Diversity

My family contributed to the aspect of ideal diversity in several ways. My mom helped feed the homeless for eight years here in Murfreesboro. She aided in child welfare with a local nonprofit called Last Call 4 Grace. Working on the front lines with child trafficking rescues and occult crimes was also something she helped out with. On top of that, over ten years, she fostered forty-three children and adopted two, one of those children being myself.

In my hometown, Wuhan, China, at the age of two, my biological parents decided to put me up for adoption. However, the thought that went into putting me up for adoption, I believe, was out of love and care for me and my future.

I was born with one hand due to a symptom called amniotic banding. For this to occur, during the reproduction system, amniotic tissues wrapped around my left hand, cutting off the circulation between my arm and hand, resulting in me missing my left hand. Unfortunately, disabilities were curses in Wuhan’s religion; therefore, people similar to me were highly looked down on and, due to disabilities being a “curse, not very welcomed. Since having defects was so shunned, the possibility of me, in the future, obtaining a decent living and career was low. Any adult who had one hand was on the street because of how unwelcoming their society was towards defective people. Fortunately, because of my biological parents’ love for me and God’s love and plan for my future, they realized my future would not have been bright. Hence, I believe they put me up for adoption in hopes of someone giving me a better life that I would not have had in Wuhan.

Around the time I was set up for adoption, my current adoptive parents found my picture on a waiting child’s list and fell in love with me. I believe God implanted an affection towards me in their hearts and surfaced the idea of adopting me. After praying to God and conversing with each other, they decided to adopt me! They flew a total of eighteen hours until arriving at Wuhan, China. Following twenty days of exploring Wuhan, we flew back to the U.S., where I grew up in a healthy, loving, and caring Christian family.

In conclusion, there was a contrast between my possible future in China and the U.S. Since having a disability was seen as a curse in the Wuhan religion – it highly resulted in me having many future struggles. In being cursed, I would be shunned and unwelcome in Wuhan’s society. There was a high chance my family would be frowned upon because of me. However, being adopted and living in the U.S. brought many opportunities for a better future and a better life, like my biological parents would have wanted. Since disabilities were not curses within religions in America, society was more welcoming. My adoptive parents felt proud of my ability to achieve goals and skills that others with two hands did. From freedom of religion, I obtained a spectacular, Christ-centered education, growing as a Christian and in my relationship with God from a young age a church where I learned more about Christianity.