I knew from the day Lael walked in the hotel with that stern Chinese woman that I had saved her. Lael knew it too and that is why she loved me from day one.
Thank you God for giving me the opportunity to travel clear on the other side of the world and bring home a little orphan who still loves me today.
Bian Yuhong, now Lael! Because of her age she was on the special needs list. I had several kids to pick from and I picked this one.
Lael is not spoiled at all. She works hard and makes high honor roll. She was inducted into National Honor Society and made student of the month this year. She works a lot of hours at her job and saves almost all her money for college. When she is not at her regular job she babysits several times a week for different people at our church. She also received a statewide award given to just a few kids from the Indiana High School Student Council Association (she was recognized for making hats for orphans in China and getting a bunch of other high school students and teachers to help her).
She calls herself Lael Bell, but Bell is not her name. When she was little people would call her Leal so she would correct them by telling them her named rhymed with Bell.
I've been asked if Lael and Arden are close. It is a different kind of close. It is more of a respect and I've got your back kind of thing. When we were eating here Mike heard Arden whisper to Lael, "I'll bring you your leftovers to work and heat them up for you." They have never had a real fight that I can remember (unlike me and my sisters). They do have a lot in common. They both study hard, worry about college, play tennis, love church and camps, like clothes, boys, (but aren't really boy crazy) never really talk back to Mike or me (but they will put other people in their place if need be).
When we got Lael these babies were being adopted and staying at the same hotel. The parents were Canadian and didn't speak English.
No baby for us. Lael was almost 4 y.o. I've said many times when we got Lael she was mad at the world and a fighter. This picture shows it all and she had already been with us about a week.
Actually, when we got Lael she was totally content as long as I was in eye shot. Of course she spoke no English. If she thought I was going to leave she would fly into a rage. After we got home if I tried to leave her she screamed, bit, tore her clothes and she knocked over a lamp. It was several weeks before we came up with a plan. My sister came over and we forced Lael into her car without me. As they were driving down the road Lael grabbed Becki by the hair of the head and about pulled her neck out of joint. Becki took her to McDonalds drive through and brought her right back home. From that day forward Lael got it she could leave and come back home. It was never an issue again.
We had Lael home one year before she had any hair. Then, guess what? She got hold of scissors!! I went into a rage and ran around the house. My body ached so bad from my screaming I had to take Tylenol. Years later Lael said I was so mean I made her eat cold Ravioli for dinner. I didn't even remember that. I was probably out of my mind.
Seriously, can you imagine what Lael thought going from the orphanage to a 5 Star hotel? Lael said she remembers standing while they ate out of a bucket and got their baths from being sprayed off with cold water from a hose. By the way she smelled like she hadn't been sprayed off in awhile.
These pictures I took in Wuhan where Lael was from.
We had the sweetest tea party at the Yellow Crane Tower.
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