In the Shadow of the Cross

Today was the best hard day ever...and it's still not quite over. As I write this, Melanie is singing to S trying to calm her and get her to sleep. It has been a long day and we can't wait to share it with you!

Most importantly, we got her! S is with her mommy and daddy and back in Sofia working through passport and visa processes to get us all home this Saturday!

Our day started early, especially since we couldn't sleep last night in anticipation of "gotcha" day! We were at the orphanage at 7:45 AM on a day that can only be described as October! It was a grand day that God prepared for us - sunny, breezy, and in the 50's when we arrived to get her. We wondered if she would remember us and she sooooooo did! There were hugs and tosses up in the air and scavenging through the bags mommy brought for goodies! We gave a few hugs, signed a few papers, then quickly got on the road for a 4 1/2 hr drive to Sofia to make a passport deadline that would allow us to leave on Saturday.

Here are the highlights from the road trip: S did great! (pretty much sat in the car seat the whole way... Unbelievable) She kept giving us this grin that said she was full of joy and not quite believing that this was really happening. She kept looking at us to check time and time again. We are so proud of her! She even said, "mommadidi" real fast one time. We were shocked. Praise God for her "baba" who helped keep out pictures in front of her and her memory reminded. S ate a meal in the car and was cooperative at the police station in getting her passport picture.

We have had it on our hearts to be real in presenting S's adoption journey. Our hope has been all along to take you along with us. Basically, this is what today was: two ragamuffins stumbling down a bumpy trail to pick up another ragamuffin who they didn't even know would remember them. Quickly they would hop into a car and make a mad dash across a country to have a picture taken. (I can only imagine what the other Blackmons would do if we strapped them down for 1/2 a day in car seats then topped it off with a "say cheese" session.) This little girl did great! Beyond all we could imagine or guess or request. All to His glory!

Now is the craziest part of a "gotcha day" - after all that, you get dropped off at a hotel to begin the process of being used by God to help another soul find Him. He is reeeeaaly brave!

The afternoon was pretty much everything we thought it might be - giggling and playing and struggling through meal time. Everybody shed tears. More than once! But, we made it! Oh, by the way, if you ever want to pray like you've never prayed before, then JUST DO SOMETHING that you know you are completely incapable of doing and that appears so hard that you have no idea how God will work it all out and you'll have yourself one heck of a talk with God! Actually, it turns pretty much into begging. You know the praying is getting serious when you're the dad setting the proper example of keeping your eyes closed during the prayer only to peep and see that your wife (the pray-er) and S (the kid that has no idea why I'm closing my eyes) are both eyes wide open talking to God! Like I said, it's serious when people just start praying out loud with their eyes open!

So, as I'm finishing up this post, my bride starts making "pssst...pssst" sounds at me across the room on the dark. The child has finally gone to sleep with her feet in Mel's lap. Praise God! We're making it!

By the way, the reason for the blog title is because of an adventure my wife took me on last evening before dinner. On top of the mountain overlooking S's city, there is a giant monument. Take a look at what we found at sunset up there. Only through His strength.

Pray that (a) S sleeps like a log and (b) that the Holy Spirit will guide us in helping S with her eating. His mercies are new each day. Praise God for the many He gave today!

...so that your faith might not rest on man's wisdom, but on God's power.
1Corinthians 2:5

XOXO,
Will