The legacy of Anna, “Rosie” (in memory of a tender warrior)

In that waiting time, through an amazing string of God ordained miracles, we saw our Gianna.
A close friend (who I had met through our mutual advocacy and love of Anna) had messaged me to tell me that God was telling her to tell us about a new little heart baby girl that had just popped up on Lifeline’s agency list!
As soon as she told me about her, I immediately called Lifeline to have her file put on hold. I hadnt even looked up her photo or her information.
All I can say was that God’s spirit was moving me….propelling me. I had to have her file.
We got her file…. and we were deeply moved to ask the Lord if “she was ours”. There were so many unknowns, so many future scares….we had many fears….but God was surely calling us. He was inviting us out of the boat.

This time He said:
“Yes…this dear child is the one I have set apart from the beginning of the world to be YOUR daughter…will you trust me, and run to her?”

I shared her miraculous story here and here 

It was a miracle of God to speak so clearly. It took a blind faith fall, but I am so thankful fear didn’t win.
We started running to our daughter.

Do you want to hear the greatest and first confirmation from the Lord that Gianna was ours:

The day we said “yes” to our Gianna was the same day we were told that ANNA had a family as well.
 Literally, just hours after we had called our agency saying Gianna was ours, we had  gotten the email that Anna’s family had found their daughter. 

Such powerful grace of God to reveal HIS will.

WOW…we fell to our knees in complete awe of the HUGENESS of our God! That He would speak so clearly to us. That He would work such miracles.

oh how we rejoiced!!

Well….just as we were running to our heart-baby, Gianna….

Anna’s family was running to their “Rosie” (her new name)

Oh what a glorious day when I got that message from “Rosie’s” agency saying that she was HOME.

Again, I fell to my knees in sweet relief….SO thankful that Rosie’s miracle had happened, she was no longer an orphan, she was in the arms of her mama, baba and siblings.

This was about 2 months before we traveled to our Gianna.

Because of Anna’s (Rosie’s) life, her story….we had found Gianna. It is no coincidence that the name: “Anna” is found in our daughter’s name.
Anna means “gift”
Just look at God’s thread, look how HE works when you let Him break your heart!

and….Her story continues…..

I followed updates from her agency and was told that she would be getting surgery at the end of April.
We prayed and prayed for her as we prepared to travel to our Gianna.
We didnt know her family, but I ached to know them. To know the family who got this special treasure. I prayed that God would one day put me in contact with them so I could tell them how much their “Rosie” touched our life.
Well, that time came….but not as I would have chosen.

While in China waiting to get our Gianna, we got the dreadful news.
Rosie had earned her angel wings and passed away due to complications after her heart surgery.

We cried and cried and cried. I  wept deeply as if she was ours.

Here we were in China getting ready to meet our miracle baby….the little one who God had brought to our life from knowing sweet Anna….
and Anna had gone to be with Jesus.
I couldn’t even process it.

After we cried as a family and prayed for Rosie’s family (another reason I am so thankful we were all together in China)….I quietly mourned and ached for this great loss.
I couldn’t talk about it without sobbing uncontrollably.
I tucked the grief away and prayed to be able to make contact with Rosie’s family one day, some how?
When we finally recieved our Gianna in our arms on Gotcha day, I squeezed her even more tighter….even more gratefully. I whispered to God that He would be holding sweet Rosie’s family tightly as they mourned.
Anna never left my mind or my heart….
When we got home….I was able to find a way to message Rosie’s family (through her Caring Bridge).
I was so thankful to finally be able to share my heart with them.
This is what I wrote:

And, Can I say what an honor and blessing it was to me that Rosie’s 15 yo sister wrote me back.

oh I was sobbing uncontrollably as I read this precious message from this beautiful girl with this beautiful HUGE heart telling me how her mom found Anna (Rosie) on a friend’s ministry site and fell in love immediately and prayed if she was their daughter. The doctors had told them NOT to look at her pictures, with how bad her heart was,  knowing they would fall in love.
 It  did NOT matter…she says that they knew GOD was telling them she was indeed THIER daughter!

She went on to talk about the gift of Rosie, how they deeply missed their treasure…
How much fun she was, their little jokes and siter-bonds and nicknames.

… she wrote about how those 6 weeks with her were the best 6 weeks of their family’s life. 
How they are forever changed from being Rosie’s family. 
How they would be willing to adopt more CHD princesses one day, depending on God’s plans.

ROSIE WAS A RARE GIFT….oh how I deeply wish they had more time with her, but I know God is sovereign. 
His plans are higher.
He used that little warrior princess to change many lives. What a gift she was.


See friends…
I used to think that the greatest tragedy in adoption would be bringing home your child to have them leave you shortly to go to Jesus.

But, we are realizing that is not the truth at all. As absolutely devastating as that is….
The greatest tragedy is a child dying an orphan…without ever  knowing the love of a mama, baba, sisters…brothers.
Without ever knowing the forever love of a forever family.
A child dying alone. fatherless. without a mama’s kiss.

THAT is the greatest tragedy.

THE MIRACLE IN ROSIE’S life is that her family said YES, LORD! SEND ME!!!
 They answered God’s highest calling. 
They ran to a sick child.
And, therefore, Rosie did not go to heaven an orphan. 
She went to heaven knowing the fierce love of a family. 
She went to heaven knowing TRUE LOVE, GOD’S LOVE through her family’s love.
…”Rosie was worth it”….”her life mattered”


THAT IS beautiful ROSIE’S miracle. 
That is her family’s miracle.
 They were touched by an angel. 

Her life was redeemed, and through her story…many more lives of orphans are being redeemed…our Sweet Gianna being one of them.
Thank you Rosie for being our hero….for changing our life.

Our prayer is that many children receive hope of a family because of Rosie’s story and the courage of Rosie’s family to step out.
I would like to invite you to read Rosie’s sister’s blog, that she made in dedication to her little warrior Jie-Jie.

And she also made an advocacy site in memory of her Hero-sister. 
PLEASE take this moment to visit both sites in honor of Rosie, and pray for this precious family as they grieve their great loss.

Also, pray many many orphans get  their families as a result of Rosie’s story.

Her sister, Allie, is an amazing person….her heart aches for the orphan, as does ours. And she is making a difference. 
Rosie changed her and her family’s lives, as I pray you too will let This little tiny HERO’s story change YOUR life as well.
Please pray for Rosie’s family….I can only imagine their deep deep grief. 

Dear Jesus,
May our hearts break for what breaks YOURS.
Get us uncomfortable. Shows us how we can change the world for “one”.
Change us. break us. Move us for the fatherless.
 MAY THE CHURCH RISE UP!