She didn’t know what had happened to her that day. She had no idea she had sisters. Her grandparents all waited for word, she didn’t even know they were there. She knew herself as Yuan Yuan-no last name, no parents. But that’s not who she was-she was Ella Grace all along, we just hadn’t gotten to her yet.
Today, she knows. Look…

On June 8, 2005 Allison from America World Adoption Agency called  me. It was around 11 am and I was getting ready to go  somewhere and as soon as I heard who it was, I knew she was calling  to tell me she may have found Ella Grace. In all the world, the child she was calling me to tell me about might be  my daughter, Ella Grace, for whom we had been looking and waiting and praying for almost a year. Minutes later, she sent us pictures of this little girl, in an orphanage on an island that we had never heard of (neither had our agency!) in the South China Sea. Frank saw her first and called me. I said, “what does she look like?”  to which he replied, “I think she looks like Ella Grace.”

My Daddy ’s eyes welled up with tears as he looked at her picture later that night at his kitchen table. I explained that, even though it appeared that she was “the ONE,” I was having trouble being sure because I was so prepared in my heart for a younger baby and that I needed to really take some time and pray it through. Daddy said, “are you kidding me? Look at those red shoes! GO GET HER!!”

And, you know what? It WAS Ella Grace! The next day, we called the agency and accepted her referral. Now that scared little girl, who was standing on the staircase in an unairconditioned Social Welfare Institution in a third world country has a mommy and a daddy and two sisters and a whole big family. She has a church where she loves to play with her friends. She has a bed with HER animal friends to snuggle with. She has more clothes than she will ever wear-all for her!

She has a last name.

God, in His infinite wisdom and divine providence, found her and brought her home. May His name be praised!

“Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we may be called the children of God!” 

American Girls

After all this time, we finally met Clay Crosse-he was doing a men’s conference at a church a block from our house so we e-mailed and asked if we could come say hello and thanks for all he did to help with our adoption. It was good to chat about shared experiences-he got home in December with his baby from China. Thanks Clay!

In addition, on Anne Louise’s 10th birthday-Feb 22, 2006- we will also be celebrating 6 months of having Ella Grace in our family. Time flies! She is having real trouble sleeping, but she has made huge strides in her recovery this week. We will visit Cleft Clinic this Thursday for her follow-up.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.”

The old woman smiled, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.”

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You’ve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.