One year ago today...

...we had and EARLY morning! Anxious soon-to-be grandparents arrived at our house at 4:00 to drive us to the airport. May 29, 2007 was the day we boarded the plane and began our physical journey to the other side of the world to meet our daughter. Of course our actual journey began years before when the adoption seed was planted and God's plan for our family began to show itself. Looking back over the years I see things with such new clarity. I know that's what happens. While we're living our lives we rarely understand our purpose.

The first few adoption touches in my life were so subtle. If I want to get really deep here, I suppose I can go back to one of my best friends and the role she played in my life. I always knew she was adopted, but I'm pretty sure I never thought twice about it. Then I worked for two summers at a Bible camp as a counselor and one of my best friends from that part of my life is also adopted. How was I supposed to know that these blessed influences on my life would open the door for curiousity about adoption as a way to grow my family? There are so many other ways that adoption seemed to touch me as I was growing up. I've had other friends who've experienced the adoption of their siblings. I have a friend who made the very mature decision to say goodbye to his son knowing that he wasn't prepared to provide and care for a new baby. The more I reflect, the more I realize the influences that adoption has had on my life.

It is interesting now as I think about our experiences with infertility as well, that I really don't think we wrestled with many of our decisions. It is true that we were heartbroken at times. We were angry, frustrated, shed many tears, and wanted to know why this was happening to us. Life didn't seem fair...but not for long. Those defeated feelings really challenged us, but it didn't take us long at all to decide not to pursue invasive fertility treatments as avenues for conception. We just knew at the time that was not the right path for us. We were called to adoption and pretty quickly felt a Chinese connection that brought us to this moment:


We were ready to get on that plane and go meet our daughter! What a miracle!

Adoption
The Trip
China
Hope KeXuan Charlotte
This Past Year
Becomming Mama and Daddy
Our Family

This list could go on forever. Our whole experience has been an absolute miracle.

I remember:
"Hold on Lin Ke Xuan - Mama & Baba are coming!"