My Brave Little Girl

My whole world is about to change--for two weeks. I will fly across the ocean to the other side of the world and leave behind most of the people I love. Nothing will be familiar. I will not speak the language. Much of the food will be more than just a challenge to eat. I will briefly live among people whose lives are vastly different than mine. I will enter a c@mmunist country where my religion is illegal.

It's exciting for me, yet somewhat intimidating. I have so many emotions roaring through me, but I have the comfort of knowing I will return to all that is "normal" in 15 short days. My life will resume "as it should be" when my trip is over.

My new daughter's whole world is about to change forever. She will face the same challenges--communicating with people who don't speak her language, bizzarre foods, and pets that she may fear. She will travel across the ocean to the other side of the world with people she will now call mama, baba, and jeijei, but who will still be strangers to her. She will leave all the sites, sounds, smells, and people that are familiar for a world completely unknown to her. Unlike our adventure, hers will not be safety-netted with the knoweldge that soon she will return to all that is "normal".

Every child should have the love and security of a family. I pray that Joy will grow to trust the love and security of our home and family. And as much as I know her life will be filled with opportunities and hope that the orphanage could never give her, I also know that this "adventure" will be quite traumatic for her.

She will be brave, and we will be compassionate. She will face a roller coaster of emotions and years of learning her new "normal"; we will be patient and learn all that we can to help her find her place as our daughter.

There is a new hope and a new future for our Joy Meihua.

Jeremiah 29:11~~For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."