Skip to main content

Two Weeks with Owen

I can't believe that Owen has been a Wurgler for 2 weeks.  In some ways, it feels like yesterday that we were picking him up.  In other ways it feels like he has been a part of our family for much longer than a couple of weeks.  It has been amazing to watch him discover "family" and "home".  Lately at bedtime we have been going around and telling each of our children specifically what we are proud of them for that day- when I said "Owen" tonight, he looked at me!!  I'm proud that Owen is learning his new name.  We all clapped and laughed and he gave the proudest grin I have seen yet.  Owen has been a gift to each one of us already.  He brings out different things in each of us- my girls have such nurturing hearts and Jaman's silliness knows no bounds when trying to get Owen to smile.  We have been celebrating all of his firsts- we know he likely has done these things many times before but each first with our family brings so much joy- his first smile and laugh with us, his first attempt at words (which might really be his first words!!), his first time going down the slide and playing on the swing, his first birthday with us.  There seem to be two parallel realities going on in my heart.  On one hand, he very much feels like my son and I love him so much.  On the other hand, we have a lot of getting to know each other to do.  In parenting there is so much "I don't know what to do" and "I'm not sure what's really going on."  This feels exponential right now with Owen.  I wish I could look into his little heart and mind and understand what it is like for him to be with us right now and be adjusting.  We  know the things we want to communicate but it really will take time and intention.  On some level we have bonded and yet there is so much more bonding that needs to happen.  Some days as I'm  feeding him, I look into his little eyes and I wonder what he sees?  Just another ayi who feeds him?  Does he even know what a mama is?  He will learn and I feel so privileged to walk this journey with him.
Every time we go outside we leave a trail of gawking people behind us whispering to each other "1, 2, 3, 4!!! 4 kids!! and that little one looks so much like a chinese kid!!"  We have lived in the same apartment for 3 years and our neighbors know us well as the large foreign family.  We are currently the hot topic when they gather at the door of the building.  I am trying to remember to write down some of the conversations we have had- for many of our neighbors, they have no categories for adopting a child, let alone a child who still has medical needs.  They ask all sorts of questions as they try to imagine why we would want four kids and why we would adopt if we were still able to have more biological children.  I can hear the wheels turning in their minds... "well, he is cute.... and they must just be really great people.... "  Many of those things poke at different things in me-we didn't adopt him because he's cute and we aren't great people, just normal people loved by God and loving our sweet gift that God has brought into our family.  It's humbling to walk through these conversations with our local community.  As we talk more and more I can feel it... God is using Owen to offer a picture of His Kingdom to our neighbors.  He chooses us when we are needy and broken and He adopts us out of love not because we are cute or easily lovable or even respond that willingly to His love but just because He is God and He has chosen to set His love on us.  I don't know how to answer all the questions right now but I know that I love Owen and I love God's Kingdom story written into our family.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Life in Asia: Language Bloopers

Today my girls and I were learning about Mexico.  I shared with them that both Aaron and I used to study Spanish.  We both spent years in both high school and college learning Spanish.  Now it's difficult to remember anything beyond "Hola" and a few colors and numbers.  Mandarin has used up most of the language area of our brains.  One of the more challenging aspects of living as a foreigner in another country is learning the language.  Language is not just grammar and vocabulary; a language exists in a culture, it has a context.  There is a way of calling someone an idiot here that is just a series of numbers, a series of numbers that you would surely use when bargaining.  If you don't remember to use a different name for the numeral "2" in the number, you will offend the shopkeeper.  I can know the vocabulary but if I don't understand the context then I miscommunicate.  We have a store of language bloopers, so many that it's hard to re...
Post a Comment
Read more

God Speaks

Last week our team hosted a Vision Trip consisting of about 12 businessmen and women from the States. It was a great, but tiring week which culminated in a 35 person banquet including children. Its a tradition to hear vision trippers thoughts on their experiences from that week and to encourage them to join with us in our mission here. Sara was asked to give her thoughts, from a mom's perspective, regarding what her transition has been like and how she views this crazy ministry God has called us to. I (Aaron) don't think I've ever been more proud of her. I wish I could've seen the looks on others' faces in the room, but like theirs, mine was fixated on her as she spoke. Here it is, straight from Sara's mouth. "When I was asked to share why it's worth it to move a family with three small children across the world to a crowded city in a foreign country I was hesitant. The truth is that in the midst of this difficult season of transition there have been ...
5 comments
Read more

Life in Asia: Driving

I remember riding in a friend's car just a couple days after arriving in this city.  I thought, "I could never drive here."  It appeared to me that there were no rules- cars were all over the road, crossing lanes, making turns and U turns, not to mention the pedestrians, bikes and carts that seemed to come out of nowhere.  At that point, I also had no idea where I was most of the time and when I looked at a map of the city, the maze of streets, small roads and alleys was overwhelming.  When I had lived here  just after graduating from college I had carried a paper map in my bag, but I mostly relied on the people I was with and taxi drivers to know where I was, I didn't really care how I got there as long as I arrived at my destination.  Driving was different though, you had to know where you were, where you wanted to go and which roads to take to get there.  I still rely heavily on that blinking blue dot on my google maps even when I'm walking somewh...
Post a Comment
Read more