Debbie and Dana Blakeslee knew that the adoption journey could be a long process. With five children already at home, the couple felt led to adopt older children. When they accepted a referral for a boy and girl from Taipei, Taiwan after more than a year into their journey, the real wait began. The Blakeslee’s learned, however, that “God was in the waiting.”
Debbie shares,
“What can we say about this wait? How can we describe the anxious thoughts, the paperwork, the people God put in our path, the friendships forged with unlikely people that God was using to bring our children home? The day the letter came from Show Hope announcing our grant, my delight knew no bounds. It was NOT just a monetary grant to me.”
By an amazing “coincidence,” the Blakeslee’s oldest daughter, vacationing in Taiwan, was able to meet her new brother and sister just days after her parents accepted the referral back in the United States.
Months later, the Blakeslee’s held their first live webchat with their children, which they continued regularly for four months until they traveled to bring home their son, Kai. Because Sarah-Grace’s case was taking longer, the family knew they would continue with their chats and return for her on a different trip. They didn’t realize their return to Taiwan would be more than a year later, but their anxiousness turned to joy when at last their family was complete!
“To Show Hope sponsors I say ‘Thank you.’ It is so much more than money you are giving. It is hope and strength to go on for many long years and it is the belief that God is on our side in the wait.”
