Jayden's Journey: Come and Join Us

Did you know?

*There are approx 143 million orphans world wide.
* In Vietnam: while the poverty rate is 18.3% in urban areas, it is 44.9% in rural areas.
* Geographically speaking: China lies to the north of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to the west, and the South China Sea to the east.
* Buddhism is the dominant religion in Vietnam.
* The Vietnam language can be very difficult to foreigners to learn, as the language includes 6 different tones. The same word can have 6 different meanings depending on the pronunciation.
*Jan/Febraury of each year marks "Tet" holiday. The actual date varies from yr to yr based on the lunar calendar. This is the Vietnamese New Year.
* Most orphans in Vietnam live in orphanages, as opposed to Foster Care.
* While in Vietnam, it is customary to give and recieve with 2 hands & to address someone by Mr/Mrs/Miss and their first name.
* Vietnam time difference: the time change is 12 hours ahead (EST) from October-April & 11 hours ahead (EST) from April-October.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Come and Join Us

As the winds of Hurricane Ike batter the Texas coast, we have been in a whirl-wind of sorts ourselves today as we make all the final preparations for the Journey to Jayden tomorrow. Just as there is so much uncertainty with a hurricane, there is even still uncertainty regarding our adoption. We are leaving without a G &R.(Giving and receiving) date. Apparently, according to our agency, this is "the most certainty we are going to get." We put our hands in the hands of Thouc, our laison in VietNam. We are praying for a smooth, problem free trip, but we know to expect the unexpected. We will update the blog regularly while there so we hope you will join us on our "Journey to Jayden." Thank you for your prayers and support.
Norman