Saturday, February 20, 2010

One Week

One week from today...it's now Sunday in China...we will meet Hongyan.  I've been thinking about her a lot.  Well, I think about her pretty much all the time, but much more so today.  We were told she would be brought back to the SWI (orphanage) a week before we arrive, which means if that hasn't already happened, it will very soon.  We are hoping she was at least able to stay with her foster family to celebrate the New Year.  While we understand that this is how her SWI operates and respect that it is entirely up to them, we're not quite sure how we feel about it.

Hongyan only lived in the SWI for the first six months of her life before joining her foster Grandma and Grandpa.  It breaks my heart for her -- and them -- that she will have to leave them, as they are the only family she has ever known.  And to go from a loving family to an institution...well, I'm sure it is very hard and very sad for her right now.

We are so fortunate that Hongyan has been raised by a family that clearly loves her, as she does them.  The joy she will bring us comes at a cost to them and we are often conflicted about that.  There are just no words to properly thank them for what they have done for Hongyan.  But, we also know that if they wanted to and were able to, they would have adopted her as she would not be able to stay with them as a foster child much longer.  We know the best thing for this precious child is to have a family forever.  And we could not be more thrilled to be that family.

So, Hongyan's been on my mind...thinking about how she is handling all of this change and loss and hoping there is someone to comfort her...at least until we can.

5 comments:

  1. Oh, Melissa, you are mirroring many thoughts I have had myself. My daughter has been very fortunate to be in foster care basically all of her life. No one ever told me if she would be moved to the orphanage before joining us! Who told you this? I wonder if it's standard practice throughout China, or just that province. Regardless, I have felt so sad for Qian Ping that she will have to say good-bye to her foster family, and at an age that she won't really understand what's going on. My only "control" over the situation is to be as loving and understanding and consistent as possible when she joins us, and I will do that. I guess we must both take heart in that we will be there soon, and do all in our power to make them feel loved and safe once again!

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  2. You will love Inner Mongolia. We absolutely loved it and will be coming back through the years. I hope you have a wonderful trip. We are not far behind. We leave the day you receive your lovely daughter.

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  3. I feel the same as you, Melissa....so very thankful for the foster family. We have been blessed that our children have had that privilege.

    I can't wait to see pictures of you with that precious little Sofie!

    Blessings,
    Tammy

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  4. Does your camera take movies? It would be great if you could get those first moments on film. Xo

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