My birth mom's my hero just because if, yeah,
if she didn't choose life and I wouldn't be here
and if she didn't, yeah, choose adoption, I wouldn't be here.
And so she really obviously played a super pivotal part
in my life.
Hi there, my name is Diane.
I'm the CEO at Save the Storks,
a ministry based here in Colorado Springs.
And I'm honored to be here at the Empower Youth Studios
where we are going to talk about adoption.
My special guest today is Emily.
I know Emily very well, we work together
and she has the most beautiful adoption story.
And I am just excited for you to hear her story,
learn more about her experience being adopted.
And I hope it might encourage you
if you're either a couple looking to adopt,
maybe you are a young mom who's pregnant
and you have not really considered adoption.
You might want to just listen and learn from Emily
and hear what another young woman
has experienced being adopted,
being on the side of a blessing of a mom
who chose life for her.
So Emily, thank you so much for joining us today.
Yes, thank you so much for having me.
Yes, I would love for you just to start
a little bit about your own adoption story
and tell us like when did you first find out
you were adopted?
Yeah, so I don't think there was ever a specific moment
where I found out I was adopted.
My parents always just celebrated that
and we would celebrate our adoption day.
So my sister's adopted as well.
And so both she and I would celebrate our adoption days
and we'd have cake and get to choose our favorite dinner.
And so we just kind of always knew.
And then we also don't really physically look
like our parents either because our parents are Caucasian.
And so that's kind of a dead giveaway for us as well.
But yeah, there was never a specific moment,
but just always just kind of celebrating it throughout life.
Oh, that's beautiful.
So how old were you when you were adopted?
Yes, I was five months.
Five months, okay.
So tell me a little bit of what you do know
about how your parents were connected with you
and tell us about your home country
and just how that all happened.
Yeah, so I was adopted from China at five months
and my parents were connected through an adoption agency.
So they used the agency and they were able to,
yeah, just have a lot of help with all the paperwork
and the travel plans and of course the language barrier.
And so they were able to join a group
of other parents also adopting
and just have that support as well
with being able to stay in touch
after they brought us home and things like that.
So you were five months old
when they were connected with you
and you came home right away, right?
I mean, they brought you home and yes, yes.
And was your sister adopted at the same time or is she?
No, she was adopted four years later, yes.
And so she was 10 months old when she was adopted.
Okay, very good, yes.
So where did you grow up in the United States?
Yes, I grew up in the Chicago area.
Okay, so much different than China.
Yeah.
Not that you would know the difference being so young.
So tell me about your childhood,
growing up and you said you didn't,
you don't look like your adoptive parents.
So how did that work in your community
and were you accepted and did kids ask you questions?
Just walk us through that a little bit.
Yeah, for sure, yeah.
So yeah, lots of questions from kids,
especially I was adopted in 95.
So it wasn't super, super common like it is today.
And so a lot of people were asking questions
about adoption and just, oh, what is that?
What does that look like?
Why don't you look like your parents?
Are your parents your real parents?
Just lots of questions like that.
And yeah, my parents are great
and they taught us how to answer all those questions
with a lot of patience and grace
and to just give the person asking questions
who isn't as knowledgeable grace with that.
And so we'd say, oh yes, like of course,
they're our parents, like they're not our birth parents,
but they're our parents, they're our real parents.
And yeah.
So in Chicago, growing up,
when you were walking around the streets,
like did people look at you like,
wait, the parents and the two daughters,
or were you guys, this is us, this is our family?
Yeah, so kind of like the second of like,
this is us, this is our family.
My parents, for my first five years of life,
I lived in Singapore,
just because my dad's work had transferred him there.
And so in Singapore, it was more confusing.
I think my mom tells a story
where she was in a grocery store
and a Singaporean came up to her
and he was just like, oh, is that your baby?
And she's like, yeah, this is my daughter.
And he's like, so is your husband Chinese?
She's like, no.
And he was just so confused and didn't quite understand.
And I think she's like, we adopted her.
And he's like, oh, okay.
Or yeah, it's just, I think that culture
didn't quite understand it at the time.
But yeah, so it was just interesting.
That is interesting because I know in America,
like adoption is so readily accepted.
But like in China, back when you were born,
correct me if I'm wrong,
but that's when the boys were favored, right?
Is that why,
I don't know if you know everything about your story,
but is that why you think you were in an orphanage
or awaiting parents?
Yeah, so boys are definitely favored in that culture.
And then I think I was born during the one child policy.
as well. And so I think a mixture of all of that led my birth mom to choose adoption,
which I'm so thankful for. Yeah, I don't know a ton, but I do know that I was dropped off
on a factory step. And so yeah, she just dropped me off there. Or maybe it was my birth that
I have no idea, but it's dropped off there. And then somebody found me and turned me into
the orphanage.
That just, I did not know that part of your story and I have goosebumps. So thank you
for sharing that. What a miracle you are. And I just think, yeah, you just have such
a beautiful way about you and you're, you're so graceful. And I just think, wow, you were
on the steps of a factory. You know, that's how someone interviewed and rescued you. So
wow. Thank you to your birth mom and thank you to yeah, whoever, whoever found you on
the steps.
For sure. Yeah. I always kind of say to myself that my birth mom's my hero just because if
yeah, if she didn't choose life and I wouldn't be here and if she didn't, yeah, choose adoption,
I wouldn't be here. And so she really obviously paid us, played a super pivotal part.
Wow. Well, I would love to do another interview where we talk about birth moms and women who
are contemplating abortion and maybe they don't know about the choice of adoption. So
let's talk about that too, because I feel like we really need to dig into that. So tell
me about you and your sister. Did she feel the same way about being adopted? Like she
was like, this is just family.
Yeah. So it's super interesting. So my sister, yeah. So we're both adopted. We both love
our family. We both fit in with our family. Um, she and I are super, super different though,
just personality wise. Um, so growing up in terms of culture, I always kind of steered
more towards the American culture. I was always very much. I'm American. I fit in with this
culture. I don't really want anything to do with Asian culture. And then my sister just
fully embraced Asian culture. All her friends in high school were the international students.
And so she just fully embraced that, super enjoyed that. Um, and so it's been fun to
see the differences. Um, but yes, we both, yeah, love our family and are super thankful.
Let's talk a little bit about your parents. So having adopted you and your sister, like
have they given advice to other couples who were looking to adopt or like, I'm curious,
like how they ended up going to China to adopt. I know here in the United States, it's
so difficult to adopt a baby. Um, and we can get into that again in another, um, interview,
but yeah, if you know anything about your parents and their reason for adopting internationally,
that'd be great to share that. Yeah, of course. So my parents were struggling to get pregnant
naturally and she, my mom had a good friend who had adopted two children from Korea, South
Korea, and they were college friends. They, they're still friends today actually. Um,
and so her friend came alongside her and just started to encourage her about adoption and
encourage her about international adoption. And I think my parents just like hit a point
and the Holy Spirit just put it on their hearts of like, yes, I think this is the right path.
I think this is the way to go. And I'm not sure how they ended up choosing China as the
country, but, um, yeah, they ended up going that way and finding an agency and yeah, here I am.
Wow. That is, yeah, I'm just in awe because I had the honor of meeting your parents at the
March for Life here in Denver earlier this year, and they were just delightful people. And I,
in fact, you kind of have your same mannerisms, like you and your mother have the same mannerisms.
Again, yeah, she's very poised and graceful. And I think the same way about you, you're like
an Audrey Hepburn, you know, you have that old fashioned class, you know, that we don't see all
the time. So yeah, you're just beautiful inside and out. That's so amazing. Tell us a little bit
about the work you do at Save the Storks and why it's important to you. I'm the marketing director
at Storks. And so I just help a lot with marketing things, whether that's events or ads or, um,
trying to get donations, letters, things like that. So I help a lot with that. Um, and yeah,
Save the Storks is just really special to me because I am adopted. And so just allowing women
to know that there is another choice besides parenting or abortion and being able to choose
adoption is huge. And yeah, and I love to do what I do just because it helps get that word out.
Yeah, that's so great. If you could say anything to your birth mom, I know you said she's your hero
and say, if she's watching this right now, what would you say to her? Yeah, I would say,
just thank you. I think, like I said, without her, I wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't be
where I am today. Honestly, I don't have any other words. Cause it's just such like a big
thing that I feel like words can't fully like describe or fill it.
Right? Gosh. Yeah. I, again, this beautiful young lady was placed on the steps of a factory in
China and ended up in Chicago. So God does work miracles and wow. You've been a miracle to our
team. I know. And I just am so grateful for your marketing talent and how you share your gifts with
the world. Before we wrap up, I want you to talk a little bit
about your husband and your marriage. And for any of you who
were dating and in serious relationships during COVID, you
can relate to this story. So I wanted to just have Emily share
about her COVID wedding.
Yes, yes. So I met my husband in 2018. And we dated from then
until January 2020, when he proposed. And yeah, so January
2020, before the pandemic, nobody knew that was happening.
So we planned the whole wedding, we're super excited. My dad's
from a huge family with seven, he's one of seven siblings,
they're all gonna fly out, we're gonna have like a pretty big
wedding here in the springs. And then COVID hit, and everything
we got locked down. And we had to pivot quickly. And so we went
from a wedding of like 150 people to one of 17. So we ended
up Yeah, just getting an Airbnb in Woodland Park and having our
immediate family there. And it was perfect. Neither of us are
really big party people. So it was honestly the perfect wedding
for us. And yeah, God just knew what he was doing.
So what do you and your husband like to do for fun?
Yes, we love to ski. That is probably one of our biggest
pastimes in the winter. We love skiing. But then our ski season
is going to be cut short this year because I'm pregnant. So
that will not be happening this year. But yeah,
that's so exciting. So yeah, again, another miracle
happening. And yeah, you heard it here. So you know, sharing
her adoption story. Now Emily's expecting when you're expecting
again, it's February. So keep that in your prayers. And you
mentioned a little bit about the baby shower. So I think where
your parents didn't get the big wedding, they're making up for
it, right? Yep.
My mom's inviting all her aunts and cousins and my aunts and
cousins. So the one back in Illinois is going to be pretty
Wow, wow. Well, good. Well, Emily, I just thank you so much
for being bold and sharing your story. And again, we are just
praying that this might encourage anyone out there
who's involved in adoption, whether your parents looking to
adopt, maybe your foster parents. And again, if you're
that mom who you're not sure you're in that moment of
indecision, and maybe you've been contemplating an abortion,
please, please think about adoption. There are literally
2 million couples just in the United States who are waiting to
adopt. And Emily is a beautiful example of you know, what can
happen when you know something that maybe you felt wasn't
planned, is planned by God, and he will have a beautiful life
for your child. And he will make sure that you are taken care of
as well. Because of organizations like Save the
Storks, and many of the partners with empower you. Many churches
across the country will come alongside you. So thank you,
Emily, again, God bless you. We're so excited. We're gonna be
praying for you and your pregnancy that you don't get
morning sickness too often. And thank you so much for joining us.