Are we home yet?

As we count down the days to our return (hopefully), we continue to spend our days seeing the sights and learning what we can about Lulu's homeland so that we can provide answers to some of the questions that are sure to come some day. Fortunately, there are many beautiful and interesting places to visit, so braving the heat and humidity is worth the effort.

We began today at the Temple of Literature, a nearly 1000-year old complex of temples and courtyards that is a central part of the intellectual history of Vietnam. Among the highlights were a series of stone tablets sitting atop turtles, on which are engraved the names of all the doctors who had succesfully completed their study in the centuries of education in the outlying collection of buildings. We also had a lengthy chat with a woman in one of the gift shops who said she is from the same city and ethnic heritage as Lulu. She told us Luong means "sweetheart" and words to the effect of "a long life." She also said that the Phu Tho Province and Viet Tri, in particular, are known for producing rulers, leaders, and other professionals. She said that children from Lulu's hometown are "clever" and "lucky." This may be true of all children of parents she is trying to sell things to, but we took her to be sincere. And yes, we bought some very nice things from her.

We had lunch at KOTO (Know One, Teach One), a restaurant staffed by former street children whose profits benefit other streetchildren. The food was very good, and it was nice to support a program to benefit children who are living lives that likely would've been Lulu's if not for God's grace in bringing her to us.

In the afternoon, we visited the Ambassador Pagoda, the central location for Buddhist practice in all of Vietnam. It was located a convenient 4-5 blocks from our hotel, which was more than enough time to work up a sweat. Have we mentioned yet that it is hot here? I mean really hot. I'm not sure if it's physically possible, but I think this part of the Earth actually warms the Sun.

Tomorrow will bring another trip to Church, followed by an afternoon trip to a local village to learn about village life and see some handicrafts.

Gabe is back at home with Joni's parents, so at least he can sleep in his own bed at night. We miss him so much but find comfort in knowing we are getting closer to seeing him.

Take care,

Aaron, Joni, and Lulu