“Holden” desires a family for Christmas! Our family personally met “Holden” in China on two separate adoption trips, and we think he is an awesome kid! Miraculously, he recently became available for adoption, but his family needs to find him, and then start the adoption process right away! Please consider how you can be personally involved in this Christmas story we want to see come true. You can pray! You can share this note! And most importantly, for those considering adopting an extraordinary, aging out older child, you can prayerfully consider welcoming “Holden” as a son.

Now that the “labels” are out of the way, let’s talk about the winsome person who is “Holden.” He greeted us on our first adoption trip in 2010 with a friendly, American “Hello!” On our second adoption trip in 2012, he greeted us again at the gate. Later, he told us via our guide that he wished he could be adopted too. Can you imagine the size of the lumps in our throats? He’s watched babies and young children go live with families. How brave of this boy to voice his desire! You have not, because you ask not! Well, he asked! Although we are not his family, we told him that we liked him very much. He obviously appreciated this complement, because he fist-pumped an enthusiastic, all-boy, “Yes”! as if to say, “I knew I was awesome.” And he is! Or maybe his fist-pump implied, “Yes! I have a chance.” To underscore his value, we invited him to lunch with the director and nannies and later hugged him goodbye.