Sara’s Success Story

One of the hard questions I have talked with God about is “How come He waited till Sara was 13 before we found out about her?” I have struggled with this because looking back over the adoptions of our three daughters, I realized that Sara was around 3-4 years old when we began the process to adopt Leighanne. The only answer I can settle on is that Ben and I were not ready, and Sara was not ready. There are things about each of our stories that are out of our hands, God’s timing is definitely one of those!

I choose to believe that she became a part of our family at just the right moment for her and our family.

In October we will celebrate Sara and Hannah’s 10th “Forever Family Day.” Adopting older children has been both a blessing and a challenge. We have all grown from the experience and I believe we are all better for it.

Today though, I want to celebrate Sara’s growth as an overcomer. She is an amazing young woman who has faced many difficulties and used the hard lessons as an opportunity to grow.

Our Sara began her life in China as an orphan from birth. She was fostered by an older couple, mainly the dad due to health issues with her foster mother. At some point, her foster dad became her only caregiver. Sadly, he passed away when Sara was around 9 years old and Sara moved into the welfare center in her city. In this particular center, there were mostly older residents, hardly any other young children.

When we adopted Sara, she was 13 years old and the Chinese government had her sign papers agreeing to be adopted–she actually was given a choice. Knowing very little about our family, she decided to leave behind everything she knew and embrace a new culture, country, family, and language. This girl had strength and courage as a 13-year old that some adults never display.

One of the funniest/saddest moments of parenting Sara occurred in her first week home in the states. She began having terrible pain in her tooth and we had to take a trip to the dentist. Now our girl has some spunk, and we had already had our precious friend translate that we were going to the dentist to check out her teeth because of the pain. What we didn’t know is that someone in China had filled her head with stories that we were only adopting her for her body parts. When the dentist and the assistant came in to examine her teeth, she sat up pointed to the tools and instruments, shook her head “no” and in her best emphatic Chinese, she proceeded to tell us no way were we taking her organs. (I only know this because Sara later shared this information.) The funniest part is when the dentist started trying to explain to Sara in his best “Spanish” what he was trying to do. When I quit laughing, I had to remind him that Sara was Chinese–Spanish certainly wouldn’t help. In the end, we called Yan again, and she convinced Sara we meant no harm only good. She eventually had to get that tooth pulled, and that began a 5-year dentist/orthodontist collaboration to get her teeth in line and healthy. This girl is tough! She has had screws drilled into her bones, some kind of chain thing that connected the screws to her braces, and all kinds of other things that enabled her to have the beautiful smile she now has.

We homeschooled Sara at the beginning of her schooling to jumpstart her education and learning of English. In her first year and a half home, she completed 5th, 6th, and 7th-grade math courses. She also learned basic English and writing skills. When she began high school as a ninth-grader, she was almost on target for math, but way below grade level in reading and writing. She never gave up and was very persistent in pursuing her education. When we felt God calling us to Honduras Sara had to make another decision–move with us or stay in the states with another family and complete high school. She chose to stay and complete her education in the states and made yet another transition. Because of her accommodations and diligent teachers, she was able to graduate from high school in 2017 at the age of 20; she had only been in the states for 6 years.

Right after she graduated, she came to visit us in Honduras and was with us when I was diagnosed with cancer. Her life had another upheaval and she moved in with my parents and then my sister Sheryl, and her husband, Dewayne in Jesup. Ben and I had to live in Jacksonville so I could get treated for ovarian cancer.

We had some ups and downs during this next phase as she transitioned from teenager to adulthood. At one point she even moved out of our house and hardly stayed in touch for about 4 months. We all learned some hard life lessons during this season, but Sara still worked hard and figured out how to live. Some of her choices were wise and some provided her with challenges to face. Over time, we all worked on our relationship and we are better for it!

Sara has a great work ethic and she is a hard-working employee. She bought her first car, with money she had saved and some additional money from us. Last year, she moved into her first apartment and she soon decided that she wanted to own her own place.

While only making $11.44 an hour at her current job, and working other side jobs, she managed to save enough money for a down payment for her own home. She has a strict budget, and she set her mind to reach her goals.

At age 24, my courageous daughter is now living in her first home and doing “adult” things. Her dad and I are so proud of her for doing the hard things to become this independent, Jesus-loving, hardworking woman she has become.

Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not possible to live and do well on a small income, you just have to make good choices and stick with it. Sara still has some growth areas in her life. She will be the first to tell you that her English needs improving, but we all know she is determined enough to grow through that too!

This week after spending the weekend painting, and helping her make some changes in her home, I am delighted with who Sara has become in her life. She shared her heart about some of her dreams and I can’t wait to see how God uses her in the future.

This verse from Isaiah 43:18-19 says

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Sara could have a victim mentality, she was born with a disability, she was orphaned at birth, she experienced trauma and loss, she gave up her culture, and her language. BUT she has not used those things to hold her back, she has blossomed into this amazing woman who is not dwelling on her past, but has looked onward to her future. She could have focused on all the negative things that occurred in her life, but she hasn’t–she’s driven and lives with purpose.

I’m blown away by this young lady! She has plans to work on her English and has some lofty thoughts and ideas. I can’t wait to see how she works on these goals. Time will show her results!

More than anything I’m proud of her relationship with Jesus. She searches for answers when she doesn’t understand and she has some beautiful thoughts when we talk about the Word.

Yes, Sara, you are living the American dream! You are doing much with little and being wise with money well beyond your age!! Keep it up!

Mama AKA