Andrea & Matt

Not everyone can afford to adopt, and not everyone who can afford to adopt is called to adopt. We knew adoption would only be possible for our family if we gathered financial support from family, friends, and other donors. Because of the financial support we received, we always had the money needed to pay for every step in our adoption process, including the extra expenses needed because of our travel during COVID-19. Giving to support adoption is never a bad decision. The lives that are impacted because of your giving are absolutely worth it!

If you are considering the possibility of adopting a child, I would say, “Will there be challenges? Yes, absolutely. Will the process seem long and difficult at times? Sure. If you feel led to adoption, there is a reason. Sometimes you just have to step forward in faith and push fear to the side.

When we filled out the application to adopt, we were prepared for a one-week-long trip to Taiwan (possibly two, one-week-long trips if we were asked to travel for court). In January 2020, we started to hear stories about the coronavirus in China, and we began to wonder if and how that might affect our adoption travel. We were getting closer to receiving our civil ruling and realized that our travel might be delayed. There was some fear and anxiety about how the pandemic would affect our adoption process. Along with the rest of the world, we would have never imagined it would lead to a global pandemic and redefine just about everything in our lives.

When we found out we’d be able to travel in July 2020 and we’d have to be gone for a month, we never hesitated. There were definitely some obstacles that stood in our way. We have two children, who had to stay at home because they didn’t have passports. We lined up childcare, discussed the details of our trip, and set up daily Zoom calls with them. Our amazing family and friends stepped up to be “our village” and took care of our girls for the month we were away. While leaving them was one of the most difficult parts, they were brave, and they sent us off knowing we’d soon bring their little brother home.

We were the first Gladney family to travel during COVID-19. We flew out of Nashville, Tennessee, the evening of July 4th and arrived at LAX just in time to witness an unforgettable display of fireworks. We made our way to the EVA Air terminal and handed them our COVID-19 test results. (Getting COVID-19 test results within the 72-hour window was one of the most stressful parts of travel.) We boarded the flight to Taiwan around midnight. Once we arrived in Taiwan, it took a while to get through some quarantine checkpoints, immigration, and baggage claim (where they had sprayed our luggage with disinfection spray). We purchased a new SIM card, so we could be contacted by the Taiwanese government during quarantine. Then we made our way to the quarantine taxi, where they loaded our luggage as they sprayed us, all the way from our necks down to the soles of our shoes. Once we arrived at the quarantine hotel in the Beitou district, we were dropped off at the basement entrance and then sent up to our separate hotel rooms. We had a stunning view of the mountains. We spent 15 days in quarantine. We couldn’t leave our rooms or open windows for fresh air. Our meals were delivered to our doors three times a day. Uber Eats, Bubble Tea, Zooming with friends and family, workouts, and remote work helped us through some of those long quarantine days. But it would all eventually be worth it.

Once the 15-day quarantine came to an end, we spent 7 days in self-health management. We transitioned to another hotel in Taipei located near the Taipei 101. During those 7 days, we experienced so much of Taiwan’s culture, heritage, and beauty. Honestly, our experiences during that week made the extended trip (because of COVID-19) worth it. We came away from that week much more knowledgeable about our son’s birth country, after spending time touring with our guide and Mr. Yeh, our driver. It was truly an unforgettable week! Then during our final week in-country, we took placement of our new son, Max—another unforgettable experience! The little boy we had grown to love over Skype calls each month was finally a part of our family. We took him to the Taipei Zoo, played bubbles in a nearby park, and took him for his very first swim in the hotel pool.

We are grateful for the clear communication we received from Gladney throughout the whole process leading up to travel and while we were there. There were times when we were anxiously awaiting information related to travel, but it usually meant Gladney did not have all the information yet. When they did, they quickly and effectively communicated what we needed to know, when we needed it. We were thankful they didn’t give us speculation, only facts as they knew them. We had easy access to Mary Chapman, our Gladney Caseworker, as well as Gongzhan Wu, Vice President & Executive Director of Gladney’s Asia programs. They checked in frequently to see if we were making it through each step of the travel process until we arrived at our destination. Once in Taiwan, we were in contact with a local guide and contacted by Mark Melson, Gladney’s President, to discuss our travel experience during COVID-19. We couldn’t have asked for a smoother travel process, regardless of all of the obstacles that were in the way of us picking up our son, Max. Face masks, social distancing, nearly empty planes and airports, temperature checks, COVID-19 testing, extra medical paperwork, and a 15-day quarantine made for a memorable travel experience. The lengthened stay in Taiwan allowed us to experience much more of our son’s birth country, and for that, we are thankful.