This is the post that should have preceded our first
post. But since it wasn't quite time,
it's coming now.
WE HAVE BEGUN A NEW ADOPTION!!
For the record, let me just say that we are just as shocked
by this news as you are. This was not
"our" plan. Our plans don't
usually work, anyway. Prov. 16:1 says we
can make our plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. Prov. 16:9 goes on to say we can make our
plans, but the Lord determines our steps.
As bible commentator Matthew Henry writes regarding Prov.16:9: "But let men devise their worldly
affairs ever so politely, and with ever so great a probability of success; yet
God has the ordering of the event, and sometimes directs their steps to that
which they least intended." This is
how God directed our steps:
One Sunday evening B and I watched a feature about Sir
Nicholas Winton on 60 Minutes. He was
104 and re-telling his story of saving over 600 children from the Holocaust. I was moved by the feature and said to
myself, "I can be doing so much more." It was then that I opened my laptop and
proceeded to our agency's website to begin looking at their photo listings;
this is a list of “paper ready” kids available to be adopted. Most have special needs of some sort. Some are super young, and some are about to
age out. In other words, when children
turn age fourteen in China, they are no longer eligible to be adopted. Those in orphanages can usually stay and
"help out", but at sixteen they must get jobs (the lucky ones can
secure jobs at the orphanage) and start life on their own. It's a horrible situation, but it is the
reality for hundreds of kids. It is a
very overwhelming and helpless feeling.
Anyway, I looked at several children, but one particular
girl stood out to me. I was immediately
drawn to her. She is almost ten and has
a cleft lip/palate that has been repaired.
Before I knew it, I had clicked the "send more info"
button. We talked to our agency the next
day and found out there was another family also interested in her. It was unclear why she hadn't been matched
years ago, but she simply had fallen through the cracks. Kris, the Holt rep with whom we were
communicating, just happened to be leaving for China the NEXT DAY. One of the 200+ kids she would be going to
meet was this little girl.
Coincidence? I think NOT! Kris was going to be there thirteen
days. So we waited. That's the good
thing about adoption: they're never
short on waiting. GRRRRR...
Fast forward fourteen days.
Kris (from Holt) finally called and started telling me about her trip
and all the precious kids she met on her travels. She went on to talk about this little
girl. She explained that, since there
were two families interested, our files would go before a committee, who would
then decide which family they thought would be the best fit. As she went on, Kris casually mentioned that
the other family already had a Chinese speaking child in their home and a
craniofacial team at the ready. I knew
right away that they were her family. I
told Kris that we would not pursue the child or make the other family go before
the committee.
Later that evening we had a conference call with Kris. She wanted to tell us about all these other
kids she met, including several that she thought were potentially a good match
for our family. As she tells us several
stories, with no pictures or files I might add, I am immediately drawn to a
three-year-old girl and a twelve-year-old girl, who are both in foster
care. The three-year-old girl is almost
exactly one year older than JG, and also has a port wine stain (but it is more
extensive). The twelve-year-old has a cleft lip/palate repair and is an incredible
artist. She has been in the same foster
family since she was born. We hung up
with Kris and chatted for several minutes.
Not much more was said.
A couple of days passed, and the photos started coming in of
these kids; things became much more real.
As much as I think it would be cool for JG to have a sister close in
age, I know that little three-year-old has a better chance of being adopted
than the twelve-year-old. My heart was
suddenly set on her, and I couldn't stop thinking about her. I still can't. She consumes my thoughts and my prayers. As we pondered all it would mean to adopt a
child this old, I wondered how on earth we could say no.
Kris called us several days later, and it suddenly seemed
that we were destined to find her. But the twelve-year-old was nowhere in the
system; as far as the Chinese government is concerned, she didn't exist. When Kris visited the home of the child's
foster brother (he has been matched already), she happened to ask the foster
mother if there were any other children in the home. The mother replied that she had a
thirteen-year-old foster daughter who was at school at the time. Kris went the next day and met with this
little girl. It turns out the foster
father died two years ago, and the mom knew she wouldn't be able to keep her
past her fourteenth birthday (because the funding would stop). They have a fifteen-year-old biological
daughter, and that is where any inheritance would go. The mother couldn't even consider keeping
this other little girl. How on earth she
fell through the cracks is beyond me.
But no longer. This is the little
girl we are pursuing.
Our new daughter turned thirteen on May 12th, so she HAS to
be out of China by May 12, 2015. If not,
she will be forever lost. We are not
going to let that happen. We are doing
all we can to get our paperwork in as fast as possible. Thankfully, the CCCWA (Chinese gov) will do
all they can to expedite all of the paperwork so we can make this happen. Our agency estimates we will travel by March
2015. We have about eight months to
raise roughly $28,000. As overwhelming
as that seems, I know it is totally doable.
We will not be sharing any photos of her until we have been
pre-approved, but we ask that you PRAY and PRAY OFTEN! Specifically, pray for favor, and pray that
they will grant us an extension so we may re-use our dossier (which will save
us time, money and STRESS). Pray also
that we will come up with creative ways to raise funds, and that our first
fundraiser (July 12th) will be a success.
Just cover us with prayer. Thank you in advance. We could never walk this journey without all of you.
