So Good to Be Home!!!

I'm sure you all know by now, but we are home!!!  We FINALLY arrived home on Friday, December 10th, nearly six weeks after our we left - and MUCH later than had been expected.

We were greeted at the airport by George and the kids, my parents, and my sister.  I didn't know they were all coming, so it was a great surprise to see everyone.  There were lots of happy tears and tears of relief shed! 

In the coming weeks, I will be blogging about our journey in more detail.  I typed a couple of entries while in the DRC, but didn't post them.  I will probably start by posting those.

In the meantime, thank you for praying!!  I mean it when I say that we could "feel" people praying for us.  It's the only thing that got us through!  When we returned, Caleb was hospitalized for the weekend.  He's been doing much better, with only some minor issues.  He LOVES his siblings!  We are so very thankful to have been able to spend Christmas with our WHOLE family together!

We hope to put together an official "gotcha day" video on you tube to inspire and educate others about adoption.  For Christmas this year, my sister-in-law, gave us a great gift.  She made this short video about our homecoming.  Keep in mind that Caleb was SICK on the flight home and when you read about our journey to the airport, you will understand why we look so bad on this video!  Anyhow, hope you enjoy it!  Thanks, Autum, for such a meaningful Christmas gift - we LOVE it!!  Silence my music at the bottom of the page before playing this video.

Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010

Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010
As of yesterday, still no good news from the Embassy. We continue to patiently wait. St. Anne's has proven to be a very safe place. We feel completely comfortable here, but are BORED!! We basically spend the day in our room, with the exception of walking across the street to the market and going for a walk or two around the complex. The people here are awesome and look out for us and our safety. The other day, we got close to the gate and we were stopped by a worker telling us that it was a bad time of day, not to go anywhere. Also, a friend of a friend stopped here to see me and she said she had a horrible time finding out where I was. We just happened to come down the steps and bump into her. Noone would tell her whether or not I was even at St. Anne's.
We have no idea how long we will have to stay in the DRC. As of now, there is no end in sight. Our situation has proven to be very unique and we feel like we're fighting a battle that we're not sure we are going to win. VERY FRUSTRATING! What we do know is that this was bound to happen to someone, if it wouldn't have happened to us. Please pray for quick resolution and a quick homecoming.
The kids are awesome! Both have been sick. Caleb most recently was running a temp of 102.9 most of the day yesterday and into this morning. He finally has climbed out of my lap and is crawling around the floor. He has not slept in two nights, other than half-hour increments. Hoping to catch a nap today.
We have been chronicling our journey and will share more details when we are safe on U.S. soil. For now, just know that we really need your prayers. I can't imagine that God would lead us to this little guy half way around the world only to have me come home without him.

Sunday, Nov 7, 2010

So...things are much improved.  Praise the Lord!  It's the middle of Sunday afternoon and Caleb is snuggled in bed next to me.  The events of the past week are so jumbled in my head.  It's hard to imagine having been through such panic, chaos, and at times - sheer terror, when having Caleb here makes the world feel so right.  Thank you for praying! 

Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! 

The last 24 hours have held events that I don't know if I'll ever be able to sort out in my mind.  And, obviously, at this point in time, they can not be shared on this blog.  The situation, however, is much improved, but still far from over. 

Without knowing the details (because God already knows them anyhow), would you please over the next 48 hours not only pray for our safety, but also that I would manage to be gracious and warm and that I would radiate God's love and the love that I feel for our son, who, by the way, is beautiful!

When Sunday is over, pray for our safety and  pray, pray, pray that the paperwork process now moves smoothly and quickly!  The urgency of getting home is heavy upon usl

Yesterday, through the darkest hours, I took comfort in knowing that people were praying.  I will also say that before this trip, I'd have said I was wimpy.  Well, NOT ANYMORE!!  We have totally felt the prayers and I know that God has  not only walked beside, but carried me the last several days (like "Footprints in the Sand").