Skip to main content

Our 1st year GOTCHA DAY!! :)

1 year ago today, my entire life completely changed.

I remember around 8:30p.m. before I slept my last night by myself, running frantically around my bedroom "baby-proofing" it.  Many things were placed out of reach of little fingers.

I remember getting ready, eating breakfast, and getting in the car all in a daze of excitement, wonder, and joy.  As I turned on the street and saw the gate, a wave of nervousness swept over me.

What if I'm not a good mom? What if I can't really do this? Am I sure this is the right step of obedience?

Then the gate opened.  I turned the corner of the building and saw my sweet boy.  He was riding on a bike on the other side of the yard.  He saw me and dropped the bike in an instant.  He started running.  He dove into my arms and just squeezed.


Then I whispered:

"Today is the day.  You are coming home"

We signed the papers and said goodbyes.  I remember walking out of the orphanage thinking that this exact moment was SO surreal.  When we got home, Eli walked around looking at everything in wonder.  He only spoke Nyanja, but thankfully Carol, our housekeeper, was there to help me out.  He played with some of his toys, took a bath, and went to sleep.

That night, I remember cooking him Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.  He ate every bite.  :) When he fell asleep that first night, I remember not being able to leave him.  The next week was very hard, but in my time with Jesus, my Savior filled me up.  He comforted me, guided me, strengthened me, and poured so much love on me.

The months passed slowly at first, but then faster and faster.  Eli grew into a polite, loving, fun, laughable, confident, strong, and sweet sweet boy.  I'm blessed to stand a year later and see what the Lord has done in both of our lives.  Walk with me through our first year as a family! :)

August 2012


September 2012


October 2012


November 2012


December 2012


January 2013


February 2013


March 2013


April 2013


May 2013


June 2013


July 2013


August 2013


Oh how Jesus has transformed us.
Oh how Jesus' story of redemption plays out every day in our lives.
Oh how Jesus' love, joy, grace, and peace is evident every morning.
Oh how Jesus' heart for Eli shines SO brightly.

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers."  Malachi 4:5-6

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Behold, I will send you Elijah...

I have an amazing story to tell you about a little boy. He turned 4 years old this week. He is a sweet, smart, and precious boy who is already displaying the Lord's glory. When he was about a year and 6 months old, he was admitted into the hospital because of malnutrition and abandonment.   An  orphanage stepped in to care for him when no one else could. Overtime, all his friends and the housemothers knew him as a joyful boy—even though his circumstances did not seem joyful.   Although he lived in an orphanage and was taken care of, he didn't have the one-on-one parenting, love, and support he should have had by his birth parents.   He stayed in the orphanage for almost 2 years. During this time, not one family member visited him. I had the pleasure of meeting this sweet boy when I visited an orphanage one weekend in January. He was the happiest one of them all.   He ran and played with a huge smile on his face.   His personality and ...
8 comments
Read more

To Spare.

This morning Eli slept until 10:20.  A record. Sure he was up until 11 last night, but the fact that the small ounce of sun that trickled through the blackout curtains did not bother him is a miracle :). Unlike him, I awoke this morning delighted. Delighted because for once this summer, I woke up before him. I immediately got in the word and just rested with my coffee, with the quiet of the house, and with the presence of my King resting with me. After some much needed journalling and sitting quiet before his throne, I approached the Word. I've been reading in 1 Samuel about David and Saul.  I'm in chapter 24 today. David has run many times to get away from Saul.  At this specific moment in the Word, David has taken refuge in a cave in the Desert of En Gedi. Saul, in pursuit of David, came to the same cave without realizing David and his men were in there. He went in alone and David had an opportunity to kill him.  His men even said, "This is the day the LORD spo...
1 comment
Read more

A Humbled Explorer

Today was an incredible day for me. I worked with the Education Department Head here in Zambia as we traveled around to different LCA's bringing them supplies. Because it's the new school year, the cleaning supplies were running out, so we went to several communities--Chilenje, Mtendere, and Kalingalinga--to get cleaning rags, detergent, toilet tissue, wax for the floors, and some soap. Just for your knowledge, it takes a while to get places in Lusaka. First of all, the roads are congested with traffic. Secondly, all the roads aren't paved, especially in the communities, so you are dodging pot holes and people to get down the road. Needless to say, it took a while for us to collect the supplies and drive out to the 3 LCA's we visited. Along the way, I got to know my new coworker a little better. One question I asked him was: did you know you would ever work for an organization like Family Legacy? He answered no and went on to say that after grade 12 he went in...
5 comments
Read more