Friday, July 20, 2007

Donations

If you'd like to donate to bring Selah home, you can click the "Make a Donation" button on the right or you can write a check to Morice Adoption Fund and mail it to:

Tony Morice
c/o Calvary Church
1375 State St.
Lemont, IL 60439

Thank you for your generosity and support!~

Andi

Our Journey so far!

How did we come to the decision to adopt? That’s the questions I get most often. Most believe that adoption is only necessary when you can’t have biological children and when they look at our family they’re confused by our decision. So, let me take you on an extremely abbreviated version of how we came to be on this journey to bring Selah MingFu Morice into our family!

The first inkling

The journey began in 2003 when my youngest son was 2. The Lord placed the idea of having another child in my head, I believed, because my first two were two years apart so now was the time to start thinking about another child. But for anyone who knows the history of my back troubles, another pregnancy was not a good idea for me – possible, but not advisable. We had so many families around us that had adopted that I began to toy with the idea. At the time, Tony was not ready for such a conversation, so we dropped the issue – but I could never put it out of my head completely!

Let’s get started!

Fast forward to 2006 - we received a few flyers in the mail alerting us to various adoption information meetings in the area. Tony said we could go and listen, but he wasn’t saying we were going to do anything about it at that time. The last one we went to was at Sunny Ridge Family Center in Bolingbrook, Illinois and the DVD they showed about one family’s adoption experience happened to highlight a family we knew. By the end of the DVD my husband was in tears. I imagine it was because he saw the darling little girl he knew from church who gave him great bear hugs in an over-crowed orphanage without the usual smile we are so use to seeing on her. He could not imagine our friend’s little darling being there. He then realized that there was someone else in those orphanages who could be waiting for us – so he gave me the “OK” to start the paperwork.

Where do we begin?

Now we had to decide with which “version” of adoption we would be comfortable. International? Domestic? Foster Care? Older Child? Infant? You would think deciding to say “yes” to adoption would the hard question, but really the decision of how to travel the road is much more difficult.

So, how did we choose? My oldest son has a limb length difference that requires braces and routine doctor visits. When I was a child, I had to be braced for scoliosis and had routine doctor visits as well. During one of our waiting room times, I was telling my son how it was when I was little and waiting for the doctor in my underpants and hospital gown in an attempt to make him not feel so embarrassed. It was at that moment that I realized we could offer the unique gift of normalcy to a special needs child! Going to doctors’ visits, taking x-rays, wearing braces, etc… was normal in our family and we could empathize with anyone in that situation. I knew right then and there that Special Needs was our route!

Why China?

Then one day I read on-line about Waiting International Children – children who are on a waiting list to be adopted either because of there advanced age or medical needs. A line on the page said that some parents where horrified when they realized that their children where born “imperfect” and that children in the orphanages had “limb length differences or were missing a toe or finger”. That sentence began to sear itself into my brain. My son whom I love with all my heart has both those things and I couldn’t love him more! To think that someone would have any emotion other than intense love for their child regardless of physical appearance was unimaginable to me. Then I knew – we needed to hunt down a child with limb length differences that we could embrace and love without hesitation.

So, we began to hunt until one day our agency called to let us know that they had a little girl in China who needed our love and had length issues with one arm and one leg. I told them to send the information, but I was scared. I had seen so many horrible special needs stories that I was afraid of what I might be getting myself into. When her medical history came, I opened it slowly and read through it. To my delight, it was not scary at all. And she was beautiful! It literally was love at first site. And for the first time I was able to see the plan that God had began long ago….

God’ Plan

God had given us a son with a very minor medical need so that we’d be familiar and comfortable with those issues. However, He knew if it was too profound, we would become wrapped up in him and never think that we had the time for another. Also, he began working in my heart and my husband’s heart separately and specifically. He knew that I would be on board more quickly, so He purposefully and quietly worked together with my husband and the various agencies we went to in order to calm his fears and bring him confidence.

Then when all the plans were laid, He must have taken great delight in revealing Ming Fu to us. I can just imagine Him watching the mail travel through the system with excitement knowing that once we opened the envelope the ground work He laid would ensure that we would love her completely!

God is so good!

What does Selah mean?

Then came the joy of naming her. It was hard at first to think of an American name that would blend well with Ming Fu. I’m a musician and a name must have a certain “ring” to it and a pleasant rhythm. We came up with a few different names just on sound alone, but then I found one that not only sounded gorgeous, but melded with Ming Fu seamlessly.

“Selah” is a Hebrew word that many have found difficult to define. I found a man on-line who studied it within the Bible and other Jewish writings in order to determine its meaning. It has two parts – the first part means to search for something. Some have translated it “contemplate” which is not inaccurate, but it’s more of a “seeking” or “searching out” which can be mentally – as in contemplate – or also physically and active. The second part emphases that the search is after something of great value or worth or weight.

Could there be a better explanation of our journey for our little girl? “Selah” – to search after something of immeasurable worth together with “Ming Fu” which means beautiful?

May I introduce to you Selah MingFu Morice!

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Paper Chase

It's been over year since we started this process and it finally seems like it may come to completion soon. I can hardly believe that we may actually be able to hold our daughter soon. The ache is becoming more intense than I thought I could tolerate, but the Lord has been faithful to give us mercy when we need it.

For those of you familiar with the adoption process, you know that the first few months are entirely comprised of tracking down the various papers that comprise your life story from birth to present. The initial paperwork is just the simple application to the agency stating that you would like to begin the adoption process. I think they make this fairly unintimidating so that you don't suspect what's coming.


The next twelve months involve writing reports on books and classes, collecting bank statements, check stubs, mortgage information, criminal background checks, fingerprinting, birth certificates, marriage certificates, proof of employment, letters of recommendation, police clearance, medical forms, passports, homestudies, US citizen and immigration paperwork, etc... And you'll be surprised to know that the reward for all the hard work that it takes to round-up and copy all these important documents is that even more paperwork is mailed to you. However, those in the process know that each single slip of paper that comes in the mail is anxiously awaited and completely priceless!


So that you can know where in the process we are... Letter of intent sent February 8, 2007 ; Home study completed May 15, 2007 ; Pre-approal received April 6, 2007 ; Dossier to China June 19, 2007. (I had to forgo the "short-hand" so that more people could understand!)


Thank you for checking in on our journey and please feel free to stop back anytime!