In Spring 2007 I (Holly) first saw Yufei on the America World Adoption Association special need website. He was described as a six year-old boy with deformed wrists and fused knees. We expressed reservations about our ability to care for an older child with unique needs, we sensed God’s urging to pursue the adoption process. New pre-approval processes were required before we could begin the paperwork. Initially we believed that the small profits from the sale of our home in February 2007 were sufficient to cover the cost of the adoption but we were wrong.
Holly sometimes states, “Life is what happens when we’re making other plans”. Within a week of our application for adoption, our 21 year old daughter informed us of her engagement and upcoming marriage in April. There went a large portion of the adoption account. Then came Roger’s father’s unexpected death that required a family trip to Canada. Soon afterwards, our 17 year old daughter was diagnosed with a pituitary adenoma. Then Roger’s employment was scheduled to end.
Knowing Roger’s employment was ending soon, he made plans to return full-time to graduate school. We secured housing near the university before our trip to China and scheduled our move to Virginia for three days after our return from China.
We are convinced God orchestrated the timing of all these transactions and he provided for all of our needs during this unsettling time. The adoption travel expenses maxed out our once empty credit card account though we had enough to cover the moving truck expenses and get us settled in our new home. Presently Roger is attending graduate school full-time to gain a masters degree in education; meanwhile he searches for employment that will cover the family’s needs and provide necessary medical coverage for the family.
Jiang Yu Fei was renamed Steven Yufei Nauss, after Steven Curtis Chapman whose ministry was the inspiration for the adoption of our children. Our son is very petite for his age, even for Chinese children. Though he is seven, he’s much smaller than Samuel, our four year old adopted son from China. Steven still has all of his baby teeth, though one front tooth is unhealthy and discolored. He is developmentally delayed, functioning at a kindergarten level in all areas. We learned that his knees are not only fused but they appear to be rotated and the legs actually are bowed backwards. He walks as if he were wearing stilts. When he falls, he rights himself up by rolling to his front and pushing himself up supported by the back of his hands and toes, and in one jerking motion, thrusts his rear upwards and hops up like a bird. When he walks he places one foot forward while whipping the other foot around using his hip. The entire process seems painful but he shows no pain. When he runs, he side-steps with quick shuffle-hop motions. When Steven eats, he picks up his fork with his right hand curled, places the hand over his left wrist and with the left arm, brings the right hand up to his face. Then he leans forward to eat from the fork. He utilizes the same process to brush his teeth. He has learned some clever ways to dress and undress himself.
Although he has not been officially diagnosed, we believe he has a lifelong disability called, “arthrogryposis”. We` do not believe he will ever be able to bend his knees independently though we believe that physical therapy may provide some benefit to the mobility he has already attained.
Steven came to the orphanage with two prominently pronounced 4 inch parallel scars on his forehead. The orphanage director says that he arrived at the orphanage with these scars and they know nothing of its cause. We hope someday that plastic surgery will be offered for him to hide these unfortunate disfigurements.
Steven has a delightful, mostly compliant demeanor with a ready smile; although very shy when meeting new people, at home he has opened up to us. Steven is eager to learn and desires to fit comfortably into the family unit. We love hearing him say, “momma and baba”. He loves his older sister and is learning to get along with his younger brother.
The most important thing we wish to offer Steven as he grows up in our home is to learn about and enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the One who loves him with an everlasting love. We pray someday Steven will enter into God’s forever family by receiving Christ as Savior and Lord.
Our family is still recovering from an exhausting and arduous 24 hour multi-plane trip home from China followed by our move to Virginia. However we are now settling into a daily routine with the children. Holly has begun homeschooling Steven, introducing him to family life and helping him gain a conversational use of English. Soon we hope to find a good pediatrician that can help Steven update his immunizations and implement a strategy to help Steven with his condition. We will soon be receiving an application form from Shriners Hospital in Greenville, SC. If they accept the application, then Steven's medical treatment may be covered. Let's see what God does!
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