I remember sitting in her office in Erie, PA, long ago at the beginning of our adoption journey. Levi and Josh Nold (we took him with us!) were playing on their new Nintendo DS while we listened to the lady tell us about how our new Chinese daughter would feel out of place and disconnected living in our Caucasian world. I don’t think she knew about Penn State and the number of Asian students.
This past weekend we were in a wedding–and Asian wedding! I think it was the first time that Annabelle and Josie were in the majority in terms of ethnicity. Sadie and Annabelle were junior bridesmaids, and I got to lead worship during the ceremony. Joyce and Gary are friends from PSU, and Joyce was HUGE in Annabelle’s adjustment to life in the USA. That first Sunday when we returned from China, I asked some of the Chinese students at midtown to help us with Annabelle. Joyce and Evangeline responded, and quickly became part of Team Sublett. They adopted us–all of us–and became like big sisters to our kids.
It was a joy to be part of their wedding. Annabelle loves the beauty and romance of weddings. When we were in China, she took hundreds of pictures as we walked through the local parks. Many of the shots were of engaged couples decked out in their wedding whites, taking pictures on days deemed lucky by their calendar. When Joyce asked us to be her wedding, I thought Annabelle was going to burst with joy and anticipation!
The girls looked beautiful, the people sang with enthusiasm, and Joyce was a stunning bride. Gary looked pretty good, too! There were lots of folks there who knew us from midtown, and it was good to connect with them.
We are so grateful for the people that God brings into our lives to help us. I can’t imagine how difficult Annabelle’s (and Josie’s) transition would have been without Joyce and Evangeline. They ate with us, went to eye appointments and doctor’s visits, helped with homework and reading, and laughed and played silly games to no end. But the biggest help of all lies in the spiritual realm. Those two young ladies (and others like them) showed our children what it’s like to love Jesus. And their influence will be forever felt in the life of Team Sublett.
A couple of high points from the weekend:
1. We all stayed in one room–all 7 of us! Talk about hilarious! All 4 girls slept in a king sized bed, Kim and I crashed on the pull out, and Levi scored some floor space. I’m glad it was only for one night…
2. It seemed like every other person at the wedding was taking pictures. Not just during the “approved” picture taking time; during the ceremony! As Joyce made her way down the aisle, I could hear hundreds of cameras clicking away. There were even people on the stage mere minutes before the start of the wedding, taking pics of each other at the front. It cracked me up.
3. Neither our girls nor the young men who escorted them down the aisle were too keen on walking close to each other, much less on linking arms. They had to be convinced to take one for the team!
Here are some pics from the weekend…
2 Comments
Malea · August 3, 2011 at 11:20 am
i love it…. so beautiful in every way… the girls are precious, the wedding wonderful, and the God story is awesome!
Joyce · August 5, 2011 at 11:49 am
it was truly special to have you guys with us on our wedding day!! everyone looked so beautiful 🙂 Go team sublett!