The gift of identity

I recently received a letter from a Mom who had adopted one of our children from Xining Children's Home. She had read my recent post about Jiang Xiang and she thought she recognized his face from some of the baby pictures of her daughter, Rosemary. She wanted to know if Jiang Xiang could possibly be Rosemary's foster brother from their shared home in Xining.

Here's part of the letter I received:

Greetings! I just finished reading your latest blog entry about Jiang Xiang, and wondered whether he was ever in foster care?  He looks so much like pictures I have of a little boy standing with Rosemary in what I assume was her first foster home in Xining.  If this is the same little boy, I would love to be able to share his story with Rosie (Rosemary) as a little bit of a connection to her past.

Rosemary enjoys the outdoors

Because their personal history is often such a mystery to the children who come to us, Christian Action begins to build a history for them so that they have some links to their roots. This helps to give a child a sense of identity as they grow and start asking questions. More than one family has told us that we are the only agency who provides new parents, and their child, with what becomes a treasured collection of memories.

After a quick look at Rosie and Jiang Xiang’s files, I was very happy to confirm that they had indeed been in foster care together!

I wanted to share this story with you because Rosemary is not the only child from Xining Children’s home who wonders about her past. I am grateful that we have photographs and stories to share when those questions do arise. Unfortunately I never have all the answers, but I always send one very clear message in response to every enquiry: "I loved you, and you were a treasured part of the Christian Action family."

As a supporter of Christian Action, you too are an indirect part of the lives of Rosemary, Jiang Xiang, and every other child in our care.  Your support means that we have the resources to give children a future, together with happy memories of their past.