Following our Red Thread

There is an Ancient Chinese proverb that states: "An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break."

We are never giving up on our Dasha Meg.  We are currently praying and hoping and willing her to come home to us.  I can't even fathom a world where a darling little girl will be locked away for the rest of her life when a family that will give her an education, therapy, happiness, and, most of all, unconditional love is more than willing to make her one of their own.  It doesn't make sense.  So we're going to keep on hoping and praying.  When she turns four, she will be transferred to a mental institution.  I will not let that happen.  If things don't start moving for us soon, I will be looking for a Canadian family to adopt her and make her their own.  If she can't be in our family, she's got to be in somebody's family.  I simply cannot let her live her life in an institution.

During this past year, we've learned a lot.  One thing we've learned is that the orphan crisis is real.  There are 163 MILLION orphans worldwide.  That's 163,000,000!!  Unfathomable.  Some are actual orphans, but most are social orphans.  Orphans because their biological parents or other family members can't/won't take care of them.  If all the orphans in the world were to make a country, it would be the 10th largest country in the world.  I know we are only one average family, and we can't affect global change.  But we know that the worth of a soul is great.  Every one of these children is a cherished and valued child of God.  Every child in the world deserves a home and family to love them unconditionally.  Every child should feel safe and provided for.  Every child should be able to go to school and to have the chance to make the most of their life.  I have a favorite quote from Hellen Keller that I keep reciting to myself, and that's, "Alone we can do so little: together we can do so much."  There will never be progress for orphans if we all feel like these kids aren't our problem or responsibility.  But if we all got involved, things could change.  There are plenty of families willing to adopt orphans, and oftentimes money is the only thing standing in the way.  These families are all capable of taking care of the children once they come home, but might not have an extra $50,000 lying around!  If you don't feel able to adopt an orphan, maybe find someone who is and help them financially or even emotionally!  It can be a very draining process, and it never hurts to have a shoulder to lean on!

Another thing we've learned this past year is that life is short and you can't take your money with you.  We can think of nothing more worthy to invest in than the life of a child.  We've arranged our house to fit our Dasha girl.  We've spent an entire year preparing for her arrival.  When Russia gives us the green light, we will be there to scoop her up and tell her how much we love her for the rest of her life. 
In the meantime, though, there is another child who has stolen our hearts.  He lives in China, and he has Down syndrome as well.  He doesn't have a family, and we are honored to say that we are going to be his.  We are entering into two simultaneous international adoptions at once.  It's been a bit crazy, but it will be worth it.  In the end, the world will have two less orphans.  

We saw a little guy's picture on my birthday (May 6th).  His beautiful face spoke to my heart.  I wanted to be his mother.  After much contemplation and prayer, I was driving home from taking the kids to school a few days later and had the distinct thought that if we don't adopt our little guy, life will be fine for us.  We'll be happy.  But if we DO adopt him, we'll wonder what we ever did without him.  That sealed the deal.  We contacted the adoption agency that has his file the same day and submitted our LOI (Letter of Intent, which is an official application to China to be his family) a few days later.  Our home study update should be done tonight and forwarded to our adoption agency.  As soon as they proof it and send it back and the changes are made, we will be ready to send in our USCIS application (the application to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services).  We are simultaneously working on our dossier to send to China so that as soon as we receive USCIS approval, we can send our dossier to China.  After that, we wait for China to give us the go ahead.  China is a one trip country, so we will travel there for a few weeks, then come home with our guy!  The estimate for getting him home is anywhere from December to February.   

I feel so much more prepared to do the paperwork for this adoption.  I know what I'm doing, and I know who and when to push.  If things aren't happening quickly enough, I know how to get them moving.  It's true that nobody is as motivated to get your kid home as you!  Some of the things we did for Russia carry over, and some things we have to redo.  It hasn't been as painful as I thought it would be.  China's a drastically easier country to adopt from than Russia to begin with, but the runaround we've been through this past year has helped me become a much more efficient international adoptive parent as well ;)

We received our LOI approval, so we are legally connected to him.  He turned one in April sometime (his exact birthdate is unknown, as he was found abandoned at a concrete factory) and we're over the moon excited to bring him home.

Thank you for all the support you've all given to us!  We will continue to update on our Russian adoption, but will add China updates in there as well!  This is never a path I dreamed I'd ever be on, but now that we're here, I can't imagine any other way.  These two kids have taken hold of my heart as strongly as my three biological children.  They are the children of my heart, and I simply cannot wait to have all FIVE of my children sleeping safely under one roof!!

P.S. If you haven't checked out the Dark Matter of Love Kickstarter campaign, please do!  Click here to be linked to the campaign.  There are only three days left in the campaign, and if the goal is not met to raise 50,000 pounds, they get to keep none of the money.  I really think this film can help us, and we're running out of options for things that can help us!  Please consider donating if you can!  Every dollar helps!  Thank you for caring!!