Families

We Are In This Together


There have been many wonderful experiences on this trip, but one of my favorites has been the opportunity to really get to know our travel group. We started out in Beijing as jet lagged strangers and have become fast friends. We began as a group of five families in Beijing from across the United States: two from Colorado, one from Wisconsin, one from Atlanta and us. Each with a unique story and set of experiences that has led them to their child in China.

In our group we have two first time parents. One of these couples has endured the excruciating loss of a Vietnamese baby following a VISA filing mix up. Before finding their son in China, they had fought an unsuccessful yearlong battle for this little girl. Another family is returning to China with their lovely daughter for their second adoption trip, six years after their first. We also have a family traveling with their three young children and grandparents, who felt called to adopt a one year old with a serious yet repairable heart condition. Open-heart surgery available in the US will give this little guy a life he would not have had in China.

They say traveling together is the true test of friendship and if so, we’ve passed with flying colors. Jerry and I are amazed that in this group of very different people we have been lucky enough to be paired with families that are kind, funny and adventurous. We’ve all had our ups and downs, be it yearning for home, sick, scared and sleepless babies, or just trying to learn how to navigate life in China, but having the support of these other families has made things so much easier.

We’ve known each other such a short time but I can’t imagine not having shared this experience with them. Crying tears of happiness as we watched our friends meet their children for the first time is an experience I would not trade for the world. We’ve been able to watch these kids blossom, experiencing the care and love only a mom and dad can give, for the first time.

Although we couldn’t be more anxious to get home, I will be sorry to say goodbye and hopeful that our promises of future reunions will come to pass.