LOVE BRINGS HUGE SMILES!!!

I had this blog created so that family and friends could follow our journey to our precious son "Colin"! Since we have returned home in September I have been slacking "Big Time". Those of you that know me very well, know I pride myself on being extremely "organized". Well, since returning from China, I'm still searching for what use to be "normal"...whatever that was! We are now searching for our "new normal"!! We are ALL finally settling into life at the "Borah House"!!

What's been on my heart after returning from China! I have thought about this post since September. This trip to China to adopt our precious son "Colin" was SO different than when we traveled in 2007 to adopt our daughter "Kati". What I mean by different is Kati was considered a "Healthy" child and Colin a "Special Needs" child. Not only that, we were older parents as well. Every family in this travel group were adopting minor to severe "Special Needs" children. After adopting Kati in 2007, I knew I wanted to adopt another child from China. My husband initially didn't feel the same way. He felt we were older parents and our family was complete. I continued to pray about God allowing us to adopt again and bringing my husband's heart to the same place mine had been for years. God answered my prayers and my husband came to me and said, let make the call to Bethany Christian Services. The same agency we used in TN to adopt Kati. Well, I made the call and then we went through alot of ups and downs because I was over the age of 50 and China had changed SO many rules since 2007. We were approved to adopt a special needs child. We started the paper work and more ups and downs, such is the life of adoption.
We traveled in September 2012 to adopt Colin from China. This was an entire different experience for me. We were allowed to travel to Colin's orphanage. The conditions of his orphanage we SO hard to see, yet helped me to understand what his life had been like for the past 2 years. Although he had a HUGE smile on his face when he was handed to us at the orphanage, it broke my heart to see his surroundings. Once we left the orphanage, Colin had a very difficult time adjusting to us. It took him until days before we returned home to accept anyone but me.

While in China with all the other families I watched these precious go from being sad to "HUGE SMILES" on their faces!!! What a JOY it was to see these children with so many differnt Special Needs "SMILE" because they had expeienced the "LOVE" of their "FOREVER FAMILIES"!!



First Day





Look at his precious "SMILE" now!!!

Precious Blessings From God

Sam with his Mama!!!

Sam is 4 years old adopted by a single mom from Tennessee. This is the "Smile" I'm referring to...this is what "LOVE" can do. Sam has one leg amputated just below the knee and his other leg has a very small foot with some fused toes. He walks using the stump on one leg and the small foot on the other leg. He will get prosthetics soon. This little boy has the sweetest personality and loves life and his new mama!!!

 

 

I realize that not everyone is called to adopt, yet we are ALL called to care for God's children all over the world. James 1:27. I have met SO many WONDERFUL families through our LOVE for adoption!

My heart will always have a special place in China! We know in our hearts we won't be brining another child home. We can make a difference from our home! I have a special friend Diana Rouse who represents an organization called "Pearl River Outreach"! Right now she's raising funds to help these precious children through the next year 2013! We can ALL help by giving a donation. Please help these precious children and you can also have a chance to win some "WONDERFUL" prizes!! Please take a few moments and check out "FILL THEIR STOCKINGS"! http://1diamond1ruby1pearl.blogspot.com/
http://pearlriveroutreach.blogspot.com/

You can donate as little as $ 5.00.

 

 

 

I know this post was exteremly long...I've had alot on my heart!!

 

Merry Christmas!

Blessings, Lori