A Good Name...

I still remember the evening we made the decision to host a four old orphan from China. Our family was huddled around the computer looking at his picture and reading his little one paragraph biography. We were reading his name, Zhou You Liu, and trying to figure out how in the world to pronounce it! Craig decided maybe we needed to have a nickname for now and suggested "Trooper".  In the little bio paragraph, it said he had just returned from surgery on his cleft palate, and he had been quite a trooper through it all. Even after God led us to adopt him, he was still Trooper to us. We did begin working on a "real" name to give him. The input from our children was interesting, and they thought we were never going to make a final decision!! One evening I cooked a Chinese meal of stir fry, rice, egg rolls, and home made fortune cookies. In the cookies I had put a piece of paper with his new name on it. This was no small task to accomplish without anyone knowing in our home school family where everyone is around all the time. Secrets are very hard to pull off but it was accomplished! When dessert was passed and the cookies were opened, they were delighted to find his name inside! Kian YouLiu Oyler! 

Kian is an Irish name meaning noble birth. You Liu was his Chinese name. You means friend and Liu means six. "Trooper" is still heard from time to time, but we have made the transition to "Kian".

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches,

and loving favour rather than silver and gold.  Proverbs 22:1

Where our journey began

Our adoption journey began a couple of years ago when we began to pray that God would use our family as His hands and feet here on earth. We did not know what His plan was for us, but we were open and willing. In the year that followed, several things started opening our hearts and turning us toward adoption. We became aware that literally millions of orphans need families. God revealed through scripture that it is through us that the fatherless are set in families, and we could no longer ignore that responsibility. Then last October, God began opening doors for us to host a 4 year old orphan, Zhou You Liu, from China. However, China closed the hosting program temporarily, and we were unable to host him. But God had a better plan! 

We could not forget about the little boy who we had been praying for over the last couple of months. Our hearts had already grown to love him! We soon learned that he was available for adoption and after much prayer, began the process. One of our prayers had been that if God wanted us to adopt, He would make that clear to us with a specific child. We felt that He clearly did that! We are still amazed that God could work in our hearts in that short time and give us such a special love for a child we have not even met!

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways

 acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6