The decision to come to China in the midst of a pregnancy was not an easy one, and sustaining that decision once we got here has been difficult. As of today, Lacey has literally not left our dorm room for a week and not for lack of want. Many pregnant women might understand the feeling of getting of the bed and moving to the next room as evoking feelings equivalent to being hit by a train, an experience that makes leaving the dorm and going on any extensive walk nothing short of fantasy.
Through the physical ordeals Lacey has been emotionally temperate, as always, but after now almost a month of miserable morning sickness she was sick of being sick. I was getting frustrated of being unable to find some sort of vegetable that had not been smothered in oil before being fried. Saturday evening, we were both at our outer limits and just didn't know what more we could do besides continue enduring it. I was approached by a girl from our BYU-Idaho group that evening who said that many of the students were going to fast (to understand more about fasting, see Fasting @ LDS.org) for her, an act which made us very grateful. But that was only the beginning.
On Sunday, Lacey wasn't even feeling up to going to church, which is saying something considering it is Lacey I'm talking about. Later during church I had several pregnant women coming up to me asking what food Lacey liked, because they were going to the American grocery stores in the city to get her whatever she wanted. They also were passing around a sheet in Relief Society (See Relief Society @ LDS.org) for the sisters in the branch to volunteer for which days this week they would make and bring meals to Lacey, again, whatever she wanted.
Later that evening, Aaron and Leslie Lindeman paid us a visit. They had moved to Beijing when they were four months pregnant with their first child, and have lived here since. Leslie is again pregnant, now six months along with their second, so they have gone through everything we are going through. They brought us a whole crock pot of chicken noodle soup, which as simple as that sounds it something hard to get a hold of when you don't have a kitchen to cook things. They also brought homemade bread, silverware, plates, cups, and Tupperware.
The fact that they drove across the whole city to come visit us and provide some understanding for what we are experiencing along with the food, as simple as it was, was enough to leave both of us in tears of gratitude after they left. As if these angels hadn't already touched us enough, they have an extra bedroom with a king-sized pillow top bed and a private bathroom that they are letting us stay in for this coming three-day weekend. That thought alone has been enough to keep Lacey in tears for as often as she thinks about it.
May it be understood that having a family is a glorious thing and that blessings are never more manifest than when in pursuit of the family. But the 'glory' of it is certainly not prevalent, if even present, in this part of the journey. The question has been asked whether this is worth it and if this is really part of a plan of happiness. In firm contestation it is worth it and the looming brink of uncertainly will always be railed and abated for those who humbly trust in the plan that has been designed for our happiness and salvation. Ultimately, there can be no doubt that God is Father of all and He answers prayers… no matter
where in the world we are.
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