We got a sense of the power and control emperors have had by seeing the grandness of three famous Beijing landmarks. First, we toured the Summer Palace. After lunch we walked through Tiananmen Square. We were to tour The Forbidden City, but when we arrived, we found out that the ticket booth had just closed, so we were unable to buy tickets and go inside. Our guide felt so bad, but honestly, our whole group was really tired and we didn't mind missing this tour. We had walked and walked and none of of had had much sleep. The best part of the day was getting to know the other families in thr group. Their journeys of faith and trust in God were encouraging. Some couples have waited more than a decade for the desire to have a child to be fulfilled. To share in their excitement was special for me. I do not understand the pain of infertility, but I do understand the desire to love and care for a child. As I looked into these soon- to-be-mother's eyes, I only imagined the years of heartache and wrestling with God. I didn't see or hear bitterness in them, but a gentleness and a steadfast trust that God is in control, even if his timeline did not match theirs.
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| Summer Palace |
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| Russ and Karrah at the Summer Palace |
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Walkway where Emperor could "view" the four seasons
at the same time through these paintings. |
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| "Four Seasons" walkway |
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| Marble "Boat" used for Emperor's parties |
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| Kaden was popular with the young Chinese ladies. |
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| Fun toy we bought off a street vendor. |
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| Lunch in Beijing with our group. |
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| Tiananmen Square |
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| Forbidden City in the distance. |
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| Forbidden City |
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| As close as we got into the Forbidden City. |
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| Outside the Forbidden City. This wall would be very difficult to scale. |
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| One of the many, many buildings in Beijing. |
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Dinner menu in Beijing. Looks like a phone
book from a small town in Kansas. |
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