Dear Mrs. Paytra Van Pelt,
I went to your web sight and read the testimonies so I could get a general idea. So here goes.

My Reunion story.

There are people in this world that use the words like “Life is now complete, I feel like all the parts of my life are now in order. Things are much clearer.” I have read and watched shows that reunite families and the crying and emotions that are shown is overwhelming. In my mind, the expecting was it would be this way when I saw my mother the first time, however I might have read a lot into something that was not to be, or maybe I am complete and have all the parts in my life in order, and I can see clear about what is really important. Being able to see my Mother and unexpectedly to see my sister for the first time in 50 years is just a deeper part of a rich filled life that I have taken for granted for so long a time. God has brought people into my life, that have blessed me in ever part of my life. If I were to write every name and how I have been blessed it would be a book bigger than Profiles & Courage, or Gone with the Wind. Chosen Children Charities are just one of the people or group of people that God has used and taking nothing away from any one; each one has been divinely used by the Lord as He has orchestrated my life, or as best as I have let Him. I hope that I have been as willing to help, bless, and encourage others as He used me. God is not a respecter of person, but I know I have been blessed beyond measure. This I hope will encourage others in their endeavor of being reuniting with those who have been separated. For me, 50 years is a long time and when you have tried to do all you can to find lost loved ones, let God do the rest, that what I have had to do in finding my family that I knew nothing about. My Sister and I are still in search of Christina and Harold.
There are still chapters in my life that I have not been able to open and there is no ending part. However, on September 18, 2003 the chapter that could be titled as Parents & Sibling had a couple of pages written. This chapter in my life starts on February 10, 2003 when my sister found me. She had been looking for me for a few years and went to a site that my wife had posted a noticed in adoption registry two years ago. We only had limited information about my birth. My birth name, date, and city where I was born in, is all I knew. I have found that you do what you can and leave the rest in God’s hands, however some call it complacency.  There was a person there who ran the search and found the post. She backtracked and found us. Then my sister called Debbie that afternoon. She recalled that night and we talked about an hour. Then she called my birth mother and she called. We talked about an hour as well. I did not know what to say, ask, think, feel or act. You could say I was a basket case. Don’t go and ask some people that know me, what they think. They might say that I am already. The next morning I woke very early and this is part of what I wrote my brand new big sister.

Dear Sister Myra,

I woke up this morning at 5:22, which most mornings I would have gone back to sleep, but not this day. I was overjoyed that this was the first day that I had a new family. I know that you share with me the same thoughts that we have two Mothers. I have a big sister, and I have other siblings, that I must help find. I allowed myself to think how I would react if I was able to meet you and our mother and I do declare that a couple of tears came out of the corner of my eyes for just a brief time.

I love the parents that raised me and will always say this is my mother. With Mae I will need to start and build a relationship. It is awkward to call her Mae because the way I was raised, but yet it is awkward to call her Mother because I have never had two mothers.

I so hope that we can put on the fast track and find and meet all of us. I now got such a big family and would like to meet each one of you. Tell your brother that the package deal must have him. I cannot believe what is happing. My emotions are running amuck to the way I feel. Our mother said that it will be hard to call me Malcolm, I will always be her Jimmy, and that’s all right with me. I just hope I can keep it straight.

My Mother is encouraging me to do what ever it takes to build this new relationship. I have so many emotions that are running while that if I do not keep them in check I will be a Looney toon.

I have thought many times what I wanted to say to my biological parents and siblings, and when I got the once in a lifetime opportunity I was nervous and anxious and wonder if this was real and I choked up.

I decided to get my sealed records open so I made a call to Vital statistics in Montgomery Alabama and they told me what to do. They found my records and instead of sending them to me they sent them to Denver, where I was born. Until I can read what happened, the paragraphs of what happened to be from my 1st adoption when I was 6 months old and who they were, why the state of Alabama got me and how many homes I was in, my beginning, but short part of my life is a BIG question.

The day of seeing my birth mother had come. Chosen Children had made the arrangements and even before the day came it was iffy that I would be able to take the trip. The night before one of those people who God put in my life stepped forward and said I will carry you to the airport. This great Man & Woman of God who are in there 70’s picked me up at 4. A. M. on my birthday.  The trip to the airport is about an hour and when we got there he would not leave until he knew I had everything I needed at the ticket desk. I really must have been excited. I had to take my belt off to go through security. The person who noticed it (the buckle was a Eagle with American Pride written on it) asked to see it and as we talked I told her why I was flying. I think I told every person I saw, about why I was going to Denver. I talked to some one who sat beside me on the plane to Denver about all that I knew. Because I was so tired, I fell asleep. The stewardess woke me up and handed me a folded napkin that said “ God bless you on your new adventure” and a $50.00 dollar bill was inside. No name and I did not put two & two together. I thank God for it in above a whisper and asked that person to be blessed. The new adventure came to my mind and she had used it before I went to sleep. They are one of those wonderful people who God used to help me. I got to the Denver Airport and after I met my new Dad (Mother had remarried some 48 years ago) we were on our way to see my mother. I stopped to pick up a yellow rose with a yellow ribbon. When I got to where they lived, Dad let me go to the door by myself. I got to the door about the same time as she did. I handed her the rose. We hugged and I said I have a song to sing to you. “Oh tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree, it’s been 50 long years, do you still love me.”  We went inside and talked and talked and talked and talked some more. I was taken with awe in that at last I could see the one who gave me life. They showed a lot of pictures about the family and relatives. I had no pictures to share of my growing up years. Many years ago I had lived in a small town in south Texas and had to leave with out a lot of our things. We left only with the things we could pack in the car. We left 99% of our things with a friend who placed them in the garage and was to ship them to us. Our agreement was that we would sell our furniture to them and instead of money they would ship by UPS the other things. A couple of months later we were informed that termites had gotten into everything and all of our pictures and keepsake items were destroyed. About 5 in the afternoon dad got up and said that he had a meeting to go to. I thought nothing about it. Mother & I talked and asked questions.  Three hours later the garage door opened and where I was sitting I could not see who opened the door into the house, but the female voice said, “Well hello little baby brother”. I only knew one person who could say that so I jumped up to hug her. My older sister who lives in upper New York State had flown in unexpectedly and dad had gone to get her from the airport. In my excitement I ask, how did you get here? She said by Plane duh. The rest of the night all I could say was “you stinkers, Good stinkers, but stinkers”.  We talked and talked a lot more that night. 50 years of who, what, when, where is a lot of info and even if I lost my bed to my older, but shorter sister, the trip was already more than I hoped for. The next day I just had to go and get her something so I went to the store and got a card and gift. It was not much, but I felt that I needed to do something. Tears never flooded but hugs were always given. On Saturday I meet my half brother, one of my Uncles, and his daughter and family. My sisters’ flight was one & a half hours before mine so we had to get up and leave about 4:30 Sunday morning. After dad had dropped us off, and we got to where she had to go for the plane, we talked some more. I knew that this time would come and as she walked through the door that goes to the plane, I said in a sad voice, “Bye, sis, I hope to see you soon”. That was the only time I had tears running down my face.
I stopped at a gift shop and bought some items for my wife & children. That $50.00 came in use between buying keepsake items. The only thing that I regret is that I did not get that precious Man & Woman of God who drove me to the airport on my birthday something that was from Denver. Just a small token of my thanks for being a part of a wonderful reunion. I will never be able to say thank you enough to my wife who posted the information on the web, and the person who found my wife’s post and started this wonderful experience, I will never be able to say thank you to the person who gave the money that helped me buy the rose and the little gifts. I will never be able to repay or say thank you for the round trip ticket that my Dad bought so my sister could see me. They are on a fixed income and the repairs to the home they live in will go undone for a time. The people who have given to CCC, I can never express my feelings, thoughts and appreciation for giving the money so that this trip could happen. To Paytra, I would like to hug you for being obedient to the voice of God in starting this organization. To my adopted parents who loved me as if I was born from them. And most of all for God who or orchestrated all of this. May God bless all of you and God Bless America.

Read Malcom's Story in the Daily Mountain Eagle