How to start? Where do I begin sharing our journey? Is it way back when I had a Chinese doll named “Ling Ling” when I was a child? Is it when our family had a void created in it due to four miscarriages? The point that REALLY started the ball rolling was when David said, out of the blue, “I think we should adopt.” I think my jaw is still bruised from when it hit the floor last November!
Even then, while researching agencies, countries, costs, timelines, and many different people’s stories on multiple yahoo groups, I had no idea what a winding course we would take. Starting with one agency, wanting to adopt from China but thinking we were not “qualified”, straddling two other countries, and making a “final decision” (HA!) were only steps in a circular path. Now, in a new agency, focused on China, we have found our daughter.
I now realize that God had us take those steps to change and prepare our hearts and minds for what was ahead. When we began, we went with the “low cost alternatives” because we couldn’t imagine spending tens of thousands for a child. After deliberating over decisions of “which agency” and “which country” for months, and taking two steps forward and four steps back, God brought us to a point of David saying, “I don’t care what it costs; let’s just get our daughter.” That was important for him to feel, as our estimated fees have more than doubled since we began!
