Almost home

We have been enjoying our time in Guangzhou. It is hot, but not nearly as hot and humid as it was when we were here last year at the end of May. There are so many adoptive families here right now. It's been great to meet so many people who are all going through similar experiences. 

On Saturday Addie had her medical appointment. We were told there were over 100 families that day in the clinic meeting with nurses/doctors to get "check ups".  It was loud, hot, busy, and took a long time but Addie did great. 

On Sunday we went with our group to the local wholesale shopping mall-Liwan Plaza (pearl, jade, and souvenir market) and the Chen Clan Academy (Cantonese folk art museum). On Sunday night we had dinner at a wonderful Thai restaurant our guide recommended called Banana Leaf. The food was great and the wait staff did a show and got Chad and the kids to dance. 

We went to the zoo on Monday. McKenna enjoyed seeing all of the animals. Addie slept during most of our time there. On Monday night we went on a dinner cruise down the Pearl River in Guangzhou. It was a very cool way to see the city. 

On Tuesday we went sight seeing at Shamian Island and Chad and McKenna enjoyed the afternoon swimming. Wednesday morning we went to the U.S. Consulate to take our oath and submit Addie's visa documentation. 

On Thursday we will relax at the hotel and then catch a bullet train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. We will stay in Hong Kong one night and fly back to Atlanta on Friday morning. 

As this chapter of the journey comes to an end, we can't help but thank God for His mercy and grace. Thank you to our friends and small group who prayed for us over the last year during this process. Thank you to our family who supported us and prayed for Addie before we even knew who she was. Thank you to Bekah and everyone at Lifeline for your support.  

We'd like to close this blog with an excerpt from Lifeline's commitment to families which echoes our heart's desire to serve:  Even through the hardships, difficulties, and sleepless nights – physical adoption is rewarding.  Spiritual adoption by our Heavenly Father is the greatest reward of all.  It is our prayer that spiritual adoption and the Gospel would be made known more than anything else through the ministry of Lifeline.

Chad and Carlyn

James 1:27

Orphanage visit and Guangzhou

On Thursday morning we woke up early to make the 4 hour drive to Lianyungang to see the orphanage Addie was in. There are no car seats in China so we took turns holding her. She did great in the van. 

We pulled up to the orphanage and were immediately impressed with how nice the facility was. We were met by the orphanage director and assistant director who gave us a tour. They allowed us to take some pictures and videos of some of the other kids that are matched with Lifeline families. We got to see the area where Addie and all of the kids around her age would play twice a day. She got to see some of the nannies that cared for her while she was there. 

We found out there are 12 foster homes in the orphanage that are set up like small 2-3 bedroom apartments where a husband and wife live and take care of 4 kids. This is one of the initiatives of Half the Sky Foundation that works closely with many orphanages in China. Care for Children is another organization that is working to help Chinese orphanages transition to this model too. Fortunately Addie got to live in one of these foster homes during her time at the orphanage. 

After we toured some of the facility, we had the opportunity to meet Addie's foster mom, her foster siblings and see where she lived. As soon as we met her we knew immediately that Addie was loved and well taken care of. She heard that we were coming and made us a meal. This meeting was very special and emotional. I'm sure Addie was confused why she was back at this place with the family she was so familiar with, only to be taken away again. She seemed to handle it ok though. We will forever be thankful for the love and care Addie received from this family. 

Addie slept in this crib next to her foster parents bed. 

Immediately after meeting/eating with Addie's foster mother we were invited to eat lunch with the orphanage director and some of the staff (guess the first meal was just appetizers). 

We were very impressed by the hospitality from everyone we met. It was evident that all of the children were loved and well taken care of. We know this isn't the case in many orphanages. We are so thankful that both Addie and our son Daniel were cared for by foster families and caretakers that truly loved them. 

On Friday we packed our bags and took a 2 hour flight from Nanjing to Guangzhou. We have joined 7 other Lifeline families and will be here for a week. This is the city where all families must go to complete the adoption process. During the week we will do more paperwork, sign documents, go to a medical appointment, apply for Addie's visa, and have our consulate appointment (mixed in with some shopping and sightseeing).  Guangzhou is nice but the weather here is hot and humid (compared to mid 70s and beautiful in Nanjing). We are hopeful that this week will go by fast. We love China but we miss our boys. Thank you for your continued support, encouraging words on FB, and prayers.  We really appreciate it!

Becoming family

Addie has been with us now for 3 days and she's doing great. She is comfortable with us and is happy most of the time. McKenna has been a huge help and loves playing with her new little sister. We've been able to FaceTime a lot with our parents and the boys so they could get to meet her. 

On Tuesday we went back to the civil affairs office to sign the paperwork to make the adoption official. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and letting Addie continue to get more comfortable with us. Chad and McKenna went back to the pool since it was closed on Monday. 

On Wednesday we met up with some Americans that live here in Nanjing that work with an organization here. Chad was introduced to them from someone at home that knew we were coming here. We ate lunch with them in a very cool part of Nanjing called LaoMenDong. It was amazing to hear what the Father is doing in this city and all over China. After lunch we met up with our guide and another Lifeline family and went to the Cloud Brocade Museum and to the City Wall of Nanjing. The history in China is really interesting and especially here in Nanjing. After that we went back to LaoMenDong and had dinner at a great restaurant called Motu Burger.  The Chinese food we've had has been great but it was nice to get a burger and fries. 

For the past week we have been staying in Nanjing but Addie is actually from a city about 4 hours north of here called Lianyungang. On Thursday we will drive there to visit the orphanage she was in. We know that this might be a tough time for Addie (and us) going back to the place she just left but we felt like it was important to see the place she lived for 14 months, meet her caretakers and thank them in person for loving her. It's obvious she's been loved.     

Gotcha day

It has been a very long and emotional day. We got up this morning knowing that today was the day we have been waiting for. Our appointment wasn't until 3:30 P.M. so we tried to keep ourselves busy while we waited. We had breakfast at the hotel and then Chad and McKenna got their swimsuits on and went to the pool (then found out the pool is closed on Mondays). We went back to the room to rest a little then walked around the mall and grabbed some lunch. 

At 2:45 we met our guide in the hotel lobby and then headed to the civil affairs office to go get Addie. We were a little nervous about how she would react seeing us and if she would be scared. I (Chad) was also praying that she would be more comfortable going to Carlyn than me since our son Daniel didn't want much to do with Carlyn on his gotcha day just over a year ago. (That's definitely changed now. He's a big time Mama's boy).

Waiting with anticipation in the lobby we watched two vans pull up with kids, but neither with Addie. Finally, a third van pulled up and a caretaker holding a cute little girl with a pink hat approached the building. It was Addie! Carlyn reached out to hold her and Addie was very comfortable being with her. We could tell she was confused but was not getting upset. McKenna was so excited about having her new little sister. Fortunately she was comfortable with all 3 of us. 

After signing lots of papers we left to go get a few groceries and then headed back to the hotel. We enjoyed playing together and having pizza in the room. Addie struggled to fall asleep. I'm sure she was confused and didn't quite understand what was going on. She finally fell asleep around 10pm.  

Today was a beautiful day and we love Addie so much, but there is still much sorrow that comes with adoption. We were so thankful that Addie seemed comfortable with us but know the next few weeks will be tough as she continues to transition. We're all very exhausted. Thanks for the prayers.  

Nanjing

After being on 3 planes for a total of 18 hours, we (Chad, Carlyn and McKenna) finally made it to Nanjing China late Saturday night. The boys stayed back home. This will be the longest amount of time we've been away from them. We already miss them so much. Thank goodness for FaceTime. We even got to FaceTime them while we where on the plane, thousands of feet in the air somewhere over Canada. I'm so fascinated with technology these days. McKenna only slept for about 30 minutes on the trip. She is very excited about being here and getting a little sister. 

After some much needed rest on Saturday night, we had breakfast in the hotel with some new friends from Atlanta who are also adopting. After that we did a little shopping and sightseeing. Chad and McKenna went swimming at the hotel pool, and then we came back to the hotel room to rest some more.  We finished the night at a great restaurant called Grandma's Home and then took a boat ride on the Quinhuai River. 

 

       Apparently "sprouts" are the new fad  

       in China so Chad and McKenna            

       were trying to fit in.

Tomorrow afternoon we will get Addie. We've been waiting for this day a long time. It will definitely be a time of excitement but also great loss. Addie will leave everything she's been used to during the 14 months of her life. 

Thank you all for your continued prayers. Over the past few days we've been reflecting over Matthew 5:16, which simply says "Let your light shine so that men might see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven."  We've failed to do this several times but will continue to strive to live our lives not to bring glory to ourselves but to our Father in Heaven. 

 

China bound

A little over a year ago we started the process of bringing another child into our family through adoption. And on Friday we will be traveling to China to meet our daughter, Addie for the first time and will bring her home.  It is our hope that anyone who reads this will not focus on us, but on God. We pray that God will use this for His glory, to shine light into the darkness and allow others to care more for the fatherless, not out of obligation or guilt but with joy and gladness because of His grace. 

The following excerpt from the book Becoming Home  expresses how we feel a little more eloquently:

Any effort to help others can quickly become about us. We come to see ourselves as noble rescuers, riding into perilous situations on a white horse. Words we use can perpetuate this narrative, such as “rescuing orphans” and “saving children.” Of course, these words are not bad themselves. The world is full of children who do need rescue. But when our narrative subtly becomes “us as rescuers,” we are in serious danger. What often follows is the pride, self-focus, and I-know-better outlook that have been at the root of countless misguided efforts to help others. This can be especially corrosive in how we come to see and speak of children themselves. Children are never a “cause.” Each one is a person of matchless worth, utterly unique. They need to know they are embraced not as a “noble undertaking” but because someone is truly crazy about them. Whether as adoptive or foster parents or advocates for orphan care, both our language and our actions must keep this truth foremost. Thankfully, Christians have no need to find our identity in being “the rescuer.” We are the rescued. Even our best efforts are simply small, imperfect reflections of the way we have first been loved.  This truth frees us from the compulsion to charge out to solve the world’s problems alone. Rather, we are released to begin by listening and learning — from those who’ve gone before and from those we desire to serve. If we start here, we will rarely go wrong.

There is no doubt the Bible carries a clear mandate to care for orphans. But caring for orphans is not mandate alone. It is foremost a mirror of God’s heart. Not every Christian is called to foster or adopt. But every Christian community is called to embody the pure religion that includes caring for orphans and widows in their distress. No other institution in the world is capable of embracing orphans and supporting their families like the local church. This is something we can only do together — becoming home for those who most need it.

Barna Group; Jedd Medefind (2014-01-07). Becoming Home: Adoption, Foster Care, and Mentoring--Living Out God's Heart for Orphans (Frames) (p. 36). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. 

So please join us as we continue this journey of bringing Addie home- pointing her to the true Father of the fatherless and to a Home that will last forever!

Addie's first birthday (June 27, 2015)