On Wednesday, December 10, Janet and I boarded a Japan Airlines flight leaving Los Angeles International Airport for Tokyo, Japan. We were headed across the Pacific Ocean to pick up Elijah, a two-year-old Chinese boy who had captured our hearts over six months before. He was our son and we knew it. We just had to bring him home.
We left behind two teenage kids, Taylor and Jordan, in the care of grandparents. We left behind a house in the care of a construction crew, who were busily gutting the lower level and rebuilding it following a pressured water pipe break. We left behind extended family and friends, who had prayed for us, encouraged us, and financially supported us, so that we adopt Elijah. We had no idea what waited for us, but we knew that God did.
How did we come to the point of adopting a little boy from halfway around the world? We told our adoption preparation story in a series of blog posts made earlier this year. Ten years ago, neither of us would have imagined we would ever adopt. But as we sat in business class seats, courtesy of a very generous couple we know, we were certain that the path had been set for us long before we ever knew we were on it.
We arrived in Tokyo, switched planes, and headed to Beijing. In Beijing, we met five other families who were also adopting and spent two days experiencing China. Then, we boarded another plane for Guangzhou, the city where we would meet our son for the first time. On Monday, December 15, a nanny from a small city called Shantou put Elijah into our arms and our adventure really began. For the next ten days, we worked hard to become the first family he’d ever known. On Christmas Day, after a multi-hour drive by van from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, we boarded a plane for California. As we landed, Elijah, who was already legally our son, also became a U.S. citizen.
He walked into a house in disarray in San Diego. Although construction was complete, furniture and boxes were stacked high. Yet, he was surrounded by a mother and father and siblings who fell in love with him the minute they met him. It’s been only days, but he knows he’s home. He was our Christmas gift. We were his. He got a new life and, in many ways, so did we. He’s changed our lives for the better, given us joy and peace we never expected, which reminds me of another child who brought hope, joy and peace.
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:10-14 ESV)
May God bless you, like us, with hope, joy, and peace in this Christmas season!