Meeting our Destiny
So here we sit on the 19th floor of the Holiday Inn in Hefei. There is an amazing storm outside- the rain pelting the window and wind whistling like a […]
So here we sit on the 19th floor of the Holiday Inn in Hefei. There is an amazing storm outside- the rain pelting the window and wind whistling like a […]
Another past posting that offers a glimpse into the world of adoption- sometimes so painful– but always worth it Jan 11. 2010 Sunday was Beatrice’s first birthday. It is one […]
“Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms.
But once you do, everything changes”
-David Platt
“Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms.
But once you do, everything changes”
-David Platt
Her name is similar to a hundred other names. Almost anonymous. Her surname is the orphanage where she has spent her entire life with the only family she has known. For 13 years she has watched brothers and sisters walk out the doors of her orphanage for the last time to join their forever families. Always left behind, I wonder if she gave up hope. I wonder if her hope started dying two days after she entered this world, when she was left at the gate of the orphanage.
Her face looked vaguely familiar, one of thousands on the ‘waiting child’ photolisting. At first, it faded easily into anonymity. But slowly, persistently, the whispering started. Her story. First it took root in my mind. Then, my heart heard it. She became real. She became my daughter.
When we started the process to bring Xiaotong home, we thought we had enough to cover this adoption based on the information given us. Unfortunately, bureaucratic red tape and cost have escalated significantly this last year alone. The money we had budgeted for the adoption is almost gone but travel expense to and within China, adoption and government fees remain- about $15,000.
We will not give up on Xiao. We are pursuing every avenue we can to cover the remaining expenses. Unfortunately, we have already drained our retirement dry to fund this adoption. We hoped to find funds in a home equity loan, but plummeting property values have left us with no equity after paying into a mortgage for 12 years.
Time is running out for all of us. Our paperwork expires in less than three months. For us, it is over. China will not allow Xiao to be adopted once she reaches her 14th birthday, five months from now. For her, it is over. Because her orphanage is extremely poor, there is a strong possibility she will end up homeless. On the streets or worse.
She has our pictures and letters. I told her, she has a mommy and daddy, and two sisters that will be hers alone, forever. For us, even though we haven’t held her in our arms, everything has changed.
“Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you […]
The waiting is nearly insufferable this week. Our dossier has not moved in three months. I don’t want to look at baby clothes anymore. I don’t want to look at […]
Swirling Mud and the Wait Trying to understand is like straining through muddy water. Be still and allow the mud to settle. Lao Tzu I wish I could offer some […]
I have been doing a Bible reading plan through an app called Bible360. I continually struggle with Word time, so these structured plans with themes like marriage, grief, and faith, […]
14 What they trust in is fragile ; what they rely on is a spider’s web. Job 8 What an amazing word picture of what we so often look […]
Dear Xiao- The first time I saw your face, I wanted you to become my daughter and part of our family. It may be hard for you to understand how […]
I am a terrible blogger. Just check out my efforts. No entries on one and I think the other one has, maybe five spanning as many years. I I feel […]
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“Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes” -David Platt