TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A little over three years ago, Sophie and Gary Hisle had all but given up on having a child of their own.

Fertility treatments had failed, and being approved for adoption in Kansas seemed unlikely because of their ages — Sophie is 40; Gary, 70.

Then the Richland couple read an essay that appeared in The Topeka Capital-Journal on Aug. 14, 2005. The essay, written by Washburn University political science professor Bob Beatty, described the process he and his wife, Stacey, had gone through to adopt a little girl from China.

Sophie didn’t waste any time in calling the Beattys to find out more about adopting a child from China. Maybe, she thought, this was the answer to their prayers.

“Within three weeks, we were approved and the paperwork had begun,” she said.

The Hisles adopted their daughter, 8-month-old Zia, through Great Wall China Adoption, the same Austin, Texas-based nonprofit international adoption agency used by the Beattys to bring home their daughter Laura, now 4.

Stacey Beatty now serves as the Kansas regional office director for Great Wall China Adoption. Since the agency’s founding in 1996, it has facilitated more than 7,000 adoptions from China, including 110 children who have come to homes in Kansas.

About 95 percent of the children available for adoption in China are female. The government restricts parents to having one child. Male children are preferred because they carry on the family name, are more suitable for farming and are expected to care for their elders when they are older. Parents may abandon a daughter in order to try to have a boy.

The Hisles met with a Great Wall China Adoption representative on Sept. 24, 2005, and the next day signed and sent in an adoption contract.

Even though they had not been matched with a child yet, Sophie said, “Once we signed the contract that was our little girl in China.”

The couple’s dossier was mailed to China on Dec. 30, 2005, and logged in with the China Center of Adoption Affairs on Jan. 23, 2006. A nursery was already being decorated in their home, and they chose their daughter’s name, Zia Joy. “Zia” means “grain” or “wheat” in Latin.

Stacey Beatty said the one downside to adopting a child from China is the wait between filing paperwork and the granting of adoption. The average wait is about 2 1/2 years. The reason? A flood of tens of thousands of adoption applications between 2005 and 2007.

But the Hisles’ wait was worth it. At 2:14 p.m. July 7, the couple received a phone call from Beth Reeves, of Great Wall China Adoption, telling them a little girl, born on Dec. 26, 2007, in Hunan Province and living at the Chenzhou Social Welfare Institute, was waiting for them.

They were e-mailed photos of Zia 15 minutes later.

Sophie said her husband looked at Zia and said she looked like her because of her big eyes. Sophie told her husband Zia looked like him because she was bald.

“We were both in tears,” she said. “Then the reality (hit), she really is mine.”

The Hisles boarded a plane on Sept. 8 to go to Changsha in Hunan Province — their first trip to Asia. They were to pick up Zia on Sept. 11 at the Hunan Civil Affairs office in Chenzhou, four hours south of Changsha.

The Hisles were among 10 couples who were at the Chenzhou office to claim their adopted children. Eighteen other couples went to another town to pick up their children.

“We walked in and the babies were lined up (in a room),” Sophie said.

The adoptive parents stood in a row as adoption officials announced each couple’s name and verified their documentation before they could embrace their child.

Sophie recalled the first time she held Zia.

“She looked at me and put her head to my chest. She looked at me like, ’Where have you been?”’ she said.

Gary, who has six children from a previous marriage, then held Zia, who grabbed his goatee and gave him a kiss.

“It was instant love,” he said.

The Hisles stayed in Changsha for 10 days to complete paperwork and learn more about the Chinese culture and attractions. They then flew to Guangzhou, where they completed paperwork at the U.S. consulate and took an oath to never abandon Zia.

The Hisles and Zia arrived back in the United States on Sept. 25 — exactly three years after they had signed the initial contract to adopt a child from China. Zia became a U.S. citizen the minute the family stepped back onto American soil.

The Hisles and the Beattys have become friends over the past three years. On a recent visit to the Beatty home, Zia and Laura played together on the living room floor.

“It would be fun to see them grow up together,” Stacey said, adding that Laura has “done beautifully” and is a “typical 4-year-old” who is involved in soccer, gymnastics and preschool.

“She’s a wonderful addition to our family and has given us as much as we’ve given her.”

The Beattys also have a son, Alec, 8, and a 6-year-old daugther, Keira. Laura loves to watch her brother play baseball and sings the songs from “High School Musical” and “Hannah Montana” with her sister.

“These kids adjust quickly and really thrive in their families,” Stacey added.

Stacey said she became interested in working for Great Wall China Adoption in part because of the phone call she received from the Hisles three years ago. Her part-time job includes conducting adoption workshops and serving as a local contact for couples wanting to adopt children from China.

“Any adoption is amazing and wonderful — how families open their homes and hearts to children,” she said.

The reasons she encourages adopting a child from China include: The mothers are in good health before giving birth. After the babies are born, they are well cared for in an orphanage by nannies. Mature adoptive parents are favored.

In addition, the adoption process is transparent, with fees known in advance, and parental rights are completely severed.

“China sees the adoption program as independent of international politics and crises,” Stacey said. “The goal is to place kids in good families.”

Tax credits also help families with the financial side of international adoption. A family can receive a 2008 federal tax credit of $11,650, which can be spread out over six years, and a 2008 state tax credit of $2,912.50. Grants also are available to adoptive families.

“It’s been so rewarding to help Kansans build their families and help children from the other side of the world find their homes,” she said.

 

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