“Now faith is being sure of
what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” ~Hebrews
11:1
We began this amazing
journey to complete our family in July 2005. We worked
diligently to compile and complete the necessary paperwork that
would become our dossier. When our dossier was finally complete,
our agency, Families Thru International Adoption, sent it to the
China Center of Adoption Affairs. We were thrilled to learn that
we were logged in (LID) on January 4, 2006. We were officially
“in line” to adopt a child from China!
On the 4th of every month, we’d mark our family calendar with
our LID “anniversary.” We never imagined we would do this twenty-five times! The wait was difficult, but we always believed it
would happen in God’s timing. For twenty-six months, we have
waited faithfully for Him to reveal the little girl He had
already chosen to be a part of our family. That moment finally
came on March 3, 2008, when we received our referral call and
then saw our precious daughter’s picture for the first time. We
held her in our hearts for over two and a half years and
suddenly, they were overflowing with love for this sweet little
girl!
From our
referral call and the packet of information we received
two days later, here’s what we learned about our daughter:
Chinese Name
Ling Cha Pei
Birth Date
April 6, 2007
Residing in
The Shangrao City
Children’s Welfare Center in Jiangxi Province |
Her surname, Ling, is given to
all the children at the Shangrao City CWC. Cha Pei is her first
name. Cha means “tea” and Pei means “respect.” To honor our
daughter’s heritage, we wanted to include part of her Chinese
name in her American name. Since Ling is a common Chinese girl’s
name which means “dawn” or “sunshine,” we’ve decided to name our
daughter Mary Grace Ling.
We received a medical report on Mary Grace that was completed on
November 15, 2007. At that time, she weighed 14.4 pounds and was
25.3 inches long . . . a petite little girl.
Mary Grace is described by her caretakers as active, restless
and quick in reaction. She also has a ready smile. She
distinguishes between acquaintances and strangers and responds
to the facial expressions of adults. She knows her name, turning
her head when called. She is described as a deep sleeper. She
can also crawl on her hands and knees. Her favorite activity is
playing games and her favorite toys are those that make music.
Our family feels blessed beyond measure for this precious gift
from God. We can’t get to China soon enough to finally hold Mary
Grace in our arms, kiss those chubby little cheeks and see her
sweet smile for the first time!
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Updated Pictures of Mary Grace!
Just two weeks after receiving our referral, FTIA sent us some
updated information and pictures. She now weighs 16.5 pounds, is
26.8 inches in height and has one tooth. She is absolutely
beautiful!
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