Earlier this week we had the wonderful opportunity to visit with the family from our area who just brought home their daughter, Hope, from Wuxi in April! I had posted about this family a month or so ago when they contacted us about Maia. What we discovered is that Hope and Maia grew up together in the orphanage in Wuxi and were dear friends! They invited us to visit with them and meet little Hope, and what an amazing experience it was! Hope is such a remarkable little girl, so full of life and energy! She has so much spark and personality, and just lit up the room every time she came through:) Seeing how she's so quickly blended into her new family was really encouraging and exciting to see. It's truly as if she was meant to be with them from the beginning!
Even though we've never met before, it felt like we've known their family forever. The connection we felt was something M and I couldn't seem to put into words, but we both felt it immediately. It was as if being with them and being with Hope, we had seen a tiny glimpse of our Maia. They shared with us their story and experiences of the trip, and even videos of the orphanage in Wuxi. So many pieces of the puzzle that have been missing for us came together! Even Peanut sensed that something amazing had just happened. All the way home, Peanut went on and on about the visit and little Hope and how he can't wait to see them again. He seems to have made his own connection with Hope's family, and we're so thankful for that, too!
Since our visit, M and I have just been overwhelmed with the reality that we're really going to bringing Maia home. I know that sounds silly since we've been waiting for nearly two years to adopt our girl, but some days, it just doesn't seem like it's really going to happen. Maybe God knew how very much we needed this connection just now, as the long waiting can leave doubts in our minds that this journey is really taking us to Maia! And to think how special this connection will be for our girls.....WOW......what a gift God has blessed us with:)
If you want to see more about Hope's story and family, there's a link for her blog on our "Adoption Blog Roll" under Hope Hexu Dinello. Enjoy!
3 comments:
wow! i've been wanting to hear about how this all went. did you see maia in any of the videos? i wonder if little xi yan yao is in any?
Oh Heather- you just made me tear up!! Darrin and I felt the exact same connection- as if we had been friends for years!! I truly believe God places people strategically in our lives for good reason--we were just destined to meet! You have such a great family--Maia is going to be so treasured- we could see it!! We are so thrilled that we were able to give you a small "piece" of China- and a glimpse to what your future holds---we would have loved that when we were waiting, since you don't ever really believe that it is truly happening!! I still have to pinch myself when I see Hope's beautiful face pearing over her crib in the morning!!
I am thrilled to have met all of you- and can't wait till we get together again---we have just made a "life" connection and we are so blessed!!
Love to all of you and God Bless!!
Darrin, Amy & gang!!
Chills--I get chills every time I read your blog. You and Marty are so strong and patient...God will bless you richly!
Post a Comment