Adoption has been in our minds and on our hearts since we married 15 years ago.  We have been graciously blessed with 2 biological sons, yet we knew we still wanted to adopt a child.  In the fall of 2003 we fostered a newborn baby for about 3 months, and at that time I began to fervently pray for our little girl wherever she may be—in the womb or out of the womb.  I prayed also for her mother and the challenges that lay ahead for her. 

Unbeknownst to me, during those first months that I began to pray fervently for our daughter, she was born.  Someone tried their best to raise Grace for 10 months.  She was abandoned in front of a hospital’s pediatrics office, in the garden with a basket full of clothes.

We had no money to adopt.  I had stayed at home with our boys, and we lived from paycheck to paycheck.  Still, we prayed for our daughter, wherever she may be.

Our family relocated, and before we moved I was offered a job in the town where we were moving.  My new salary would be enough for us to get well on our way to adopting.  We then looked at several adoption agencies, but CHI stood out among them all.  They were quick to return phone calls and answered any questions that we had. 

We decided to go to China, but a few months into the process we found our little Kim Thi Tran on the Vietnam waiting child list.  She was almost 3 years old at that time.  In June 2006, our family of four traveled to Vietnam to pick up Kim, whom we have named Grace.  It was truly the trip of a lifetime, but mostly we brought home the little girl who was prayed for from the very beginning of her little life. 

Grace has adjusted far better than we could have ever imagined.  She is full of love and life—and she keeps us on our feet!  We celebrated her 4^th birthday on January 1, 2007 and smiled as she sang along to “Happy Birthday”.

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