We Wait

This is a picture of dear friends, Ken & Jen and their beautiful daughters, Katie, Maria and Wara. When Katie was young they adopted Maria and Wara from war torn Sierra Leone. While they were waiting for the travel approval to go to Africa, I woke up one morning with a poem in my head for Maria, framed it and gave it to them. I had not kept a copy, so yesterday I asked Jen if she would send it to me.

I was amazed by the mirror of the words I had written 10 years ago to my thoughts and feelings about my own daughter-to-be. I have reprinted the poem here and included Megan Ling's name, where Maria's was.

Ken & Jen, thank you for your loving, stable friendship and for your part in our Journey. I did not know then how my experience with your daughter would affect me, but I am so thankful that it did. The fabric of adoption is a beautiful weave.

We Wait

To Save, A Soul,

One Face Among the Many There.

We Know, We Love,

You Even Though You're Far Away.

We Wish, We Plan,

Your Future Is So Clear To Us.

We're Glad, We Can,

Share Our Loving Home With You.

We're Sure, We Can,

Create A Sense Of Hope For You.

To Be, Part Of,

The World That Is A Happy One.

We Wait, We Pray,

We Want The Time To Speed Along.

Each Day, Creeps By,

But Someday Soon We'll Bring You Home.

Into, Our Lives,

God Has Sent His Special Gift.

Your Face, Your Arms,

Our Daughter, Megan Ling.

Copyright, 2008 Linda, Simply Family

3/16 An Amazing Discovery Before Breakfast!

Honestly, I can't believe it. I recently received some updated photos from the orphanage through www.BlessedKids.com (I paid them to request and send some photos) and was astonished to realize that Ling has changed so much that I barely recognized her. She is on the far right in the red jacket, in the photo below. These pictures were taken on December 13, 2007. I actually saw these photos a month ago on the VisitingOrphans Blog, and had NO IDEA this was Ling.

I am going crazy with waiting to be with her!

Megan Ling's Chaoyang Friends, soon coming home!

All of these children are waiting for their "forever families" to come and get them. Jasmine's family is picking her up this Monday!!

Hopefully, we will not be far behind.


Jasmine Frances Ying sitting next to Megan Ling

Sofia Bao

Min Ping

1/27 Friendships Formed Across the Miles

This is a picture of my new friend, Elizabeth, and her beautiful family. Linsey was adopted in 2003 from Hunan, and Luke was adopted in 2006, from Hainan. Elizabeth, lives in California (we are in NY). She and her church team went on a Mission Trip to Chaoyang SWI in July 2007. The trip is documented in her blog http://visitingorphanschaoyang.blogspot.com/. Thanks to Elizabeth, for helping me achieve this wonderful goal of blog ownership! I always wondered how people did this and had no idea it was so simple. I had it all done in an hour!

This is a picture of Elizabeth's daughter, Amy, holding our daughter, Megan Ling, during the mission trip last summer.

This is a picture of my friends Susan and Richard, their son Harrison and their newly adopted daughter, Hannah Miao Miao, on Hannah's Gotcha Day, December 10, 2007. Susan and I met at the Great Wall China Adoption Conference in Tampa in November 2007. I am sure we were meant to cross paths, as she has been instrumental and inspirational in Eric's and my decision to open our hearts and minds to an older waiting child. Hannah is blossoming in her new family and I am so happy for all of them!