Bringing Brothers Home

Guest Post by Vicki of  the blog “Just a MINute Mom“

We were a blended family with 6 children, including 3 grown sons when we decided to adopt back in 2006. We found our first precious daughter in China, aged 3 years and brought her home in October 2006. We were totally in love.

In adopting we learned more of the Chinese culture and the difficulties the older orphaned children from China faced. So once again, we decided to add an older girl, our wonderful Chloe, aged 13 ½ years in Feb 2009. We had been blessed to receive grants to complete her adoption as she was our 8^thchild.

Little did I know when I headed to China to bring her home we were about to get a shock of our life. When receiving Chloe I was handed a police report about when she was found. It stated she was found with 2 other children and I knew this was not typical. So I asked, ‘who are these other children?’

My question was met with silence until our guide asked my new daughter and she said ‘my brothers.’ Well, can you imagine my shock? My mind was racing- what? How? Why were we not told? Where these REALLY her brothers or just boys she was close to and called her brothers? So many questions.

We proceeded on with the adoption requirements for Chloe and gave word to the guide to inquire about the ‘brothers’, the many questions we had. We learned the boys were both at the orphanage, they were known to be a sibling group at the orphanage but when found, were not reported as siblings, therefore creating a legal difficulty in proving they were siblings now, so many years later.

We did not feel this was right, our daughter was so sweet and willing to come to us, we didn’t begin to understand how. How did she make peace with leaving them? Did the brothers know for her it was the chance for a family, so they accepted losing her forever? Did they look at the pictures we sent her over the months of waiting for her paperwork to be done, of our older grown sons and think we had enough boys, thus didn’t ‘want ‘ them?

We left word that we did want both these boys as we came home, being unable to bring them at her adoption time due to immigration laws. I told our new daughter, ‘we will come back for them, I promise.’

As soon as we were home, we were able to apply for the first brother, having been given information where his adoption file was. We received pre- approval and proceeded with our paperwork to meet requirements, we were again deeply blessed by the generous help of many adoptive families to make the fee requirements. Our concern was the other brother’s adoption. We did not meet the financial requirements and were over the ‘number of minor children in the home’ for bringing both boys home and we had no official proof to claim the sibling bond of these children.

We KNEW these children had to grow up together. As Chloe, by this time was learning English she told us she never believed we really would go back for the boys. We could only imagine what the brothers in China were thinking as well. So as we realized that we needed proof of their relationship, as originally asked for in China, to aid in our quest to get these boys home.

But how? We didn’t have spare funds. I said a prayer and sent off an e-mail. This ended up bringing us to Identigene. We were so thankful when they contacted us with a ‘please LET us help!’ It was just amazing to us, they sent kits, the tests were sent in and when the results came in just DAYS later, a phone call to Marilyn aided my shaking hands to the right page for the results. She ‘sat’ with me, as I cried, could hardly speak, for there in front of me was answer this momma’s heart KNEW would be there. All 3 children- biological siblings. No doubts.

Without this wonderful gift from Identigene we would not be able to say that as of today, we are just weeks away, with paperwork cleared for one brother and the other one’s paperwork on the way. These 3 children, who suffered being abandoned in China years ago, only had one another to count on, will be able to grow up together. We will travel to bring them home soon.

They will not go to bed hungry ever again once home and best of all, they all three will have a mom, dad, more siblings and a life filled with LOVE. Cherished as our sons and daughter, siblings forever more within our family.

We can only thank Identigene for the most precious gift anyone could be given, a future for not one, but TWO special orphan boys, now our sons.

‘You can’t change the world by adopting an orphan, but for that orphan, you have changed THEIR world. ‘ Unknown