"Why", "How?" You Ask??

Lots of thought and prayer went into our decision to adopt.  We are doing it joyfully, gladly, with much excitement!  First and foremost we are doing it out of obedience to our Lord.  How could we not?  He gave us the ultimate gift of eternal life with HIM.  He has carried us through our darkest days here on earth and we trust that He will do so again as those days are inevitable for us all.  He has made us aware that the need is great.  There are millions of orphans in the world.  He has made it abundantly clear to us that HE is asking us to do this.  Proverbs 24:12 says, "Don't try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn't know about it.  For God knows all hearts and he sees you.  He keeps watch over your soul, and he knows you knew!  And he will judge all people according to what they have done."   We knew; we knew he knew that we knew;  so we're doing it!  Did you follow that?

For anyone reading this who is considering adoption, let me say upfront that we are doing this backwards.  This is not how it usually works.  Usually, you start your paperwork and are matched with your child later in the process.  We matched first and then started paperwork.  This is how it happened for us....

I had seen families around or in pictures who had adopted children from other countries and it always was very appealling to me.  It's so representative of God's love.  Afterall, we've all been adopted by Him, right?  Then I was made aware of the need by friends who have adopted.  Seeing someone else do it made it more real, like something very doable.  Somehow the concept wasn't so foreign anymore.  My heart was being pulled that way so I mentioned it to Doug.  We started praying about it.  We danced all around it...reading, talking to friends who had done it, looking at pictures of kids, imagining fittting another child into our already full lives.  Yes, we have 3 kids who keep us running like crazy and who we will need to send to college and who have us stretched as it is!  Instead of that being a deterrent, it made us think what an awesome impact it would have on them!  They would see and be a part of answering God's call.  We're all stepping out of our comfort zone and taking a huge leap of faith...emotionally and financially!

The opportunity to travel to China with an adoption agency came to me and I was so excited!  It would be a business trip for them and I would tag along.  We planned to start our paperwork when I returned.   We visited many orphanages and foster homes.  So many beautiful babies, toddlers and kids!  I wanted to take them all home!  They were very well taken care of in great facilities but the number of them was astounding!
Very good care but nothing beats the love of a family!  These children need families.  And in the grand scheme of things we all have so much more than we "need" especially when you think of the precious ones who "need"  a forever family.  So now there was no question...we're doing it.  Now to find "her"!

Just assuming that God had a girl for me (because I have 3 boys) I was checking out the girls everywhere we went.  When I walked in to the lobby of the last orphanage we were to visit I came face to face with a boy, we smiled at each other, he melted my heart!  We played peek-a-boo and chase around the orphanage director then I was off to find my girl!  Later, during a serious meeting,  there he was outside the window and we were waving and blowing kisses.  This little cutie pie came into the meeting and ate oranges with us.  He's adorable!  Btw, every girl I inquired about was already adopted, "waiting for her family".  I couln't stop thinking about that cute boy! I got home, Doug was looking through my pictures and when he came to the picture of this "cutie pie" we had been calling him, he saw it, too!  This one is special!  I told Doug all about how awesome he was and that "we loved each other"!  Doug said, "What do we have to do to get him?" and I called my friend, the adoption coordinator, at midnight and here we are!!  Yes, I have to admit that I back-talked God a little...surely it must be a girl!  NO!!  He made it very clear, without a doubt, absolutely without question that he's the one and I couldn't be happier!  A boy...I know what to do with those!!  I cannot wait to be his mommy!!

He is 7 years old, his name will be Kell Douglas Xiaoshu Berry and he is no longer an orphan!!  He is a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin.  He's our's and we are his...forever!  He has a repaired cleft lip and palate.  He is charming.  He is a Berry boy.