CCAI Midwest Reunion

Last weekend was a wonderful time for our family as we met in Columbus, Ohio with adoptive families from 12 surrounding states. Nearly 500 people were registered for the CCAI Midwest Reunion held at the Columbus Zoo. We were thrilled to see so many well-adjusted families, some who have been together over 12 years and others less than 4 months. We also had an opportunity to rejoice with 2 families who had just received their information pack and first baby pictures. Our girls made friends with several NE Ohio children during the fun-filled weekend. The highlight for us was an hour long session with CCAI's founders, Josh & Lily. They met with waiting families to encourage us and answer as many questions as they could concerning the long wait. One explanation was that several countries, including Russia and Korea, had closed their doors to international adoptions for a period of time around the last quarter of 2005, just before our paperwork arrived in China. Many families moved their adoption files from these closed countries to China creating a log jam in the system and significantly increasing the wait. Although the wait is still long and we cannot predict with any certainty when we'll be traveling, the weekend was a great encouragement to us, like a "drink of cold water." We know that God has chosen a very special little girl for our family and we look forward to seeing that first picture in the coming months. Thank you for sharing this journey with us.

Chinese Dance Team from Ohio State

Lily & Josh addressing the attendees

Lily, Josh and our Family