For those who wonder if miracles are real, read on …
Nov. 4, 2011 – We fly to China to adopt a child.
Nov. 6, 2011 – We hold our adopted 11-month-old daughter for the first time. She is bright-eyed. She is beautiful. Her presence in our world blows our minds. We are thrilled. We are ecstatic. We will never be the same.
Nov. 8, 2011 – We visit our daughter’s orphanage. I see a little ‘boy’ who will not be as lucky as our daughter Journey. No one is coming for him. No one knows he’s here. His presence in this world blows our minds. We are heart-broken. We are devastated. We will never be the same.
Sept. 1, 2013 – We watch the Ironman World Championships on TV. Brady Murray, a dad from Utah with a Down Syndrome son, is in the race. They’ve allowed him in this year, not because he’s a world champion, but because he’s raising money for orphans with Down Syndrome.
Sept. 3, 2013 – I google the name Brady Murray. I get an email address for RODS (Racers for Orphans with Down Syndrome). I send this message: I know of a down syndrome baby in an orphanage in China – can you help?
Sept. 4, 2013 – Brady Murray asks what I know about the baby. I say, ‘nothing’ but I have a photo. I send this one:
Sept. 4, 2013 – Brady Murray emails this message: He is a angel! Let’s go get this little guy a family! I’m ready to do whatever we need to in order to get him adoption eligible. I’m 100% confident that once we get him eligible that we can raise around 15k to help offset the costs. From there it will be no time before he’ll have a family! Let me know what you need me to do.
Sept 4, 2013 – I email Brady: I’m going to cry!!! I’ve thought about this boy nearly every day for the last two years, wondering how on earth we could help him. While we were in China, I asked if I could take him home with us (I don’t think they took me seriously) – they said he’s not in the system, so I think that would take lots of paper work and many months. But that’s no different than for the average Chinese adoptee. This is where I think we could start. I could contact our guide from Nanchang and see if she could put me in touch with the orphanage director.
Sept 10, 2013 – I email our Chinese guide: Hello Shirley, It’s Chris and Lewis Froese here (parents of Journey Xin Froese – we traveled to Nanchang on Nov. 6, 2011 to adopt our daughter). I am looking for some information on one of the other children who was at the orphanage with Journey. Would you be able to help me?