Morning Star Family Home!

Sometimes  God does something that is just really cool.  Something that shouts His name....  Something that tells the world how much He loves the fatherless and delights in answering prayers on their behalf.   This is one of those stories.

In China they have a policy.  I'm not sure why, exactly, but orphans there who have been living in foster homes or private children's homes return to their original orphanage for a short time before their adoptive family comes for them.  Knowing this fact just about tore me apart during the months preceding our travel to China.  You see, Corrie is deaf.  I pictured this little girl who has always been safe and happy and loved in her foster-style-home, being sent to an orphanage in a different province--the one she was born in, but had spent little time in and would have no memory of (in fact, I believe the orphanage is a new facility anyway where she had never even lived.)  She would be dropped off among strange faces, overwhelmed by the presence of all these new adults and children who could not communicate with her, in a strange place.  An institution.  She would have no idea of knowing why or what would happen next.  No one could explain any of it to her.  I desperately prayed that God would get her through that time. I prayed that she would only have to spend the shortest time possible there, and that He would supernaturally speak to her Himself and comfort her heart.

As time went by and the day of our arrival drew closer, Corrie had still not left Morning Star.  The director still had not heard from the orphanage anything about her having to leave.  One night we were messaging back and forth, and during that time, she heard that Corrie was not going to have to go back to her orphanage at all!  The news was that she would be taken by her nanny on the night train the DAY BEFORE we arrived at the hotel in her original province where the adoption had to take place.  She would simply be placed straight from her nanny's arms directly into ours, right in our hotel lobby!  We had already planned on visiting Morning Star to meet everyone and see what Corrie's home was like months in advance.  We had expected Corrie to already be waiting at her orphanage far away.  But now it turned out we were going to actually meet her.  In her sweet little home, surrounded by everything and everyone familiar to her.  And the next day when it was time to bring her into our family, she would already know us! 

Only God.  Only our loving Father who truly is Daddy to these precious children and adores them so much!

 

 

And so, that Sunday, the day after our adventure in Beijing with the great master artist, we slept in to fight off the jet lag a little more, took a cab to a place where we would meet some people from Morning Star, and went with them the rest of the way to the wonderful place with the precious people that have always been family to our Corrie and many other desperately sick babies.  And we had the immense privilege of meeting our new daughter!!

 

 The gate going in

 

 The view of the street in back

 

And the view the other way.  Such a cute, quaint little neighborhood!

 

Sweet ayis (aunties) and babies

 

And here she is!!!  She doesn't look like she liked us much in this picture, but she really did!  :)  She took to us right away, just like I had hoped she would.  And we just fell in love with her!

She especially loved having fun with Daddy! :)

Mommy's sweet girl.  I have loved you for so long!

Playing

Laughing

Not sure why we were trying to block Corrie out of this picture, ;) but here is her ayi and her new mommy, both loving this girl!

So much fun with Daddy!

We had bought this pinwheel at a park that morning

Hugging sweet Jenny, one of the staff at Morning Star who has loved Corrie forever.

More fun with Daddy

And what is better than jumping into Daddy's arms?

She is a very silly girl!

 

Oh yeah...there are other babies there, too!  Cuties like this!  We had taken this book and bear to her from her family in the states waiting to go and get her! 

And this is what happens when there is only one pinwheel!

Sweet boy

Cutie pie with her ayi

I love this little angel!

The bed on the left is where Corrie slept.  Another baby is probably in there now!  Corrie has moved up to a big girl bed! :)

Such cute decorations all around the house.

Love this in the hallway upstairs!

I loved this happy little guy.  His lips were blue from his heart condition.  So happy he has a family coming for him soon!  He just loved the book of pictures they had sent him, and he brought it to me to show him over and over again. :)

Time to eat!  Corrie had already eaten, but she went over to the ayis and tried to mooch more from the babies.  Look how big she is compared to all of them.  Here in our house she is the baby!

 

We were so blessed to be there with all of these wonderful ladies!  (Jenny is in the white shirt, and she and the nanny on her right were there when Cassandra was volunteering there back in 2010 and she met Corrie.  She loved them both so much!

And here they were getting Corrie ready to get on the train!  Look at her stylin' with that pretty red headband.  Her last moments at Morning Star...

We actually rode in the car with her and her nanny when they were dropped off at the train station.  Here we were getting ready to go, with all the babies and nannies watching from inside.

 

It was surreal riding in that car on the way to the station with this girl we had loved for so long who would soon become our daughter.  It was one amazing day!!