Worth the Wait

It feels a little surreal to actually write this post. My stomach has butterflies and my mind is scattered. This feeling reminds me of first falling in love with my husband. I want to pinch myself to see if this is all a dream. It feels all too good to be true. Yet the day has finally arrived, last Wednesday we received THE CALL. The call our family has anticipated and waited so long for, just two days shy of thirty-nine months.

WE HAVE BEEN MATCHED WITH OUR DAUGHTER!!!

At first sight we were awe struck, our daughter is breathtaking! With big dark chocolate brown eyes and heart shaped lips, she will have your heart at “Hello”.

She is not yet two years old and is more amazing than we could have imagined. About a year ago, God gave us the name Hope which we feel sums up our long faith-filled journey to bring our daughter home. God has revealed himself in so many ways and confirmed that she is handpick by Him for our family. We see now why we waited so long. Our sweet Hope is more than worth all the many months of waiting and years of longing.

When we told our kids about their sister, they were overjoyed. Everyone proclaiming how cute she is, asking a million questions and talking over one another. Our home is now a buzz of constant excited energy, which is our norm but this level is an all time high. With all the praying, dreaming, preparing and piles of paperwork we have done together as a family, our hearts are ready, our arms wide open. God has planted love in very fertile soil. Love is in full bloom in our home!

There are so many details to share and I know you will all gush at Hope’s photos yet we will be unable to share any online until she is officially ours. Even so, we hope to give regular updates about our progress and prayer needs.

We will take two trips to Bulgaria. Our first trip will be for a week long visit to Hope’s orphanage. Our second trip will be 3-6 months later. Hope will be officially ours soon after arriving in country on our return trip. During this trip we will work with the US embassy to bring her home.

Our first trip is soon! We will leave for Bulgaria in just three weeks on May 11th. This trip will be a time to get to know our daughter and talk in detail with those caring for her. We will do our best to post an update while in Bulgaria. We can’t wait to finally meet our daughter and to take in as much of her birth place as possible. We look forward to the adventure ahead!

Prayer needs:

♥️ That all will go smoothly with Immigration paperwork (I-800 form) because this gets the ball rolling with Hope’s Bulgarian court date. The sooner the court date, the sooner she will come home.

♥️ For the many other forms we needed to fill out. That this too will be completed in a timely fashion and won’t feel too overwhelming.

♥️ For all the many details that need to fall into place for travel. From packing to making sure all is taken care of for our children. Robert and I will travel alone the first trip and the kids will be with their grandparents.

♥️ For a hedge of protection around each member of our family. For peace that surpasses all understanding as we prepare and wait for our little girl to come home.

♥️ For wisdom on how to best prepare, reassure and love on our children in this time of transition.

♥️ For our time with Hope. That bonds will begin to form that will lead to a healthy attachment with our daughter. For her heart, mind and body in all the changes that will take place for her in the coming months.

Thank you for all your support, your prayers and for walking this long yet hope-filled journey with us. We are ever grateful.