Monday, November 23, 2015

Gotcha!

You have to love a morning that begins at 3:00 am!   Not sure if it was jet lag, the time difference, nerves or excitement....probably a little bit of all four, but sleep would not come!  

Our plan was to meet our guide Emma in the hotel lobby at 6:40 AM.  We would then travel to the orphanage and meet Claire at 7:30.  

Waking up so early gave me plenty of time to get ready, but also plenty of time to think about what was to come.   

I have loved this child for so long.   Talked about her, dreamed about her, rushed every bit of paperwork so we could get her home as quickly as possible.   But this morning in the quiet of the hotel room, I found myself wondering what she must be thinking.  Was she excited?   Was she afraid?  Her ENTIRE world was about the change.   She would need to meet us and then take a HUGE step of faith to leave everything behind and step into the unknown.   We have longed for her, but to her, we were complete strangers.   What could I say to help her not be afraid?  What could I do so that she would know that she could trust us? I knew the answers were not mine....I knew there was truly nothing I could do to make this easier for her.    Nothing.   And so in those early morning hours, I prayed for God's hand to wrap her heart in peace and love.   And God heard those prayers.   



At 7:40, our bus pulled up to the orphanage.  Snow covered the ground.  We carefully trudged up the icy walkway and into the freezing cold lobby of the Children's Welfare Institute.   The orphanage is home to over 500 children....I will always remember how quiet it was that day.



We were shown into a large room and we sat to wait.   Within minutes, Claire walked in.  

She walked over and said "Hello" in English.   I introduced her to Will, Josh, and Abby and they each gave her a special present they had picked out for her.   There were no tears (from anyone!). She seemed excited but also somewhat detached and a little confused as to what was happening.   Within 30 minutes, I had signed paperwork and we were being told it was time to go.  

We stopped in the lobby to take a few more pictures.



And then she took my hand and we were off! Such bravery....this girl is my hero!!








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