It had been a day two years in the making but the day had finally arrived. There we were sitting at a civil affairs office in Nanjing, China, thousands of miles away from our home in Montgomery, Alabama waiting to meet our 17 month old son, Sam.
Nervously waiting to meet our son in Nanjing, China
The moment was surreal. All the paperwork, all the fund raising events, all the months of praying, waiting, and worrying was behind us. All we had was four pictures of him, medical records translated from Chinese to English, a black and white copy of a sonogram of his heart which had been surgically repaired to patch a hole between his left and right ventricles. What would he think of us? What would we think of him? What kind of personality would he have? Would he be healthy? A thousand unanswered questions would soon be answered.
A van pulled up and three nannies got out, each of them holding a baby. We watched as they walked into the civil affairs office. He was the first to come into the room. His nanny was holding him and announced his name “Zhang, Jin Hao”. There he was! Our son!
Seeing our son for the first time in person!
Can this really be happening? The Nanny quickly made her way over to us and handed him to Nick. Sam was confused, frightened, and boy did he cry! He had the loudest cry of all the children in the room. He wanted to go back to his Nanny. He was crying and reaching for her. Believe it or not, this was good to see because it meant he was attached to his caregivers and with time he would attach to us. His world was changing. He was leaving everything he had ever known. Our hearts broke for him. We cried along with him and tried our best to comfort him, assuring him that he was going to be okay. He was only 17 months but he had been through so much in his short life. He was a fighter and God had plans for his life. After several hours of signing papers we finally got to leave the civil affairs office. He collapsed in my arms from exhaustion. I just held him, sang to him, and ran my fingers through his black hair. Sam quickly grew to trust us, smiling more each day, laughing and learning to walk. He was a loving child. He was everything we had prayed for. God was with us each step. Giving us all that we needed to be Sam’s parents.
Gotcha forever!
That was four years ago November 26, 2007. Sam is now is five years old. He attends school, loves super heroes, plays soccer, basketball, he enjoys watching football with his Dad, and playing with his friends. He is a mama’s boy! He is a very lovable and social (he loves to talk which gets him in some trouble at school). He loves Jesus and he can say the best prayers I have ever heard. God answers prayers! Sam is praying for a brother or sister. God put it on our heart to open our home to foster children in our community. We are excited about the possibilities of what God has planned for us to add to our family. Looking for a blessing? Open your heart to children who need love and a home. God will bless you beyond what you can ever imagine.
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