Mike and Sharons Adoption Site

The girls wear traditional Ethiopian garb to church...

2008-08-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

Erin comes up from North Carolina to meet her new sisters.....

2008-08-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

Girls in Pink

2008-08-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

The girls love to dig through all of Shivy's clothes and seem to change their outfits about 10 times a day..:) Check the fuzzy slippers on Andenette..:)

(And of course Kalkidan's golf visor..)

Tom introduces Andi and Kali to a new friend...

2008-08-18T10:29:00.001-07:00

2008-08-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Siobhan welcomes Kalkidan in Dulles airport

2008-08-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

The girls arrive with Sharon...whew what trip !!

2008-08-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

It's good to be 11 AND a US citizen!

2008-02-04T05:38:00.000-08:00

Caris Turns 11 !!

2008-02-04T05:30:00.000-08:00

We celebrated on January 28th with Caris' first American birthday party. Our special guests were three DeLille girls: Caitlyn, Fedila and Rachel. The pinata filled with candy was the big hit. Caris and Fedila, who are brand new to America, were amazed when the pinata ripped open to reveal a cache of candy! What a great country!

Caris Starts School

2008-02-03T14:28:00.000-08:00

Caris is now in the fourth grade at Rural Point Elementary School here in Mechanicsville. She participates in most specials such as music, art and gym, with the class, and then is pulled out for tutoring in English and Math. She says, "school....I REALLY like."

Back in the states...

2007-12-28T21:37:00.000-08:00

We are in Los Angeles tonight ....glad and grateful to be back in America, safe and sound...Caris technicaly became a U.S. citizen as our plane touched down........
Getting through customs was a treat at LAX - we had to get into the long (and slow) line for people "entering the United States as citizens for the first time"..we handed over a sealed pouch of information from the U.S. consulate in China , Caris was fingerprinted and then...luggage, customs, and home again......

Looks like we made it!

2007-12-26T20:10:00.000-08:00

Representatives from our adoption team went to the US Consulate this morning to represent us and apply for Caris' Visa into the US. They told us if we didn't get a phone call by 11:00 am this morning with a problem, we were approved. It's now 12:10, so it looks like we're official! Now we just need to survive the farewell/disco party tonight :-) and tomorrow we'll begin the journey home.

The things you see on a stroll through the park..:)

2007-12-26T01:48:00.000-08:00

Enjoying the Pearl River Cruise

2007-12-26T01:41:00.000-08:00

Caris is checked out by Chinese doctors...

2007-12-26T01:29:00.000-08:00

The Countdown begins

2007-12-26T00:30:00.000-08:00

Our US consulate appointment to get a VISA for Caris to enter the US was supposed to be this morning, but was postponed for a day, which means we will have to apply for approval tomorrow, Thursday, and then travel to the consulate to take an oath of citizenship in her behalf on Friday on the way to the airport to leave the country! Please pray that there are no last minute problems, or we will not be able to leave the country as scheduled. The USAA adoption team has been very careful to help us fill out the reams of forms correctly, so we are hopeful that we won't run into any snags.

Pearl River Dinner Cruise

2007-12-26T00:23:00.000-08:00

,,,this was a beautiful event we participated in on Christmas night. We cruised the Pearl River in Guangzhou and took in the vibrant lights of the city while we feasted on delicious Chinese cuisine. The river cruise was another first for Caris, as was the plane ride from Nanning to Guangzhou. The girl loves action! She loved the roller coaster at the park in Nanning and really enjoyed the rough landing at the Guangzhou airport. The cruise may have been a little too mild for her taste. I think Tommy and James will have an enthusiastic playmate in their new sister Caris!

Worshiping with some saints

2007-12-26T00:10:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a meaningful Christmas service we created yesterday with three other couples from our group! Isn't it amazing that believers can always identify each other in a crowd. We found each other and agreed to meet in one couple's hotel room. One of the young women wrote out the words to some Christmas hymns, passed them out, and that began an hour-long time of singing, Scripture reading, sharing and praying. The room didn't have any of the trappings of a church, most of the faces were Chinese American and we never even discussed what churches we belonged to, yet the communion we had with one another and our Lord was rich! Praise God who reigns in all places at all times!

Our travel group is mostly Chinese Americans....

2007-12-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

"Ge Ge" (big brother) and Mei Mei (little sister) share a monemt as we tour a temple

2007-12-24T21:27:00.000-08:00

A unique group

2007-12-24T21:18:00.000-08:00

We're back in Guangzhou now to complete our paperwork for the US Consulate to get Caris a VISA to enter the US. She will become a US citizen at the moment we land in LA on Friday. Caris had to participate in the mandatory medical check-up yesterday, which is required by the US for entry into the country. The US-approved clinic was a swarming mass of adopting humanity. I imagine Ellis Island would have a similar atmosphere.

We are part of a unique adoption group. Our adoption was considered expedited because Caris has special needs. The other people who qualify for expedited adoptions are Chinese Americans. Our group consists of all Chinese American couples from California, us and one other family from Atlanta who is adopting an older girl as well. It's been a great experience to meet these Chinese Americans and have them talk to Caris in Chinese to make the transition easier.

The Buddhist Temple

2007-12-24T21:12:00.000-08:00

One of the must-see stops on the tour is an ancient Buddhist Temple. Our group went there for the blessing of the babies. Most of the group members knelt at an altar before a 25 ft. statue of Buddha, as a Buddhist priest chanted out a blessing for the new adoptees. We chose to stand in the back and watch. At one point I whispered to Caris, "We love Jesus. Not him." (pointing to Buddha) She grinned and said, "I know." We have lots of evidence that she already loves Jesus too!

Christmas in China

2007-12-24T21:01:00.000-08:00

We thought we'd miss Christmas completely this year, but were we ever wrong! In their effort to imitate all things Western, the Chinese hotels and restaurants in both Guangzhou and Nanning are brimming with festive decorations: Huge lobby Christmas trees, decorations, and waitresses dressed up like elves or Santa. They love to yell out Merry Christmas at every opportunity! The only sad part of all of this is there is no concept of the origin or real meaning of Christmas. Our guides gave us a rockin' Christmas eve party last night, complete with Santa hats for the guests and, of course, the mandatory Chinese man dressed as Santa (our guide, Martin). As you can tell from the photos, Caris had no trouble getting into the spirit. Today, Christmas Day, we will take part in an impromtu Christmas service with a few people in our group who are also believers.

Our hard-to-miss family enters Peoples Park.....lots of stares, many locals tried out their "hello" and "goodbye" on the Americans.....

2007-12-21T01:21:00.000-08:00

The bridge from our hotel to Nanning at night,,,,,,

2007-12-21T01:15:00.000-08:00

We ate at a Tibetan resturant and th e owner drssed Ryan and Weiqi in traditional garb.....

2007-12-21T01:07:00.000-08:00

Weiqi tries a lemon......

2007-12-21T01:01:00.000-08:00

The orphanage and foster home

2007-12-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

Mike and I visited Guangxi Mother's Love Orphanage, where Caris spent the first few years of her life. It has become a home for mostly special needs children in the last few years, and houses a small school as well. We met and held many of the children; children with down syndrome, cerebal palsy, blindness, deafness. They really seemed to appreciate the extra human contact. One boy with leg braces and hearing aids feel in love with Mike after he tossed him in the air and caught him a few times. It probably felt like a King's Dominion ride to his understimulated little self.

We also visited Caris' foster home of the last five years, the home of an Australian family. Since the mom has homeschooled Caris, she was able to give me some insight into her academic strengths and weaknesses. Caris shared a bedroom with the family's 12-yr-old biological daughter. The room had a set of bunk beds, a dresser and enough room to walk between the two. Her "backyard" consisted of a cement area surrounded by buildings under construction: men on scaffolding, hammering, sawing and soldering with no barrier between them and the world around them.

You call that freedom?

2007-12-20T17:23:00.000-08:00

As you may know, clean laundry is a point of pride to the Chinese. Every apartment and housing unit has a line hanging with drying laundry. We mentioned to our Chinese guide, Hannah, that our neighborhood at home has rules against hanging laundry outside in the yard. She was flabbergasted, saying, "but that is your place! Chinese can do what they want in their own place!" So much for democratic freedoms!

Ryan and Harry Potter: Separated at Birth?

2007-12-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

We met a bunch of Chinese school children yesterday. They immediately took a liking to us Westerners and started following us around. They kept grinning and pointing at Ryan, saying, "Harry Potter...Harry Potter." Seems like a stretch to us, but let's face it, all caucasians look alike! :-)

Our hotel is in a big park filled with walking trails....

2007-12-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

Caris gives her new Dad a cake for his BDay...

2007-12-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

Caris and Ryan try China's version of Pizza Hut....

2007-12-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

Treasured Information

2007-12-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

The orphanage director presented Caris with a gift bag after the adoption. We couldn't believe what was in it when she opened it. There were several photo albums of pictures of her from the time she was an infant up until fairly recently in the foster home. She was able to point to the children in the pictures at the orphanage, say their names and say whether they had been adopted or were about to be adopted. Each time she mentioned an adoption, her face glowed with happiness for the former friend.

Also in the bag was a thick scroll of papers detailing her medical, physical and social development from babyhood. They are written in Mandarin, so we will have to have them translated.

We were also told the name of the street where she was abandoned as a newborn. We went there yesterday and took a picture of the street, which now has a new name.

Mike and I are scheduled to visit the orphanage and her foster home today. She'll stay behind at the hotel with Ryan, as we all agree it would not be good for her to go back so soon. She was also told that she would not have contact with them again on this trip once she met her forever family. She told our translator to make sure she told the kids at the orphanage that Mike and I are her new Daddy and Mommy! SMILE...GLOW... :-D.

Ryan and Weiqi try the childrens toys ....

2007-12-17T23:30:00.000-08:00

Adoption Day...Mike and Weiqi has some fun while we wait at the govt offices....

2007-12-17T23:27:00.000-08:00

Daddy uses toothpicks as chopsticks

2007-12-17T23:23:00.001-08:00

Its official ....Weigi becomes our daughter with Sharons thumbprint

2007-12-17T23:01:00.000-08:00

Weiqi is a Dennehy!!

2007-12-17T22:03:00.000-08:00

"To Him who is able to do immeasureably more than all we ASK or IMAGINE...to Him be the glory..." Eph.3:20.

This morning, the 18th, Mike's birthday, Weiqi became our daughter, Caris Dennehy, at the Civil Affairs Office in Nanning, Guangxi Province. Mike says she is the best b'day present he's ever received!

This happy occasion follows a wondrous day yesterday, when Mike, Ryan and Sharon met Caris for the first time. We were surprised to learn that she had been living with a foster family for 5 years. We were warned that this attachment might cause some separation problems. To the contrary! The foster family was a gracious Australian family who prepared her COMPLETELY for us and taught her some English.

Caris is a precious gem. She is beautiful on both the outside and the inside. She has a great sense of humor and is very playful, curious and happy. It's heartwarming to see her and new brother Ryan goofing around together despite the language barrier. They're two peas in a pod!

Daydreaming...

2007-12-14T15:43:00.000-08:00

We are here passing time in LAX (flight leaves at midnight) and here is a look into our daydreaming of what it will be like when we land......

http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/view/aCsTCGogyBcpPhyMEGVIHmIw

Off to China .....

2007-12-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

After waiting about a year, we have gotten the "OK" and are off to China. Mike , Sharon , and Ryan will be making the long trip to meet and bring home our new daughter Weigi . We are currently planning to name her "Caris" which is a derivation of the Greek word for Grace (Charis) ... we are scheduled to travel to Los Angeles this Thursday (Dec 13th) and then flying China Southern Airlines from LAX to Guangzhou. Ghuangzhou is in the south of China (near Vietnam) and the climate is warm. Weigi is actually in the city of Nanning so we will need to fly there from Guangzhou on a Chinese airline on day two to meet Weigi/Caris.