A Beautiful Sound

They told us she couldn’t speak. She’d been in our foster project in another city for nearly her whole life, and we’d never known her to speak in all that time. She understood language, as she’d respond to people’s instructions and requests. But even though she is 5 years old, she never said a word.

In one foster family, she began mumbling and muttering a little, but she never really spoke. But then she was moved to yet another family, and any progress she made disappeared.  Finally she was moved back to the orphanage, and when we told her orphanage directors that we had an opening in our Forever Home if they had any eligible children, she was the first one they mentioned.

So she came back: quietly, silently, uncertain.  We wondered why she was silent… a medical problem? The result of all the emotional upheaval she’d experienced? We weren’t sure, but we planned to get her evaluated and treated as best as we could.

She arrived about one month ago, and in the last week we have seen an incredible transformation. We began teaching her sign language, to help her communicate and eliminate some of her frustration. We’ve watched her open up and laugh a little more. And then we heard something we longed to hear…

She said the Chinese words for dirty, cat, want, and car, and she said Dad and no in English.  It’s a beautiful start, and we’re rejoicing to hear the sound of her voice!