Today, we went to the US Consulate on Shamian Island in Guangzhou for the taking of the oath that certifies the truthfulness of all of our adoption paperwork. The wonderful thing about this is that this will enable Becca to get her visa to the USA, and also make it so that the moment the wheels of the plane touch the soil of the United States of America, our sweet baby Becca becomes a US citizen.

When we arrived there at the Consulate, the wait was long in a very small and crowded room. We were so packed in there, that one of the waiting mothers in our group fainted from the heat. Good thing we had several nurses and a surgeon in our travel group!

Later a representative of the US government issued the oath to us, and to tell you the truth, though the oath was short, it was a holy moment! Tears flowed down my face as we exited and it dawned on me the immensity of what just happened in that split second of time. Right then and there, Sarah and I had officially in the eyes of the USA become the parents of a beautiful little one named Rebecca Catherine Jiayi Battle. Though we have never experienced a biological birth together, something awesome was born in that room: the blessed reality of a new era graciously given to us by the Lord to parent this sweet little girl. What an awesome moment! One I will never forget! Sorry no pictures today! They would not allow us to photograph anything in the Consulate. God bless! Photos of Houston Gotcha tomorrow! Tonight our bags are out the door by 9PM for the bellmen. Tomorrow at 5AM we leave for the Guangzhou Airport. See ya tomorrow!