China

I stepped out of the airplane doors and walked slowly down the long terminal with my sisters and my parents. We had just landed in Beijing, China. It had been a tiring 13 hour trip filled I had filled with movies and books. My family was pretty alert, considering it was 2 o’clock am. Because of the 12 hour time change, my body felt like it was only 2 o’clock in the afternoon, not late in the night. I just wanted to get some food and go to the hotel, but things didn’t quite go our way. For starters, our guide did not show up, and secondly, that meant we could not go to the hotel. We were stuck in the airport. We ended up spending the rest of the night trying to sleep on blue plastic chairs that were as hard as, well, rock. And that was the beginning of my trip to China.

Well, to be honest, the trip wasn’t really that bad. Besides the horrible Airborne drink my mom made my sister, Lily, and I take. It was like lemonade, yum! But, this lemonade was weak and had no sugar in it at all. It sounds a little less appetizing now, right? Anyway,the reason we were in China for a mission trip. We were going to have a party for kids in the orphanage my sister and I were adopted from, then volunteer at a camp for some kids from orphanages all over China.

So, after we finally made it to the hotel we had a great breakfast, and headed out. We walked around the city looking at all the colorful things up for display at various shops. I stopped to look at copper fish swimming around it a bowl on the ground and to see all the rows of colorful candy for sale. Later, we got in a taxi as bright as the sun and winded through the busy streets and down a road to the orphanage. We got out, stretched our legs, and walked up to the orphanage. We were given a tour of the orphanage by the director, who led us through the various rooms around the orphanage. Then, in one of the bigger rooms, we started setting up supplies so that the kids could draw some pictures. Next, we set up a table and brought a cake we had bought for a party for the kids. Then a little boy who looked about four came up to my mom and showed her his picture he had drawn. My mom picked him up and started talking to him, but the director told us he was deaf. The director said his name was Yu Le. She asked the director if  this little boy was listed for adoption and he said, "no". My mom told him that he should be on the list because someone in America would want him! Finally, we left to go to the camp where we were helping in Yunnan, China.

One week later:

After we got home from the long plane ride and the drive back to our house from the airport , we all collapsed on our beds and slept for the next week! Later that month, my mom remembered the little boy in the corner we had met at the orphanage. My parents got in contact with the director and started sending money to school him. One year later, we adopted again, and I had another sister, Shana! Then, just two weeks after Shana cam home, someone from China called my dad and told him they had found a file for adoption with our family's name attached! My dad asked him if the file was Yu Le's and the man said yes! My dad told my mom, but they decided that they had were too overwhelmed at the moment. Then, in 2014, my parents started considering adopting the little boy we had met. They found his file again and started praying.  Finally, this past July, my dad flew to China. Two weeks later, I had a new brother!

That trip to China really changed my life. We met my brother, Asher, who now is part of my family. Though it has been hard work, learning sign, getting his room ready, and getting used to having a deaf person in our house, I am very thankful that I have a new brother.

-Manna Robertson