Never Had

“Every soul is born with the God given need to belong and be loved by someone.” (Al Detweiler)
 

During this Christmas season, Amy and I can think of no better gift than that of family.
So, we wanted to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks to all of you who
were instrumental in bringing Lia to our family.

On June 18^th, 2012 we adopted Faith; to be precise, Lia Faith XiaoLi Swavely. She is a nine year old little girl, born and raised in China, full of spunk, who happens to have limited vision. Faith, at least for us, can best be defined by believing in something you can’t see, all the while believing God can and will make it happen, if He chose to do so.

Her inclusion in our family has been nothing short of miraculous. God asked my wife and I to step out in faith, to adopt “one of the least of these”. Lia was born with microphthalmia which means her eyes never fully developed and therefore, she has very limited vision. Although once you meet her, you will most likely be left with the distinct impression that she’s never had a limitation at all.

A few months ago, in the midst of washing the dishes with Lia, she said something that gave me pause. We were talking about family when she said, “I never had a family before.” For a moment, I was taken back because I have always had a family that loved me, who I loved, and was always there for me.  However, up until June 18^th, Lia never experienced having a family.

She is quickly learning English and doing extremely well picking up English Braille. She attends our local public school and has made many new friends. She is beginning to learn violin. One of her favorite things to do is Wii bowling and she’s very competitive. On her second day home, she was already, literally, running to our neighbor, Grammy Kass, and would chat away to her heart’s content. She rides a bicycle, sort of, with training wheels. She loves purple and we love her.

When God allowed Lia Faith to join our family, He gave us not just another daughter, but the unique ability to see with our souls, rather than just with our eyes. Thanks to you, and many others like you, Lia now has something she may never have experienced without your help: a family.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas,
Aaron for Amy, Jordan, Sianna, and Lia