grace led in life

On Thursday we had the opportunity to visit Kunming Municipal Children's Home, Isla's orphanage.  Seeing the kids and the caring nannies was such a relief.  This orphanage is home to 600 children, and the complex is made of many buildings.  The rooms were colorful, with pictures and artwork on the walls, and toys.  Still, it felt like an institution and it was so difficult to know all these kids are waiting for families.  Isla's room (the baby room) is home to 40 kids, and seems to operate differently than the other areas.  Babies eat and sleep in the same large room, but also have another room for play.  

There were so many things that left a lasting impression, but two really stand out.  First, the orphanage staff was very open.  They wanted us to see and interact with the kids.  We didn't feel hurried, so we were able to stay, play with, and hold the kids for a long time.  They showed us all around the complex, so we left with a sense that we had a lot of information to share with Isla later in her life.  Second, it was obvious that Isla's nanny was very close to Isla.  Being an older woman, it seemed she had a grandmother's heart towards Isla.  When we said goodbye, she cried and wrote her an encouraging note in Chinese.  

Parts of the visit were very difficult, but we felt a lot of peace in what we learned for Isla.  We went into it with so many questions.  While we didn't get a chance to ask all of them, just seeing how the nannies interacted with the kids answered the most important ones.  

We are so thankful.