The Markmiller Family

To this day, Jenny and I disagree over the details of our first “what if...” conversation about adopting. Were we at the park, or at AAA? In Los Angeles or Boston? Regardless of where, we both strongly felt, even before marriage, that one day the Lord wanted us to adopt a little girl from China. After a few years of marriage, we were blessed with two wonderful boys: Jack and little brother, Sam. When Sammy had reached 2 years, we began wondering IF “Number 3” was in our future. The Lord told us pretty loudly, "YES!" And we knew without a doubt that we would begin the process of adopting from China.

We researched several adoption agencies and soon knew we wanted a solid Christian agency. AWAA was the first to reply to us, and quickly became our top choice. We prayed about it, sent in our application, and our "paper pregnancy" was underway.

So began the process of collecting documents, getting physicals, mailing forms, and getting to know our amazing Family Coordinator, Kim, quite well. Our paperchase ended on August 10th, 2004, when our dossier traveled to China. We were logged in with the CCAA on August 13th, 2004. And then we waited.

Five months may not be such a long time, but it felt like an eternity to us. We finally got the call we had been waiting for from Kim, on January 31, 2005. A baby girl, born in the Hunan province of China, was waiting for us. We were elated. The next morning her photos arrived, and we knew that the Lord had prepared us for her, and her for our family.

That spring, Michael and I traveled to China to get Katie. AWAA does an amazing job start to finish, and the support in China was absolutely wonderful. We experienced a bit of our daughter’s beautiful native country, under the care and direction of excellent local guides throughout the entire trip. On March 28th, our journey culminated in what we had been waiting for - finally holding Katherine Mei in our arms, convinced in our hearts that she was so much more than just a photo. It was a sublime, indescribable moment. She was perfect for our family. God gave her to us, and we are forever thankful.

Since we have been home (almost a year and a half), we have fallen more in love with this little bundle of energy. She is pure JOY. She has brought so much into our family. The boys LOVE their Mei-Mei and would do anything for her. She, in turn, adores her Ge-Ge’s and has them wrapped around her little finger. Michael and I just swoon over her daily and we thank the Lord at how perfectly she fits in. We could not imagine life without our daughter. We are forever grateful to the Lord, to the doctors and nannies who cared for her in China, and to America World Adoption Association for giving us the sweetest gift. The gift of our daughter.

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