Inner Strength - The Bookmark

Early in Meili's adoption process, I came across this bookmarker. Neither Mary nor I know for sure how we got it . I started using it in my message Bible which I was reading daily. It always seemed to remind me to pray for MeiLi and for her adoption process. So I would hold this in my hand and pray for her. I translated the characters (which is a meticulous process for me) and I found out it is a Poem that simply says "You already have the power within you".

Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices and with my song I will praise him.

As I prayed, I pictured MeiLi coming from a Southern Province where they grow a lot of flowers. It turns out that the market in Dounan, a suburb of Kunming is Asia's largest flower exchange and exporter of flowers. Kunming is where we will be going to get MeiLi.

Wanting a Daughter, Needing a Son

On our first adoption trip to China in 2004, I remember thinking I would be very emotional in China when I first held Karah. I told Mary on the bus that day that I hoped I didn't lose it and just break down and weep at the orphanage. When we did finally arrive at the orphanage, I was indeed emotional but it was a nervousness. The rest of the trip was very exciting and fast paced. When we finally arrived home, I was sitting in the chair cradling Karah in my arms & I had rocked & sang her to sleep, as I gazed at her, the flood of emotion I had expected to have in China finally hit me and I wept a lot. You see, the joy of saving a child from being institutionalized is mixed with the sadness and anger of her being abandoned. How could such a precious child be let go by her parents? I did not understand until I read a book entitled "Wanting a Daughter, Needing a Son - Abandonment, Adoption and Orphanage Care in China." It is a book of facts. For anyone who has heard rumors of China selling it's girls or that they do not value them, this book dispels those stereotypes. I highly recommend it for anyone who truly wants to understand.

How the journey to get MeiLi Started.

This is MeiLi's story. To understand it one needs a little background information. When we finished adopting Karah from China in 2004, Mary & I knew that we were not done. We had to wait 6 months to start another adoption from China and we did so as soon as possible. The journey to
get Karah was one of the most exhilerating and rewarding trips of our lives. The jouney to get MeiLi began in the year 2005 with a call to our adoption agency. There have been many delays and what was supposed to take 6 months has taken almost 3 years.. We received our referral on July 7, 2008; we now know who she is, where she is and where we are going to get her!