The Rainbow Connection

Crystal and Jeff Kershaw live on the other side of the world from the Xining Children's Home, an orphanage that Christian Action co-manages on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Like many of you, the Kershaws have a deep sense of connection to the children in Xining. I'm so thankful to Crystal, who I wrote about in ' A Double Rainbow Blessing' last week, for sharing the moving story of their experience of adopting Meizi in 2001. This is what she wrote to us last week:

Before Meizi came home to Ohio in 2001, a dear friend gave us a photo frame embellished with a beautiful rainbow and the wise adage, “God always keeps His promises.” We tucked away the symbol of the rainbow in our hearts as we eagerly awaited the day we would meet our new daughter.

As we waded through the stacks of paperwork that came with the adoption process, I began asking God to put His hand on our future daughter. My prayers ran along this line; “Lord, I don’t know who she is, but You do, and so I am asking that You put Your hand of blessing on her; that You keep her safe and strong until the day she becomes a Kershaw.” The same theme echoed through my requests for months: Please hold her in Your arms Lord, until we can hold her.”

We spent a couple of days in Beijing before meeting our agency’s interpreter and traveling with her to Xining. When I asked our interpreter Miss Tai (a lawyer from Beijing) if she had ever been to Xining, her reply was telling. “Why would I ever go to Xining? ” she answered emphatically. Of course, we did not have an answer. It seemed there were very few answers about Xining, and when our plane landed at the remote airport, we truly felt we were in another world. The van ride to the hotel was unusually quiet. We knew our daughter had just turned four years old and that she was the first to be adopted internationally from both her orphanage and Qinghai Province. Aside from that, we did not know what to expect.

Our flight was late, so we had only a few minutes before meeting our new daughter in the hotel lobby. We had been told to expect an orphanage official or two, but when the doors of the elevator opened, we saw a crowd of people. I asked Miss Tai who they were, and she said she did not know. That moment of confusion was overcome by a moment of pure joy as we saw our beautiful Meizi. Meeting the gaze of a child you will spend a lifetime with is an incredible experience; one we will never forget.

In the excitement of the moment, a whirl of action seemed to envelop us. Through the whirl, a lovely, well-dressed woman came up to me, and in perfect English said, “Hello, my name is Siew Mei and I am the head of a Christian relief organization that has been working in Zhao Wen Jen’s orphanage for four years. You have no idea how many people in Hong Kong are praying for you right now.”

I was stunned. My prayers for God’s hand on Meizi’s life had been dramatically answered. Meizi had just turned four, and Christian Action had been caring for the children in Xining for four years! It was as if Jesus himself was there. I rejoiced in telling Siew Mei that we were Christians too, and that dozens of people in the United States were also praying.

In the eight years since that day, God has kept so many promises in our lives through Meizi. She is a wonderfully bright spirit with a relentless sense of curiosity. Her energy adds life and spark to our family on many levels. Her brother Spencer (17) and sister Bailey (14) love their little sister, and we all are grateful to God for the blessing that she is.

Meizi is a skilled pianist who loves to write stories and songs. She is a bright mathematician and creative student. She loves sports and has recently added volleyball to soccer and basketball to her repertoire. She is a free spirit, vibrant character, and true joy. Her colorful personality always shines through.

A rainbow was the perfect theme for the party we gave as Siew Mei, her family, Lydia and Madam Li came to see us in Ohio. Their visit reminded us of God’s goodness to many orphans through Christian Action. Their hard work has brought much joy, like the joy we have in Meizi, to families around the world. God has kept so many promises through both Christian Action and Meizi; we celebrate the bright colors of His faithfulness every day.

The Kershaws, like so many of you, have prayed for, financially supported, spread the word and generally championed the cause of our children. I give you my heartfelt thanks. Next week: The dream that led to us to start our work in Qinghai!

Siew Mei