Quest for Mia part 2
Once we made the decision to adopt from China my first thought was to thoroughly research all 89 (rough estimate) accredited U.S. adoption agencies that had China programs. I quickly learned, however, that the mission was a little too ambitious and settled on researching three agencies – one China-only agency, one locally based agency and one agency affiliated with our Christian beliefs (HOPE). Although all three agencies had super programs, Chad and I felt instantly connected to HOPE at their orientation. Our minds marinated in the scriptures that were referenced about “defending the fatherless” (Isaiah 1:17) and I loved the list of famous adoptees…Moses, Esther, Naaman, Faith Hill, Halle Berry, Melissa Gilbert, Dave Thomas (I think my mind drifted off to a Frosty from Wendy’s about this time).
Choosing an agency was fun and felt pressure-free. We were both still floating from our Spanish cruise earlier that month and the adoption discussions we shared aboard the ship. A daughter! We were going to have a black-headed, dark-eyed, beautiful little daughter! The day we began the process with HOPE, a sort of panic set in with me. “Oh my, what is the quickest way to get our daughter?” “What if she is over there right now and is hungry or lonely or sick?” “Let’s see…it takes me 40 minutes to get to the airport and if I could leave immediately on a flight, I bet I could get to her in the next 30 hours…surely.” By the way, this reaction must have been a female thing because my husband thought I was pretty loony.
I’m one of these people that is asleep before my head hits the pillow at night. In fact, I sometimes have to pray standing up to assure consciousness though the “Amen”. Anyway, this panic totally messed up my coveted sleeping habits. I tossed and turned and tossed again.
The adoption train was moving quickly---so much to think about---all night long. We submitted our application to HOPE which consisted of an 11 page packet and a small fee (small, of course, is relative when you are talking about adoption dollars). Kent Brand, the social director for HOPE, conducted a phone orientation with us. He suggested six ways to prepare for adoption:
- Spiritually
- Emotionally
- Educationally
- Face to Face (this is talking to every link in the adoption chain),
- Financially, and
- Psychologically.
“Overall,” Kent said, “Pray specific prayers for your child.” This conversation is also where he handed us over to Chrissy Alberi, HOPE’s China program consultant and now a dear friend of Chad and mine.
Immediately, I went to amazon.com and ordered some of the books Kent suggested. I was still feeling a bit panicked and thought I could at least use those middle of the night hours to educate myself.
While I waited for the books to come in, we found a local social worker to perform our adoptive home study. Completing the paperwork for the home study was an arduous task, but we chipped away at it nightly and were done in about a week.
The books arrived and I poured through the pages of “The Lost Daughters of China”. Great book. I recommended it to my whole family. This book began my obsession with Mia’s birth since I now had a glimpse into the story behind the children in China’s orphanages.
In June of 2004, we were fortunate enough to be at the miraculous birth of one of our best friend’s daughters in Cookeville, Tennessee. There were family/friends, laughter/tears, and tons of pictures as little Isabelle greeted this world. I could not shake the thought that this was the farthest thing from my daughter’s first moments on earth. My heart ached for her in this possible lonely birth. I began begging God to send an angel to guard her and comfort her and stay with her from her birth through the night that she is left in a basket in the marketplace for someone to find her first thing in the morning. I prayed that this angel stay with her on the ride to the orphanage and throughout her stay there or in foster care. I DO believe that this guardian angel is on-duty even as I write this sentence. Knowing (a.k.a. finally realizing) that God was looking after Mia on the other side of this planet helped me return to my normal sleeping pattern. What a gift!
Continued
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