A Letter From The President

Gwen's certificate of citizenship arrived in the mail yesterday. We've been waiting for this. When Scott brought the mail in, I spotted the big yellow envelope with "U.S. Citizenship and Immigration" in the return address.

"It's here!"

We tore into it and looked first at the actual certificate, an impressive looking document with an original photo on it, one that was taken in China when we'd had Gwen only about a week. Her lips are pouty (she has beautiful lips!) and her eyes wide. She's wearing an aqua hooded sweatshirt and has a pink bow in her tiny ponytail on top of her head. Her bangs are noticibly shorter than they are now. The picture had been taken to be used on her U.S. visa, so we'd seen it before and thought it was so cute then! The document states the following, in many more words than this~

"Be it known that Gwendolyn Yu Sarah Liptak... became a citizen of the United States of America on December 22, 2005 and is now in the United States".

The document is cool to look at, but the accompanying letter from George W. Bush is what brought us to tears. The second paragraph is what did it.

"Americans are united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals. The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding promise that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, and that no insignificant person was ever born."

When Gwen was born in China, her immediate future was uncertain. In China, she would not be given a chance. She was not allowed to belong to the family that she arrived into.

But God had other plans for Gwen, and I believe He guided the woman who gave birth to her. He gave her the strength and courage to do what seems to us unthinkable... abandon her baby. But she knew she was providing Gwen with a chance at a way out, a chance for a better life. Somehow, by the hand of God, Gwen was found and chosen for us, chosen to be in our family and thus, be an American.

Thank you, America, for receiving our daughter with open arms. We pray that she will find acceptance and love here always. Thank you, Jesus, for leading us to find each other!