travel dates!

It's time to write the entry I've been waiting for.  WE HAVE TRAVEL DATES!!

We will be traveling to Bulgaria and seeing The Bad Place firsthand on July 21st! 

Yes, if you are counting, that's almost 3 weeks away - just 24 days from now!

In 24 days, we will meet our future son, complete the paperwork to say we WANT him to be our son...

...and then come home.

*sigh*

I know.  It will be so very difficult, I suspect.  To visit that place in person, and see all that we will see..and then have to leave him there.  He will not understand why we are leaving and will not understand that we are coming back.  He also won't know that his days there are numbered and soon, he will not live there anymore.  I know we will work with his Baba and try to do whatever we can to help with the transition...but nothing is perfect and this won't be either.

I know from others who have been to The Bad Place what they experienced.  For me, I don't know.  I really don't.  Part of me thinks I will steel myself against the emotional hardship.  Part of me thinks I will be so excited to see him that it won't matter.  And part of me thinks I will finally see the graphic need that exists and work tirelessly to change the conditions that exist there. 

International social work anyone? 

Beyond that, I'm terribly excited!  I want so much to have some time to visit this country.  I've never been to Bulgaria and it looks like an amazing place, rich in culture and history.  The language is intimidating, to be sure, but this is my future son's birth country!  On this trip, I will have more time to learn and enjoy it; to capture memories that I will share with him until he visits himself one day (if he chooses to).  This is not a vacation and it's not an adoption-business trip.  This is a multi-centered experience, focused on meeting our future son, learning about his country, and enjoying some time with my husband as we work to become parents again.  We will meet the people in Bulgaria who will help us become a family of four.

In TWENTY FOUR DAYS!

Psalm 107:29-32 - He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet; So He guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! Let them extol Him also in the congregation of the people, And praise Him at the seat of the elders.

All blessings flow from the God we serve, even as we work to afford the expenses of travel to meet our precious, neglected future child from a place that simply cannot care for his needs. 

Thank you for your prayers and thoughts and hopes for us; thank you for donating to help in our needs.  Thank you for your steadfast prayers throughout this process. We do not yet know how we will manage all of the expenses of travel.  But we serve a God who is faithful!  THANK YOU for rejoicing with us!!

TWENTY FOUR DAYS!