One Year Ago...

Another trip down memory lane...

One year ago we awoke early as we had a lot to do. Jason and I had to get two children (yes, two) ready for a very long flight to the other side of the globe. It was our last day in Korea, our last day at ESWS, our last day in our room we had come to love, and our last day with the view of Seoul right out our window. Today we would be taken to the airport to take our flight that would bring us back home. We were nervous, excited, anxious, and yet relaxed.

Nervous because we weren't sure how this long trip across the ocean was going to go. How do you take care of a 4 month old who may be screaming at the top of his lungs when you are trapped inside an aircraft many miles above water all while people are trying to sleep around you? What about that 22 month old? What if she decides that she has had enough of sharing mom and dad with this new baby and she doesn't want any more of it?

Excited because although we had arrived as a family of three...we were leaving as a family of four. Our son was coming home! We had waited for this day...and it was finally here.

Anxious because we weren't sure what to expect from Ben. He had had a good night, slept well, took his bottles well, but what would happen when he would realize that we weren't going away. That these white people who looked different, talked different, smelled different...well, they were always there. Life was about to change a lot for this sweet, little one...how would he react once he figured it all out?

And relaxed because God had brought us on this journey and He sure wasn't about to leave us now. He knew that this baby was meant for our family, meant to be my son, meant to be Ella's brother, meant to be Jason's little boy. God's plan was coming to fruition...and yet it was just the beginning. Relaxed because God had a plan, His Plan, and we were content in knowing that He was in control.

Many prayers were sent up that day and the days preceeding this flight home. Prayers were coming from all sides of the world...some from the US and some from Korea. God heard all those prayers and sent us yet another miracle. After saying our goodbyes to all the people we had come to love, admire, and respect and they said their goodbyes to Ben, we loaded up in the van that took us to the airport.

Our miracle was the flight itself. What an incredible flight. Two children under the age of two and God sent us peace and rest. As astonishing as this sounds, it is true...the total amount of time spent crying between these two little children was less than 2 minutes...on a 15 hour flight!!! If Ben was starting to get cranky, it was nothing a little walk up and down the aisle wouldn't fix or if Ben got hungry there were very kind airline attendants that would heat bottles up for us. They were so attentive to us. God answered prayers, many prayers, and watched over us as we flew home.

One year ago today, we left a country we love to come home to a county we love. To start life as a family of four.