Chosen Children

"What do you want to do when you leave school?" Schoolteachers and friends often asked this question. My reply was sometimes, "I want to be a teacher." At other times I would say, "I want to be a nurse." At other times I would reply, "A sales person or an office worker." My favourite choice was, "I'd like to marry a minister and be a missionary – and especially a mother of lots of children."

Well, I got every desire of my heart, except becoming a mother! I became a missionary with my husband, and on the mission field I was a nurse, a teacher, a sales person and an office worker.

We were married for 12 years and for six of those years I wrote letters to adoption agencies. At last I received an answer from Tasmania that a baby boy was available. I was so excited my heart turned a somersault every time I looked at him. I was afraid his birth mother would change her mind about adopting him out before we left Australia for New Guinea.

Two and a half years later when we finally returned to Australia our desire was to adopt a baby girl. It was an exciting day when we received a letter to say a little girl was available. The next day we traveled an hour and a half from Brisbane to bring her home. Once again we were thankful for God's goodness to us.

The children loved us to read bedtime stories, but their favourite story was when we told them that they were "chosen children" and although their mummies loved them very much they were unable to care for them and wanted to find them a good home and another mummy and daddy to care for them.

My own mother died when I was nine months old and my adopted parents, who love me very much, told me the "story" when I was ten years old. When my mother died an aunt cared for me for 15 months. My father married again but my stepmother was very unkind to us, and we had to be taken away and were adopted by my father's brother and his wife. At 17 years of age my brother, who was 2 ½ years older than me, traveled to a country town to meet the family of our birth mother. We had so many wonderful aunties and uncles and cousins to meet. It was such an exciting time.

Our son, Joel, is now 31 years. Eleven years ago we started writing letters to the adoption agency to try and find his birth mother. Two years later we received a letter from her in Tasmania. What an exciting event. We have spoken to her on the telephone. After having contact with her it has helped me to understand my son so much more.

At the same time we searched for our daughter's birth mother. After nine years we found her. It was a great joy to speak with her for the first time on the telephone and to thank her from the bottom of my heart for her precious gift to us. I posted her a long letter of Rose's activities since she arrived in our family and photographs. I am now in constant contact with Rose's birth mother, chatting up to half an hour at a time by phone.

Sometimes Rose used to get depressed and she didn't know why. I feel that in the back of her subconscious mind she was thinking, "Who am I? Where is my birth Mother? Do I have brothers and sisters, cousins aunts and uncles?" Rose's mum told me she would cry on the date of her baby's birthday and there were many times of grief wondering where her little child had gone. Would she ever hear news of her?

Now there is great rejoicing all around. We can safely place our future in our Heavenly Father's hands because He never fails and He always knows what is best for us. He has a perfect plan and purpose for each one of us.

MARJ STEPHENSON

Proserpine, Queensland, Australia