A sweet, sweet visit

About five years ago, Kevin and I were LID to Ch*na (logged into their adoption agency) and waiting to adopt our "healthy baby girl."

I had been following a couple of adoption blogs for a few months, and both families had just adopted little boys with special needs from Ch*na. 

In June or July (can't remember which) of 2007, Kevin, Ted, and I ventured up to the western and northwestern part of Michigan for a fun summer vacation.  I remember vividly sitting in a laundromat in Traverse City reading those two blogs as we did our laundry one evening.  I showed Kevin the blogs and mentioned that maybe we should think about getting on the special needs list and also think about adoptiong a little boy instead of a baby girl.  We even chose a boy's name that very night in case we were to adopt a little boy.  

The following summer Kevin and I found ourselves in Ch*na receiving one precious little boy (our Philip) from the Waiting Children's List and remembering the night, just a year before, that our hearts first turned to thinking about adopting a little boy with special needs during our Michigan trip.

I continued to follow that blog, and eventually that blog author and I e-mailed each other as we discovered we were both, ahem, "older, I mean more mature" adoptive moms.  Our husbands were a wee bit older, too, than most adoptive dads.  E-mails turned into phone calls, and this husband and wife team would become some of our best supporters, praying and cheering us on as we continued to adopt at our "older" ages.  In fact, this particular family has been advocates for so many other families adopting all over the world and have become champions for the orphan full-time.

Two "older" moms with one sweet little baby girl

DW, Linny, and me - just three youngsters!



Well, my littles and I had the pleasure of meeting this beautiful family a few days ago and personally hugging them. What a treat it was to talk face to face with Linny and DW and their wonderful family.  Poor Kevin had to work, but we took plenty of pictures to share with him later.

Seven treasures brought home by the miracle of adoption

(Sophia is absent in this picture because she became ill during their visit)

It turned out that our Philip and their Jubliee once lived at the same foster village.  So getting the two of them together was a sweet, sweet moment as well. 

We just love how our God connects adoptive families here and there through "red thread" sort of happenings.  Five years ago Kevin and I were just living our ordinary lives, longing for another child to join our family.  We hardly even gave "orphans" a thought except for the longing we felt in our hearts for our one child.

Now here it is five short years later, and our world has changed completely!  We have been blessed with three more beautiful children instead of just one more, our hearts are totally open to the plight of orphaned children everywhere, and we have met so many amazing, Christ-filled, orphan loving adoptive families along the way.  Orphans and the miracle of adoption fill our hearts and minds most of the time now. 

Visiting with one such Christ-filled, orphan loving adoptive family a couple of days ago warmed our hearts and brightened our day.