Our Garden of Eden

Post submitted by Jonathan:
Tuesday, October 13, 2007

Today was a long, hard day. We began our morning with an early breakfast and then made our way to the Civil Affairs Office in Hangzhou. What turned out to be a most anti-climatic event was in fact, our official adoption ceremony. The notary returned to a meeting room where we had gathered, grabbed an official velvet curtain and the Chinese flag, brought them near to me and Sheila and then read a certificate stating that China has officially accepted our petition to adopt and decided to grant to us an official adoption certificate. We received the certificate, shook hands and left.

We were presented Eden's adoption certificate. It is official!

This was the easiest part of our day.

We (the six of us, our family plus the guide and driver) then piled back into our compact taxi (about the size of an old Ford Escort) and headed to the place of Eden’s registered abandonment, Taizhou City, to apply for her Chinese passport. The drive took us 4 plus hours one way.

The only plus-side to the drive was that it cured Sheila from all fear of flying. We tried as best we could to not be frantic as we watched thousands of Chinese cars disobey every known universal Rules of the Road possible. Where there was no lane to pass they would make a lane. It made no difference if we were snaking through the mountains or driving through 1-mile long tunnels; people simply were insane on the roads, forcing other vehicles to move over or be bumped. The only way I can describe it was like the scene in the Dark Knight where Bruce Wayne is surrounded by thousands of bats who never bump into each other. It was a harrowing experience, to say the least. Eden did fairly well, considering the difficulty of the drive.
Once in Taizhou City, we were invited to a lovely lunch with the orphanage staff. The restaurant was delightful with terrific service. We were given a private room and were presented with quite a magnificent feast. The only problem is that Sheila’s and Jordan’s palates don’t go past a Tater-Tot casserole. And it was all very fresh seafood with heads that had to be removed, guts that had to be sucked out, and slimy things that needed to be swallowed whole. I did great and loved every minute. Eden also loved it all. But it did give her a most stinky diaper later on. Sheila and Jordan did what they could to remain polite but definitely struggled through it. Normally, they force their food on me to make it look like they’ve eaten their fare share but our table was too big for them to pass me their food. It was a lot of fun.

She loved the director. She seems to be very close to the children.

We then made our way to a government building to apply for Eden’s passport. It was required that we return to the city where her legal abandonment had been filed and bring the official adoption certificate in person with our passports in hand. Pictures were taken. Documents were signed. We waited and waited and waited and finally got things wrapped up.

It was then that we began the most emotional part of our day. We were invited to see Eden’s orphanage. It is in an area that reminds me of East St. Louis but in the hills. China is so complex. The downtown areas of these small cities (6-7 million) are dotted with magnificent buildings, lovely eateries, and sprawling shopping centers; but once you move beyond the main streets you find yourself in a Third World country again with broken down buildings surrounded with filth and debris. The orphanage was primitive at best. The conditions were deplorable by our standards. Sad is the primary word that comes to mind. The orphanage is actually a part of a Social Welfare Institute which houses senior citizens and abandoned special needs children. 

The gate to the Social Welfare Institute of Taizhou City. Her orphanage is inside. The director is on the left with the glasses. The other lady is an assistant director.

Front of the orphanage.

Once inside Eden absolutely lit up with smiles and laughter. One thing that is clearly evident is that the staff and especially the director absolutely love the children and do their very best to care for and nurture them. As we were touring the facility our guide informed us that the director was constantly asking about the well-being of the other children, their eating and medical needs.

Eden was the hit of the party. The children all loved seeing her again. Her nannies covered her with hugs and kisses. She enjoyed being the center of all the attention.

The elderly smiled and talked to us as we when up the steps to where the children stay.

Eden's Crib

The orphanage currently houses 23 children, most of whom have severe special needs. They have been very successful finding homes for many of their children.

We were given quite a gift while at the orphanage. The director gave us the actual hand-written note the family placed with Eden in the box where she was left. It simply stated the date of her birth, June 8, 2007. We will treasure her record of life and her family’s decision to give her up to save her life.



When leaving Eden cried some but did well in rejoining us all to leave. What happened next was to a great surprise. The director pointed out a small spot near a stone bench about 200 feet from the orphanage gate and then proceeded to tell us what she knew about Eden’s story. Eden was placed in a box with a small note inside. It is illegal to abandon children in China so Eden was placed some distance from the gate. An old man, who has since retired and left the area, heard Eden crying. He picked her up and took her to the orphanage. We were told that Eden’s family most likely hid in the bushes in the dark, waiting for her to be found and taken to the orphanage.

 

This is the spot where Eden was found.

Eden was quite sickly, frail and weak when she was found. We were told that her heart condition made her very ill. She was also malnourished. What probably happened was that her family, being much too poor to care for her medical needs, made the collective decision to give her up with the hopes that she would be cared for by the state. Their decision to give her up so that she could be found saved her life. There is no question that God’s hand has been on our daughter and her family.

SISTERS!

Eden is warming up to daddy

We cried some, took pictures and then packed back into the taxi for the arduous ride home. Eden cried on and off for much of the drive. We probably would have joined her if we thought we could get away with it without too much embarrassment.

We returned to our hotel @ 8:30 pm, a long, long and hard day.

I am reminded of what God told Moses in Exodus 3, that He has heard the crying of His people and chose to rescue them. I stand in awe of God’s hand in saving Eden’s life, providing loving care-givers for her these last 2 years, all preparing the way for us to have her as our forever daughter. God is Mighty.

JP