What Happened in 2013???
Now that is a big question to answer!!! Where to begin and where to end!!! 2013 began with God talking to John and I
separately telling us that He was opening the door for us to begin our adoption
process. We were both a little caught
off guard but were ready to get on the road since it had been over a year since
He had first confirmed to us that His plan was for us to grow our family
through adoption.
Early on we began getting questions from people and hearing
them asked to our families… “Why adopt from China??? Why not get a baby from America?” It is easy for us to answer… CAUSE GOD TOLD US TO! I did not grow up singing “Jesus loves the
little children.. only the children in America” I grew up singing, “Jesus loves the little children… ALL THE
CHILDREN OF THE WORLD! Red, Brown,
Yellow, Black and White THEY ARE PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT! Jesus loves the little children of the
world.” If God had called to
domestically adopt we would have but He didn’t. He called us to International Adoption specifically China.
So… the adoption race began. Quickly we got physicals, gathered birth certificates, marriage
certificates and the other documents required and filed our LOI (Letter of
Intent) by mid-February. We were elated
to receive word on March 1st that we had PA (Pre-Approval) that we
could proceed with an adoption from China.
In the next week we began our HS (Homestudy Process) that would require
about 6 meetings and countless other paperwork searches. This is where we encountered our first
valley experience. Due to delays by our
social worker we were held up for 6 WEEKS!
In all honesty… it felt like 6 YEARS to us and probably longer to our
precious angel waiting in China! It was
difficult for us to think of her spending her 2nd birthday without a
family but were thrilled to get to share in it by sending a cake, presents and
care package to her orphanage. We were
rewarded with a few pictures of her with HAIR!!! It didn’t take away the loss we felt but it was sure good to see
her and know she was doing well.
The following months were filled with tons of applications
and paperwork, fingerprinting, mailing papers here and taking papers
there. Notaries, fees, and WAITS! Finally we were logged in on 8/26 and began
the long 65 day wait for LOA (Letter of Acceptance) which appeared here in the
US without us even knowing it was on its way.
A GOD THING! We gladly signed that
paperwork saying we accepted her and began the final leg of adoption paperwork
and more waiting. We were given two
Christmas miracles by receiving word one week early that our (TA) Travel
Approval was on it’s way only to discover our agency was closed for Christmas-
but our 2nd Christmas miracle came from two special Christmas Elves
working to secure our TA’s and request our (CA) Consulate Appointments on their
days off. We were thrilled to hear the
news that we would be getting our little Brooklyn on Jan.13th!!! Wow… what a year!
We want to thank Kelly Berry for taking Brooklyn a care
package on her trip to CQ, to the Head of Lifeline for the pictures of Brooklyn
he sent from a June visit to her orphanage.
To Amy Abell for the lovely pictures and video of our little angel from
her visit to Brooklyn’s orphanage and such wonderful news to hear that their
son Tucker and Brooklyn were best buds!
We can’t wait to see them someday and get the two together again. Then we were blessed by pictures in October
by a team from Lifeline. So we have
been able to see her grow through 2013… but it hurt terribly to see her growing
without us. God never ceases to amaze
me through this journey. One day I was
so blessed to receive a Facebook message from a very special lady who had been
praying for our little Brooklyn to find a family and she was so thrilled to
find us. One day I hope to meet Erin
Schmidt and hug her neck for praying for our little one! A big shoutout to Karla Thrasher and Logan
Gibbons our Christmas Elves and helping make our Christmas Miracles happen! God
has been so good to us!
In all the training, books I have studied, and stories I
have heard it is just mind numbing to think of my precious girl just sitting in
her orphanage waiting for something… but not knowing what it is she is missing
or waiting for. I think of how little
she has and yet she doesn’t complain. I
think of all the loss in her young life and it breaks my heart. I was privileged one night to have a talk
with one of my nephews during 2013 and it was an eye opening experience for us
both. We realized how lucky we had
been. When you start to put it down on paper it unfolds like this: I had been blessed with two parents that had
held me and I could feel their love for me.
I was smiled at, played with and cheered on when I made those monumental
steps such as crawling, standing and walking.
I had parents who when I woke from a bad dream and cried out for them
would come and quiet my fears. When I
fell and got hurt, they would kiss away the pain and put a bandaid on it and
tell me everything would be fine. When
I was sick they took me to the doctor and got me medicine to make me well. They didn’t mind hours of rocking, rubbing
my back or holding a cold cloth to my head.
They were my parents… my caregivers and they would do all I needed to
grow and develop normally. I had a warm and soft bed to sleep in and a house
with heat to keep me warm. When I was
fed I would stop to catch my breath but I would still get more food. However, that has not been the life of our
little Brooklyn. We don’t know what
those first few months of her life were like.
All we can do is speculate…. We
know that when she was a few months old she was taken by someone who loved her
and placed where she would be found.
Probably to get the surgery she needed because they could not afford
it. Either way… she was alone. Her life changed in a moment…and not a
moment of her choosing. There was loss
there. She was then taken to the Social
Welfare Institute where she has lived since then. She was not held lovingly for long periods of time. She probably spent countless hours in her
bed and on her back starring at the ceiling.
More than likely she didn’t even get held for feeding time. They tell us she probably stopped crying
30-60 days after entering the orphanage because she knew her needs would not be
met. So when she was sick and needed
someone to hold her there was no one.
When she awoke from a bad dream and cried out no one came. When she got hurt no one kissed it, put a
bandaid on it or told her it would be ok.
There was no mama or baba to do that.
That is LOSS! She doesn’t have a
soft bed to sleep in, most orphanages don’t even have heat in them. If she stops to catch her breath eating they
pass her over and feed someone else.
This is a tough life for a child.
So she sits waiting for something she can’t articulate because she’s not
ever had it. It is the UNKNOWN and it
will soon collide with the KNOWN. (Brooklyn's UNKNOWN is her looking for something...but not knowing what it is.. not knowing what a family is VS. Rich Family KNOWN- We KNOW we love her unconditionally and we KNOW we want her to be a part of our forever family!)
On January 13th we will meet our Brooklyn for the
first time. Please pray for all of us
as we go through this wonderful yet stressful and life changing time. Please pray for attachment, bonding, health,
and safety. We will be coming home on
January 26, 2014. 364 days after God
told us she was our daughter. It has
been a long and busy journey… but it is amazing to see all that God has shown
us.
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| 84 pieces left |
We appreciate all that have helped us with fundraisers,
donations, prayers and just love. We
couldn’t have gotten through this year without you. We have one last favor to ask.
We had hoped to have Brooklyn’s puzzle done by this point, but as you can see by the picture at the right, we find
ourselves still not completed. Could
you help us get her puzzle finished before she gets home? We just have 84 pieces left that need
sponsors. Can your name go on the back of some of the pieces shown below. All this money goes to pay
adoption expenses. It is going to cost
us about $35,000 to complete the adoption.
We ask that you give a donation of $10.00 per piece. We will write your name on the back of each
piece and then frame it in a double sided frame for her to see all that helped
bring her home to a forever family. Can
you help us finish this last mile? Can
you help us make a difference in this little girls’ life? You can either do it through the Paypal
button here on the site or mail it snail mail to us at:
Brooklyn’s Adoption Fund
John and Deb Rich
780 Sweetwater Circle
Old Hickory, TN
37138
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| Are you one or more of these 84 pieces? |
When I look back at 2013 there have been many hills and
valleys. There have been many tests
that I have passed and many I have failed. There have been dark days and many
days filled with an abundance of sunshine.
God never promised me rainbows but He has promised to be with me and
never leave me…. And He hasn’t! I have
been so blessed by this journey. I am
honored to have been chosen to GO… to Adopt… to Make One Less Orphan! Could God be calling you in 2014 to go and
adopt? It doesn’t have to be China… it
could be in America, Ethiopia, or anywhere.
The real questions are… Have you asked and are you willing? I pray that you will search in yourself and
follow God’s leading. There are
millions of children just like our Brooklyn who just need someone to love
them! Could you be the answer to their
prayers?
Blessings to you and yours in 2014!!! Happy New Year!!!
Deborah Lowrie Rich
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