We're coming home!

This is our last official night staying in Ukraine! I can’t believe that this part of the journey is coming to an end. We woke up this morning so anxious for our appointment at the US Embassy! At 1:00 we boarded the bus to go for our apt. I felt my heart race as we neared the Embassy. I was worried that maybe I made a mistake on the endless paper work that had to be filled out. So many thoughts were racing in my mind. We stood outside for a while until it was close to our apt. time. Then the guard opened the window and told us to come in. We went through the security check point and then entered the Embassy. We waited in the waiting room until they came back from lunch. Our girls were so anxious that they were pacing the floor! People started to filter into the waiting room for their visa appointments. A lot of the people Jim Bob and I became acquainted with from the health exam and first Embassy apt. It was great to see familiar faces. As we all waited in the room, we exchanged adoption stories and how God has called each and every person to adopt. Then I heard our name being called to window 17!! The girls sprang from their seats and ran to the window. A man had greeted us at the window with a big smile and said, “Congratulations on your adoption!” He asked us to raise our right hands as he recited some things to us. I could barely talk because I was just so excited. Jim Bob and I had to sign our names to a few documents and then that was it. I couldn’t believe it. It was official. God had answered our prayers. The gentleman told us to wait about 30 minutes while they completed the visa. So we ventured into the hallway to share more stories with our fellow Americans. Shortly after we were in the hall way the couple who was called to the window after us, told all of us that the printer was down and that we might not be able to get the visas until late that afternoon for even the next morning. My heart sank and I felt a lump in my throat. We all stood there just panicked because most of us had flights to leave for the states the next morning. As we stood in the hallway, a lady said to us all, we are all Christians let pray together. So, she said a pray that God would work a miracle and that the printer would start working and that everyone would be able to complete this process today so that no one would miss their flights. The hallway was filled with a Big AMEN at the end of the prayer! I felt a peace and knew that God had this and we were all going to get our Visas. We all ushered into a different waiting room to wait for our visas. I can’t even begin to say how thankful I was that God had placed all of us together at the same time for our apts. I really enjoyed the company of the people we had met. We exchanged emails and even more stories of life, adoptions, marriage, and of course our children. It was just so great to be in the company of warm, friendly, Christian people! A woman came to the window and called our name. I ran to the window and could see she was holding our visas!! God had answered our prayers and got that printer working…lol! After some brief information, I took the packet of info and our visas and started to jump up and down. Everyone congratulated us and cheered for us. Then we all sighed a big sigh of relief because everyone was going to get their visas. We said our good-byes to everyone and wished everyone well.  We walked out of the Embassy and I started to jump up and down when I saw our facilitator and daughter standing outside the gate waiting for us. We wanted to go out to dinner and treat the girls to something special. Well, guess what, they wanted McDonalds!! So that is where we had our last meal in Ukraine…lol. 

What a journey this has been. I look back at just a few months ago when we first decided we were going to adopt. I didn’t know how we were going to do it but I knew we had to take that leap of faith and do what God was calling us to do. He never promised that this journey would be smooth. Would I change any of it? Absolutely not!  James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  All those moments of glory and sadness are great God moments and that is how we learn.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you who has prayed for us and supported us in many ways throughout this adoption process. We could not have done this without the help of friends, family and community support. Thank you God, for giving us the strength to plow through this adoption process. I can’t wait to go home and see my family. There is a whole in my heart because my biggest supporter will not be at home to greet us with her big smile. She is always in my heart. Thanks mom for being my guardian angel. I know you are smiling down on us right now. This all happened because of you. I love you and miss you and hope that I can be half the mother you were to me.

God Bless