Hello, my name is Kang Su-Jung.
Everyone knows me as Leanna. Most everyone I'm acquainted with knows I was adopted. What a lot of people probably don't know is the story behind my adoption.
On the day I was born, my birth mother, gave up her legal rights as a mother. Only hours old, I was parent-less with a government-provided social worker as my only guardian. My mother was 17 at the time. She'll be 36 this year. I've never met her before. At least, besides those few hours when she was still my mother. I have no memory of her face, the sound of her voice, the touch of her hands. I don't even have my name to remember her by. I was named by my social worker.
I don't know much about my birth parents other than what my biological mother provided the social worker. Although some say I'm lucky to have any information about them at all, I don't know if I feel lucky. At least not in this instance. Knowing is sometimes more painful than not knowing. It's hard knowing that my biological parents are out there somewhere living lives I'm not a part of. It's hard knowing that they might never even think of me.
What I do know, though, is that when I was five months old, an amazing set of people in the United States of America, a 15-hour time difference away, decided they wanted a child from Korea. What I do know is that they wanted to add to their family. What I do know is that God had His eyes on me before the day I was even conceived. What I do know is that there are children out there who aren't so fortunate. What I do know is that there is a Pastor in South Korea who is doing everything in his power to help those children.
Last night I went and saw The Drop Box film, a documentary written and directed by Brian Ivie, a now-graduated USC film major. There were tears in my eyes before the film even began, and the tears didn't stop until the credits had finished and the theater lights went up. The footage of the most beautiful children I'd ever seen was playing in front of me, literally larger than life. The faces of children, who weren't much different than me when I was first born, whose biological parents had given up on them, were happy. It's a wonder, really, how someone, even a child, could smile when in such a difficult situation. Abandoned by their parents in someone's mailbox for babies, these kids weren't crying for parents they'll most likely never know. No, these kids were smiling because of the love of the couple who took them. They smile because this couple treats these kids as their own.
Pastor Lee and his wife started The Drop Box in December of 2009. The Drop Box is a small "mailbox" in the side of their Seoul home. The mailbox is intended for the mothers (or other family members) to drop off their unwanted babies instead of leaving them in the streets. Pastor Lee and his wife created this mailbox to try to save at least a few of the dozens of babies that die every year from abandonment.
Since starting this Drop Box, nearly 600 babies have gone through the Lee family's home, many of them disabled. The Lees themselves have adopted several children. There have been some questions about this Drop Box as well as other similar types of drop boxes throughout the globe. Many question whether or not these types of anonymous-abandonment boxes will encourage child abandonment and create a decrease in family values and the family institution. But, that question seems irrelevant when you look at the hundreds of children, from all over the world, who've been adopted into families that love them with parents that want them and care for them and take care of them in a way that the child's birth parents could not.
I connected with this film in ways I've never connected to another film. While I do enjoy a good, inspiring film, there's something about watching someone go through a now-shared experience that reaches out in ways other films can't. Seeing the faces of babies and children who have stories similar, yet also different, from mine, was extremely emotional. It brought to life my experiences that, while I can't personally remember them, were documented in stacks of paperwork now stored in my mom's closet.
All in all, I'm extremely thankful to have had the experiences I've had. I'm so thankful to my adopted family for taking me in and raising me like one of their own, and I'm thankful for people like Pastor Lee who are giving kids a chance at a better life.
To close, I highly recommend everyone to go see this film. I also encourage everyone to pray for the kids and Pastor Lee and his family and/or donate.
Links:
The Drop Box
Facebook
Twitter
Everyone knows me as Leanna. Most everyone I'm acquainted with knows I was adopted. What a lot of people probably don't know is the story behind my adoption.
On the day I was born, my birth mother, gave up her legal rights as a mother. Only hours old, I was parent-less with a government-provided social worker as my only guardian. My mother was 17 at the time. She'll be 36 this year. I've never met her before. At least, besides those few hours when she was still my mother. I have no memory of her face, the sound of her voice, the touch of her hands. I don't even have my name to remember her by. I was named by my social worker.
I don't know much about my birth parents other than what my biological mother provided the social worker. Although some say I'm lucky to have any information about them at all, I don't know if I feel lucky. At least not in this instance. Knowing is sometimes more painful than not knowing. It's hard knowing that my biological parents are out there somewhere living lives I'm not a part of. It's hard knowing that they might never even think of me.
What I do know, though, is that when I was five months old, an amazing set of people in the United States of America, a 15-hour time difference away, decided they wanted a child from Korea. What I do know is that they wanted to add to their family. What I do know is that God had His eyes on me before the day I was even conceived. What I do know is that there are children out there who aren't so fortunate. What I do know is that there is a Pastor in South Korea who is doing everything in his power to help those children.
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| Pastor Lee |
Pastor Lee and his wife started The Drop Box in December of 2009. The Drop Box is a small "mailbox" in the side of their Seoul home. The mailbox is intended for the mothers (or other family members) to drop off their unwanted babies instead of leaving them in the streets. Pastor Lee and his wife created this mailbox to try to save at least a few of the dozens of babies that die every year from abandonment.
Since starting this Drop Box, nearly 600 babies have gone through the Lee family's home, many of them disabled. The Lees themselves have adopted several children. There have been some questions about this Drop Box as well as other similar types of drop boxes throughout the globe. Many question whether or not these types of anonymous-abandonment boxes will encourage child abandonment and create a decrease in family values and the family institution. But, that question seems irrelevant when you look at the hundreds of children, from all over the world, who've been adopted into families that love them with parents that want them and care for them and take care of them in a way that the child's birth parents could not.
I connected with this film in ways I've never connected to another film. While I do enjoy a good, inspiring film, there's something about watching someone go through a now-shared experience that reaches out in ways other films can't. Seeing the faces of babies and children who have stories similar, yet also different, from mine, was extremely emotional. It brought to life my experiences that, while I can't personally remember them, were documented in stacks of paperwork now stored in my mom's closet.
All in all, I'm extremely thankful to have had the experiences I've had. I'm so thankful to my adopted family for taking me in and raising me like one of their own, and I'm thankful for people like Pastor Lee who are giving kids a chance at a better life.
To close, I highly recommend everyone to go see this film. I also encourage everyone to pray for the kids and Pastor Lee and his family and/or donate.
Links:
The Drop Box
Leanna, what you've written is so beautiful. And I was crying last night too, on the other end of our row in the movie theater. It is because this is part of my story too. It is part of my story because it is part of yours and Naomi's story and because it reflects the depths of my heart. I love you, dear daughter, more than you could ever know, and I am grateful to the Lord for you and humbled by the honor of being your mom. 💗
ReplyDeleteLeanna, that was beautiful. I remember your plane day. As I recall, after they'd brought you home, I got to walk you and sing to you at one point when you were crying, and you calmed right down. Such a sweet baby. We all knew then what we still know--that you are a special gift from God. I'm so thankful we've had the privilege of knowing you and seeing you blossom into the precious woman of God you are. (Beth and I went to see the movie, too. We were crying before it started. I brought a packet of tissues for each of us.)
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