Our family had been working toward this moment for more than a
year. Our decision to adopt came after
much prayer and after hearing the founder of Reece’s Rainbow speaking about the
needs of children with Down syndrome around the world. Through the Reece’s Rainbow website, we saw
the sweet face of Dang Xuehua and began climbing the mountains of paperwork to
bring her home with us.
We felt assured we were following God’s will. It was easy to see the whole adoption through
our eyes. Here was a little girl in need
of a family and we wanted to be that family.
She would join us and become a part of our lives, our story.
But when we got to China our eyes were opened to see that she
wasn’t joining our story as much as we were joining hers. Before we even met Xuehua, we were able to
visit the China Little Flower house in Beijing and meet many of the people who
had been her advocates and protectors.
She had been sent to China Little Flower for hospice care. Xuehua badly needed surgery as an infant to
repair her heart. Beyond all odds, this
was obtained and she began to grow and thrive.
I think with gratitude of the many people who cared for her while her
fragile body healed.
When she was strong enough, Xuehua was sent to live in foster
care until the time of her adoption. We
did not meet her foster family, but it was easy to see that she had been loved
and well cared for.
Xuehua, now Rose Xuehua, has been with us for three years and God
continues to work on her behalf, through dedicated teachers and therapists and
doctors. She has been strong through ear
tubes, a tonsillectomy, and a bout with pneumonia. Her winsome spirit shines through all the
hardships. She loves to play and laugh
with her brothers and sister. She is
eager to help around the house and has the personality of a little
"mama", trying to keep everyone in the family in line. Her birthday falls in the lunar year of the
dog and she has always loved dogs, especially the cartoon dog Scooby Doo. She tries hard at school and has learned so
much in her three years in the U.S. Her
life already has touched so many others, she teaches us daily the truth of the
mission of China Little Flower: to
recognize the beauty and dignity of each person.
Rose Xuehua with her
family in China
Rose Xuehua today
(Many thanks to Rose's family for sharing their story!)
