The Search Continues.....

This week, our team in Uganda set out to search for Leah's biological family.  According to her file, she had been abandoned on the door step of a police officer, shortly after her birth.  As with many things in International adoption, I did not know whether to believe this story -- particularly because every child seems to have been "abandoned."  

Our searchers first called the telephone number of the officer who found Leah.  While she had been transferred many miles away, she still had the same phone number, was still an officer, and remembered quite clearly the day she found Leah.  Our team met with her and showed her photographs of Leah.  We have a picture of her!  Yay!!  The officer also sweetly remembered collecting money from her fellow officers to purchase Leah some milk before taking her to the orphanage.

Next, the searchers went to the actual location where Leah was found.  It is here, on this step, that Leah was gently laid at just a couple of days old.

When I think about what that must have been like for her birth mom {or whoever carried her there} my breath catches in my throat.  Carefully placed at the steps of a place she knew she would be safe.  

Thank you, Jesus.  All of this is just so emotional.

In the summary of the visit that day, our team said as follows:  

"We also had a God moment (honestly I felt the Holy Spirit on me when it happened and knew it was due to the prayers in the US).  We were in the car, just about to leave the village and the [community leader] in 2008 turned up and spoke to us. . . . She then took us to the [police] house at the time in 2008 and I took a photo of the house and the step where Leah was found."  

YOUR prayers.... our prayers.... thank you Jesus!!!

Before this week, I had nothing to tell or share with Leah about her past.  Precisely zero.  Now, her story has been confirmed.  I have photographs of the lovely lady who found her, the place she was found and some {private} stories for Leah about those first days.  Yay!

The second day of the searching, our team followed up on two other leads in Leah's file.  It turns out that they did not relate to Leah and are likely the story of another child at her orphanage.  BUT they have been addressed and put to bed.  For that, I am extremely grateful.  I am also glad to know that Leah's story {while tough} is true and that she was left at this door in what must have been a wrenching act of sacrifice and love.

We know that people in small communities like to talk after events like this week so we are PRAYING that when our team returns to the village next week, something may have come up with regard to Leah's birth family.  Will you continue to pray with us that her biological family will come forward?

He is faithful.

It's time!

On Tuesday and Wednesday of THIS WEEK, our Ugandan friends will be searching for Leah's biological family. I am so excited! And nervous and every other emotion you can think of. But I know this much: we need to PRAY that they will identify someone. This is not a given. In fact, my people have told me to get as many people praying as I can and to beg for a miracle. Will you please intercede with us? More to come!

What does Leah think about all this?

On Sunday, I had some alone time with Leah and we had the opportunity to discuss the search for her birth mom.  It went something like this:

Leah, you know you didn't grow in Mama's belly, right?  You were adopted like your brothers.

Leah:  No, I didn't know that.

{Insert sigh}

Okay, baby.  We've talked about this many times.  You have a birth mommy but we don't know where she is.  I have asked our friend in Uganda to help me find her.  Do you remember her?

Leah:  Maybe a little bit.  I think of her a little bit.

Great!  So, our friend is going to work with some friends and see if we can find the mommy whose belly you grew inside of when you were a baby.

Leah:  {without a moment's hesitation and full of excitement}  Do I get to MEET her?  {Huge smile}

We'll see.  First, we have to see if we can find her.  Then we have more questions to figure out.  But yes, honey. I want you to meet your birth mom if we can.  I'm glad you're so excited about it!  I want to meet her too and hug her.  No matter what, you get to stay with Momma forever.

Leah then gave me the biggest hug ever.

She's just five years old.  It matters.

What does it {all} mean?

After my post yesterday, I realized that there is more to say as we embark on this journey.  Allow me to answer a few questions:

When we identify some members of Leah's biological family {yes, I am hopeful}, I want to meet them.  I want hug them.  I want to understand the circumstances of Leah's abandonment.  I want Leah to meet them, if it's appropriate. But Leah is not going back to live with them.  Her adoption is final both in Uganda and in the United States.  When we find the family, Lord willing, our family will expand in size and our hearts will explode with love for an extended Uganda family of our very own.  Yay!  There are many open questions in this regard and we are proceeding with caution; I am hopeful that this adventure will be a beautiful and healing process on both sides of the ocean.  

I was also asked what my blog post means more globally.  Do I support International adoption?  Do I think that every family who has adopted Internationally should be tracing the backgrounds of their children?  What does it all mean?  The short answer is I don't know.  I'm on a journey through this life and trying to find my way, just like all of us.  But there is more to say.

I am deeply concerned about the state of International adoption.  While my heart will always ache for true orphans {with no biological parents} who have no extended family to care for them, I do think that the number of children who fall into that category is significantly smaller than the extraordinary numbers that we hear about in our Christian communities.  In the vast majority of cases, children have extended family who love them and want them.  Special needs or not.  Check out this story:  http://ekisablog.org/2014/01/14/13-stories-from-2013-amys-home/  I believe that International adoption may need to close in order to put appropriate checks and balances in place to ensure that no more children are trafficked.  It goes back to this for me:  would I be willing to sacrifice my {wanted, loved, adored} child to adoption so other truly needy children could be adopted?  No, I would not.  That's what we are asking some percentage of mother's to do when we continue to use a system full of corruption.  But that doesn't solve the problem for children who are truly in need and this is where my thinking continues to develop.  This is hard, hard stuff.

I think it is very important that our children know their roots.  I can't imagine not knowing my biology. My parents.  The mother who carried me for nine months and labored over me.  My home town.  My home.  This is why I search.  For Leah.  Seth knows about his birth family and, Lord willing, will spend more time with them as he grows up.  We also have details about Zechariah's birth family.  But Leah?  Nothing.  I have watched as my Christian sisters have searched with success for birth families in Ethiopia.  I've seen them develop relationships born out of loss and tragedy that have grown into something beautiful for their children.  I want this for Leah and, ultimately, for all children who were adopted.  Does that mean I'm all judgmental and upset with people who chose not to search for families?  No, of course not.  The world of International adoption and biological families is far too complicated for me to take such a wrongly glorified position.  I am merely sharing my story in hopes that others will consider what's right for them and their families.  That is all.

Last, we covet your prayers.  I am aware of some files of children who were Internationally adopted that contain the name and contact information for the birth family.  Leah's file does not fall into that category.  It is going to take more than one miracle to identify her family, and I am praying for success!  

I will continue to post as the investigation develops.  Thanks so much for your support and love!