This is the third in a series of columns I am devoting to the adoption journey my wife, Claudette, and I started in 2005. Hank Bond, publisher and editor of the Greenup Beacon, asked that we share our story with you. Maybe you have an interest in adoption or know someone who does. If so, I hope this information is helpful to you.

I left off last week sharing with you how we completed the “Paper Chase;” prepared to leave for China to bring home our daughter, Wu Si Yan (Josie Claire Siyan Hapney); and made our way to the Columbus airport.

It was January 2007. We flew from Columbus to Chicago. During our time at the airport in Chicago we ran into a couple from Pennsylvania who happened to be part of our travel group. They were on their way to China, too, to bring home their daughter.

We boarded our plane to leave for Beijing. As we settled into our seats for the 14-hour flight, we soon learned that there was a radar problem in the plane. Claudette and I sat (along with all other passengers) in our seats for four hours before the plane finally took off. Luckily we had our iPods and we also listened to XM satellite radio, provided by the airline. We spent 18 hours on that plane by the time we landed in Beijing.

Claudette and I had purchased iPods to take with us for the flight to China. This was pre-iPhone in terms of the time frame. I bought us two of the biggest iPods, in terms of storage capacity. I loaded them both up with music and movies. In addition, we watched a number of movies that were featured on the plane.

A large map showed us where we were at every given moment in terms of position in the sky above Earth. There was also a countdown showing us just how many thousands of miles we had and would travel.

I mentioned in a previous column in this series how Claudette and I set up a blog through which we posted photographs, video, and our thoughts and experiences about our adoption journey. We archived the website exactly as it appeared on the World Wide Web from 2006 until we closed it in 2009. This is an important archive of information that Siyan can cherish forever.  On the main page of our blog was the following:

“Welcome to our ‘Journey to Josie’! We thank God every day for Josie, and are counting down the days until we travel to China to bring her home to live forever with Mommy, Daddy, Brock, and Blake.

The music you hear playing . . . is ‘You are my child’ by Shawna Fox, from her CD ‘Fields of the Fatherless.’ Shawna is the adoptive parent of seven and has been a music minister for many years.

We plan to update this site often, so ‘stay tuned’! We sincerely appreciate your prayers and look forward to each of you following us on this journey around the world.”

We also featured a beautiful poem on the main page. It is “My Daughter” by Victoria Levesque:

“My Daughter means the world to me! So much out there for her to see! I’d like to take her in my arms, and show her the world and all its charms. As she grows a little day by day, God lights the path, to guide her on her way. As she blooms out like a precious flower, She will always know God’s wonderful power.

Other information on the main website page:

Wu Si Yan (Josie Claire Siyan Hapney) was born in 2004 in Suzhou, China, in the Jiangsu Province. She was found on the sidewalk just outside the Wuzhong Social Welfare Institute there. She was a waiting child. Our travel to China was Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2007.

We also featured one of our favorite Bible scriptures:

“I have prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him.”—1 Samuel 1:27.”

At the top of the website we featured five of our most special photographs that transitioned from pic to pic. Little Lady Bugs floated down and across the screen. We included a link to where Siyan was from, the current time there, the current weather, and a map and additional information about Jiangsu Province.

Next week, I will share some specifics about our time in Beijing, learning about the Chinese culture there. Everywhere we went and everything we saw happened so we could share these experiences with Siyan. We spent a total of two weeks in three provinces. What an experience it was!



Wu Si Yan as a baby at the Wuzhong Social Welfare Institute in Suzhou, China

Wu Si Yan in the arms of an "a yi" (eye E), the Chinese title that stands for babysitter or nanny--at the orphanage.

This is the photograph that appeared on the Lifeline (Alabama adoption agency) website. Wu Si Yan (Josie Claire Siyan Hapney) was known as "Bridget" on the site. When we saw her face, God quickly told us this was our daughter. He paved the way to China for us. It was nothing short of a miracle.