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“From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed.  Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.”  Psalm 62:2-3

We have our sweet little Zoe!  At 10:45 this morning we sat in the lounge of our hotel peering out the window waiting nervously for the long awaited arrival of the nannies with Zoe and the two other children who were going to their families today.  The traffic is very slow here – yesterday we were told the approximately 10 mile drive from the airport would take one hour and it was nearly that long; so we were not sure how long it would be since the nannies were stuck in traffic.   Suddenly Dave and Mikelle saw them walking up to the hotel and there our little daughter was right in front of us! Sasha immediately went to her in her friendly little way and started talking to her and patting her.   I wasn’t sure if she would start crying if I picked her up, but couldn’t stand it after a minute or so and once I held her she did not leave my arms until she had to have her picture taken alone.  Sasha continued to befriend her by feeding her snacks and giving her toys while Mikelle kept the cameras busy and Dave worked on documents.  We sure wish Brady were here to share in this.  Zoe arrived with a Hindu looking dot on her forehead between her eyes and we were told that it was to make the little girls look pretty in celebration of some sort of Chinese Children’s Day. 

It took about two hours to complete today’s paperwork and then we spent the rest of the afternoon in the room.   We continue to call Zoe by her Chinese name of Gui Ying since that is the only name she is used to, but will begin to start using Zoe also over the next couple of weeks.  Gui Ying means pretty flower and female hero.   Her last name Wang is the name that this orphanage gave to all the babies that come to the orphanage in the Chinese calendar year of 2007 (which is partially 2008 as I understand it…)

It is sad to think that our precious child is only one of many who has waited for a family to care for her.   No one knows the numbers.  Each year thousands, perhaps many hundreds of thousands of China’s children lose the love of their family due to the one child policy, the lack of money to care for a sick or special needs child or because of the birth of a girl rather than a boy. Some of those who survive are sent to government run social welfare institutions near the place they were found.  There they live with fifty to many hundreds other homeless children;  95 percent of the healthy ones are girls.   Orphanage workers, often untrained and overwhelmed do their best to provide the children basic care.   It is all they can do.   Fortunately Zoe spent more time with her foster parents than in the orphanage.

Now I sit here typing with Zoe snuggled by my side.   She wouldn’t fall asleep and looks so very sad.  At this point she has been with us for almost 12 hours and has not uttered the first word and except for one little second of a cry when I left the room for a couple minutes, she has not made a single noise.   It is so different bringing an older child into our world who is old enough to be afraid of us and the change in her life and whose language we barely know.   When I bathed her tonight I feel it must have been her first time in a bathtub.   She refused to sit down.   Our guide tells us that in Inner Mongolia the people only take baths 1-2 times a winter so it would be likely that this was her first real bath.

Comparing the birth of Zoe to Brady and Mikelle there are stark contrasts.  With Zoe’s birth there was no grand announcement, balloons or congratulatory slaps on the back; no beautiful bouquets of flowers or excited phone calls.  There were no visitors bringing tiny pink bears and warm wishes.

What somber, heart breaking thoughts when not seen through the backdrop of God’s infinite love and wisdom.  There is no need for tears or regrets that we were not there nor time to despair that we missed her momentous birth and her first years of life.  No, we need not grieve for Christ was there!

The God who sees, witnessed every minute of her beautiful birth.  As she left the warmth of the womb and entered the coldness of the world, the Lord held her close and kept her safe and warm in the hollow of His loving hand.  She was never really abandoned or forsaken because the Lord was there.  She was always loved and protected because God is the almighty, the everlasting creator of ALL things!   And on the day of Zoe’s birth, the heavens rejoiced, the angels danced; and the Lord gazed down lovingly to admire His precious creation. 

Tonight as I lay our baby down to sleep for the first time I thank God for bringing us on this journey and pray for our Lord’s loving touch on this little life he has entrusted to us.