A Year Ago Today We Landed in Ukraine!

It is unbelievable to think that it was an AN ENTIRE YEAR AGO TODAY that we landed in Ukraine for the first time! I remember that first night so well because I have never been so terrified in my life! I remember thinking "What the hell are we doing here? What have we done? This is all a huge mistake. How did we ever think this was a good idea? When does the next flight back to the US leave?" It was the first and only time during the entire adoption process that I thought maybe we had made a big mistake. I asked Shawn if he too wondered what the heck we were doing in Ukraine about to meet a child who was supposed to be our daughter whom we knew nothing about.  I don't know if it made me feel better or worse when he told me he was feeling the same way. We were in a foreign land, not knowing anyone, not knowing the language, 5,000 miles from family and friends, exhausted from a 23 hour journey, and facing a long road ahead of us. Satan was having a field day. So I remember emailing a few friends from home just asking them to pray for us and for our hearts and for God to bring us an overwhelming feeling of peace. I had never prayed so hard in my entire life.....and then....I had never had such a feeling of complete peace in my life! It was a terrifying hour followed by the most real visit from God.  It was the beginning of the biggest roller coaster ride we've ever taken. I wish I could have told my terrified self how exactly a year later I'd be spending the day with that child we knew nothing about...that child who has become my entire existance...I wish I could have shown myself a glimpse into this beautiful life, but because I was unable, God gave me a peace that surpassed all human understanding. We are blessed!