Sweet Reunion

Our homecoming was the sweetest reunion I have ever experienced. Ever.

To start at the beginning, our travel day went unbelieveably smooth. We woke up to a cloudy day in Guangzhou, but no sight of thunderstorms which had been the forecast the night before. Our first little miracle. Thank you Lord. The first 3 hour flight went very well. Mia slept for about 1 hour, ate her meal for about 1 hour and watched a movie for the rest of the time. We arrived at Seoul early and were able to hop on-line for a short time in the exact same spot that we had been 19 days earlier. It seemed like a lifetime ago. We also spent about an hour in the children's play area with Mia.

As we boarded our 2nd flight (13 hours) to Chicago we were told there would be a delay due to another connection. We ended up taking off about 40 minutes late. As the time ticked away, I saw the possibility of the 6 pm bus from Chicago disappear. I knew that was a long shot because our initial estimated arrival was intended for 5:40pm. Everyone had told me not to even consider it - I was fine with that and settled on the 7pm bus. The flight went unbelievably well. Asiana airlines is outstanding in case you are ever flying to Asia, by the way. =) Of the 13 hours, Mia slept for probably at least nine. During the rest of the time, we did stickers, looked at books, had snacks, meals, and potty trips. She did not whine or fuss for even 3 seconds of the entire trip. It was pretty crazy. When we got to Chicago we had to circle the airport for at least 20 minutes, so we did not get off the plane until 6:30. I had every intention of sprinting to the front of the plane when we landed (from row 24) which was a skill we witnessed countless times on our China flights. My best efforts got us to row 19. =) And then we sat and waited.

As we stepped off the airplane, I paused - she's an American citizen! And then we ran. No time for a picture. We went up and down the steps, flying past the escalator riders and made it through customs and immigration pretty quickly, it was 6:45 when we started waiting for our luggage. And then we waited. And waited. We still had one more stop through another immigration area for Mia (as a new US citizen with the famous brown envelope) after we were to get our luggage. At 6:55pm when we still did not have a single piece of our 4 pieces of luggage, I knew we would not be making the 7:00 bus. The next one was not until 8:30. I turned on my phone to call Kathy and tell her we would be arriving 90 minutes later. Just hearing her voice, I burst into tears. We were disconnected after about 2 minutes, but she knew we would be coming on the later bus. Our luggage came, we got through the immigration area and arrived at the bus stop at 7:15. I asked another driver if our bus was gone and he said it had left only 5 or 10 minutes ago. =( Over and over, Steve kept saying this is really not a big deal - our travel day went miraculously well. He was right. I was disappointed, but certainly not going to complain. It really had gone so well. Thank you Lord.

We spent our next hour and 15 minutes waiting for the bus and grabbing some food. The bus ride went quickly (3 hours) and then we saw Kathy's face! We arrived at 11:35 pm, right where we had left her 19 days earlier. What a joy. It was so good to see her. She handed Mia a stuffed monkey and a bowl full of freshly cut strawberries and immediately made it into her winner circle. After we got loaded into the car, she handed me cheese and cracker Combos (my ABSOLUTE favorite snack) and a water bottle (that was COLD! - unlike any in China). And then she reached into a mini-cooler and pulled out 2 pints of Culver's custard (and spoons) for Steve!! Seriously, can I have a better sister? There is no way.

As we thoroughly enjoyed our treats, Kathy drove us to her house where we were met by the rest of team Williams. It was so great to see their faces. It was 12:10 AM!We did a quick round of hugs, intros of Mia and bathroom runs and got on the road. Steve had not slept at all in the last 36 hours or so, but he was so thrilled to get behind the wheel and head for home. Almost immediately after starting the drive, my emotions overwhelmed me. I cried nearly the entire 2 hour trip. I shared every one of my thoughts and fears about all of the changes for our family - that were now only minutes away. Will Mia love them? Will she love us? Will they love her? Will it ever feel natural? Will it be awkward? Will she feel like an outsider? Will she grow up to be angry? Will she attach in a healthy way?Every doubt and fear that I have ever had during this process was unleashed. I sobbed.

Steve was exactly what I needed in that moment. He listened. He shared. And he led me right to the cross. He revealed every lie and he reminded me of the truth. We belong to the Lord. This journey has been His all along. There is no guarantee that it will be easy. With any of our children. But it will be good. It will shape us and mold us into the likeness of His Son. It will teach us about choosing love in a way that we have never been taught. At times in the face of rejection. Just like He did. It will lead us to our knees and that is a good place to be. Thank you Lord for my husband.

And then we pulled in. I told Mia this is your home. She had been very quiet, but awake the entire drive. She was seeing so many things that she has never seen before. She had not heard her language for many, many hours and yet she had been surrounded by people. Nobody looked the same anymore. She was listening to music, but didn't know any of the words. I tried to put myself in her place. She was so brave. Thank you Lord for preparing her heart. This must be so scary for her. Everything is different. Everything is unknown. We were strangers less than 3 weeks before. She is so brave.

There was a huge, BEAUTIFUL sign on the garage welcoming us home and more on the front door. I picked Mia up. I prayed. And I stepped inside. There stood my parents and Caleb. I gently introduced Mia to everyone. They were all quiet and cautious and it was perfect. Steve and I both burst into tears as we held Caleb. He looked like he had grown 6 inches. We were told his grin was bigger than it had been in weeks. And it never stopped. We had decided to get Mia in her jammies, brush teeth and put her to bed (in our room) before going in to see the others. We did. She was quiet and nervous, but shared a few smiles with her new big brother who was SO excited to see her. After she was settled, Steve and I and Caleb went into Chloe's room and lifted her out of bed. Her sleepy little smile turned into never-ending hugs and I love yous. We cried and cried and cried. Lastly, we headed into Luke. As Steve lifted him up, he looked so big to me. How did he get so big? He grinned and smiled and rubbed his eyes. He held on tighter to us than he ever has before. He kept saying, I thought this day would never come. We cried and cried some more.

We settled them all back in their beds and praised the Lord for His goodness and for His hand of protection and for His provision. We slept some and had an amazing first day at home. It is so good to be together. The kids cannot get enough of their new sister. Mia has done incredibly well. She has initiated hugs and holding hands with all 3. I stand in awe of our awesome Lord. I have no idea what this is all going to look like in a year, or ten years, or even tomorrow.

One day at a time in the strength of The King.

"Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?" 2 Samuel 7:18

[Below is our very first family photo. My dad got Mia to laugh by pretending to fall to the ground. Boppa has made the winner's circle. We are grimy and dirty and exhausted and I have no idea what anyone is wearing, but this is it. The new V Crew - party of 6]



Off to church for another sweet reunion.