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Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
PROVERBS 3:5-6 (NKJV)
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THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES
Even before we left for China to bring Jemma home, Bethany and I were discussing what God was doing in our hearts. We felt the Lord leading us to expand our family again at some point in the future, but we also sensed that it was going to be different the next time around. We weren’t sure what that meant. A different country? Our country? Foster Care? We continued to pray and trust the Lord to prepare that path for us and guide us along it.
And it turns out that God is a great tour guide.
During our time in China with Jemma, we had the opportunity to visit a foster home and spend an afternoon meeting and playing with the children there. It was an amazing time. There was an older girl there, about 9 or 10, who was being adopted a couple weeks after our visit. She had the most heart-warming laugh and infectious smile. She proudly showed us pictures of her family, telling us everyone's names. She was so thrilled to finally have a family of her own. She was the first older child we encountered in a Chinese orphanage.
Our eyes were opened to a new possibility
After we were home a few weeks, CNN ran a story about orphans in China. The story centered on a 9 year-old boy. He was the oldest child in a foster home with 23 children. Here are some excerpts:
[He] is the oldest and longest-term child at the home. He serves as a de facto big brother to the other kids -- pretend boxing, playing with toy cars, and even singing with them...He has watched many of his friends find homes and then move away.... “He's a really strong, resilient child. He does not show his emotions normally. He tries to be a happy kid,” says [Agency Director]...
But the pain is evident in [the boy’s] voice as he explains why he wants a family. “If I have parents,” he says, “I can live. I can have a life.” Then the tears start streaming down his face."
You can view the story of this boy, who is now in the process of being adopted by an American family, by following this link.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/11/asia/china-orphanage-children/index.html
My heart was awakened
Ever since we returned home, the children have been pointing out the empty chair at our dining room table, and the extra towel hook in the bathroom, and the extra seating in our van. They've been asking when we will adopt again – as a matter of fact - not if, but when.
God was preparing our family for the journey
One day, as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, I came across a post from an adoption advocate shared by a friend about a boy in China in need of a forever family. It was titled, "the big brother."
We were getting into the van to leave the orphanage for the day when the director gently touched my arm and said something to our translator. “He wants to know if he can show you one more child to find a family for.” He brought me to a tall boy who was waiting for me on the front steps, fiddling with his fingers obviously nervous but also impressively willing to look me right in the eye. He continued to stand before me, nodding his head occasionally as the director spoke about him to me with the translator next to us relaying every word. “He goes to school nearby and is very smart. He's very social. He likes computers and running."
"On the last day our team was at the orphanage, the staff allowed us to take all the children who were able outside for free play...We were nearly finished when I saw [the boy] in his school uniform running to join us. He looked right at me as he had done before with a big smile but then walked right past me. I saw his head turning, clearly looking for someone. I thought he might be looking for an ayi, maybe looking for other boys his age whose disabilities keep them from going out to school as he gets to do. Suddenly, he stopped turning as he found what he was looking for."
"He scooped up a child, a little one who clearly knew him as evidenced by how tightly he wrapped his poofy little arms around his neck. There in the courtyard of a place known for broken relationships, I witnessed brokenness being redeemed...He hugged him and spoke to him as I stood marveling at how he knew he could offer this child something no one else in that place could..."
"I added more notes to my binder. 'Gentle. Compassionate. Would make a great big brother. This boy needs a family.'"
The boy wrote a letter to share.
Dear Uncles and Aunties,
Greetings. My name is […]. I am 12 years old and in 6th grade. Family would be a lifelong shelter to me and become my sweetest memory. I want a warm family. I want my mom to be gentle and warm, like the foster mom I have now. She takes good care of me. She makes me meals and washes my clothes. I feel loved when I see her every day when I come back after school. I want a dad who is loving and kind and will play with me. I want to enjoy life together as a family. I do not desire a wealthy family; I just want an ordinary one like others have. I just want parents’ care and company. Thank you for trying hard to find me a family. I want to go home soon.
As I read his story, my heart stirred. "This is my son," I thought. "Lord, how can this be? It seems so clear. It is so unexpected." When I got home from work I asked if Bethany had read the post and I eagerly asked her to read it again from my phone. She had seen it earlier and showed it to the kids. She too felt something special about this boy.
One evening, while on a family walk, I asked Lily what she thought God would do next in our family. She was quick to reply that she thought that God would have us adopt a big brother from China. I was amazed, we hadn’t shared the news with the kids, yet God was already preparing the heart of our big sister to become a little sister.
As we continued to talk and pray about the idea, we felt the Lord calling us down this path. We called our social worker to get their thoughts and input. We then contacted our adoption agency to find out more about things on their end. They told us that generally, families do not begin a new adoption process this quickly after completing a previous one. Exceptions would have to be made. We had many conversations with both our agencies and they worked with us to think through everything and process all of the information. We reached out to other adoptive families. More prayer. More counsel. More prayer. Through the process it became clear that this was our son. Not just to us, but to both our agencies as well.
So we began the process of bringing our son home.
The big brother has found his family. We are so incredibly blessed. What an amazing God we serve.
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