New Pictures of Shaling Today (Thanks to Tim!)

My friend Tim, who is currently in China picking up his new daughter, sent me some emails this morning that included new pictures of Shaling. Here is my favorite (Shaling is with Tim’s daughter, Heng Xin):



I also thoroughly loved this picture of a picture of Shaling from October 6:



He also got a great group picture:



He got to meet Shaling when he and his family went to the orphanage for a visit. He says, “I got to meet Shaling today! What a sweetie.” In another email, he says, “When I saw her - oh, what a wonderful feeling. I touched the top of her head, and said I know this one and her Mama too. I made sure to have our guide tell her that Mama would soon be there for her. I think she has pictures of her bedroom? for I saw pictures there that I believe were the furniture pieces I saw in her bedroom.”

I asked him to estimate her height and he thinks she is probably 52 inches tall. That is logical with earlier measurements we received, so I still truly think she is about the same size as Preston.

Tim says that the home in which the children live as a simulated family is quite small. He also says there are 10 children living in the home, not 8. Both Heng Xin and Shaling have been living with foster families, however, and it’s been awhile since they both resided in the simulated family home. The simulated family homes, while part of the orphanage, are actually a couple of miles from the orphanage. They are just a few blocks from the school.

Tim found out that his daughter was actually found at the age of 5 weeks. He was under the impression she had been found at age 3 ½. Turns out she lived the first few years of her life in an “old folks home” – until Long Gang SWI (the orphanage) was built. Considering their similarity in age and the fact that both girls were “found” in 2004, it makes me wonder if perhaps Shaling was discovered at a younger age as well.

He did share some heart-breaking news. On Monday, which was “Gotcha Day” for his family, there were three other families getting their children at the same time. One of those families is going home without a daughter. Apparently, her rejection of them was so extreme that the adoption was disrupted. I can only imagine that the depths of their pain would be similar to a family suffering the loss of a baby via stillbirth or a late term miscarriage. I pray that God comforts them and I pray that the child will eventually have a family.