Photo By Staff Sgt. Andrew Sarver | Senior Airman Lin Evenson, 99th Aerospace Medical Squadron ophthalmic technician,...... read more read more
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On a cold March night in 1995, a newborn baby girl was left swaddled on a dark, desolate bridge in Huai’an, China. Now, that abandoned child has grown and prospered into a 99th Aerospace Medical Squadron ophthalmic technician.
With her inviting smile and exuberant personality, it’s hard to believe Senior Airman Lin Evenson has endured multiple devastating hardships in her life.
From being abandoned on the streets of China, to having her adoptive father die when she was a child, to being readopted into a family from the opposite side of the world, Evenson encountered hardships that taught and tested her resilience.
One must have strength in order to be resilient; that strength can come from loved ones. Evenson owes her initial strength to her first adoptive father, who found her abandoned on a bridge when she was just 17 days old and raised her as his own. Although her father didn’t have much to offer, he gave everything he had to her feel safe and loved.
Evenson's childhood home was but a single room she shared with here father. They had no restroom or utilities and just one change of clothes each.
“We lived in poverty,” said Evenson. “Despite that, my dad always made sure I was happy and healthy. He didn’t care what people thought about us - all he cared about was me.”
In fact, it was her father's confidence and determination that shaped Evenson’s personality.
“Watching him take on such a big responsibility on his own and always striving to take care of me inspired me as a child to be strong the way he was,” said Evenson.
When she was six years old, Evenson was eventually forced to find the strength to mirror her father’s resiliency when he passed away in his sleep, leaving her as an orphan for the second time in her short life.
“I had never witnessed death before, and to lose someone so close was too much to handle, especially being that young,” said Evenson. “The only family I knew was gone. It was hard to be that young and go back to having nothing. I felt scared and alone.”
Evenson was placed in an orphanage after her father’s death. Upon walking past the entrance gates, she was taken back by the towering brick building with countless barred windows lining the sides and a childless park in the backyard.
“My initial thought of the orphanage was it was a horrible place,” said Evenson. “I cried when I was dropped off. I was terrified.”
The orphans spent their days either in the bedrooms or dayrooms, playing games and talking. Evenson and her roommate often spoke about being adopted. While Evenson remained hopeful and positive, her roommate had a more discouraged outlook.
“Older kids like my roommate and I would worry about not getting adopted because of what happens to orphans once they turn 15 years old,” said Evenson. “If a child isn’t adopted by the age of 15, their paperwork is cut off, and they’re put out on the streets.”
Often having little to no education, the abandoned orphans are then forced to beg on the streets or become factory workers, said Evenson.
“The orphanage did everything they could to make sure I was adopted in time,” said Evenson. “After changing my age to make me seem younger, I was finally notified I was going to be adopted by a family living in the United States.”
As an older child getting adopted into a foreign family, Evenson faced more obstacles that would test her resiliency.
“Learning a new language was difficult in the beginning,” said Evenson. “But, my adoptive mother worked hard every day to make sure I could completely communicate with others.”
Evenson struggled with pronouns and pronunciation, so her mother spent one year homeschooling her to strengthen her grip on the English language. Her mom would spend numerous hours every day pronouncing words repeatedly with her until she was able to get it right, and Evenson’s adoptive father created child-friendly educational games.
“My [new] father helped me better understand English by teaching me how to use the dictionary and then turning it into a learning game,” said Evenson. “We would race to see who could find the word and read it the fastest.”
After grasping the basics of a new language, Evenson's parents enrolled her in a public school, where her classmates sparked her passion to learn and understand all she possibly could.
“I’m competitive by nature,” said Evenson. “So, sitting in a classroom full of kids who were reading better than me really motivated me to work harder.”
After spending years struggling to fully understand, Evenson was able to learn the language and culture of her new family through their support and her newfound faith in God.
“Faith was a big part of my strength and resilience during my struggles,” said Evenson. “I believed there was a reason I was adopted into an American family, and I was focused on following that path and figuring out my purpose.”
After bouncing back from the challenges of her youth, Evenson tackled a new obstacle in an attempt to find her purpose. As a 20-year-old college student working part time in a busy kitchen to pay her tuition, she knew she wasn't on a path that truly made her happy.
“I felt that my progress in life was too slow, and I was in a rut,” said Evenson.
Evenson explored her options and decided the Air Force was the best choice for her.
“I’d come to truly love America,” said Evenson. “I wanted to give back to the country that had given me the freedom and opportunities to have a successful life.”
Because of her unique citizenship, Evenson’s enlistment process took longer than usual. She was required to submit more paperwork, which led to her and her family having to reach out to multiple places in China to get hard copies of every document needed. After months of tracking down paperwork, she was finally ready to enlist.
“I was determined to join and wasn’t going to let anything get in my way,” said Evenson. “I fought tooth and nail to become an Airman.”
Evenson said her current obstacles aren’t as severe as her past ones.
“My current challenges are mostly just career, education and relationship ones,” said Evenson. “I’m trying to figure out the kind of future I want for myself.”
Evenson said, if problems were to arise, she wouldn't worry. She is confident she would be able to handle them.
“Every area of life has challenges,” said Evenson. “I remember what I’ve gone through. So, when hardships come up, I remind myself that I’ve been through worse, and I can make it through anything.”
The Feature Story was originally posted to the Nellis AFB website Oct. 3, 2018, and may be found at https://www.nellis.af.mil/News/Article/1653662/prosperity-in-the-face-of-adversity/. This story differs from the article originally published Oct. 3, 2018, on the Nellis AFB website in that the duty title of the subject was added to the headline.
| Date Taken: | 10.01.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 10.03.2018 16:37 |
| Story ID: | 295044 |
| Location: | NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NV, US |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Ophthalmic tech prospers in face of adversity, by SSgt Bailee Darbasie, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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