the Grabers: Happy Birthday Mindy and Dad!

Today Mindy turned 25!

Here she is around age one.

Even before Allen and I were married, we talked about one day adopting. I had begun thinking about this as a child. Our school in Japan had sung at orphanages at times. I can still see all those kids without moms or dads. When I was in 6th grade we went to Korea for a couple of weeks. While we were there, we visited a World Vision orphanage. The children clung onto us and asked (it was translated for us) "are you my mommy? are you my daddy? are you taking us home with you?" It troubled me. In highschool I went home one weekend with my room-mate. Her family lived by an orphanage. Crib after crib of babies. Just a few workers to see to their needs. It just broke my heart. God began laying it on my heart and then on Allen's too, that we should add to our family through adoption.

We first had Josh, then Jill. When Jill was around a year old, we began looking into adoption because we knew that the process would take a long time. First, we checked with Japan, but we were met with many roadblocks. After about a year of getting nowhere with that, we decided to check out other countries. That led us to Grandma Holt and the Holt Adoption Agency. We were privileged to meet Bertha Holt when she visited Wichita. Korea was very open with adoptions at that time and we applied. We were told we would probably have our baby girl in April of 1984. April came and went. With every phone call, my anticipation level rose. It was such a long and difficult wait! In September, Allen had to go to Lawrence to meet with his professors and give his thesis. We decided to make it a family vacation and had given our social worker the number of where we would be (this was the days before cell phones). And would you believe, we got a phone call at our hotel that a folder about our little baby girl had just arrived! So on our way home the next day, we stopped in Wichita at our social worker's home to pick up our packet with the picture of our baby girl and all the information about her. We were thrilled! I couldn't stop looking at her picture. She was 10 days old when it was taken. We had decided to name our girl Mindy Dawn (for a new beginning), but when we found out her Korean name was Me Ok Jo, we also included the name Jo. Mindy Jo Dawn. Again, we waited and waited. On October 31, just as we were stepping out the door to go trick-or-treating with our kids in the neighborhood, we got the phone call that Mindy would be coming to America the following week! On November 7, 1984, Mindy arrived at the Kansas City airport along with 3 other babies. We are so proud of our daughter and what an honor to be her parents!

We LOVE you Mindy!! I love how we can talk on the phone for a long time, how we share what we are learning in our devotions, and mostly, what a privilege as your mom and dad to intercede for you in prayer. May you bring Him glory as you follow Him. So proud of you!

The girls wanted to help blow out Aunt Mindy's candles
on her birthday pie (strawberry, of course!)