I wanted to share a story that Joel wrote about our journey of adoption. It touched my heart deeply. Joel "feels" life to the depths of soul. He expresses himself so well in this story. I feel so many times that my kids teach me more than I teach them. It was so interesting to me to read his thoughts and feel his heart summed up in this story.
The perspective of Joel...
Simple, and True. Enjoy...
The Life Changing Experience of Adoption
One day God called our family to adopt, but we did not know the ups and downs on this great adventure. We would have never imagined that a girl we saw on the computer would go from China to our home in Illinois. We also did not know that a little girl that lived with us for a year and a half would have to leave us. In this process of adoption there have been hard, and easy, as well as sad, and happy times.
When my parents first talked to me and my brothers about adding to our family, I did not know what to think. I thought about how there could be a troublesome little boy living with us. There was also the chance it could be a nice girl or boy. In the end I was in favor of the decision.
When I first saw my very first sister, Ari, I ran downstairs and she smiled at me. This made me realize that I could love someone even if they were a stranger. I remember raising her as a part of my family. I even remember her first time walking; I was counting every step. People say she was a foster sister, but she is more than that; she is my real sister. The day she left was the hardest day of my life, though I am thankful for the time God gave me to be with her. Being a foster family is hard because it usually means saying goodbye, but what God had for our family next would be forever.
God led our family to adopt after Ari left because after having a kid for a little while we wanted a kid forever. One day my mom started looking on the internet for adoption agencies. She came across a place called “All God’s Children”. Then she read this verse: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” (James 1:27) On this site my mom saw a little girl all bundled up in pink named Mary. She was on a list of waiting children in China. This girl had a heart defect and was very delayed in her development. These problems caused her to be abandoned and unwanted.
A few days after we saw Mary and began to ask more questions about adopting her; we found out we had a friend who had worked in China at the very same foster home that Mary was in. This friend had pictures of Mary and knew all about her. Our family knew that this girl, out of the millions of orphans, was the one God choose for us. Her name became Libi Faith Jia Qi Arnold.
Before we were able to bring Libi home we had a lot of work to do. We had to fill out paperwork and send it to China. There were people that came and asked my family questions about ourselves. My parents, during this process talked about who would go on the trip to China to get Libi. We all agreed that my older brother, Jacob, was going with my parents while my younger brother, Jack and I stayed home. We found out after nine months when we could go to China and bring Libi home.
While my family was gone, my brother, Jack and I were by ourselves for two weeks. Everyday my parents had us open a present. At the end of each day my brother and I would talk to my parents on a webcam. The first three days we stayed at a friend’s house and we stayed with our grandparents at our house for the rest of the time.
The day my parents were coming back was great. My friend Nick, my brother, and I were getting out of school early to go to the airport in Chicago. My fifth grade class made a poster for me to take. The drive was long, but it was worth it. The plane was late, so no one knew when it would be back. Then someone yelled, “There they are!” Then, I saw my sister for the first time, and it was the best day of my life.
Now Libi is home with us and has improved so much. When we first got her home she could hardly lift her head, but now she is almost sitting up! I don’t see what Libi can’t do; I just see what she can do, and even more, what she will be able to do with God’s help. I don’t look at people who are different in a weird way anymore; because of Libis’ challenges and delays I look at them and smile. God has taught me how to trust Him even when it seems difficult. Adopting seemed difficult to me and now it has become one of the greatest things I’ve ever experienced.
