An Adoption Aid Story: Hope is Lifted
Hello June 18th, 2015
Share This Story
The meaning of hope is different for every person, but the feeling within us all is the same. The feeling is encouraging, it is positive, it is a light in the dark… it is hope. Four short months ago, a beautiful 2-year-old girl, named Hope, ironically, had seemingly lived her entire young life without it. As an orphan, lacking life’s essentials and the care she needed in China, Hope’s future was dim. The sense of hope was merely a beacon to her that felt so far away, but that all would soon change.
After the courageous decision by the Heidebrink family to adopt a child with special needs internationally and an Adoption Aid grant from the Tim Tebow Foundation, hope was lifted. As the Heidebrink family traveled to China to finally bring her home, they brought to Hope the very essence of her name. “She was handed to us in China and her affect was completely flat. She was hardly able to hold her head up and her body was like a limp dishrag. She was so skinny her ribs showed along with her spine and her hair was very sparse and felt like sand paper,” shared her mother, Jolene Heidebrink. Hope was in desperate need of care, but in the hands of God and the arms of the Heidebrink family, she was surrounded by Faith, Hope and Love!
Hope is now home with her forever family and her future is brightening each and every day. “Glory be to God, as we’ve seen her blossom and receive our love just as we prayed she’ would… She is bonding and attaching to us more and more each day. She gives us huge smiles almost every time we pick her up and is overjoyed to chase her brothers around the house… When we met Hope, she wasn’t able to eat from a spoon and could hardly drink her bottle. Now, she sits in her high chair like a wiggle worm and is making so much progress eating,” shared Jolene.
Hope’s journey continues, from speech and physical therapy, to being able to chew her food. “We just give all the Glory to God. Even though we know Hope still has healing and trauma to work through from her first two and a half years apart from our family, we believe God is going to complete the work in her that He has started. She is such a joy and a gift and we are so thankful to God for her,” Jolene shared.
This Father’s Day, you can help bring Faith, Hope and Love to children in need, like Hope. The Tim Tebow Foundation’s goal is to raise $40,000 through this campaign to completely fund five of this year’s Adoption Aid grants to help bring children home to their forever families. You can be a part of it by donating today at www.timtebowfoundation.org/donate.php. Together, we can #BringThemHome!
