Dear Friends, 

Welcome to the very first issue of AAI's Asia Programs Newsletter! The goal of this newsletter is to keep AAI families and those interested in Asia adoptions up to date on current news, events, and the adoption process. It will also feature waiting children, new placements, family stories, and information on homeland visits.

This newsletter will be published monthly, on the third Tuesday of each month. Suggestions for content are welcomed and encouraged! Please contact me with your ideas and keep an eye out for next month's Asia Programs Newsletter!

Sincerely,

AAI China/Thai Coordinator

AAI's China coordinator, Mr. Jeff Li, has offered his services for Nativeland Heritage tours. The tour can be customized according to families' preference of cities they would like to visit and price is determined accordingly. Many families choose to visit Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Guangzhou. Please contact me if you are interested in a Nativeland Heritage tour.

 

Having attended a Nativeland visit in Thailand in 2011, I can't express enough how wonderful the experience is for your children to visit their country of origin with a new mindset and appreciation. AAI hopes to have news of the next Thailand Nativeland visit in the near future. The Child Adoption Center in Thailand attempts to host this program every two to three years, so we hope this program will be offered in 2013 or 2014.

The Year of the Snake began on February 10, though celebrations began a day before on Chinese New Year's Eve. Mr. Li, our representative in China, talks about the holiday below:

 

I would like to take the chance to say Happy Chinese New Year to all of AAI's families.

 

Dragon dancing is one of the traditional events held during New Year celebrations.

Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, is the most important traditional festival and a public holiday in China. The 2013 Chinese New Year starts February 9 (Chinese New Year's Eve). It is the Year of the Snake. The festival falls on the first day of the first Chinese month (usually in late January or early February), and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the fifteenth day.

 

The festival is celebrated grandly and extensively across the country; lighting fireworks, dragon dancing, lion dancing, and other traditional performances are arranged in parks and streets in cities and towns. Every family thoroughly cleans the house, sweeps the floors and washes daily things. House cleaning is believed to drive away ill-fortune and bring good luck in the coming year. Windows and doors are decorated with red paper cuttings and couplets. 

The Lantern Festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first month of the New Year.

 

Chinese New Year is a time for families to be together. A reunion dinner is held on New Year's Eve, when new year food including Chinese dumplings and spring rolls is eaten.

 

From the first day of the New Year to the fifteenth day, Chinese people go to visit friends and relatives. New year greetings are given to each other, and lucky money is given to children with the hope that it will bring them good luck.

The Schwarz family adopted Miss Nitacharee (in picture, on left) in October 2012. Miss Nitacharee was part of the 2009 healthy program and is a bright, active toddler who has brought her family much joy!

 

The Campbell-Robinson family adopted Master Rachanon (in picture, on right) in October 2012. To read more of their story and see several beautiful photos of their trip to Thailand, please click here!

Thinking about the past years, I am swiftly reminded of the abundance of grace our family has experienced. We first "met" our daughter Maya Kate in April 2010 when we saw her photograph on the AAI waiting child list. A beautiful little girl with soft dark curls and a round face, she was considered a special needs adoption because she had surgery on her nose when she was a baby. She was living at Phayathai Babies Home in Bangkok. We knew even back then that she was a survivor and that she was meant to be "ours." After 31 months of adoption paperwork, we were finally able to travel to Thailand to bring 4 1/2 year old Maya home. Little did we know that our journey was far from over. The days, weeks, and months since then have been so rewarding, so sweet, and so unexpected.

 

Within days of landing on U.S. soil, Maya started having seizures and complaining of headaches. A brain scan diagnosed Maya with chronic life-threatening hydrocephalus. Maya underwent brain surgery in November and by God's grace He is healing her precious little body. Maya trusts through tears and believes against all odds, as do we. Maya is often times joyful when in the world's eye there would be very little to smile about. She is funny, determined, and handles day-to-day challenges with an extraordinary amount of diligence and courage. She is such a brave little girl. And the best thing is, she is ours.

 

Maya enjoying a bowl of soup in her new home.

Maya Kate has been home for 3 months and is doing really well. She is melding into our family and now recognizes our house as being her "home." She expresses a feeling of freedom, walking around home like she has ownership in it. She knows her chair at the table, her bath towel on the hook, and her toys on the shelf. She recognizes her place in our family unit and readily claims us as Mom, Dad and Brother both at home and in the community. She is becoming familiar with American cuisine, is getting acclimated to cool temperatures, and is making every effort to keep up with her big brother Finn.

 

Maya added an extra element of joy to our house. She is so funny and silly. I recently asked Finn what it was like before Maya and he said, "Our house was quiet." Yeah, he's right - Maya's definitely brought our house up an octave. Our house was fun before Maya came but it is more so now. We laugh so much now! Since arriving stateside she has enjoyed several new things like chocolate ice cream cones, fries, swings, tricycles, and sleeping in a big-girl bed. Can you even begin to imagine what it would be like to go from your "every day normal" of 1 room, 17 toddler beds, no bedding, and 17 revolving bunkmates to 2 twin beds, layers of bedding, and 1 bunkmate that is transitioning back to her big-girl bed (Mom)? Mind-blowing. Sometimes I need a swift kick of reality to remind me that my girl came from hard places. And sometimes hard places means a not-so-lovely day here at home. So when Maya shies away from going to bed alone, fusses because her room has "funny sounds," or rocks to self-soothe, I ask God to gently remind me that not too long ago my sweet girl didn't know what it meant to be "home." What it meant to be part of a family. So glad we finally share a physical address. My heart still pauses in my chest sometimes when a little cocoa skinned girl calls me Mommy and asks to be held. What an absolutely amazing gift from God and to think we could have missed this.

 

The Bible speaks boldly on gratitude and thanksgiving, and yet often times it is a difficult state of mind to maintain. When we found out how sick our sweet Maya was, I began to struggle with thankfulness in all things. Sickness and health. It was hard for me to be thankful for Maya in the present when her future was so uncertain. And 2.5 months later I realize we will always wonder about her future - there will always be health concerns with Maya. At times it just feels so overwhelming, so new and fresh. When those times come I have to step back and reevaluate my gratitude. Finding it in the present and setting it in the promise of eternity. God gently reminds me, she is here. And not only here, but she is walking, talking, laughing, singing... Thankfulness for today. Remembering not to let the fear of tomorrows squelch the sweet gift of life today. For me, remembering that she is really already a miracle. I am so grateful for that. Every child deserves the chance to be somebody's miracle. Maya Kate is our miracle and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

-Katie & Lucas Adams