This morning we did the red couch photos. We all dressed our girls in traditional Chinese dresses and took their pictures. Anna, along with Kylie, Katie, and Julianna, sat on the couch and refused to smile. Oh well, they still look cute! As I watched the cameras snap, I couldn't help but think about these 4 baby girls and how life has changed for them. One week ago they were living in orphanages. They were probably cold, hungry, and not terribly clean. They had few hugs and cuddle time. One week ago, my little girl was having to feed herself, without help, at a crowded table. This morning all of them have a mama and a daddy. They are warm, clean, and very, very loved. Today, my little girl was cuddled with a bottle while lying in bed with her mama. That is the miracle we have seen take place this week. Four little girls now have families and they will never again go to bed without a hug and a kiss or without hearing "I love you." Three years ago my friend, Kristin, went to China to adopt her son. That trip changed my life, it also changed Anna's. That trip in 2006 was the tool God used to begin nudging our hearts to China. How thankful I am that Kristin and Drew obeyed God's call to them and that they shared their journey on The Story of You. What a tremendous blessing the Mansfield Family would have missed if they had not. It is my deepest desire that someone following our journey will feel the same prompting that we felt. I pray that another little girl or boy who is living in an orphanage today will have a family one day because of our story. I have learned this week that as Americans, we are very blessed. We have such abundance in our country. God has surely blessed us all. What a privilege it is to share that abundance with others.
Thank you for following along with us. Thank you for your prayers and e-mails. Thank you Tina, for providing a place for families to share their stories.
