Colin sent a letter!

I'm not sure that these words will really express the relief that I feel right now.  I have been praying that we might hear from Colin before leaving for China.  Today, we received this letter from him, in his own hand, written in Chinese.  He signed it with his old name, the one that he had when he was in the foster home before coming to the orphanage. Below is the English translation:

Dear Mother and Father,

How are you?

I like the name Colin Daniel Rylands you gave me. In the letter I read that grandfather is an American hero. I hope that when I’m able to understand English, you can tell me more stories about grandpa. 

 I also saw my new house in the photos you sent me. I am very excited to be able to live in such a beautiful house. In the letter you mentioned that our house is very close to the Atlantic Ocean, I love swimming! I hope that we can all go swimming together. I also read that I will have a younger brother, I saw Tommy’s pictures and want to be his best friend. 

I hope I can see you all soon.

With love,

Liu, Ke Xin

8/12/2011

We are overwhelmed with joy that he was able to write to us and that we know for sure that he is happy to be coming to our family. Now I really can't wait to get on that plane and go see him.  When he refers to his grandfather, he is referring to Tom's dad, Thomas Daniel Rylands who was killed in WW2 serving in the Army.  We had mentioned to Colin that his middle name was in honor of his grandfather.  How much it touched Tom's heart to hear his new son mention his Dad and express a desire to know more about him.

With full hearts,
The Rylands