Location: China
The first destination of the morning in Taiyuan was the state-run orphanage. We spent time getting to know the babies/children in the Little Flower section of the state-run orphanage. While on a tight schedule, we were not given much time to play, but we still had the pleasure of singing and laughing with the kids.
Shortly after departing from the orphanage, we hiked to the top of a mountain. We were then greeted by a beautiful church. On each side of the church stood a marble statue of previous priests. Inside the gold painted doors were dozens of benches where we all prayed.
After the somber moment we all shared in the church, the group was struck with grief. We were heading down the mountain to put ashes in a tomb. The ashes belonged to two babies. One baby was from Taiyuan, but the other was from Beijing. Both were orphans and were premature. We stood there at a funeral for two babies who we never met. No parents or family, in general, were present. Just 12 strangers that could only try to imagine what life could have been like if the pure chance of circumstance was not into play. Our day concluded with a hot pot lunch, and we embarked on our journey back to Beijing.