When we started our adoption process there were many things that I prayed for and wrote to God about in my journal. One of them was that He would watch over Chaeli and lovingly provide for her all the days that she was in an institution away from us. I prayed over and over again that the people who were with Chaeli would love her, touch her often, and show her favor. How many times over the past 2 years that I tried to imagine who Chaeli was, where she was living, and under what circumstances she was abandoned. These are things that every adoptive parent thinks about, and these thoughts haunt you in the middle of the night and make you ache for the child you do not have.

When I recevied my referral of Chaeli so many wonderful things were answered for me, like what she looked like, how old she was, where she was found and the name of the orphanange she was taken to. It was a great day of relief and celebration when we finally got to look into the face of the daughter we had longed to see. And here we were today, now in China with our daughter in our arms, and yet another great wave of rejoicing being poured out on us. Once again, our cups were spilling over the top.

Today I saw Chaeli’s orphanage and her finding place and what I experienced at both of these palces has left me exhausted from the sheer emotion of it all. It has taken me several hours of “coming down” before I could even type about our expereinces there. It was like secret doors that had been locked were finally being opened to me and I was invited into the holy places where my daughter had been nurtured and cared for all of those months of my waiting for her. I will tell you that there is so much emotion in Dan and me right now that we do not know how to even write. Today was a day of tremendous blessings for us, as many mysteries about our daughter were answered.

Every adoptive parent wants to believe that their child is being well cared for during the months that they are away from them, and that the orphanage that holds their child is a good and nurturing one where child’s needs are being met. Things like cleanliness, good food and water, a loving staff, a stimulating environment etc. are things that every adoptive parent hopes for. That their child would be held, kissed, loved, favored and called a special name by their caregivers would be icing on an already dream filled cake. What we saw today in our orphanage was the cake, the icing and the fufilling of all our prayers answered for our daughter Chaeli. To say that her orpahange was a good one is to not say enough. Chaeli was well provided for, but what was more incredible was that she was extrememly loved and was very special to MANY of the nannies in her orphanage.

The drive to Chaeli’s orphanage took us about an hour. We traveled with another family from Wisconsin named Dave & Robin, and their daughter Mia who was in the same orphanange with Chaeli. Mia and Chaeli both arrived to the orphanage in February of this year, and both were given families a week ago (in December – only days apart). It was a unique experience to take these girls back to the orphanage together, knowing that they probably spent every day of their 10 months together in very close proximity there. When we drove up to the orphanage we were all in awe of how beautiful it was. The gate and the court yard were immaculate, and were beautifully painted. There was a large, colorful palyground outside (like one you would see in a park at home) and the grounds were all very clean and pretty to look at. All four of us knew immediatley, upon driving up, that our girls had recevied excellent care there. When we walked into the Qingyuan Social Welfare Institute of Guangdong Province, we were amazed at the landscaped grounds, the pools of water and overhanging trelleses that surrounded the immediate garden area. The Director walked up smiling like a host who was greeting the guests of a very important party. She began shouting “Yen Yen! Yen Yen!” as her face lit up and she recognized our daughter standing there with us. She was followed by several of the nannies who were dressed in pink coats running (and I mean running!) across the court yard toward us, yelling out “Yen Yen!” and clapping their hands as they ran. It was one of the most overwhleming, emotional reunions I have ever witnessed.

Both Mia (aah aah as they called her in the orphanange) and Chaeli (known as Yen Yen) were picked up, kissed over and over again and were passed around from one nanny to the other. There were some girls who were dressed in pink coats who were watching from a distance what we were doing, and in all of the excitement of our visit, were waved over to come and see the girls. These young women (we were told) were the cooks and assistants, who would (on a daily basis) go up to the baby rooms and spend their breaks playing with the babies. They told us that each one of these girls had a favorite baby that they would call “their baby.” It was apparent who these girl’s babies were as they ran up, held their babies and even turned away crying from the emotion of it all. Mia’s caregiver actaully walked away with Mia in her arms to compose herself before coming back to us. Chaeli’s nanny grabbed her and held her and kissed her over and over again in a familiar way, lughing out loud saying “My Yen Yen, my Yen Yen.”

We were all crying as we watched the orphanage staff come running up to recevie our babies back in their arms, knowing that for each one of them this would be the last time they would see the girls. The director is the one second to the right who is holding Chaeli.

Dan video taped while I stood by smiling with such joy that God had heard and answered yet another one of my prayers…Chaeli had been very much loved as a baby here.

The Director of the orphanange was a wonderful, loving woman old enough to be my own Mother. She kissed and held our babies and you could tell that she really “knew” them. She escorted us upstairs to the room where Chaeli & Mia lived for their first 10 months of life, and yes, she even showed us where they slept. She had saved each of the girl’s cribs (with their names still on them) and she pulled them out of the store room and pushed them right to the place where they had been just a few short days ago. We placed Chaeli in her crib for a moment and she spread out like she remembered it well. She never cried once when we were there.

The baby room where Chaeli lived was well lit and was very colorful with music playing and nannies feeding and kissing the babies when we walked in (the entire staff was very affectionate). The babies are all on a very tight schedule and everyday they get music time and outdoor sunshine time with the nannies. The Director takes a lot of care in providing the best for her babies and she let us go freely all around the room. This next part is going to be difficult for me to write about, but with the grace of God I will do my best to blubber through it so as to give you the same blessing that was given to me and Dan today.

When I entered Chaeli’s nursery room I was overwhelmed by all of the babies. There were cribs everywhere, and in every single crib lay a beautiful, perfect, sweet faced, child of god. It was as if China’s most beautiful children were all placed in that one room. I was so overtaken with emotion that I left Dan’s side immediatley, and without even asking permission of the Director or anyone in the room, began walking around touching the face of every single baby that I saw. As I bent down and looked into the little itty bitty eyes I knew that there was a waiting family (somewhere out there) who was praying and longing to hold this very baby. I touched their faces softly and told each one in a whisper that Jesus loves the little babies and that He was with them, watching over them. I said a prayer for each one and then I moved to the next crib and did the same thing all over again. There was this one baby girl in particular that smiled at me like she already knew that what I was telling her was true. She knew and was holding onto that truth until the day that loved came to take her home. I went back to that baby and that crib several times and everytime that I did she smiled up at me and I teared up over her.

The nannies and Director were holding and cooing over Chaeli. I was glad that they were, because the number one thing that I wanted to do was to reach out and touch and love those babies who were without parents. There were so many of them – maybe 40? And yet each one I would have galdly taken in my arms, out those doors and into our home. There were the most amazing, beautiful babies. Every single one would have taken your breath away. I am crying so hard now as I type this blog that I wonder if any of this will ever even make it home to where you are. I cry because I think of how I have the room for these children in my home, and at my table, and in my heart. I have the room (like so many of us do) and yet here they lay waiting for someone to pick them up and to take them in.

I must tell you about the nannies at Chaeli’s orphanage. Think of the most humble, serving women that you have ever laid eyes on and then think some more. These nannies were so genuine, so real and so kind. They were not just doing their job – they were loving their job and it showed.

Everytime I would turn a corner or bump into another nanny I would hear a shout of “Yen Yen!” and they would come running to hold and kiss her. Chaeli’s nannies were very affectionate toward her and they all knew Yen Yen. Our guide and translator (Cordelia) told us many times that Chaeli was a favorite of the orphanage staff, and that became apparent by how many ran up to hold her and touch her one last time. I was so proud of these Chinese women and how well they were caring for the children. I don’t know that I would have been able to do all that they were doing if I was in the same circumstances. My heart would have been crippled with emotion.

After leaving the orphanage our guide took us to the finding place of Chaeli…The very Banyan tree she was left under by her birth mother.

The tree was known as a Grandfather tree which is a tree that blesses and protects little children. Chaeli’s Mother obviously chose this tree for the very reason that she wanted her daughter’s future to be a bright one. When we got out of the van and walked over to the tree I saw several signs posted on the Banyan tree.

I asked Cordelia what the signs said and she began to translate them to me. She was reading the signs and then she stopped suddenly and looked up crying. I didn’t know why she had stopped so I turned to her and saw her crying and just knew there was something left on one of those papers. Cordelia was so choked she couldn’t compose herself, so I walked over and held her, crying myself and said “What is it Cordelia? What does the tree say?” She finally told me that the sign on the tree said that this tree was a special tree because it would watch over little children who were left here and would make sure that they were blessed with good lives and were cared for. Cordelia told me that Chaeli’s mom obviosly chose this tree carefully because of its meaning (to find a Grandfather Banyan tree was very rare indeed). Cordelia then showed me where someone had been coming (quite regularly) to pray and light incense on behalf of their baby under the base of the tree. There was even a make shift shrine there. I knew in my heart that Chaeli’s mother lived nearby and that she went to that tree often, praying that the child she had left there would be blessed. Now I was crying uncontrollably too as was Dan. Cordelia told us that this particular area was a very affluent area (it was on the east side of the pearl river). The Banyan tree was right where the map said that it would be and it was the only Banyan tree, clearly marked.

Try to imagine, if you can, standing under the very tree that your daughter was abandoned under by her birth mother that you will never know. I shook with emotion as I held Chaeli there.

Even though her mother was praying to a tree for the safety and the future of her child, I knew that the mercy and the unfailing love of the one true God was hearing her and lsitening to her prayer. I will never forget what I saw there or the signs of love that were left behind for Chaeli to someday hear about. It is almost too much for anyone to take in, all in a single day. As we pulled away, Dan turned with his camera to video out the back window, the last glimpses of that marvelous, protecting Banyan tree. There was not a dry eye in the group. We had found Chaeli’s Banyan tree and had felt the presence of her mother who left her there, and who obviously loved Chaeli very, very much.

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart.”
Jeremiah 1:5

Praise God for setting Chaeli apart and for saving her for us. He was with her every step of the way, from her Banyan tree, to her orphanage, to her miraculous and amazing journey to our arms. We are filled with joy over the presence of our long awaited daughter.

When Love Takes You In, by Steven Curtis Chapman. Enjoy.