Our "Moses" Baby

"But when she could hide the baby no longer, she got a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Then, she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. Her daughter stood at a distance to see what would happen to him." Exodus 2:3-4

In the U.S., we can't really completely understand the issues that cause parents in China to abandon their children - especially their female children. There is no method for voluntary adoption like we have in the U.S. Without other options, abandonment is the practice instead. There is a government enforced policy of "one child" per family in order to curb their escalating over-population issues. And, traditionally, parents plan to live with their son's family in their old age. There is no Social Security program, so parents typically need their son's help in old age. The economic level of the average Chinese is much lower than anything we are accustomed to in the U.S. and there is very little opportunity for many Chinese to move ahead in life.

In Zoe's case, she was born in the wee hours of a Sunday morning. For some reason, her birth mother and father felt they were unable to keep her. They dressed her in white baby clothes and wrapped her in a flowered yellow towel and placed her in a basket. Quietly, before dawn, she was placed in a war memorial park location where the parents knew there would be Sunday morning visitors. Her parents may have waited somewhere out of sight to make sure that she was found by someone.

Some visitors to the park did find her and they looked around the park for her parents but could not find them. About 7:15 AM, they called the local police and reported their discovery. Zoe was only a few hours old and weighed about 6 1/2 pounds. She was taken to the local orphanage that day and has been there since ... 10 months.

Many people say that she is lucky ... lucky to be coming to the U.S. and to a life full of hope and promise. I agree. We, as Americans, are all very lucky to be in the U.S. and living the lifestyles that we live. But, I feel like Bain and I are the lucky ones even more than Zoe. We have an amazing opportunity to bring a wonderful little girl into our family and we feel the most lucky of all! Just as God had plans and purpose for the life of Moses, I believe that He also has plans and purpose for Zoe's life, too.