Saturday, March 1, 2008

Welcome Home Emeline

(Keep checking...I will post a slideshow on this post soon. I am working on it.)

We are all very thankful to be home in the USA for a while. We have been very busy since we arrived home to Louisiana on March 20th. Emeline has been to see doctors and has been to New Orleans to get her US Passport. She became a US citizen when we arrived in the US with her, and now she has her passport to prove it. We have also met with our attorney to get begin the process to get Emeline a US birth certificate. Our time at home is flying by.

We have taken some time to celebrate Emeline’s homecoming. Our family had a welcome home drop in party last Saturday where Emeline met many friends and relatives who had been praying her home. It was so wonderful to be with everyone and to celebrate how God had answered our prayers. Chris’ parents and sister also flew in for the occasion and to meet Emeline. It was a special time we will never forget.

If you happen to be near the Jackson, MS area we would invite you to come to Franklin Baptist Church in Flora, MS on this Sunday, March 2nd. Chris will be preaching, and the church is hosting a get together directly after the service for us. The service begins at 11:00am. The address is: 2222 Cox Ferry Road, Flora, MS. We should be at the church a couple hours or so after the service. Feel free to come to the service or stop by and say hello if you are in the area.

I also want to say that Emeline is everything I dreamed she would be. She is a happy, silly, outgoing and easygoing baby. She is an absolute joy…and her daddy still insists she is the most beautiful baby he has ever seen. I cannot believe that I get to be her mom…that I get to be the one (along with Daddy) who sees her little smile when she wakes up each morning. She is already calling me “Mama,” and when she says those magic words I still feel like I am dreaming. I cannot even begin to put into words how much I love my daughter. She was worth waiting for…worth every tear that was shed. I would not change anything we have walked through to get us to the place where we could be the parents of this precious child.

As William Cowper wrote:
God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform.
He plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.
Ye fearful saints fresh courage take, the clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and shall break with blessings on your head.


We don’t always get to see how God is moving in our lives, but we always trust He is in control and that He knows best. In this case, though, God has allowed us to see the clouds break, and allowed Chris and I to hold this blessing in our arms!

1 comment:

jajbs said...

Shannon,
It is so good to hear how well everyone is doing. If you have time before you all leave, I would love to meet you, Chris and Emeline.

I know how you feel... my heart still skips a beat EVERY time Bella says my name! Enjoy!!!

God is so faithful to His children and our children serve as a reminder of that fact!

Blessings to all of you...
amanda