Travel details! Plane, Trains and automobiles!

June.
7 Fly Cathy Pacific to Hong Kong
8 sightseeing
9 Disney Hong Kong!
10 Shopping!? sh don't tell Keith!
11th Train to Guangzhou
White Swan hotel
12th: take train K309 from Guangzhou-Ganzhou.
Leave Guangzhou East station at 11:09 and arrive Ganzhou 18:00 The guide from Jiangxi adoption Service Center will meet them at Ganzhou.



June.13th: Kelsall revisit SWI and place of founding. lunch.
Ganzhou-Nanchang by tour bus. Arrive Nanchang in late afternoon
Galactic Hotel.
June.14th: Rest. Buffet Dinner.
June.15th: 2 families meet children in hotel late afternoon. Sign agreement.
Dinner.
June.16th: 2 families will go to Civil Affairs for registration, notary and apply passport. Dinner.
June.17th: keep doing paper work if necessary. Dinner.
June.18th: All group Nanchang-FengCheng by tour bus. See Feng Cheng SWI and place of founding. Dinner.
June.19th: Half day tour to Teng Wang Ge temple. Dinner.
June.20th: Take passports in the afternoon. Dinner.
June.21st: Nanchang-Beijing by MU5187(13:35-16:00). (Jianguo Garden Hotel)
June.22nd: One day tour to Greatwall. Include lunch and cable car.
June.23rd: The guide will go to Embassy take letter to Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And send doc for legalization.
June.24th: The guide will send legalized doc back to Embassy. Visa application.
June.25th: One day tour to Tian’an Men Square. Forbidden City. Include lunch.
June.26th: Take visa in the afternoon.
Kelsall will leave by KA909 at 16:20 Transfer to airport.
June.27th: Arrive Home at 4:15 pm YEAH!

A beautiful Song from Steven Curtis Chapman

This family has 6 children three Bio and 3 adopted their youngest child Maria who turned 5 a couple of weeks ago was runover on their driveway by their son! She later died in Hospital last week! It is so sad but this song reminds me that it is spending time in the moment that counts!
Enjoy the song!
Hugs Ruth

We have our TA!!!

We have our Travel Authority! It means that we are allowed to go to China! So now we have applied for our Visa's this morning without the TA and then heard they had arrived in the country! So thankfully Joy agreed to pick up ours and drop them off to The Chinese Embassy!
Thanks Joy!
I owe you!
So now we have to wait for the final confirmation of our itenary from China Travel Service(CTS). To date they have us going to Nanchang then back to Ganzhou but we want to go Ganzhou then Nanchang!
So lets hope that we sort this out!
Downloaded the Visa application forms for Alice!!!!! YEAH almost there!
Cheers
Ruth who has so much to do!

Milo the new kitten passed away!

We got this email late last night and have told the children so are now on the hunt for another Burmese Kitten!

Hello Ruth,

I'm afraid I have some very sad news, our little girl sadly passed away today. Piper's milk supply has dried and I noticed a drop in the kittens condition some days ago and have been hand feeding them to try and top them up, but sadly she just didn't respond. There are six other litter mates and a lot of strong boys competing with her and she just wasn't strong enough. The milk powder is great but no matter how hard I tried to feed her she just gave up. It is very sad, but I did everything I could to help her. I know you had your heart set on a girl and of course I will give you your deposit back straight away if you give me your bank details. I do have chocolate boys if you are interested and I will happily call other breeders that I know and see if they will have a girl available in July for you, please just let me know.

Again, very sorry for this.

Kindest regards
Louise

Emily lay in Bed and said "oh Man! Not again!" and Aiden cried then said I am really glad it wasn't Alice! What would happen then?
Well there was loads of discussion in our house this morning about Death!
So I am off to work and send out emails to find a new kitten!
Hugs Ruth

Earthquake in China

This came in this morning and still the news footage is devastating! I was so relieved to see the quick response and with agencies like Half the Sky foundation it is great to know those children in Social Welfare Institutes (or orphanages) seem to have some advocates on the ground for them.
Here is Jenny's message!
Hugs Ruth
Dear Friends,

We have received many emails and calls about the terrible earthquake that
struck Sichuan and Chongqing yesterday. We have reached the three
orphanages where Half the Sky operates programs: Chengdu, Chongqing and
Yibin. All is well. At each place, the children were all evacuated until
the tremors passed. The buildings suffered no great damage. And no child
was injured.

We will reach out to other welfare institutions in the province today.
Should we learn of any problems or earthquake-related needs, I’ll post
another note.

Some of you have also written regarding the EV71 hand-foot-mouth virus
that has affected many, particularly young children, in several provinces.
The orphanages are taking special precautions and no child in an
institution has been reported infected. We are monitoring this also.

While Half the Sky exists first and foremost to provide nurturing care and
education to orphaned children, we are pleased to be in a position to be
the eyes and ears on the ground in China for all of you who have such
concern for all aspects of the children's welfare. We are so grateful to
those of you who make our presence in China possible.

with love,
Jenny

Jenny Bowen
Executive Director
Half the Sky Foundation
www.halfthesky.org

Happy Mother's Day

I know today is the day we honour our Mother's.
I have a spilting headache and I never ever visit my
mother on Mother's day. Since she hasn't called once in
15 years to see how I was! I do see her on Birthday's and at Christmas. She lives 7 blocks away and on a bad day it
breaks my heart but being the one who always extends the
Olive branch broke my heart!

So now when it is mother's day I celebrate the day with
my children none of which I bore. And give thanks to
their first mothers! So Toni have a great mother's day!
I know Scotland has a different day than ours! It was great talking with you last night! Our son is amazing! He is
learning the saxaphone. We might have to keep the
girls away! He is so thoughtful and compassionate!
He is the best big brother and misses Willow dreadfully!
I didn't tell you that Emily has been dreaming about Willow
lately, really vivid dreams!
To Yaoyao's Mum whoever you are and wherever you are.
We have an amazing daughter! She is vibriant and cute
and so matter of fact!
She is the most loving wee girl! We are proud of her
as I know you would be! She is delightful!
To ShuShu's Mother your baby this time last year was
inside you and you must have cared for her, as she looks healthy
and beautiful! We can't wait to meet her, as I am sure you
would love to be with her!
We will cherish her, love her and give her the freedom to
become who she will be!
Thank you to our children's first mothers without you we would never had had the chance to be parents!
WE have told the children each year it is because of them we celebrate such days and that we are always greatful to be
in their lives!
So all the mother's and mother's to be celebrate!
Dance like no one is watching
Sing like no one is hearing
and love like your has never been broken
these are our children's greatest gifts!
Happy Mother's Day!
Arohanui
Ruth the proudest and most greatful Mum in the world!

Molly has gone to Heaven

Well Molly our Beautiful Burmese, 20 August 1997-
9 May 2008 Died peacefully in Aiden's arms.
Molly was diagnosed with Cancer on 31 March 2008.
What we have learnt from this process is that
we have very different dynamics in our house!

Keith who was brought up very English hasn't
shed a tear yet! But this was his cat!
It will happen!

It has hit Aiden really hard! He insisted on being
in the room with Molly and held her while she was
administered the injection and said
it was really sad. He wanted her eyes shut!
Keith went with him and said how proud he was
of him!

Then Emily walked up to Molly before she left and
said it is okay Molly you going to die!
When asked if she wanted to go to the vets she said
no I want to watch telly! So I stayed here with her!

When Aiden returned and all evening he burst out
into deep sobbing and in the end came to bed with
me for a while then headed down to his bed later!
He laid Molly out in an old shoe box and has her
all curled up! Very Sweet! We will have a brief
service for her today while the sun shines and
we will plant a bush over her!

And I am so sad! I love animals and what they teach
us but have never been particularly good at good byes!
The children have seen me suffering with my
grief and understand it is okay to cry.

The kids said goodbye to so sweetly yesterday and
so did our other cat! We do have a new cat coming
another Burmese and have spent the last month
enjoying Molly but her cancer progressed so quickly!
Thanks for listening.
Hugs Ruth

Travel dates provisional

Here are travel dates we hope that the TA(travel authority) arrives so we don't need to change them!

June 7-11 Hong Kong
11-12 Guangzhou Train from Hong Kong!
12-14 Ganzhou, Jiangxi(catch the train from Guangzhou up to Ganzhou)
Visit Emily's SWI then Train up to Nanchang
14- 21 Nanchang Meet Alice and settle with her!
21-26 Beijing Get the visit and meet the rest of the travel group!
26 in the pm fly home to NZ.
27 Land into Auckland and fly home to Dunedin!!!!
Post more when we have details
Hugs Ruth

11 April 2008

On the 11th of April we found out about Alice Sandra Min Shu Kelsall is was also the day that our newest pet was born! A chocolate Burmese we have named Milo!
We aren't sure which one she is in the photos but we recieved her photos on Wednesday and thought we would share them!
The amazing thing about our cats is Molly was born two days after Keith's Dad died, Coco was born two days after Emily was born and Milo was born on the day we found out about Alice! Wow!
here are some photos to see her cuteness! She will join our family a few weeks after we have returned from China!