Home

We are home but it still seems like a dream.  I'm thankful for the pictures and the memories in my heart.  Things like donkeys walking in the road, our driver honking constantly and the bottles of pop instead of cans are etched in my mind.  We developed some pictures for the girls and they just can not wait to go.  It seems like forever so I just keep praying for peace and God's perfect timing. 
I'll try and recap the trip a little but don't want to bore everyone with all my details, so just read whatever part you want (:

Day 1, Sunday - we landed early AM, were picked up and taken to our Guest Home before our first visit.  She is beautiful.  My heart is already full of love for her.  We spent time playing with her and the other children in her home.  There are two homes where the children live.  She is in the second home with 9 other children who all arrived at the same time from the same part of the country.  They are all so very precious and loving.  They all gave hugs and enjoyed every second of attention we could give them.  God is at work in these amazing children's lives. 

Day 2, Monday - we spent the afternoon with her and the other children again.  Time goes by too quickly.  We went to a cultural restaurant for dinner and enjoyed meeting some pastors from Missouri and spending time with our orphanage director and her husband.  Food was good (except for the raw meat and stomach which we didn't try). 

Day 3, Tuesday - went to play with her and the other children in the afternoon.  I wasn't feeling too well but as soon as I saw her, it was all gone.  Our attorney went over court with us and we discussed what questions may be asked and what would happen at our appointment the next day. 

Day 4, Wednesday - on our way to visit the kids, we received a phone call to go straight to court.  The judge would not be available that afternoon so they moved us to the morning.  We met Sameson (our attorney) and waited our turn.  A few questions later, the judge noticed our files were missing a letter and could not finalize the adoption without that.  We had done our part and the attorney said not to worry but it was difficult.  We had a celebration dinner that evening at a restaurant that overlooked the beautiful countryside but my heart was still anxious. 

Day 5, Thursday - On our way to visit the kids, we received a phone call saying our papers had arrived and the adoption was finalized!  Our kids were legally ours and we celebrated in that van!  High fives, shouting, and praying.  We all knew that this was God's gift and He had provided yet again.  It made seeing the kids even more exciting and we hugged our little girl extra tight.  We were now a family of five! 
We took the kids to the zoo and spent the afternoon enjoying time with them and some of the caretakers.  We bought Ayelech her first pair of sunglasses, they were yellow and she loved them.  She cried when we left that day and my heart slowly began to realize that we were leaving soon too. 

Day 5, Friday - We spent the morning playing with the kids.  It was very warm and Nick got quite a sunburn.  Our little girl enjoyed playing with the bubbles, running around with us, playing hide and seek and laughing.  It was wonderful.  We got to see her eat lunch and tuck her in for a nap before we left.  We love her so much.

Day 6, Saturday - One of the couples left Friday night so we were on our own to visit her Saturday morning.  Every moment with her was a treasure and I counted the minutes, holding my breath.  We enjoyed seeing her comfortable with us and laughed as we discovered she had attitude!  She colored in her notebook, put stickers all over her face and yelled at the construction workers next door.  Our brave little girl is so loving and sweet, she is a blessing to us.  We were able to share lunch with her and then tuck her in for a nap.  I knew the time had come and we said good-bye for now.  I can only pray that God is working in her heart helping her understand we are coming back. 
We left that night for home and arrived home Sunday around 11 am, an answered prayer.  We hugged our girls tight, thankful for our family.