I've been trying to decide how to finish the story of our journey to DRC to bring our kiddos home. Trying to decide what words to say and how much to share (at least in a public way) - it's not an easy decision.
After going back and forth over the course of the past few weeks, here's what I've decided to share...
The 2 weeks we spent in DRC were the most difficult 2 weeks of our lives. However, it was a necessary part of the process and looking back now I see how God used those 2 weeks to bond Jeff and I together as a pretty awesome team - even more awesome than we were before! :)
I will share one tid-bit - our trip home seems sort of comical and almost surreal now, but at the time it was 27 hrs and 4 flights of sheer chaos. Our little ones slept for about 6-7 hrs total and the rest of the time, they cried, screamed and pretty much disrupted the peace of every traveler we shared space with! Jeff and I decided, when we touched down in Charlotte, that we didn't care to ever board another plane again! :)
We arrived home on Friday, March 8. Thankfully, my mom and dad decided to stay on with us for an additional couple of weeks. Jeff and I were both incredibly sick and having extra hands around the house was such a blessing!
After my parents had been home for a few weeks, my mom sent me an email that I will forever treasure. I'll share a bit of it...
Those first couple of weeks sure were a true test of all your parenting skills and stretched you almost beyond measure. We could only stand amazed at the extra portion of love and patience God gave you both. As you worked together to guide and train them to learn to trust and obey you, they settled into their place in the family and began to feel at home. We could see them respond to that very love you desperately desired them to know.
I thank the Lord that you gave us the opportunity to experience this great event in your lives. We saw first hand the working of God in your family, in our family, and we are so proud. It thrills our heart to see how it has all worked together to bring glory to His name.
We've been home now for almost 2 months and here's what I know to be true:
Finding a "new normal" is hard work!
We have an amazing family - our older girls have handled this transition incredibly well!
We're making progress with A and J each and every day!
Watching their little hearts open and seeing them learn what it means to receive and give real love is pretty miraculous!
I read this on another adoptive mom's facebook wall and I think it sums up where we're at so perfectly:
"I have concluded that I do not want an easy, pain-free life. Rather I want to stand before God sweaty, tired and broke because I invested my life and resources in the Kingdom of God and for the benefit of others."
Amen.
They just don't come much cuter than this!
They just don't come much cuter than this!
