by Mike Frank

In 1990, we decided to bring a child into our family. Why China? We’ve always felt a warm bond with Asian people. From the outset, Marcy and I knew that we wanted a girl and that we wanted her to be a healthy infant.

Adventure was woven into our process of adoption. I think we called every agency we could find in the yellow pages. We finally decided to work with WACAP. We filled out paperwork, paid fees, went to classes, read books, filled out more papers, and met people just like ourselves.

Marcy and I were anxious. I’d bet that we drove the folks at WACAP crazy with telephone calls inquiring about the status of our paperwork. Through it all, though, the WACAP team was extremely patient and exceptionally kind.

We traveled to China in August 1992 and our adventure took a new turn. We met so many interesting people. The morning that we were to first see our daughter, we were loaded into a six-passenger truck and driven through a countryside of farms and water buffalo, passing overloaded bicycles, overburdened people and tractors pulling trailers full of amazing things.

We arrived at an orphanage near the town of Dianbai. Anxious as we were to see our baby, we accepted tea and watermelon, and I, as is my way, took photos of everything that sat still long enough. Suddenly, a grandmotherly woman entered carrying our Sara. Marcy began to cry and I was handed the baby. I was ecstatic. Marcy quickly regained her composure and cradled Sara in her arms. We confirmed we wanted this baby, and the orphanage folks did the official footprint stamp in red on a document. Sara fell asleep.

On August 30, I had to return home to begin teaching the new school year. Marcy and Sara arrived in Seattle on September 9, 1992, and life has never been the same. Sara is now in the third grade, a very active girl and a lovable trickster. She loves to read and write stories, is gregarious, and knows no strangers.

From the very beginning, Marcy and I have been very open with Sara about her adoption. She knows that she has a birth family in China and is very good at ignoring or redirecting ethnic and racial remarks made to her as they arise.

In every respect, Sara is a terrific person, and Marcy and I know that she will do well in life. She has big plans for her future, and we are eager to be a part them as she grows up. We are deeply grateful for the profound gift that our daughter has brought us, the gift that every child brings: the love of family.

On November 27, 1991, WACAP notified me that my documents had been sent to the People’s Republic of China. I remember an incredible feeling that life was about to change.

I arrived in China on April 4. I joined two other women in Guangzhou, and together we proceeded to the attorney’s office. Adoption was a new concept in China, and the adoption laws had recently been revised. We were not sure how to proceed, and the attorney promised to help.

Time moved slowly. Finally we prevailed upon the attorney to take us to the village orphanage. That was a day I will never forget. It was love at first sight! I was so emotional, joyful and relieved, yet worried that 5-month-old Catherine weighed less than 7 pounds. Too soon, we had to leave the babies and return to our hotel, an hour away.

Our attorney left for Beijing to expedite our paperwork. But nothing was going to be easy. We visited the babies each day, but Friday we were told to return on Monday. Upon our return, chaos prevailed. I received Catherine, but Pauline and Tina were handed two different babies. The language barrier never seemed greater than at that moment. Eventually we learned that Pauline’s baby was ill and Tina’s baby had died. Pauline insisted that they give Alex to her, despite her condition, and we took the babies to the local hospital, where Tina joined us the next day with her new baby, Ping. The hospital stay was an adventure in itself, since in China families are required to care for their ill. We spent nearly a week nursing the babies back to health with the aid of staff.

When the babies were declared healthy enough, we made the 10-hour train trip back to Guangzhou where we immediately took the children to the relatively modern People’s Hospital. Happily, the Head of Pediatrics took great personal interest in our situation.

On Mother’s Day, Lillian Thogersen, WACAP chief operating officer, arrived to lend her support and help navigate through the rest of the process. With her help, we were able to bring our healthy little babies back to our hotel and complete the necessary medical exams and paperwork. Finally, Lillian took Pauline, our baby daughters and me to the airport and we were on our way home!

Despite all the hardships and uncertainty, I would not trade my experience. I left China with a very different understanding of the people. We learned something of the culture, and the Chinese learned a little bit about what it is to adopt a child, a concept that was foreign to many at that time. Catherine, my daughter, loves to rehear every detail. This summer, we will travel back to China, visit her village, and visit a wonderful Chinese woman who befriended us and was part of our unforgettable story.

By Denise Lamb
September 2001

How do we write a thank you letter for the gift of a child? August 2, 2001, my husband Peter and eldest son Eric left for China to bring home 9-year-old Jin Xin. What an absolutely magnificent child! We cannot express how blessed we feel to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this little boy's life. I'd like to tell you the story.

Two and a half years ago, my family was complete, or so I thought. We had our son and daughter; they were growing up and we had a dream of early retirement. I met a man in January of 1999 who had adopted four Chinese children. Upon meeting him I mentioned that my husband had always wanted to adopt an older child. The man laughed and said, "Just let me know when you're ready!" I snickered and mumbled that I had my boy and my girl and I was "done." A few days later, I was driving to work when I was struck by the absolute knowledge that we were going to "adopt an older girl from China." I didn't hear anything, or feel anything—it was simply a truth—truly the most bizarre incident in my life. I went to work, called my husband, told him what had happened in the car and he said, "Call the agency, I've been hoping you'd say this for more than four years." That's how 11-year-old Xiaofang, WACAP's FOCUS Child (Featured Outreach Child Until Served) of 1998-99, came to be our daughter.

The summer of 2000 brought together a group of friends who had met via the Internet, all adoptive parents of older Chinese children. We vacationed at a small resort in the Adirondacks of New York and had a week of non-stop fun. There were 20 families, with a total of 60 kids! Many of these children were limb deficient, with missing fingers, toes or had clubfeet, etc. It was my first exposure to so many "imperfect" children. I remember thinking to myself, "This is no big deal ... we can do this ..." Our family left the gathering with thoughts of perhaps adopting again. I called WACAP and asked for information about little boys this time, between the ages of 6 and 12. We were sent four videos and watched them over and over. One in particular held our interest. The biggest stumbling block was finances. We hadn't yet repaid a loan for Emily's adoption and didn't want to go into debt for another one. After three weeks of soul searching, we decided we wouldn't go forward with another adoption. We wanted to be responsible and have the financial means to provide for our three children's education without huge debt hanging over our heads. My husband Peter closed our decision with the statement, "If the 'Man Upstairs' wants to plunk a kid into our arms for next to no cost, that'll be a sign we're supposed to adopt again."

Well, low and behold, in January 2001, we learned of the "Promise Child" program. I called WACAP to ask if there were any little boys from China in the program. I was told yes, there were two, but one was just put on hold. The video of the remaining little boy was sent to us the very next day. We took one look and KNEW that Jin Xin was our little boy. Everything fit too well. He was the exact age we were looking for, he was a boy and his disabilities were in the realm of what we felt we could handle—not to mention that he was the same little boy whose video we pondered over last summer! Some things cannot be explained.

My husband and I have found that when we leave ourselves open and ready to "listen," wonderful things happen. The only reservation we had about adopting again was removed by the enormous, selfless generosity of total strangers. We have all received a magnificent gift. This child, Jin Xin, is charismatic beyond words. He ran into our bedroom the second day home, snuggled down and said, "Mamma, ni ai wo," which means "Mamma, you love me!"

Thank you, thank you and thank you. Your generosity will be "paid forward" with all the love and joy that Jin Xin pours forth. He lights up every room he enters. I kiss his funny little fingers and toes each and every night and thank God for the wonderful generosity of strangers.

Read this Seattle Times article about Micaela (Guo Xie), a Chinese child adopted through WACAP in 1999.