Elijah's very special friend

When Elijah sees our closeness to Abbey's travel group, he often expresses sadness that we don't know any of his, "China family". China's policy change when we adopted him, did not lend itself to folks traveling together and getting babies who are located in the same orphanage.

And then he met HER…

Miss Emma!

Emma is the younger sister of one of Abbey's favorite China sisters, Esther. She's a little younger than Elijah. The moment he met her 3 years ago, they became immediate friends.

During our Columbus reunion, nothing had changed.  Elijah and his special friend were inseparable.

They walked most places while holding hands.

They went through each exhibit together

In the submarine

Driving together, John over heard them interacting and said, "She's a typical woman…telling him which way to go!"

Being goofy

Best buddies!!

Eating together

They even share the same idiosyncrasies.
(Upon hearing a loud sound, they both quickly put their fingers in their ears)

Emma reciprocates Elijah's affections. She told her mom, "I'm going to marry Elijah, because he talks kindly to me."

I'm so thankful for Emma. It's hard for a child, like Elijah,  to see his sister have connections to her past, all the while having none to his own. His friendship with Emma eases some of that desire. He gets so excited when he knows we are going to see Abbey's travel group, because he knows he will see Emma. I get excited seeing what a special bond they share. I believe God knew that Elijah needed someone and sent Emma his way!