A NEW YEAR ON MANY LEVELS

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."    --Psalm 25:4-5

Saturday, February 1 was an absolute beautiful day with the Arizona sun shining brightly and a briskness to the air.  Though Fei had no idea what was to come, we were excitedly anticipating the celebration later that day at Baba and Nana's house (as she affectionately calls them)... a celebration officially welcoming her, as well as her dedication to the Lord. Much thought and preparation had gone into the event that would include 76 extended family and friends (some family from CO and CA!), enjoying an incredible Chinese meal together, sharing stories about Fei, and reflecting as Pastor Brad Shank described the significance of us all being adopted through Christ.


A taste of China and Fei's journey

The décor was themed around the timely Chinese New Year and uniquely Fei... pictures of her from the 2 years before we knew her, a traditional Chinese chop etched with her Chinese and English names, a banner hand-made in China with her names in calligraphy, and  a map indicating her birthplace of  Shenzhen, China.  Ellie had created a collage of pictures she took on our trip that provided stories and chuckles...English-translated Chinese signs from parks, subway stops and a safari park.  A small bowl held the little red envelopes which guests were asked to bring (some even sent them!), filled with a message/prayer/blessing for Fei to read as she grows.  It was fun for our family to share the Chinese New Year tradition of giving red envelopes to the cousins and children who came, filled with $1 and scripture that we've prayed over Fei (Psalm 25:4-5), even before we knew her.  What a true joy for us to introduce Fei to so many family members and friends, some for the first time; those that have heard about and prayed for her for so long were able to get a glimpse into her past through pictures and stories, while engaging with her that afternoon.  Fei was absolutely adorable in the traditional dress ("Qi-pao") that the grandparents had bought her while we were in China, though quickly decided that she wanted to be in something more comfy! 



Pastor Brad leading the dedication

We were excited to include her dedication in the celebration that day, as it allowed family and friends to take part in a special family event that we've typically done at church.  We got to know Pastor Brad and his family before we were matched with Fei and they have known about her before we brought her home.  It was so meaningful to have him facilitate her dedication, particularly in the backyard setting of her grandparents' home.  Brad's words offered a perfect word picture in explaining how a new life in Christ is possible only through our adoption by a loving God into His family, not based on anything we could hope to do.  We then shared our desire to dedicate Fei...an opportunity for our family to affirm our commitment to raising Fei in the biblical teachings of Jesus, to help her understand how much she is loved by Him and dedicating her to the Lord and His plans for her.  Truly meaningful to be surrounded by this community of loved ones!




Cousin Rhonda and Aunts Jane, Shirl, Marge and Arlene

Several special aunts served the food with such contagious enthusiasm...beef & vegetables, chicken fried rice, noodles, mandarin orange salad and almond cookies have never been served with such warmth, laughter and entertainment!  Mom & Dad did such an amazing job feeding such a crowd and they even blessed so many others as leftovers were passed along to neighbors, co-workers and friends all over the city...no kidding!  Of course, Tsing Tao beer was in full stock, in honor of the fond memories from our trip...a favorite during nightly Happy Hour in Guangzhou!  Owen noticed that almost everyone took chopsticks and though they may have ended up using forks, most at least tried using them; he will tell you that a friend named Delaney, as well as Ellie, used chopsticks for their entire meal!



You'll love broccoli, Uncle Flip!

Fei and cousin Bri

It was such a special time for all of us as we could express our heartfelt gratitude to our family and friends for all of their encouragement, love and support as we brought Fei into her forever family.  Snapshots of Fei eating fortune cookies with her cousin, Bri, as well as playing and laughing with other little friends seemed somewhat surreal, yet so natural, even nine months after coming home.  Introducing her to out-of-state relatives was so special and watching her interact with them was priceless; it was so touching to us that they would make the effort to celebrate with her.  At the end of the night, Fei was sitting on Uncle Flip's lap and eating (again!), trying to get him to eat broccoli with her; what a joy it was to see both of their faces erupt in laughter as he resisted and she persisted!  We are so grateful that Mom and Dad (Nana and Baba) hosted this memorable celebration and that Fei is so loved by our family and community of friends, both near and far!  We hope that Fei's presence in your lives offers opportunities to learn more about the Chinese culture, a little girl's journey to her forever family and most significantly, the hope we have through a relationship with Christ!



Chosen and dearly loved!