Can you tell he fits right in?
Thursday, June 30, 2011
And here's Keane!
Can you tell he fits right in?
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Thank You!
Here's Liam
Praise God For Liam!!!
Everyone say hello to our new baby boy -------------- Liam Patrick. What a beautiful little baby boy he is. Grace even said "He's the cutest baby in the whole world!" They've been playing, touching, feeding, rubbing and oogling over him since we got him. The rest of us have a hard time getting any time with him. I wonder if he expected to have 3 mommies all at the same time.
His nanny and the director came in to bring him to us at the civil affairs office. The minute the nanny handed him to Jenn, he started to scream. Then he knew where the nanny was and kept trying to end run the 8 of us to get back to her. He and the nanny were both in tears - it was good to see that the nanny loved him. After about 15 minutes he calmed down and was great all day yesterday. He ate everything we fed him and slept about 12 hours. We had to wake him up for breakfast this morning. We went to the civil affairs office to sign all the paper work this morning and then went to the Confucius temple area with our guide Michael. Liam was laughing and giggling all day,but wants Jenn to carry him everywhere. He screamed every time we put him in the stroller. He is a little more clingy today,but is really doing great considering his entire world just changed.
Tomorrow we fly to Guangzhou and will meet Keane around 2pm. We can't wait to meet him. I can't even imagine what he must be feeling. Please pray this will be an easy transition for him, and we will be able to give him what he needs to help him to adjust to his new life.
Everyone say hello to our new baby boy -------------- Liam Patrick. What a beautiful little baby boy he is. Grace even said "He's the cutest baby in the whole world!" They've been playing, touching, feeding, rubbing and oogling over him since we got him. The rest of us have a hard time getting any time with him. I wonder if he expected to have 3 mommies all at the same time.
His nanny and the director came in to bring him to us at the civil affairs office. The minute the nanny handed him to Jenn, he started to scream. Then he knew where the nanny was and kept trying to end run the 8 of us to get back to her. He and the nanny were both in tears - it was good to see that the nanny loved him. After about 15 minutes he calmed down and was great all day yesterday. He ate everything we fed him and slept about 12 hours. We had to wake him up for breakfast this morning. We went to the civil affairs office to sign all the paper work this morning and then went to the Confucius temple area with our guide Michael. Liam was laughing and giggling all day,but wants Jenn to carry him everywhere. He screamed every time we put him in the stroller. He is a little more clingy today,but is really doing great considering his entire world just changed.
Tomorrow we fly to Guangzhou and will meet Keane around 2pm. We can't wait to meet him. I can't even imagine what he must be feeling. Please pray this will be an easy transition for him, and we will be able to give him what he needs to help him to adjust to his new life.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
We Made It!
We have landed in Shanghai for step #1! We left our house and headed out for the 1pm flight to Chicago. No seats left! So we waited around for the 5pm flight because our luggage made it and would sit there until we got there. We found out the airlines will not forward the 8 bags to Shanghai until we get there and request they forward them. Uh-oh. The LA flight had a ton of seats open but now we're committed to go through Chicago. The last direct flight had 3 seats on it -- but there was still a connection through Miami that had enough seats for the boys and I to get to Chicago in time for the Shanghai flight!
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Praise God for my job with American Airlines that we can all fly around the world for free! So, we mostly got seats together and made it to Shanghai. We were met at the airport by some Christian friends that are "English teachers", they got us on the subway to their apt for a great meal and a super night's rest. Church this morning - it's easy to be on time when you wake up at 3:15am! Train to Nanjing this afternoon, we get to meet Liam tonight or tomorrow morning, and then Keane on Thursday!
Yes the train to Nanjing. We're cutting all cost for this trip so we could afford to bring the boys. They raised enough money selling puppies and books online to pay the extra cost for having them along for the experience. Another praise to God that I have an adventurous wife that is willing to ride on the train across China (even in an overnight sleeper car) to keep expenses down. Our older boys will be helping at the Shanghai healing home on the way home. We went there yesterday and what sweet babies. We all gave them lots of love and we wanted to bring them all home.
We can't believe that we will be meeting Liam tomorrow. Praying that he will be able to love us quickly, and that we can help him grieve for what he has left behind.
Yes the train to Nanjing. We're cutting all cost for this trip so we could afford to bring the boys. They raised enough money selling puppies and books online to pay the extra cost for having them along for the experience. Another praise to God that I have an adventurous wife that is willing to ride on the train across China (even in an overnight sleeper car) to keep expenses down. Our older boys will be helping at the Shanghai healing home on the way home. We went there yesterday and what sweet babies. We all gave them lots of love and we wanted to bring them all home.
We can't believe that we will be meeting Liam tomorrow. Praying that he will be able to love us quickly, and that we can help him grieve for what he has left behind.
Friday, June 17, 2011
I-800 Approval Today - Nat'l Visa Center and Guangzhou tomorrow!
While we were putting up the crib for Liam, we got an email from USCIS.
This is the paper we've been waiting for for the last two weeks! Our officer gave us same day approval, emailed the PDF copy to the Nat'l Visa Center who will forward the I-800 approval (797) to the Guangzhou Consulate later on today. So our paperwork will be in China in less than 24 hours. If you're not familiar, this getting to China in time to adopt Keane was one of the long poles in the tent. Well it looks like that HUGE HURDLE is behind us.
-Thanks to all the US Govt workers that beat the standard processing time.
-Thanks to Heidi at Children's House who drove in to work at 1:30 in the morning to fax stuff to China that they needed at the start of all this.
-Thanks to the orphanage director who was part of the advocating process to make Keane's situation known.
-Thanks to my wife who manages to keep it all together and run a full household: from diaper changing to summer schooling at the Rhetoric level.
-Thanks be to God for the lessons we're all learning about how He is involved even in the details.
This is the paper we've been waiting for for the last two weeks! Our officer gave us same day approval, emailed the PDF copy to the Nat'l Visa Center who will forward the I-800 approval (797) to the Guangzhou Consulate later on today. So our paperwork will be in China in less than 24 hours. If you're not familiar, this getting to China in time to adopt Keane was one of the long poles in the tent. Well it looks like that HUGE HURDLE is behind us.
-Thanks to all the US Govt workers that beat the standard processing time.
-Thanks to Heidi at Children's House who drove in to work at 1:30 in the morning to fax stuff to China that they needed at the start of all this.
-Thanks to the orphanage director who was part of the advocating process to make Keane's situation known.
-Thanks to my wife who manages to keep it all together and run a full household: from diaper changing to summer schooling at the Rhetoric level.
-Thanks be to God for the lessons we're all learning about how He is involved even in the details.
GOD is so GOOD!
Twins with 12 years between them will soon be our sons! Isn't that great? Jenn and I are so excited to be meeting our 1 and 13 year olds next week!!! We wanted to get on here and post specifically a thank you to everyone that has so generously and tirelessly supported us throughout all of this. We truly could not have done this without support from so many of you out there - some that we don't even know.
We are up to almost $14,000 out of the $17,000 goal.
This was a total leap of faith for us - we had no idea where the money would come from to cover the added expense of the second adoption; but we know God and that he owns the cattle on a thousand hills. We have been overwhelmed with messages, prayer and donations from all around the world. I have been personally convicted that I have not been as generous with "my" finances as I could have been at times in the past - I see clearly how they are actually "HIS" finances that I'm managing for a while in order to grow His Kingdom. This has really been humbling for me to see donations from under five dollars up to thousands of dollars come in from friends and friends of friends and others that have "stumbled" upon our blog that we've not met yet.
I also want to thank all of you that have been silently praying for us. Your job isn't over!!!! Long row to hoe in the McQuade garden when we get back. We'd like you to keep praying (for about 17 years or so) - right now our family is praying that Liam is happy and healthy and that we'll have his special needs repaired without any issues. More so, we are very specifically praying that God is softening Keane's heart toward his new brothers and sisters and mama and baba. It may seem that meal times will be the same as at the orphanage with a big table, big pots of pea soup and a bench seat, but for the most part that little guy's life is about to change in a way that I can't even fathom. Everything he's known his entire life is about to change - everything. One of our daughters had a lot of difficulty attaching/bonding to our family because of her experiences in her orphanage prior to being adopted at 16 months old. Our family has grown a lot through the process of her healing, and it has opened our eyes to the reality of what these children go through. Please pray the God would give us grace to be patient, wise, consistent, insightful, diligent and most of all loving in a tender way that would speak to Keane's heart and break down any walls of reservation that would prevent him from totally surrendering to our love and ultimately God's love through us.
Thanks so much to everyone, and God gets all the Glory!
We are up to almost $14,000 out of the $17,000 goal.
This was a total leap of faith for us - we had no idea where the money would come from to cover the added expense of the second adoption; but we know God and that he owns the cattle on a thousand hills. We have been overwhelmed with messages, prayer and donations from all around the world. I have been personally convicted that I have not been as generous with "my" finances as I could have been at times in the past - I see clearly how they are actually "HIS" finances that I'm managing for a while in order to grow His Kingdom. This has really been humbling for me to see donations from under five dollars up to thousands of dollars come in from friends and friends of friends and others that have "stumbled" upon our blog that we've not met yet.
I also want to thank all of you that have been silently praying for us. Your job isn't over!!!! Long row to hoe in the McQuade garden when we get back. We'd like you to keep praying (for about 17 years or so) - right now our family is praying that Liam is happy and healthy and that we'll have his special needs repaired without any issues. More so, we are very specifically praying that God is softening Keane's heart toward his new brothers and sisters and mama and baba. It may seem that meal times will be the same as at the orphanage with a big table, big pots of pea soup and a bench seat, but for the most part that little guy's life is about to change in a way that I can't even fathom. Everything he's known his entire life is about to change - everything. One of our daughters had a lot of difficulty attaching/bonding to our family because of her experiences in her orphanage prior to being adopted at 16 months old. Our family has grown a lot through the process of her healing, and it has opened our eyes to the reality of what these children go through. Please pray the God would give us grace to be patient, wise, consistent, insightful, diligent and most of all loving in a tender way that would speak to Keane's heart and break down any walls of reservation that would prevent him from totally surrendering to our love and ultimately God's love through us.
Thanks so much to everyone, and God gets all the Glory!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The Chicken Swap
Our boys started a business this winter and are hatching and selling baby chicks. Things were going well,but now a new batch has hatched and they have 10 days to sell 18 chicks. They are headed to the local chicken swap this Saturday. We may have to find a chick sitter.
GOD'S PATH TO KEANE
We were so excited as a family to be starting this adoption journey again to bring home a child under 3. Stefani at CHI found our little boy, Liam, quickly through the shared list for us -- before we were even logged in.
During this loooong wait I would read the stories of these older children, who so desperately wanted a family. It broke my heart to read their stories and I advocated for them on the yahoo groups and our blog. We prayed for these children and rejoiced when they found their forever families. We cried as we watched so many loose that chance. God was changing our hearts as a family. So, just last week, as we were driving to church on Sunday, I received the first message from Sheri and Katherine (with Gifts To China With Love) about a 14 year old boy, and how he longed to have a family. His time was running out and in a few short weeks he would turn 14 and his chance for a family would end. I uploaded his pictures to my phone and prayed, "Lord, find him a family."
He needed a family that could be in China by July 1st and that family would have to start the process in the next few days. My heart broke for this boy, he had waited for a family for so long and had watched so many others find their mama and baba. I shared his story at church and continued to pray. We talked about him as a family and then two days later during dinner I said,"Do you think that this boy is our son?" All of our 6 children were saying yes, as my husband talked about all the things to consider about adopting an older child. Our family who at the beginning of this adoption journey had only considered a child under 3 were now begging to please bring home a 14 year old. God had opened our hearts towards adopting an older child and not any older child, specifically our son Keane. We are all so excited to be bringing this great boy home. We were not planning on two children at once, and we still need to raise the money for Keane's adoption in just a few short weeks. We are trusting God and know His plans are always perfect.
During this loooong wait I would read the stories of these older children, who so desperately wanted a family. It broke my heart to read their stories and I advocated for them on the yahoo groups and our blog. We prayed for these children and rejoiced when they found their forever families. We cried as we watched so many loose that chance. God was changing our hearts as a family. So, just last week, as we were driving to church on Sunday, I received the first message from Sheri and Katherine (with Gifts To China With Love) about a 14 year old boy, and how he longed to have a family. His time was running out and in a few short weeks he would turn 14 and his chance for a family would end. I uploaded his pictures to my phone and prayed, "Lord, find him a family."
He needed a family that could be in China by July 1st and that family would have to start the process in the next few days. My heart broke for this boy, he had waited for a family for so long and had watched so many others find their mama and baba. I shared his story at church and continued to pray. We talked about him as a family and then two days later during dinner I said,"Do you think that this boy is our son?" All of our 6 children were saying yes, as my husband talked about all the things to consider about adopting an older child. Our family who at the beginning of this adoption journey had only considered a child under 3 were now begging to please bring home a 14 year old. God had opened our hearts towards adopting an older child and not any older child, specifically our son Keane. We are all so excited to be bringing this great boy home. We were not planning on two children at once, and we still need to raise the money for Keane's adoption in just a few short weeks. We are trusting God and know His plans are always perfect.
We Heard From The Lockbox
After 6 days of e-mailing the lockbox and getting our congressman involved,we received a reply. They have sent our I800A and I800 to the NBC!! Now we are praying for quickness that we can get it through the NBC,NVC and onto Guangzhou before we board a plane in 10 days. WE ARE PACKING!!!!! Can't wait to meet our boys.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Front Page of Paper!!!!
We called the Lakeland Ledger newspaper and told them about our fundraiser where we were fixing up an 87-year-old widow's home in our community. They came out and took pictures and just ran the story in Sunday's paper - front page of the local section!
What a blessing. They listed our blog address and a lot of other info about our upcoming deadline for raising the funds we need for travel.
We pray that this will raise awareness in the local community and encourage other people to visit their neighbors and shine the light of Christ by helping them out. We also hope it will encourage other families that are considering adoption but don't think they can afford it.
Friday, June 10, 2011
We GOT A LETTER FROM KEANE
We were so excited to get a letter today from Keane. He knows we are coming and that he has a family. Thank you Sheri and Katherine from Gifts To China With Love. We cannot wait to meet him in a few weeks. Here is his sweet letter to us.
Dear Baba and Mama
Thank you for giving me a forever lovely home. I am so happy to be one of your family members.
I was growing up from the orphanage. I love the orphanage ,the people, the kids. I love this big family. They brought to me so much love and happiness.
I am a happy boy. I love singing and sports. I love to work. I help the kids to repair some toys. I can repair some small electricties.
I am getting along with people and children very well. I will not make people unhappy with me.
I am so happy that I have many brothers and sisters. I hope you will come very soon!
I know this has to be so hard for him to be leaving everything that he has ever known. Praying he will know he is loved.
Dear Baba and Mama
Thank you for giving me a forever lovely home. I am so happy to be one of your family members.
I was growing up from the orphanage. I love the orphanage ,the people, the kids. I love this big family. They brought to me so much love and happiness.
I am a happy boy. I love singing and sports. I love to work. I help the kids to repair some toys. I can repair some small electricties.
I am getting along with people and children very well. I will not make people unhappy with me.
I am so happy that I have many brothers and sisters. I hope you will come very soon!
I know this has to be so hard for him to be leaving everything that he has ever known. Praying he will know he is loved.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
WE GOT LOA FOR KEANE
We got LOA for Keane last night,but all of our paperwork is stuck at the lockbox in Texas. This is a big black hole where there is no way to connect with a person. We are being told TWO WEEKS!!! After calling our congressman and faxing them all our information, they are going to try to help us. Praying we hear something back later today. Thank you Congressman Ross and staff!!!!!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Both Hands Project Update
McQuade Both Hands Project Video from Mike McQuade on Vimeo.
We all had a great time at Mrs V's house on Saturday. If you prayed, donated, worked, sponsored, drove, fed or babysat, you helped us get one huge step closer to our sons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!
Monday, June 6, 2011
The Countdown Begins
We stopped at WalMart and got a few things for the suitcases. I didn't realize how hard it would be buying everything for a 14 year old.
Friday, June 3, 2011
PA for Keane!
Children's House is great. Here are the words from Heidi:
"PA!-wahooooooooooooo this is grand what a wonderful team effort- THANKS. Keane, you don't know it yet but we WILL get you home!!!!
They are so awesome to work with!
.
We got PA this morning at 2:39! We've got 28 days before HP turns 14,so we are in high gear and plan to stay in the left lane for this journey. It'll be great to see how God works all of this out=what a lesson for our family to see first hand that nothing is impossible with God.
8 months of paperwork is all coming together in just a few really long days and our fundraiser with BothHands is tomorrow! Lots of $$$ to raise, but God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. We've got our seat belts fastened and we're holding on; please pray that we don't miss any of these great lessons from God.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Pray this guy gets a forever family!!!
Friends - Please pray for this almost 14 year old. He "ages out" on July 1st and becomes "un-adoptable due to age" in 31 days. Here is the post from his advocates:
ORPHANAGE DONATION REDUCED!!!
"I made a call to Hui Zhou SWI.They asked how much donation they would like to pay? They said it is fine for reduce the donation.They want to help the boy. Last time he asked Ms Luo about the his adoption family. He almost cry and feel sad that he cannot be adopted after 14 years old. Ms Luo feel sad and want to help him."
"He likes singing very much. The party of children's day this year, he is going to sing a song for friends. He is healthy. Seldom get a cold."
And here was her 2nd message. She apparently called the orphanage again after the message above:
"Here is the message from the orphanage. The director said they are welcome for any amount of the donation. They just want the boy to have a happy life.
He likes singing and playing the badminton. His heart surgery was success. He is very healthy now. He would like to be adopted. He would like to have the love from Baba and Mama."
What a tremendously handsome young man!H.P. will turn 14 on July 1.
This will end his chance to find the family he so desperately desires,
as children in China "age out" of the adoption process when they turn 14.
Once he ages out, H.P. will have to leave the orphanage with no means of support, no home, and no future.
HP was born with a congenital heart defect that has been corrected. He is essentially healthy. HP's orphanage, in GuangDong Province, is very intent on finding this young man a home. They know how much he longs for a family. They have asked Katherine & Sheri, co-owners of Gifts to China with Love, to help HP find a home.
Katherine resides in China and would be able to help you with further info about HP. To request more info, contact Katherine and Sheri. China now allows the adoption of 2 children at once using the same dossier for both children. Very often an orphanage will waive the orphanage donation
for children who are about to age out. HP would need a family who will be in China soon to pick up a their 1st child. Wouldn't he make a great 2nd adoption!
ORPHANAGE DONATION REDUCED!!!
"I made a call to Hui Zhou SWI.They asked how much donation they would like to pay? They said it is fine for reduce the donation.They want to help the boy. Last time he asked Ms Luo about the his adoption family. He almost cry and feel sad that he cannot be adopted after 14 years old. Ms Luo feel sad and want to help him.""He likes singing very much. The party of children's day this year, he is going to sing a song for friends. He is healthy. Seldom get a cold."
And here was her 2nd message. She apparently called the orphanage again after the message above:
"Here is the message from the orphanage. The director said they are welcome for any amount of the donation. They just want the boy to have a happy life.
He likes singing and playing the badminton. His heart surgery was success. He is very healthy now. He would like to be adopted. He would like to have the love from Baba and Mama."
What a tremendously handsome young man!H.P. will turn 14 on July 1.
This will end his chance to find the family he so desperately desires,
as children in China "age out" of the adoption process when they turn 14.
Once he ages out, H.P. will have to leave the orphanage with no means of support, no home, and no future.
Katherine resides in China and would be able to help you with further info about HP. To request more info, contact Katherine and Sheri. China now allows the adoption of 2 children at once using the same dossier for both children. Very often an orphanage will waive the orphanage donation
for children who are about to age out. HP would need a family who will be in China soon to pick up a their 1st child. Wouldn't he make a great 2nd adoption!
OUR BIG FUNDRAISER
Please pray for us this Saturday, as we work on our final fundraiser to bring Liam home. We are partnering with Lifesong For Orphans and The Both Hands Foundation. We will be working on a widow's home here in our town and are praying we can bless Mrs V and raise the necessary funds to travel. We are so blessed to have so many people helping us with this fundraiser, praying for us and giving financially. We praise God for his goodness!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
THANK YOU JESUS!! WE HAVE LOA!!!
We got a call from Heidi at CHI today and yes we have LOA (letter of acceptance from China) It took 41 days from LID to LOA. We have more paperwork to send off tomorrow to the USCIS for our 1800. Apply for our Visas and wait for TA, our travel approval. We are still hoping to travel in July, and our two oldest boys are going to China in June to help in the cleft and healing home in Shanghai. They are both so excited to be able to work with the babies who are cleft affected. Our oldest son is planning to go to med school and wants to specialize in reconstructive facial surgeries for children,so he can help little ones who need this type of care.
We are all so excited that in a few short months, we will be holding and loving on our Liam. He has no idea how much he is loved.
We are all so excited that in a few short months, we will be holding and loving on our Liam. He has no idea how much he is loved.
Friday, April 8, 2011
PRAISE GOD WE HAVE NEW PICTURES OF LIAM
This is starting out to be a great weekend. Stefani from Children's House sent us pictures this morning of our cutie pie. We are so blessed to receive this update with new measurements. God is growing our little guy ,and he is now doubled in height and weight. PRAISE GOD. He is not only standing,but it looks like he is running.
Please continue to pray for Liam, as his report does say he has a tumor forming in a valve of his heart, but we won't know much more until we can get him home. We trust in an awesome God that can move mountains,heal the sick and comfort the lonely. We know God has chosen Liam for us before the beginning of time and he has a purpose for his life, and we are so excited it involves us. We have been chosen to love,care and most importantly teach Liam about Christ and his unending mercy and grace. It is humbling when I think of all that this entails for all 7 of our children that God has given us. These children are not even ours, but HIS children. Only with Gods grace can I even approach this daunting task of raising each treasure for the glory of God. What an amazing privilege it is.
We are soooo excited that in a few months we will be holding our sweet Liam and what joy he will bring to our family.
I think they gave him a nice buzz cut for the pictures.
Please continue to pray for Liam, as his report does say he has a tumor forming in a valve of his heart, but we won't know much more until we can get him home. We trust in an awesome God that can move mountains,heal the sick and comfort the lonely. We know God has chosen Liam for us before the beginning of time and he has a purpose for his life, and we are so excited it involves us. We have been chosen to love,care and most importantly teach Liam about Christ and his unending mercy and grace. It is humbling when I think of all that this entails for all 7 of our children that God has given us. These children are not even ours, but HIS children. Only with Gods grace can I even approach this daunting task of raising each treasure for the glory of God. What an amazing privilege it is.
We are soooo excited that in a few months we will be holding our sweet Liam and what joy he will bring to our family.
I think they gave him a nice buzz cut for the pictures.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Happy Birthday Eamon
My baby boy turned "12" today. I am never ready for any of our children to have another birthday and turn another year older,but I know it is a reality I need to deal with. God is growing Eamon into such a wonderful young man. He is always excited about life, rarely complains and is always happy to play with his sisters. I remember holding him all day when he was a baby, because I thought he may be my last little one,and he was for a long time. He was my only one born at home and we moved from Arizona to New Jersey when he was only days old. This kid has learned to be flexable, as we moved all over the country and to Europe and back before he turned 9. He would always try to keep up with his three older brothers, and we would end up finding him curled up asleep somewhere. I cherish so many memories and love to look at pictures when all the boys were small. God has given Eamon a heart that is patient and loving and as I watch God direct the lives of our two older boys I can only wait in anticipation to see what direction God has planned for Eamon. What a gift we have been given and we are truly blessed.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Tornados and Camping Trips
This is our 2nd year attending the Hope Homeschoolers annual camping trip to Hillsbourough State Park. We had horrible storms and tornados the day before we were to be packed up to leave for the weekend. I had a list of things to get done and of course Mike was gone. The day started out great,put in my first load of laundry, was planning my grocery list and planning to take all the clothes and supplies out to the camper to load it up for the weekend. First I had to get all the kiddos started with school. We are all sitting at the table and the sky starts to get black I mean really black,so I get on the computer to look at the weather and see tornado warnings and watches for our area. We keep doing school, but it was getting darker and the wind was picking up. I decide it may be a good idea for all of us to get in the bathroom, that was the only room in the house with no windows, and is an interior room. Hadyn can't resist bringing in a large plate of chocolate chip cookies and I grab the computer. I get the weather up and then we loose power. We are all sitting on the bathroom floor and we hear the wind howling and trees crashing down in the backyard, then it got quiet. Without power the house was still really dark from the black storm clouds and without internet we had no idea if the storms were over. We could see limbs of trees all over the yard outside. It was pouring rain all day and our driveway looked like a river. We waited for a few hours and still no power,so we decided to venture out to get something for dinner. The roads looked like war zones with trees,powerlines down and debris everywhere. After traveling out to the main road about a mile it looked like nothing had happened, and all the businesses where open with electricity. We later found out that a tornado had traveled by only a few blocks from our house. The power finally came on about 9pm,but still no phone or internet. The packing for the camping trip and the laundry machine started about 10pm. We got a message that the campground did not have electricity and a lot of the sights were flooded. Families began to cancel,but our site was dry and we would just bring our generator for electricity. The camping trip and fellowship were wonderful and all of our children were so glad we didn't cancel. It turned out to be a great weekend without rain.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Left Behind
Left Behind by Kay Bratt on March 31, 2011 Imagine this—you bring home your 9-year-old adopted daughter after years of waiting and you cannot reach the sorrow that she is expressing through her evening ritual of tears. You go to an online translator and through exchanges your daughter tells you she misses her sister. With more questions and probing, you are astonished to find out your daughter has left behind her twin sister and is grieving the separation. You were never told she had a sibling, much less a twin. This is not a fictional story and it probably happens more than we know. But these girls are possibly a bit different than some siblings who are separated at birth—Anna and her sister, Audrey [as Anna has now named her], were raised together in a loving foster home for years. The twins have one major difference to contend with—Audrey is blind. When the directors decided that Audrey was ready to attend a school for the blind, she had to leave her sister to reside at the school during the week and in the orphanage on weekends and holidays. But despite the financial hardships and the 2 hours driving time each way, the amazing foster parents of these girls took Anna to see her sister at least once per month until the time that Anna left China.
For Nikki to witness her daughter’s anguish was excruciating and prompted Nikki to find out more. Luckily, Anna could remember the phone number of her foster parents and through a friend from China, Nikki was able to contact the family and verify all of the startling information and even receive photos of the girls together. She was told that Anna’s sister is not considered approved for adoption, but the directors have been open enough to send information pertaining to the girl’s current wellbeing. Nikki was even able to arrange a phone call for Anna to speak to her sister during Chinese New Year when the foster family received her for a visit. Anna has explained to her mom all the reasons she worries about her sister and one of her concerns is that the children in the orphanage have a history of taking the clothes and shoes the foster family brings for Audrey and exchanging them for old, worn ones. She said they even take Audrey’s food if no one is there to stand guard.
It is obvious that Anna was ‘Audrey’s eyes’ and now she feels her sister is left without anyone to protect or guide her through each day. In the middle of trying to bond with her new daughter, Nikki is also trying to help her daughter deal with this blow and has even encouraged Anna to remember her sister. They have framed the treasured pictures of the girls posed together and hung them on the family walls. Anna has one framed photo of her sister that she keeps in her room and at night she tucks it under the covers beside her, so that she can feel close to her sister as she falls asleep. Heartbreaking—I can’t even imagine! I am a twin and this story has torn at my emotions like no other. I’m sure that Anna has to feel some sort of guilt that she is living a life that both of them have probably dreamed of, while her sister is still left behind in China. Like me, you are probably screaming inside that you hope Anna’s family can also adopt Audrey so that the girls can be reunited. But life isn’t always so simple and this story is proof of that. Nikki and her husband now have 4 children, all close in age. During the paper chase and agonizing waiting, they felt that Anna coming home would make their family complete. Obviously during this time they had no knowledge of a twin or it would have changed everything. Financially, emotionally, and realistically another adoption for their family is just not feasible. But Nikki has reached out to the adoption community around her in the hopes that a family would come forward and feel like Audrey is meant to join them. We don’t know what would need to be done to facilitate changing her status, but the first step would be for a paper-ready family to declare they want to parent Audrey. [and it would be amazing if a family in Wisconsin would be chosen so that the girls could grow up in close proximity.] Anna’s family does not want to push this tragedy to the back of their minds and go on with their life. They have researched and reached out to try to find a way to help Audrey but feel that they still do not have a resolution. What am I asking from all of you? Advice. Perhaps by some miracle we can find a family for Audrey and people who know the steps to help her will come forward and offer assistance. Some questions I have are what type of assistance is out there for special needs children of her status if she should be adopted? Financial assistance? Many times I have a family tell me they are interested but not financially able to adopt or provide for future needs. Can any of you calm those fears with your own stories? It is also my hopes that you will put the link to this story on your own social sites for others to read, and perhaps a miracle for these sisters will emerge.
For Nikki to witness her daughter’s anguish was excruciating and prompted Nikki to find out more. Luckily, Anna could remember the phone number of her foster parents and through a friend from China, Nikki was able to contact the family and verify all of the startling information and even receive photos of the girls together. She was told that Anna’s sister is not considered approved for adoption, but the directors have been open enough to send information pertaining to the girl’s current wellbeing. Nikki was even able to arrange a phone call for Anna to speak to her sister during Chinese New Year when the foster family received her for a visit. Anna has explained to her mom all the reasons she worries about her sister and one of her concerns is that the children in the orphanage have a history of taking the clothes and shoes the foster family brings for Audrey and exchanging them for old, worn ones. She said they even take Audrey’s food if no one is there to stand guard.
It is obvious that Anna was ‘Audrey’s eyes’ and now she feels her sister is left without anyone to protect or guide her through each day. In the middle of trying to bond with her new daughter, Nikki is also trying to help her daughter deal with this blow and has even encouraged Anna to remember her sister. They have framed the treasured pictures of the girls posed together and hung them on the family walls. Anna has one framed photo of her sister that she keeps in her room and at night she tucks it under the covers beside her, so that she can feel close to her sister as she falls asleep. Heartbreaking—I can’t even imagine! I am a twin and this story has torn at my emotions like no other. I’m sure that Anna has to feel some sort of guilt that she is living a life that both of them have probably dreamed of, while her sister is still left behind in China. Like me, you are probably screaming inside that you hope Anna’s family can also adopt Audrey so that the girls can be reunited. But life isn’t always so simple and this story is proof of that. Nikki and her husband now have 4 children, all close in age. During the paper chase and agonizing waiting, they felt that Anna coming home would make their family complete. Obviously during this time they had no knowledge of a twin or it would have changed everything. Financially, emotionally, and realistically another adoption for their family is just not feasible. But Nikki has reached out to the adoption community around her in the hopes that a family would come forward and feel like Audrey is meant to join them. We don’t know what would need to be done to facilitate changing her status, but the first step would be for a paper-ready family to declare they want to parent Audrey. [and it would be amazing if a family in Wisconsin would be chosen so that the girls could grow up in close proximity.] Anna’s family does not want to push this tragedy to the back of their minds and go on with their life. They have researched and reached out to try to find a way to help Audrey but feel that they still do not have a resolution. What am I asking from all of you? Advice. Perhaps by some miracle we can find a family for Audrey and people who know the steps to help her will come forward and offer assistance. Some questions I have are what type of assistance is out there for special needs children of her status if she should be adopted? Financial assistance? Many times I have a family tell me they are interested but not financially able to adopt or provide for future needs. Can any of you calm those fears with your own stories? It is also my hopes that you will put the link to this story on your own social sites for others to read, and perhaps a miracle for these sisters will emerge.
White Mother, Black Adopted Daughter
This aired on ABC and takes place in a diner in New Jersey. You have to go down on the side bar and turn the music off to listen. It was great to see people at the diner getting out of their comfort zone to share about race and sad to see there is still prejudice.
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