Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Worth the Wait

Zoe enjoyed looking at the books she found at Children's Hope

Chris Calvin with baby Zoe
 It was one year ago, that 23-month-old Zoe was adopted and then traveled to her new home in Tennessee. Her proud parents, Glenda and Chris Calvin, of Dyersburg, were overwhelmed with emotion when they finally got the referral call from Children's Hope. The two months between that phone call and when they boarded a plane for China seemed like a sprint, compared to the four and a half years they waited. Their official international adoption dossier was logged into Beijing in May, 2006. And then the brakes came on for adoptions from China.

"In the middle, I was wondering would this ever happen," Glenda Weckman-Calvin said when describing the agony of waiting on the China adoption process.

In a visit yesterday to Children's Hope in St. Louis, Glenda and Chris were giving examples to the staff of what a "wonderful baby" Zoe has been; so expressive and adventurous. And although they said the long wait was torturous, Chris Calvin said, "It was worth the wait."  

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Surrounded by CHI staff, Dwyatt Gantt celebrates his 80th birthday
with his favorite, "chocolate cake".

To the founder of Children’s Hope International,
Grandfather to nearly 8000 children,
We all wish you a Happy 80th Birthday today.

Thank you Dwyatt!