Two Prayer Requests

Today's big event was the traditional "Red Couch" picture at the White Swan hotel. This is a traditional part of any Chinese adoption. The White Swan is a large 5-star hotel that caters to Chinese adopting families. One of their famous amenities for adopting families is a Western White Barbie that holds a Chinese baby. Here you see their beautiful lobby. On the third floor is the famous red couch where adopted babies are lined up for a picture. Of course now, China is primarily only allowing "special needs" adoptions. Also adoption has greatly slowed down to China. So whereas we were 14 families just from our adoption agency when we came with the girls, you see that we are only three families here.

Tonight Max had us go to a lovely open-air restaurant which overlooks the Pearl River. We strolled after dinner and looked at the beautiful lights and sights of China. Again, Max told Joy he wants her to remember her beautiful China. When Joy was walking with me, she said, "Don't want go America". But she was smiling and indicating a heart beating out of her chest - that she is scared about going to America. She said each of her siblings names, and again showed a heart beating out of her chest. So this is our first prayer request: Please pray that Joy will feel at peace about arriving in America and meeting everyone. Please let her somehow look forward to it, instead of being scared.

Here is our second prayer request, but first let me give some background. Again, imagine 20-30 families strolling around with their new precious baby girls. Imagine families on a kind of honeymoon, falling in love with each other over these days. For the most part, you see mothers, and even more fathers, with moist eyes full of love for their new children. Tonight we experienced something very difficult. We met a mother in the lobby with her daughter. When we looked closer we saw that this daughter really had something wrong with her. Now, you don't really walk around with this mindset, because remember most of these children are special needs: cleft palates, "little people", "failure to thrive", many who will have heart surgery when they come to America. But the difference for this mom was that she was told that her daughter did not have a special need. When she showed up to get her daughter, she has cerebral palsy, those eyes that rotate around in their sockets, she's about the size of 3-year old, although she's 5, etc. This is this family's third attempt at adoption: first Poland; but all the children she was offered had Down's Syndrome, next the mom traveled to Ukraine; but all those children had Alcohol syndrome (where the biological mother was an alcoholic while pregnant). This was the final chance her husband allowed for her. The woman said she knows that her husband would not be happy with this child. She's crying, and saying that she will probably return this child to the orphanage tomorrow. As we spoke with her, Max counseled with her a bit, the little girl was smiling at us with the most angelic smile. Would you pray for this woman. She is so sad, and saying she will never try again. Please pray for a miracle in this very sad situation.

Joy wanted to understand what happened. As I started to tell her, she said she didn't want to hear anymore because she didn't want to cry. What must that be like for a post-orphan to see a mother grieving about the child she's been given, and knowing that the woman will return the child. It's all so deep....