Do you remember the feelings and thoughts many of you had before the adoption process began to receive your sibling? I remember it as if it were yesterday. I had wanted a sibling so badly for many years. The adoption process was a journey in its self but the journey I went through the many years I waited to have a sibling was a very special one and one I will never forget.

A few weeks before my mom, my dad and I left to fly to China to adopt Gracie our Pastor asked us if we would share with the congregation about China adoptions and our thoughts and feelings that brought us to this decision to adopt Gracie. We were very excited to share our story and decided to talk to our church family the Sunday before we flew out on that Wednesday. I wanted to share with each of you my story that I shared that very special Sunday morning a year and a half ago.


"The adoption all started when I was little. I would hear prayer requests in my Preschool and Kindergarten class about my friend’s moms who were expecting and at church I would love to see the babies in the nursery. It seemed to me that every one of my friends had brothers or sisters and I wondered why I did not have one. I asked my parents how come I didn’t have a brother or sister and my parent’s response was, 'If Jesus wants mommy to have a baby then he will give us one.' That is when I started praying for a sibling. More and more as I grew up my friend’s moms would have more children and the number of my friends that were only children decreased. I would ask my parents over and over again, 'Why hasn’t God given us a baby?' The response was the same as always, 'If Jesus wants mommy to have a baby then he will give us one.' But now since I asked the question so frequently they would add, 'Kelsey we have been over this.' So I prayed again like many times before. I asked that question constantly that I started to cry myself to sleep. Now it just got to a point where I gave up on praying for a brother or a sister. Then, I got so tired of seeing brothers and sisters together that I started again. I asked my parents the same brother and sister question again but as always the question was no use. I stared getting jealous of my friends with siblings.

With my prayer God did answer in the year of 2002 of April when my aunt gave birth to my little cousin Jack who lives not to far from my house. I loved him like he was my brother but the thought of a brother or sister didn’t seem real in my life when all my baby toys and my crib was packed up and given to Jack.

In July of 2003 my aunt had yet another child, Meleah. And I loved her the same as Jack and then in September of 2003 my other aunt in Burlington gave birth to my cousin Nathan. I was so glad but sadly I thought that maybe God didn’t want me to have a brother or a sister. Was I just destined to baby sit?

I still longed for a brother or a sister and I wanted to see God’s Amazing Grace. Then in the spring of 2004 I started flipping through the channels and stumbled upon a show I have never seen nor heard about. It was Adoption Stories on Discovery Health Channel. So I gave the remote a click and I fell in love with now my favorite show. I asked my parents about adoption but dad did not feel like it was the thing to do at that time. Months later as I was watching the Adoption Stories sponsor’s commercial appeared. The commercial said, 'I need someone to play one on one. I need some one to help me with my homework. We need someone to make our dreams come true. Thousands of kids in America need homes. Older kids, kids with disabilities, and even siblings. Call the National Adoption Center.' I had enough when I saw that commercial. I cried as I went up stairs to my mom in her room. And we talked. I asked her, 'Mom, why do most of my friends who have brothers and sisters don’t seem to love them and I love younger kids but I don’t have one? Maybe God is speaking through me. Maybe God is not allowing you to get pregnant because he is speaking through me for us to do adoption.' My mom was speechless and finally found words and told me to talk to Dad when he got home.

When my dad got home the only thing my mom told my dad was that I needed to talk to him. Dad came up to my room alone and I told him the same thing I told mom. He was overwhelmed by what I had to say that he said we would pray about it and if this was God’s will then God would provide. So Dad said that we would look into the adoption process. And looking turned us to All God’s Children in Portland, Oregon where we started our adoption process with a lovely lady named Kristen.

Yes, this road was bumpy, hard and heartbreaking for me but I finally saw God’s Amazing Grace and that Grace is Fu AiRong. Gracesyn Alexandria AiRong Thompson. I don’t know if you noticed but I was looking for God’s Grace and Gracesyn’s name starts with Grace.

I have learned that you should be thankful for your siblings. They may bother you a lot but God gave you them for his purpose.

Kids can make a difference, and from this road I learned God always answers prayer with a yes, no, wait, or in a different way then anyone can ever think. In this case it was a different way because we are adopting and Gracie was made in our hearts and not in my mother’s womb. I have waited for this for almost 12 and a half years, and now we’ll be getting our Amazing Grace this Saturday.

As I close I just want to leave you with three sayings that I have heard during our adoption process. Number 1, is an Ancient Chinese Proverb which says 'An invisible Red Thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never breaks.'

Number two is a quote from Steve Bolt from Bring Me Hope International, He quotes, 'Just like the starfish that are washed upon the shore, we can’t save all of them but when you take one away it makes a big difference.'

And finally, number 3. Amazed By His Grace is what my mom ends all of her letters and emails dealing with Gracie. It is true. We are Amazed by His Grace and Our Grace."