"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all of your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." -Proverbs 3:5-6

Many expressed surprise at our announcement last year that we were going to adopt a daughter from China.  In a way, we were surprised, too!  But sometimes that is what happens when you decide to follow God:  His plan is different than what you might have come up with on your own.  Living out our faith, we have learned that God’s plan is always better, always richer, always loving.  It’s best!

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."
-Psalm 37:4

It wasn’t a new idea to us.  Over the years, adoption had always been an option we left open for our family.  Then suddenly it seemed that circumstances lined up and repeatedly pointed the way to growing our family through adoption.  Scripture seemed to jump off the page.  We prayed and prayed, and received confirmation.  Adding to our family through adoption had become the desire of our hearts.   We thought of how love multiplies, and knew that all of us would be blessed by bringing a sister/daughter into the family.

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
- 1 John 3:18

So we decided in September 2005 that we would pursue the path we felt the Lord leading us down.  Diving headfirst, we began the process for a non-special needs adoption.  We wrote our life story, were interviewed, compiled papers, certificates, and records, waited for more papers, shuffled them and waited some more.  Finally we were done with the “paperchase,” and our dossier (the official, huge pile of paperwork which represents our application to adopt) was sent off to China in February 2006.  Now all we had to do was wait, and we would be referred our perfect, beautiful baby girl.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him." -1 Corinthians 2:9

Well, we were still going to be referred our perfect, beautiful baby girl, but God had a different path to get us to that point.  As time passed, we heard more and more about China’s Waiting Children Program.  God placed on our hearts an awareness of His love for each of these boys and girls.  As we considered whether we could take on some special needs, the question became not, “Why?” but rather, “Why not?”  For us, there was no reason why not.  We trust that if God calls us to something, He will provide.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." -Psalm 139:13-16

We joyfully entered our agency’s Waiting Child program, and in less than two weeks, we were asked if we would consider several little girls with cleft lips and cleft palates.  Our prayer was that we would recognize Kristen when we first saw her.  As we opened the file for Jiang Xin Yue, our prayers were answered.  And so it was that we received our referral for our perfect, beautiful baby girl ~ Kristen Xin Yue.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
-James 1:27