When people hear that I am adopted, they usually ask the typical (yet valid) questions. From where? How old were you? Are your "adoption sisters" your real/biological sisters? I assume that people ask me these questions as an easy way to continue with conversation or because they are interested in understanding how adoption plays a role in my identity.
My Heritage Journey
A heritage journey gives adoptees the ability to travel to the country from where they were born. I'm sure there are a lot of organizations that provide this service, but I took my heritage journey through the Ties Program, which does a great job of managing all the difficult and minimal details so that you and your family can simply focus on the experience. Through this program, I not only got to see the land I was born in, but I also got to meet a group of fellow adoptees who became great friends along the trip. You get to explore your past and make new friends for the future!
The first thing that we did as a group was land in Beijing. We did all of the touristy things like walk the Great Wall, visit the Forbidden City, and see the Temple of Heaven. China has so much history. In addition to this, we also visited the adoption agency, where we saw the files that contained a plethora of information about ourselves like medical records, the orphanage name, annotations made by the nurses, and where we were found.
After completing our agenda in Beijing, the group of adoptees parted ways to travel to their birth cities. There, we were provided with a translator and an appointment to visit the orphanage that we were placed in. It was awesome being able to stand in the same spot that I had seen in so many pictures from when my parents first went to China to get me. I got to talk to the director of the orphanage, give them gifts, and even spend a couple of minutes with some of the children there. Additionally, I got to see my "finding place", which is the location where I was found right before being taken to the orphanage. That was a completely unforgettable experience.
Impact on identity?
I don't think seeing the information within my file or going to my finding place changed the way I think about my identity. It didn't really explain any of my personality, it didn't alter any of my beliefs, and it didn't really impact my way of thinking. Of course adoption itself has influenced who and where I am today, but going on my heritage journey didn't reveal anything new to me that would change the meaning that I give to myself. However, my heritage journey did allow me to append unknown pieces of my past to my life story that most people will never need to go in search of. And that is definitely a journey worth going on.
The real adoption impact
So I talked about my heritage journey. And I've also mentioned how the fact that I am adopted from China does not play a part in my identity. I'm pretty sure my thoughts seem very scattered and disorganized right now, but I guess that's because the subject of identity can be a tricky thing. However, it wouldn't be an identity-and-adoption-themed article for me without mentioning one other thing.
"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." Galatians 4:4-5
This passage from the Bible sufficiently explains the gospel. It's a life story that explains why we can feel so broken, empty, and purposeless. It's a life story about how Jesus Christ gave everything to save us from these things. Christ has covered my mistakes with His grace, filled me with His spirit, and given me meaning to life. The gospel is a life story available to any who wishes to accept Christ into his/her heart and to become adopted into Christ's eternal family. This is the real impact that adoption has on life and identity.
My true identity does not lie in my birth place or my current home, my achievements or failures, my personality or character. Surely I don't want my identity to lie in something that can change so instantaneously. My true identity lies in my love for God and the fact that I can be part of a forever family.
