Monday

Good Morning from Vietnam!  Today is Wednesday morning and I need to get you caught up with the events of the last two days.  Monday morning we took a 5 hour bus ride to LaGi, where our orphanage is located.  We arrived around 2 pm but we couldn't go to the orphanage until 3.  Driving by the orphanage but not being able to go in was like torture!!!!  We went to the hotel to drop off our things and freshen up.  At 3, we went back to the orphanage.   When the kids saw our bus pulling up they all ran to the balcony and started waving at us!  They were just as excited as we were!  My family spotted Tram and began waving like lunatics!  When she spotted Kevin, her face beamed and she pointed and said, "My dad!"  Talk about bringing tears to your eyes and melting your heart.  My girls and Kevin were off of the bus faster than I was. (I was trying to get a hold of my emotions.)  They ran in and Tram ran down the stairs.  She hid and then jumped out as they passed by.  She proceeded to do the same thing when I came in.  She is such a mess, she keeps us laughing and smiling.  She hugged all of us and then wanted our I-phone to play on.  While she played on Kevin's phone, Jaycie went to see Bao Yen.  Bao Yen is the sweet baby girl that Jaycie fell in love with last summer.  She had to have 2 surgeries on her head after we left and it broke Jaycie's heart that she couldn't be there with her.  She is now 4 1/2 months old and a healthy baby girl.  PRAISE GOD!  
While Tram was on the phone, Macey and I went in search of Oanh.  Oanh is our other sponsor child that is almost 3 years old.  Oanh is so funny.  When we first arrive at the orphanage she is always terrified of us.  As the first day goes by she warms up and by the second day she is like a little tree monkey,  she won't let go of you.  Her little raspy laugh is music to our ears.  Macey was the first of us to win her over this time.  She sat with Macey for at least an hour and Macey was on cloud 9!  Later in the evening I was able to hold her too.  :)  Around 4:00 some of the team members walked to pick up the big kids from school.  Kevin was with Tram,  Jaycie was with Bao Yen, and Macey was with Oanh so I decided to go.  When we arrived at the school, the school was have a ceremony in the court yard for their teachers and students. (Tuesday was teacher appreciation day.)  As soon as we arrived, all of the children, about 200 students, turned and started waving at us.  As a teacher, I almost died!  I felt so bad that we were disrupting this ceremony.   Finally, the kids calmed down and started paying attention.  What a relief!!!  Our kids were so happy to see us!  We walked our kids home and they were so proud that we were there.  Most of the time, the nuns pick them up but on Monday they were able to say that their "American families" were there to get them.  Of course, as we left we had a huge crowd around us.  Our kids grabbed our hands and beamed!  I loved every minute!  We were only able to stay at the orphanage  until 6:00.  We asked if the older 3 girls could spend the night but Sister Mai said we had wait until Friday.  I think Tram was expecting to spend the night with us, like she did last summer, so she was sad when we left.  We gave her big hugs and kisses and told her that we loved her and would be back in the morning.  We finally got a sweet smile from her. 
Back at the hotel, we prepared witnessing bracelets for our feeding on Tuesday morning and then went to bed.  It is now 5:25 am and I need to start getting ready for our day.  I will have to get you caught up on Tuesday later.  Please be in prayer for our team, the children at the orphanage, the nuns, the caregivers, and the people in Vietnam.  Thank you so much for your prayers!
Cheyenne