Gracie

China trip number 5.

It's weird to think how different everything is from that first trip. 

That first trip we just came with a heart to love on orphans not knowing what God had in store for us. 

This trip we now come with a passion to change the lives of these kids fully depending on God. 

I've been terrible about blogging. 

It's just that by the end of the day I'm so exhausted blogging is the last thing on my mind. 

Day 3 at the orphanage just ended. 

It's been a great trip so far. 

Our team is smaller than most years, which comes with its pros and cons. 

For example a pro would be that we all fit in the elevator or a dinner table and it's not easy to loose people. 

A con would be that it's harder to watch all the kids at once. 

But things have been good. 

So far the kids have seemed a lot better than most years. 

There are not many new babies and a few of the babies are going to be adopted soon. 

For the older kids, a lot of the special need kids are looking better. 

The "pot sitters" as we call them, which are the kids that sit on potty chairs all day because there special needs are too severe, seem healthier this year. 

Healthier in orphanage terms that is. 

One miracle that happened this year was Gracie. 

After 5 years of praying for her,  

And after 11 years of living in an orphanage, 

Today Gracie finally found her forever family. 

Gracie was just a little 6 year old the first time I met her in 2011. 

And ever since then I swear she has not stopped smiling. 

And shouting. 

And laughing. 

She is just the happiest little girl I have ever met. 

I fell in love with her joyful spirit the day I met her

Because Gracie has so many reasons NOT to be happy

But she is 

Gracie finds every reason to smile. 

And she waited so patiently for her family. 

She watched one by one as the other older kids got adopted. 

And she was left behind. 

She wanted a mama and baba so badly. 

I prayed and worried so much for her the older she got. 

I even begged my own parents to adopt her. 

But prayer works.

And boy did it work for Gracie. 

Because after being hosted last summer 

She found her family. 

Today was an amazing day. 

Gracie and her new parents AND her new sister who was also being adopted today from another orphanage came and visited the orphanage. 

We ate lunch with them and Gracie was SO happy. 

Jumping up and down pointing and showing me her new mama and baba. 

I gave her a bestfriends necklace where she got half a heart and I got the other in hopes that she will always remember me. 

Saying goodbye was sad because I knew I would not see her next summer like I usually do 

But it also made me overjoyed knowing she had finally found the forever family she had dreamt about for so long. 

These kinds of things are what give me hope. 

Because a lot of times being in the orphanage everyday seeing how depressing things are for these kids makes you feel very hopeless

But seeing kids find homes after waiting so long makes it all worth it. 

Gracie's dream came true today.

And I hope that with Gods help many other children's dreams of families can come true too.