Meet Oscar!

We are excited to introduce to you our new son, Oscar Kai!  We have finally received our official Letter of Acceptance from China, which means they have perused and approved our stacks and stacks of documents and we are now officially on track to become the new parents of this adorable, sweet little boy.  We are a HUGE step closer to bringing him home to meet his new brothers and sisters and all our family, friends, neighbors, and community.

Look at those cheeks!!

You’ll be home for Christmas this year, Oscar!

We are fortunate enough to have these precious baby pictures of Oscar from the time he spent at Grace Village in Zhanjiang with the Bennett Family.  For the most part, there is so much unknown about an orphaned child’s past when adopting from China, because the children are abandoned in “Baby Boxes” or at the gates of the Children’s Welfare Centers.  The parents have little to no resources or options for raising children with special needs;  no access to medical treatments, therapies, special education — if the parents wish for a brighter future for their child born with Down syndrome, then abandonment and hope of them being adopted is sadly the best choice.

So little Oscar has been waiting for three years now.  He, and so many others, need and want a family.  And very soon, we will welcome him into our home, into our lives and community.  We are down to just a couple of months of waiting now.  We can’t wait to learn about his personality, his likes and dislikes, what makes him smile and laugh.  And as much as we are overjoyed to be bringing him home very soon, it is still heartbreaking to think of the other children who wait.  Recently in the news, there was the story of Baby India, a newborn who was abandoned in the woods of Georgia and soon after had hundreds of people lined up to adopt her.  The fact that so many families want to give her a home is a beautiful thing.  But there are literally thousands upon thousands of other children out there who need a family, too.  What was the difference then?  Open Hearts for Orphans shared these thoughts:

“Imagine if there were ‘lines waiting’ to adopt waiting children? Advocates wonder – what is it about THIS baby that has so many people coming forward? Is it because it’s easy having happened within our borders so close to home? Is it because there isn’t a burdensome cost associated with bringing her in? Is it because of her race or her young age? The thing is – when we, as humanity, can SEE a need right in front of us – it’s so much easier to act, isn’t it? There’s a quote by Pastor David Platt that often circulates in our adoption community, ‘We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.’ That is precisely what has happened in Baby India’s case.”

Oscar has a name, and we have seen his face.  “I have called you by name, and you are mine.”  We are so incredibly excited to welcome home this precious child of God. Please continue to pray for our journey, as we complete immigration and visa paperwork, work on our final fundraiser, and begin preparing for travel to China. Thank you for your very much appreciated support and encouragement as we enter the home stretch!  We can’t wait for you to meet our little Oscar!