What's in a Name?

Well, we are still waiting for news on our final decree. I feel like a woman in her last trimester of pregnancy. The further along you get, the harder it is to wait. It is looking more and more like it will be September when we travel. I suppose that is just as well. My neighbor tells me that August is typhoon season in Taiwan and that it is unbearably hot. I think I would live with it, however, if I could bring my daughter home a little sooner.

We did get to SKYPE her again last night. Now that we are down to the end, we are able to discuss more concerns of hers about moving to a whole new country, with a whole new school, whole new friends, whole new family-lots of new. Poor little thing. I can't imagine how scary that must be. I hear she is acting up a bit more at the orphanage, but perhaps that is due to all the changes she is awaiting. They say she is excited to come to the USA, and she does seem to be happy to come when we see her on SKYPE. She is glad to be home schooled for a while until she feels more comfortable with English. She is very glad to have the bottom bunk of her and Christy's bunk beds; however, there is one change she is not so glad about.

When Jing-Qi came to us last summer for her two week stay, she came off the plane telling us her American name was "Tina". I never used this name while she stayed with us, because my yougest daughter is named "Christina". Seeing as "Tina" is short for "Christina", we had never planned on using this name for her. Not yesterday, but the SKYPE session a month before, she had brought up again that her American name was "Tina". My heart sunk. I know how important a name is, and this is probably one thing she thinks she has control over; however, I just can't reconcile myself to name her the same name as Christina. Sam had fallen in love with the name "Monique"; however, she didn't seem at all fond of this when we spoke to her last night. She still wants "Tina". To my great relief, Sam seems willing to look at alternatives to "Monique" and understood how important this issue must be to Jing-Qi. I asked her if she would like to stick with the name "Jing-Qi". After all, this is how I always think of her, but she really wants an American name. I think we will keep "Jing-Qi" as a middle name. What a dilemma! Sam and I are trying to come up with names that are as close to "Tina" as possible, while not being the same name. We came across "Trina" last night on a baby name website, which is short for "Katrina". "Katrina" is another form of "Cathy", which is my mother's name and also my middle name. This seems perfect. I hope she will embrace it. Afterall, I can't imagine a name being any closer to "Tina" than "Trina".

Please pray that God will give us wisdom on this very delicate issue, that we will choose the right name for her, and that Jing-Qi will love her new American name. Also, please pray for Jing-Qi as all these changes are coming up- that she will adapt well to her new home, that she will part well with those left behind in Taiwan, and that she will know how much we and our Lord loves her. Thanks for listening!