A New Beginning

It was just a little over 16 months ago that we began this process in which we have been working non-stop to bring Promise home. However, that is not the beginning of the story. More than a decade ago, God began to work in both of our hearts to give a strong passion to adopt and throughout the years, that passion has only grown. Now we are two weeks away from finally holding our precious little girl and bringing her home to her forever family!

This blog is dedicated to capturing the next several weeks and even months as we begin this journey as new parents of a very special little girl from China. She was born on May 7, 2011 with a case of bilateral cleft lip and cleft palate. We have given her the name Promise because she has been a promise of God. Her middle name is Xiaohui (pronounced shou-hway, 'ou' as in about). This word is Chinese in origin and has the meaning of "New Dawn" or "Little Wisdom" depending on the characters used.  "Little wisdom" is significant because Shannon also means "little wise one." "New Dawn" is of even greater significance because her life has a new beginning in so many ways. She is going to have a new home with a new family. She is going to have a new physical beginning as we will be able to give her the medical attention and surgeries that she will need. Most importantly, she is going to grow up in a Christ centered home in which she is constantly exposed to her need for a Savior and will prayerfully become a new person in Christ! 

Throughout the process we have seen God do amazing things. We have been put in touch with amazing families who have been an amazing support system to us! We have had the entire cost of the adoption covered by financial gifts from friends and family! We have seen miracles in the paperwork and watched God answer prayer after prayer! All of this, however, is of little surprise. After all, God has promised!

In just 9 days we will begin our travel to China and in exactly two weeks we will hold her in our arms. This is a very significant day for us. On October 8th, exactly four years ago, we landed on Chinese soil where we would make our home for two years!  God continues to do great things and we are humbled and amazed that He continues to allow us to be a part of this story.

We hope that you join us on this journey in prayer and praise as the stories of Promise unfold on this page. Most importantly, however, remember that every story of Promise is ultimately a story of God's for His glory alone!

(This is a picture of Promise from her update on 4/19/2012.)