To My Village

They say it takes a village....

I don't know where to begin to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported us in bringing our daughter home.  But, I will give it a shot...

Matt...Just 9 years ago, we sat at a table together, and I had just come home from Zambia. I was eager to share what all God taught me in Zambia, and one of those lessons was the awful truth of all the children without mommies and daddies. I was ready to move across the world and somehow that didn't scare you off. Quickly would I learn, that adoption was not ever something I would need to convince you of...you knew first hand the beauty of a family built through adoption.  So, we "planned" our lives...it may not have all happened exactly like we thought, but we always rested that God saw the bigger picture.  Now here we are...a dream that is about to come true.  Thank you for loving me through my crazy days. (I know there are many). Thank you for leading our family through this.  Wyatt, Xander and Morrissey are so lucky to have you as their daddy.  

To my boys...you are my joy. I am scared to leave you.  2 weeks is a long time.  But, as much as I want daddy to be with me in China getting your baby sister, you need him more.  Yall are going to have fun.  I will miss you dearly.  I can't think about it too much, or it overwhelms me.  But, daddy's got you.  And on October 27th...when our family of 5 is united for the 1st time...I think my heart might explode.  Get your tissues ready...

To my parents and family...thank you for raising me, for teaching me to love. Thank you for teaching me about how much God loves me.  Thank you for believing in me. I know you are scared too. Mom...thank you for coming with me.  Dad...thank you for letting Mom come.  Terry and Charlie...thank you for helping watch the boys. Wow...in 14 days, we leave.  Mom...get ready...I am a fun travel buddy. :) Thank you all for your support too with all our crazy fundraising efforts.  Dad...that was the mother of all garage sales.  Only you could pull that off.  Go big or go home.  We went big.  Little did you know that on that garage sale weekend...Matt and I had just saw our first glimpse of Morrissey. She was no longer in our imagination...she was our baby, waiting for us to fight to bring her home. 

Mom...you get a first hand look into this beautiful journey. My mommy gets to watch me become a mommy again.  There's not much more I can say than that. This will be a trip we will never forget. Make sure you packed your tissues...

To my dear friends....some of you have heard me talk of adoption since college and some of you are just learning about this desire the Lord put on our heart.  Where do I begin?? You've seen my ups and downs.  You've bent over backwards to support us through prayer, fundraisers, showers, phone calls...you loved Ri before you knew her too.  You have given so generously that it has literally left me speechless at times.  I know I have been consumed by this lately, and haven't been able to show each of you the love and support back.  But know, we could not have done this without YOU. Each prayer, each phone call, each gift, every dollar, every tear you shed for us, each smile you beamed through the past 15 months...thank you. Actually...this goes way before 15 months. Regardless of time, God brought each of you into my life, at a different time, for a different reason. And I needed and still need each of you. I love you and thank you for loving me and my family.

To everyone who has given clothes, toys, meals, prayers, presents...to everyone who supported us financially...to everyone who donated to our garage sale...to everyone who bought necklaces and shirts. Thank you. I must say, I think my daughter is going to be pretty fashionable thanks to some AWESOME clothes!! :)

To the strangers who I have met that have shared THEIR story of adoption, thank you. To the strangers who have listened to me share OUR story, thank you. 

To all my new China Mom friends...thank you for keeping me sane, sharing your insight.  The adoption community is small, the China adoption community is smaller, and the China congenital heart disease community is even smaller.  I have learned so much from all of you. And I can't wait to see us all with our babies soon.

To Melinda...the mommy who took a leap of faith and reached out to me...you weren't just fighting for your daughter to meet her friend. You were fighting for my daughter.  You gave me the key to a HUGE missing piece of our daughter's life.  Before the night our path's crossed...I had 3 pictures and knew nothing but a name of where she was found, and where she was now.  Because of you, searching for Ri, searching for Ri's mommy, you gave me a chapter of her life...a chapter that I will now be able to share with her.  It really still is almost unreal to me that you found us.  BUT GOD.  The author of the unreal stories.  To him be the glory.  Thank you for listening to his voice. 

To my village...thank you. In 14 days I leave, and I still will need you. In 27 days I will step foot off the plane, with our daughter, and I will need you.  Our first few months home, as we are getting to know our daughter, learning about her and her health, adjusting to jet lag, twins and 3 kids...I will need you.  As my heart grows weary and I am tired...I will need you.  God gave us community for a reason, to not live life alone. He is my rock...but you are my village.