Months passed without any hope of adopting again before my agency told me that they were accepting single applicants for their Taiwan program. I continued to seek the Lord's will, but all I really heard Him say is that she would be a girl. He did, however, repeatedly confirm my being in the Taiwan program.
Months passed, until suddenly, we were coming up on a year of waiting for a referral at a time when others were being matched more quickly. I knew the Lord had me waiting, but I didn't really know why. Amelia continued to pray for siblings (in the multiple!).
An amazing thing happened. China re-opened its doors to single women wanting to adopt waiting children. I began to question whether I was to stay in the Taiwan program or move to the China program. I wanted to adopt a child who needed me. It seemed kind of silly to sit on a waitlist when there were children all over the world already in need of a family. I began to quietly search the waiting lists of Chinese children. Oh, I could love any one of them! Love is the easy part!
I came across this sweet girl:
Who would not fall in love with that photo? She was three years old, with mulitple special needs, and waiting for her family to find her. I asked for the file and discovered her name was Xiao Chun - "little Chun" - and my big girl is AiChun, also known as The Chunster. Xiao Chun's birthday was also special. XiaoChun was born October 1, the same date as my beloved Grandpa B. And she had that special something - the sparkle in the eye that made me smile. I showed her photo to my mother, who immediately announced, "that child was meant to be in our family." I prayed about adopting this sweet one, but in the end, I just felt in my heart that God was telling me to NOT transfer out the Taiwan program.
Not long after that, I was working when the Bible verse of the day came across my computer screen. It was from Isaiah 55, so I clicked over to the chapter to read it in context. Oh, my heart! Do you ever have those times when you just KNOW the Lord is talking directly to you? I knew. I knew He was telling me that Amelia's prayers were heard and there would be two children. Everywhere in the chapter, there are doubles....joy and peace, snow and rain, the juniper and the myrtle. I can't say how I knew, but I just knew He was telling me to prepare my heart for two. It was such a strong sense that I went into my supervisor's office, closed the door, and told her. I wanted a witness! I also marked the date in my own Bible once I got home...March 3, 2011.
I called my agency to ask if I could pursue a China adoption while remaining in the Taiwan program. They said no. I asked the Lord whether I should switch to China and try to adopt two children from there. He said no. Everywhere I turned, it seemed like no was the answer, and I was no closer to completing my Taiwan adoption than when I began in over a year earlier. Still, I looked at the waiting children list to see whether the Lord would allow me to move programs.
Then one day, rather suddenly, my mother asked me how I would feel if she and my dad were to adopt XiaoChun. I actually laughed! I said I would love it and promptly dismissed the idea, thinking my dad would never decide to adopt. But life is funny. When my dad, known as Papa, went to China with me to adopt Amelia, he witnessed first-hand how, in a matter of moments, a child can go from abandoned orphan to beloved daughter. When my mother asked him about adopting XiaoChun, he said yes. What??? He said YES. I even questioned him privately, "really?" My sweet dad said, "if not us, then who?" I guess that's a question we should all ask ourselves.
My parents made the joint decision to pursue XiaoChun's adoption, but there would be hurdles. They are too "old" by China's standards. Also, my mother had a health issue that would need vetting. They talked to an adoption agency, and they agreed to submit a request for pre-approval and a waiver to China.
The rest of the story is still to come.....
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