As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Psalm 127:4

Friday, June 26th, 2015 Ella Joy was 9 days old. We woke up early with excitement and anticipation. We were finally going home! The day we had been praying for had finally come, but first we had to meet with our lawyer and stand before the judge. Y’all, to say we were nervous is an understatement.  Our hearing was at 8:30 that morning. Our lawyer was another answered prayer. God’s favor for sure. She was genuine and kind from the moment we met her. She made the  court hearing process seem easy. When our judge walked in he immediately made the uneasy situation feel more comfortable.  He opened up with an anti-UNC joke, after seeing Sam had graduated from NCSU, and he himself had graduated law school at Duke.

What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee Psalm 56:3

After court we headed back to the hotel to pack. We were finally seeing the light, and our to do list was completely checked off.  We were homeward bound!

Can I stop here just a moment to  say this…Joy will never take the place of Grace. Just because we have seen our prayers answered does not mean that grief does not stop us in our tracks when we least expect it. Hear me when I say- having faith does not mean that you’ll hurt less in your grief. If anything at all, this journey has made me crave Heaven even more. This story…God’s story, has a far greater purpose than we can understand.

We checked out of our hotel at 1:00 and drove to the airport. We returned our rental car and waited for our flight. Our flight was anything but peaceful. It was all out scary at times. We had major turbulence as we flew through a storm. But my 9 day old newborn daughter was perfect! I mean, you couldn’t have asked for a better baby to travel with.

When we landed we were greeted by family who were all wearing their adoption shirts. We were all running on adrenaline. It was after midnight when we were finally reunited. It was pure JOY seeing our boys faces after being separated for a whole week.  As we shared hugs and let everyone meet Ella Joy; the flight crew passed by, and took a picture with us. Before they left, they gave Ellie her own set of wings. They were all so kind to us. One of the flight attendants even told us she was adopted too!

It was after 3am when we climbed into bed on June 27th, 2015 making Ella Joy 10 days old. We rested well in our own beds. It was so sweet to finally be home. The previous 9 days seemed to be a crazy/beautiful dream.

Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. Psalm 71:20-21