Goodbye....for now

After an amazing week together, our friends took us to the airport late one night. The LAST thing we wanted to do was to say our goodbyes, so we insisted on laughing up until the last possible minute. 

Then the tears flowed freely. 

 These two laughed and talked on the long subway ride to the airport, trying to get in every moment together possible.

 Eating at the airport. It was almost mid-night, so EVERYTHING was funny at that point!!

 This makes my heart smile :)

 She is one amazing lady. I am better for knowing her.

We all came to the conclusion that night that we HATE goodbyes! And we are all longing for the day when we never have to hug and go our separate ways again. I am so thankful for these ladies and for the fact that He placed each and every one of them in my life. I am blessed beyond measure.

Faces of China

To say that our week in Beijing has been AMAZING is a huge understatement. We have seen some amazing sights, had a LOT of laughs, eaten some wonderful food and had lots of late-night talks that lasted until the wee hours of the morning. But most of all, my favorite memories of the week are the times that were spent studying, praying and worshiping together. Those were precious hours that will NEVER be forgotten. It was medicine to our souls and encouragement for our hearts. I think we were reminded of our calling and challenged to continue to "Go into ALL the world." Here are a few of the precious faces that reminded us of that calling....

Every tribe. Every nation.

Spreading Our Wings!

On our last full day in Beijing, our friends had classes so Sarah and I had an entire day to venture out on our own and spread our wings. Thankfully, we managed to make it to the Olympic Village, back to a market we'd visited earlier in the week and took a taxi back to our apartment, even though we couldn't communicate with the driver AT ALL! LOL. We had a blast and didn't even get lost!

 The Olympic venue for cycling

 We needed this to ensure we didn't get lost!

 Sarah and I and a few hundred of our closest Chinese friends!!

 We found it!!! We found the Birds' Nest!!

 The torch

 So cool to actually be here!!!

 Proof that we were actually there!!

 Our first sighting of the Water Cube.

 Found a large sign of Yao Ming.

 You are here.

 Everyone was flying these cool kites. 

 Trying to take a pic of ourselves with the Water Cube in the background. Forgot the zoom was on! FAIL!!

 That's better :)

 Solo shot

 These mascot guys were wandering around so I took a picture. Then I got in trouble for taking a picture! Supposedly the only way to get a picture is if you pay to have one taken by their photographer. Oh well, at least I had already gotten one. ;)

 One last shot of the Birds' Nest Stadium.

 (Snuck a couple more shots of the mascot guys. I'm such a rebel!!!)

 I love how there's an official sign pointing the way to KFC!

 After the Olympic Village, we made our way across Beijing and found this market. We were slightly proud of ourselves for making it this far on our own!

So we decided to reward ourselves with a sweet treat to end a sweet day!!