China Bound

“Bringing a child into your family must be an act of love, not an act of heroism.  Because the truth is, there is only One Savior, and His name is Jesus.  We cannot rescue the poor and needy – only He can do that.  We cannot redeem the eternal life of a child – only He can do that.  But we can, out of an overflow of His love in us, and our love for Him, welcome a child into our family.”    –127Living

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month — November is National Adoption Awareness Month.  What an ideal time for us to be traveling to bring home Oscar.  Perfect timing … God’s timing.

And at last!  We have our official Travel Approval from China, and it’s finally time to travel half way across the world to bring one precious little boy HOME!  It’s been a full and busy year, completing documents, fundraising, and making preparations for Oscar to join our family.

Not long ago, we received two short videos of Oscar from his orphanage in Zhanjiang.  He was just beginning to take a few tentative steps, in the first video, and in the second, he was being fed a meal of rice with chopped up veggies and soft meats.  We were overjoyed to see how well he appeared to be doing, despite the circumstances of life in an orphanage.  It warmed our hearts to see how he’s grown and how he’s making new developmental gains.

And yet, Oscar’s current life situation is anything but ideal.  He is still living in an orphanage, with few caregivers and spending umpteen hours a day alone in his crib.  Needless to say, the special needs of a 3-year-old little boy with Down syndrome are probably unmet.  In the background of each of the videos, you can hear the ever present  cries and wails of the babies.  My mind cannot wrap itself around what life must be like for these children, day after day, year after year.  Oh, how much we take for granted being born into caring families and having their love and support in our lives.  And my heart breaks for the other waiting children….there are just so many; and all they need is the love of a family who is willing to say “yes.”

On October 23, Liesl and I head to China.  Hugh is staying home to hold down the fort with George and Elsa, with the help of Max and Ava.  Our “Gotcha Day” — our first meeting with Oscar — will be Monday, October 28.  With Elsa’s Gotcha Day,  I think Hugh and I were a bit bewildered, a touch apprehensive, but mostly very excited.  Looking back on that day now, I realize how that first moment meeting her has made a huge mark in my heart.  It represented the first day that Elsa met her “forever” family, and we welcomed her with open arms.  But it was also a day of fear and anxiety and grief for Elsa.  She was leaving behind all that she had ever known, passed over to these two strangers about which she knew nothing.  Over the next several months, we shared happy photos and videos of Elsa with her new family and in her new home, and these were indeed exciting times.  But what we didn’t often share were the moments of trauma and sadness which she was struggling to overcome — the night terrors, the crying fits that went on for hours, the refusal to eat, the tremendous fear at all the doctor appointments, the nervous ticks that she displayed almost constantly.  We rejoice in the beautiful, blossoming child that Elsa has become these past several years, but we remember the heartache and pain which she endured, as a child who had been an orphan.  And we know much of it will likely be the same for Oscar.  As we prepare to travel, and bring Oscar home to family, please keep his precious little heart in your prayers as he goes through some very big and sometimes scary changes.

We cannot begin to fully express our gratitude to all of you who have supported us in so many different ways this past year.  It makes me even more joyful to think that we are not just bringing Oscar home to us, the Berckmueller family, but to all of you, who have already stretched out your arms to embrace this little one.  We are blessed to have such an amazing circle of support, and we are blessed to be able to soon call Oscar our own.   We understand that the days ahead will be a challenge in many ways, but we also know that we can do hard things.  They are worth it, and Oscar is worth it.