It’s easy to set up and it was a really neat experience for us all to be able to see each other and talk at the same time. The video and audio quality was excellent. If you have Skype, let us know and you can join us! 😉

Lots of love,

Kim