I have been asked several questions lately and thought I would share them here because I'm sure others have the same questions.
I have been asked if it is hard having a child that is so far away and I can't bring her home yet. The answer is yes... It has been extremely hard knowing that my child is on the other side of the world and that I don't know if she is being loved or cared for. I don't know if she is sick or if she gets hurt and needs her mommy to kiss away her tears. I cannot wait for this journey to be over and for our new life to begin with our precious Sydney. The thing that gets me through is knowing that even though I can't hold her in my arms yet, God is holding her in His hand and he loves her even more than we do.
Another question I have been asked lately is if Sydney will speak any English and will that be hard for us to overcome. The answer is no, she will not speak any English. Sydney does go to school at her orphanage but from what our agency has told us, they do not teach English there. We are under no illusions that this will be an easy transition for any of us, especially Sydney. We are prepared for the challenges and frustrations that will be felt by all. We are doing several things to prepare for this language barrier. I am contacting KCC and OIT (local colleges) and asking if there are any Chinese speaking faculty or staff that may be willing to tutor us. I have not found any yet, so pray that I may find someone soon! Also, thanks to modern technology, there are apps that we have downloaded on our phones that we can speak into and it will translate back and forth from English to Chinese. Another idea that I ran across in my research has been to make flashcards for her with some common things that she may need. For example, she could point to a card to let us know she needs a drink or is hungry etc. So, I will be working in making those. One thing that we have learned is that if the child does not use their native language, that they will lose it within 6 months. We do not want this to happen, so I am also in search of a Chinese speaking mentor for Sydney. Someone that would spend time with her to ensure that she does not lose her native language and to also help her learn about her native Chinese culture and customs. So, please pray that God will send us just the right person for the job!
Another question I have come across is "Where is Sydney from?" She is from Nanping City in the Fujian Province of China. I tried to put a map on here, but it wouldn't post correctly. So, if you do a google image search for Chinese provinces, you will be able to see a map and see her province.
Well, that's about it for now. Please keep us in your prayers and here is a link to our go fund me page if you are in a place to make a donation. www.gofundme.com/sydneycarter.
Thanks so much and God bless!
