I (Heather) have wanted to adopt my whole life since childhood. When I got married, I shared my heart's desire with my husband and prayed that someday adoption could be a part of our story. We went on to have three biological children who are now 22, 20, and 17. Adoption stayed present in my heart and mind but the timing never seemed right.
About five years ago, in the thick of the pandemic, I opened an email from an adoption agency with "waiting children." It was that day that we learned of the four Taiwanese siblings each a year apart who needed a family that would allow them to be together in one home. I almost jokingly asked my family sitting around the living room if we would consider adopting four young children from Taiwan. I got a resounding "yes!" Believing strongly that God can and will open or close doors as He sees fit, my husband Jimmy and I began the process of adopting these children.
It was an excruciatingly long and sometimes painful process with lots of delays around the pandemic and just agency red tape and paperwork. This is where Mary Kendall Adoption and specifically our social worker, Jeannie, stepped in as encouragement and aiding us in the whole process. We were so thankful to find a Christian agency to work with in Kentucky. Jeannie always went above and beyond, sharing our joys and sorrows in the process.
It took 2.5 years to get our children home. We Skyped monthly with them, but we all longed for the day we could be together and start bonding.
We traveled to Taiwan in August of 2023 to meet and bring home our children as the adoption was finalized. It was an amazing experience to finally meet them in person. The two weeks there were stressful (four little kids with us in a little hotel and not understanding the same language!). We were thrilled to get home together and be welcomed by our three big kids anxiously awaiting their new siblings. We consider August 29 our "Family Day" because it's the day our whole family got to be together for the first time!
All seven of our kids bonded so quickly and it was "all hands on deck" for a long time to manage! The little kids have learned English so quickly. Jimmy had spent two years studying Mandarin, but says they passed him by in language learning right away!
We spent several months assuring the children that this is their forever family and home, something that was hard for them to comprehend considering they had lived in several different homes.
Now, after 18 months everyone is beginning to feel secure and convinced of the permanency of our love and family. The children are now (almost) eight, nine, ten and 11 years old. We have experienced so many fun and new adventures together including school, sports, travel to Alaska, Disney, and NYC, bonding with grandparents and cousins, and getting involved in church and learning about God's love.
We absolutely give God all the credit for bringing this family together. It is beyond our wildest dreams and we are thankful for the journey!
