And We're Home!

Praise God We are HOME!!!

What a crazy trip home. It started out on Sunday after we went to church at Greater Love Baptist Church. Pastor Wesley preached and we worshiped Jesus together, African style. It was fun and of course pretty hot in that little church. Had some fun times talking and joking with a lot of the people we met in November on the mission trip.

We went to the Airport after church. I told Pastor Wesley we wanted to be at the airport early and he joked with me, saying I was going to be there waaaay to early. Well I'm glad we insisted on leaving at 2PM instead of the 4PM he was trying to convince us to leave at. We got to Roberts International Airport in Monrovia after an hour long drive. We made it into the airport with only a few people looking for money. When I went to check in, they told me I didn't have a ticket for Siete. I showed them I had tickets for him from Brussels to Dallas and tickets for everyone else from Monrovia to Dallas, I wouldn't have NOT purchased the cheapest ticket of them all for the baby. The fought with me, sent me to the Brussels Airline office and made me sit there for a half hour before the figured out THEIR mistake. I was already tired and annoyed, but I took my boarding pass and went back through security and got passed a few more attempts at bribes by the security personal.

While I was fighting with Brussels airline to let me get my baby on the plane, Kevin was fighting with the Liberian Customs and Immigration people. They wouldn't let him past the passport stamping process because he didn't have the "adoption packet" that all adoptive parents have presented to him for the past years when they leave Liberia. We were on the phone to Addy's Hope and eventually the man and Pastor Wesley talked and Pastor Wesley was able to get us through. For about an hour or 2 we all thought we were going to be trapped in Liberia for who knows how long. But God is gracious....and we were allowed to pass through and by the time we all had made it to the waiting area, our flight was boarding. Had we waited until 4, like Pastor Wesley wanted, we would have been stuck there even longer. Thank You God!

Finally after all that, we got on the plane and started our 28 hour or so travels home. The flights were decent. God put in our paths some great people who were naturally curious why a few white guys had a gaggle of brown children making lots of noise and running around. So many people helped out at different times on different flights, giving the kids some distraction from whatever was making them sad.

Each flight got progressively worse for Tres. She naturally got more tired as we got off planes, waited in airports, got on planes and move all about. She ended up having some large meltdowns on planes and in the airports. But again different people helped out, and having a stranger come up and talk nicely and trying to comfort her helped so much.

When we finally landed in Mayberry, it all made sense. She asked me if we were in America? All those flights, taking off and landing, she was sad we weren't in America and was questioning if she was ever going to go to America, which is what she was promised by Pastor Wesley.

Today being home with my family, it's so much fun looking at my kids and seeing the future of family name all together in one house. Communication is a little difficult, but Cinco and Dos have been playing, Tres has been looking at books and dressing her new doll, all the kids have been playing in the playroom. I know, as it is with all kids, there will times of stress and craziness, but I am so glad to call this crew my family. God has blessed me so many times over I don't even know how to express to Him in prayer or action how in awe and grateful I am for the opportunities he has given and allowed us to do for Him.

Brown and white faces, boys and girls, Liberians and American....Our's.

Praise God!