“Not Now” Does Not Mean “Not Ever”
January 31, 2014
adopting as a single mom, osteogenesis imperfecta, special focus, working mom
Guest post by Jennifer, who brought home her daughter from China as a single mom, and blogs at Journey to Olivia. For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of being a wife and a mom. I remember as a little girl planning what my wedding would look like and making lists (refined …Read More
Her Birth Heritage
January 30, 2014
cl/cp, Nicole
I can remember our China trip to adopt Sunshine like it was yesterday. If I close my eyes, I can remember stepping off the plane, smelling “China,” and hearing people speak Mandarin everywhere. The food, oh the delicious food. Making a fool out of myself trying to eat with chopsticks. The hustle and bustle of …Read More
Waiting child highlight: Urgent Medical Need
January 29, 2014
Family Found
UPDATE: My family has found me! Kacey is a 13 year old girl from Southern China diagnosed with Thalassemia major. She is described as an obedient girl. She does not talk too much but is very polite. When talking with her, she is a great listener. She is a grateful girl. She likes to make …Read More
An Advocate
January 25, 2014
adoption realities, Chinese Culture, Kelly
It had been a rough few days. I had advocated for a little boy once. A family stepped forward for him, traveled to China for him, and came home without him. Then, there I was, advocating for him again in a post on a Friday afternoon, after which I spent the following several days dealing …Read More
Waiting child highlight: Can a Blind Kid Really do That?
January 24, 2014
congenital blindness, Family Stories, vision issues, vision loss
Before I started working for Bethel China, I had never had any interaction with children or adults who are blind or visually impaired (VI). Spending time with these kids has been a huge learning curve for me in changing my perceptions about what a child with a visual impairment can do. As a sighted person, …Read More
Special need highlight: adopting a child with club feet
January 22, 2014
clubfoot, Family Stories, Orthopedic
It was a day in October of 2012 that I will never forget. We had been in the process to adopt a special needs child from China, and we got the call that changed our lives for the better! We were told about a little boy with club foot. Two things about this call were …Read More
Cheering section
January 17, 2014
birthmark, hemangioma, Kayla
Jubilee didn’t just get a mom and dad when she was adopted. She got three brothers, three grandparents, three uncles, one aunt, and three cousins. But even though adoption brings children into extended families, church bodies, and communities, the most important thing adoption does is place children into immediate families. Not immediately families, mind you, …Read More
My Reflection
January 15, 2014
Jean, older child adoption
God works in mysterious ways… Sometimes I don’t always understand why HE does the things HE does BUT I do know how much HE loves me and just knowing that makes me want to trust HIM even more. In the summer of 2010 God gave us a gift. It was an unexpected gift but nevertheless …Read More
waiting child highlight: limb difference
January 14, 2014
amniotic band syndrome, Family Found, limb difference, Orthopedic, symbrachydactyly
Today we are advocating for the special need of Limb difference. Limb differences are a very common special need found in waiting children. A Limb difference is any change from what we would consider a typical limb. Anything from missing a finger, to missing the whole arm is considered a limb difference. Limb differences also …Read More
One Giant Leap Forward
January 5, 2014
heart defect, older child adoption, Tara
It’s been three years and one month since I stood in the Civil Affairs building in Zhengzhou and took the sweetest boy into my arms. It was the end of 13 long months of waiting, and the love I felt for my son during all those agonizing months was nothing compared to the explosion that …Read More
waiting child highlight: older girls
January 4, 2014
Family Stories, girls, large families, older child adoption, shared list
To open your heart to a child who may or may not remember her biological parents. Or is attached to an auntie. To be bringing home a child who has already developed a personality and habits. To be bringing home a child whom you may have chosen to name after yourself (Ruthi) only to have …Read More
The Makeup Bag and Making Up for What Was Lost
January 4, 2014
cl/cp, Jennifer
So, in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and the outpouring of many gifts for the newest member of our family, of all the things for our Grace to latch onto, she would not part with her makeup bag. My parents made the trip from North Carolina to the great state of Texas and …Read More
bethel china
January 2, 2014
Advocacy
Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the school… Every child was excited because they were having a pajama party! They all wore their robes, and they were wrapped up in blankets and quilts. They ate sugar until they felt sick, and they kept sneaking over to the tree to try to open their …Read More
The Looking Glass
January 1, 2014
Kam, Urogenital System
So another year has come and gone. It never fails that I experience both highs and lows as we wave goodbye {and sometimes “Good Riddance!”} to one and a hearty “Hello, come on in!” to the other. Are you the same? A lot has taken place in our family over the last two years. At …Read More