Shaohannah's Hope

I've been holding off on telling the story about one of the most amazing days in our adoption journey in hope that I would suddenly become tech savvy and be able to post some links, videos, etc. ! But since it's not happening, I guess I'll just have to tell the story and try to add stuff later.

First a little background. I've always followed Steven Curtis Chapman's (SCC for short because I don't want to keep writing his name!) music and career. As a pre-teen, I had attended an incredible youth convention where a then hardly known young singer and song writer performed his music and shared with us about his life. I vaguely remember meeting him and speaking to him with a dear friend of mine who is still my friend to this day. Our youth group only had 4 members in attendance, but we won a stereo and cassette tapes in a raffle. That was how I got my first SCC tape. Over the years as his career became enormously successful, and I felt just a bit of a connection to it, kind of like I knew him back when!

I remember one of the times when I was trying to find a way to talk myself out of adoption. Maybe it wasn't what God was calling us to do, maybe it was all in my mind. Maybe when the kids were older, we could think about it. And just when I had talked myself into a little peace with all of that in my head, I turned the radio on in the car to hear SCC's voice talking about adoption and how he heard God's call and struggled against it. It was like God was telling me not to give up hope just yet - it was going to happen. So when Scott finally was ready to pursue an adoption, of course I thought about SCC's grant organization called Shaohannah's Hope (after his first daughter from China). I looked at the website and thought I saw (although I know it must not have said this now) that we had to go through specific adoption agencies to qualify. Oh well, so much for that, I thought! So I started selling Mary Kay products trying to help raise the money we needed for the adoption.

One day in March, I was at my daughter's gymnastics class, sitting with a mom I hadn't seen for a while. She asked why we weren't doing Saturday's anymore (I believe this was a make-up class for her daughter, we had met when our daughter's were in the Sat. class together). I told her that I was doing Mary Kay classes on Saturdays to help raise money for our international adoption. Her jaw about hit the floor! She and her husband were trying to internationally adopt a little girl with Down Syndrome! We talked like crazy throughout the class (sorry, Woogie, I missed all the cartwheels!), and we exchanged e-mails. As we left, I told her that very morning I had been to a mother's prayer meeting at church (the only one I went to, I'm sorry to say!), and another mother had prayed specifically for me that I would find someone going through the adoption process that would be able to support and encourage me! It was a prayer I didn't even think to pray, and now I realize the wisdom of that prayer. Not only did I find this woman, but also lots of online support that has just been invaluable!

OK, back to the story. I had tried to e-mail the lady from gymnastics after we talked, but never heard back from her until out of the blue in late July or Aug. She mentioned that they were applying for a grant from Shaohannah's Hope and had I considered this. I e-mailed her back, telling her that we didn't qualify, but also thinking I should go back to that website again. When I did, I found no restriction on agencies! I've since been told there never was one. I really believe God had allowed me to believe that until just the right time. I quickly got our application together and sent in all the necessary paperwork. I had no idea how much the grants were and really wasn't counting on qualifying. Very soon after we applied, I received a phone call from Shaohannah's Hope asking us if we could go to SCC's concert that was coming up in the area. They wanted us to share a bit about our adoption as they were trying to bring attention to the need for adoption at the concert. I'm not really big on getting up in front of large crowds, but I nervously agreed as I felt that this was an opportunity for us to help more children find homes. My husband was really excited (which is good, because I agreed before I asked him!)! It was funny, because when I had sent our application letter to my friend (the same one that went to the youth convention with me) for proof-reading and a second opinion, she had told me about the upcoming concert, and we had already purchased tickets and planned to attend.

It was a couple weeks after that phone call, we got the devastating call about the law changes and the need for multiple trips. That month was so hard! We didn't know what we were doing, and now we were going to talk about our adoption in front of a whole concert audience! I was really hoping at this point that there would be multiple families from the area, not just us on that stage! We were far less positive about our adoption experience than at the time of agreeing to speak at the concert!

We were nervous and excited about the concert. At least, by the time of the concert we had Scott's first trip scheduled and were feeling a bit more positive about things, but we were still trying to figure out what God was doing in all of this. Having never intended to travel, we had a myriad of fears and concerns - would Scott be able to take the time off work he needed, how would we pay for 2 trips, how would Scott be a single parent to a child he couldn't communicate with for 2 weeks in a foreign country, would we be able to figure international travel out or would I accidentally book his flights wrong and have him stuck in Australia somewhere?! I think Scott even asked me if we might be getting a grant that night. I told him that I had been told it would take several months for them to make a decision, and I didn't even know if we would know if we were getting a grant before the adoption was finalized. I didn't even remember to take the camera.

Mercifully, just before intermission we got a little hint of what was to come or else I think I would have passed out on stage! SCC came out and talked about Show Hope and Change for Orphans. They were collecting change at every concert to give to a local family that was adopting. They were here tonight. Scott and I just looked at each other. Us? Couldn't be! SCC even went on to say that said maybe there would be a lot of families, I guess trying to continue the surprise. That must be it, I thought, we didn't qualify for a grant, so they're going to bring up a bunch of local families and split up what they collected tonight. How nice! So now we were really nervous! We waited until the song came on that they told us to walk out and meet up with the person who would take us up on stage. It was funny that the song was, "Live Out Loud," because that's the song that Woogie calls the "Coffee Can Song." That morning at church, she went up to everyone she saw, and said "My mom and dad are going to see the man that sings the Coffee Can song." We, of course, got a lot of blank looks! That song was the 2nd to last song, and when we got up, a lot of other people did too. Oh, there were many families here, not just us! But then they started going toward the bathroom and the exits until it was just us walking toward the meeting spot! Now I was REALLY nervous!!

Please understand that the rest of this is pretty much a blur! We went out on stage after the last song was over. I found out later that my friend was very close to the stage and was able to share the whole experience with us. SCC introduced us and asked Scott a few questions about where we were adopting from, how old our daughter was, and when his trip was scheduled for. Thank goodness I didn't have to speak! Then, he gave us a $4000 grant! I cried of course! That was wonderful, but the best part was when SCC led the entire audience in prayer for our adoption, praying for Myli by name! It was such an awesome moment! We just felt like God came down and showed us His love and care. Like He wanted to reassure us in a big way that this was His plan, that He was still in control, and that He would continue to provide for us and lead us. I cannot explain what that did for us at that moment and continues to do for us as we continue on this journey.

We walked off the stage with SCC and talked with him and his wife for a few minutes, and show them some pictures of Myli. It was so nice to talk with them, knowing that they have been through this 3 times! They were so encouraging! I was able to share what a blessing that grant was to us, the current struggles we had been having, and how much this experience meant to us at that very moment. I was able to share how much of an inspiration they have been to us through their example of faith and through his music.

So even though, I don't know how to post links and stuff, please visit Shaohannahshope.org. They have a great video called "Treasure," I believe. SCC's daughter is so very cute! I also highly recommend all of his music including his beautiful songs about adoption. He also has a new song out that isn't about adoption, but was inspired by his daughters. It's called "Cinderella," and there wasn't a dry eye in the audience that night when he sang it!