Rose's Story

We would like to share a little bit about Rose's story.  Our sweet girl turned two in February of this year, and has spent the majority of those two years in her orphanage.  It is very difficult for birth families to raise children with special needs in China, due to the lack of resources, and societal pressures.  Sadly, it is very common for birth families to abandon their babies born with disabilities, in hopes that they will somehow have a better life in an orphanage, or even possibly be adopted.  Because of the increasing number of babies being abandoned, China began instituting a system of "Baby Hatches".  These are small buildings, sometimes attached to orphanages or hospitals, that contain baby beds or incubators for birth parents to place their baby in.  The parents then ring a bell to alert the staff that there is a baby waiting, and then they are able to leave--anonymously, without fear of prosecution.  Before baby hatches developed, and even still, many babies are abandoned on streets, sidewalks, and far worse.  We believe our Rose was very much loved by her birth family, because she was placed safely in a baby hatch, and was immediately tended to by medical staff.  Additionally, she was about 1 month old when she was abandoned--which means her birth family struggled for an entire month with the decision of what to do with their little girl.  Our hearts ache for them, and what they must have endured when deciding to relinquish her.  A piece of them will forever be missing.  But because they chose to relinquish her, Rose has been given another family to love and protect her; and she will have the opportunity to receive therapies and services that would have been otherwise inaccessible to her.  She will be given every support available to help her reach her fullest potential...whatever that might be.  Their selfless act has given her a chance to have a full and happy life, where she will be loved and treasured for exactly who God crafted her to be. 

While they might not know it, they also gave her a far greater gift.  They gave her the chance to come to know her Heavenly Father, and to receive salvation through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.  Christians are persecuted throughout China, our faith being all but snuffed out.  Whether Rose's birth family know the Lord or not, whether they long for her to have the freedom to follow after Christ, they gave her that chance the moment they placed her in that baby bed and walked away.  She will be loved by her adoptive family, and she will know the immeasurable love of God.  They gave the most important gift any parent could ever give their child.  We will forever be grateful to Rose's birth family, and they will forever hold a very special place in our hearts.

We know very little about Rose herself.  We have been told that she is developmentally behind other children her age with Down Syndrome, that she is quiet and introverted, but loves being cuddled by her nanny.  How we long to give her all the cuddles in the world!!!  Her medical records do not indicate any other health problems, such as heart conditions common among babies with Down Syndrome.  We will have her thoroughly checked out once she is home, but we are hopeful that she is healthy and strong.  She recently learned to roll over from her back to her stomach, can grasp toys in her hands, and babble various sounds.  That is about all we know, for now.  The picture in the upper right corner of the blog is the most recent photo we have of her, taken a couple of weeks ago, in May of 2018.   

Below are some of the pictures we have of her from the time she was an infant:

 Isn't she PRECIOUS?!?!