The day we met

So many memories deserve attention today. I can still see, smell, and feel everything as if it were yesterday rather than a year ago...


Pacing for hours in the courtyard outside the Ministry, waiting, waiting, waiting for our referral.

Seeing our daughter's picture for the first time. Feeling that rush of joy, relief, and the overwhelming realization that this little person captured in an image was ours.

Bumping down the unforgettable road to the orphanage and seeing those beautiful blue gates in person at long, long last.

The nervousness as we waited for our daughter to appear, and the wave-in-the-face emotion at our first sighting of her.

Holding her for the first time, sadly, is a blur, but I'm so thankful it was captured by photo and video!

All of these memories are beautiful, but they wouldn't be nearly as poignant without recalling the peripheral moments, like the smiles, hugs, tears, and praises of our travel companions at the moment of our referral...

Or their eagerness to capture our first moments with Avivah, what I fondly refer to as the Kigali Paparazzi...

Or the depth of meaning in my dear friend Allie's expression, and that "at last" sensation as we stood side by side with the daughters we had longed, prayed, and cried over together for two long years...

These are memories of the body of Christ in action as I've never seen it before. Loving, supporting, and sometimes carrying us through some of the most heartwrenching, soul-draining days of our lives. That's what gets me today. Recalling the tears and prayers on our behalf from those with us in Kigali. The outpouring of encouragement on Facebook through profile pictures and shared prayers requests. The sense that the battle for our daughter was the Lord's and it was being fought by hundreds of our brothers and sisters, some of whom we'd never even met. So thank you, a year later, to all those who prayed and loved us home. You are forever a part of our family story!

And to my sweet Avivah, I can't imagine life without you. The year since we met has had its highs and lows, and we're still trying to figure each other out, but one thing I know for sure: I'm yours, and you're mine. For keeps. 

Love you, baby girl.