ONE YEAR AGO

November 8, 2008 is the day that we returned with our three newest children. I can't believe that 12 months have passed since we went to bring our children home. So much happened during that week in Cebu. Some of the days have become blurred. There are other things that are permanently etched in my mind.

The last night before our kids came to join us was probably the worst night of my life. I remember arriving back at the hotel late in the afternoon with Allen after a busy and exhausting day. (The kids seemed ready to go, but a bit unsure about what was ahead. I can only imagine how they must have felt on that night. They were about to leave everything they knew...).

I will never, ever forget this night. I was dealing with a lot of intense and conflicted feelings myself. The fear was unbearable. I mean...I was petrified! Our lives were going to take a great big U-turn and it was going to happen - tomorrow! It was too late to be thinking about cold feet, but I was scared out of my mind about the things that would happen next. Allen and I just sat in our room the whole night and tried to enjoy being together. It was the last few hours of our comfortable and predictable life. I was sad. I wanted so badly to talk to our daughters at home. It was maybe the longest night of my life.

November 3rd came and it was time to begin the adventure. It was another emotional day as we all had to say our last goodbyes and start down the road together. After we left the shelter, our first stop was - the mall. Oh my! It was a three-ringed circus. Allen took the boys and I took Roselyn. All I can say is that it was the first of many adventures with our new kiddos! It is a memory that definitely makes us smile now. We did our power shopping and headed back to the hotel. It took a while for everyone to settle in and fall asleep for the night, but finally, the kids were asleep and we had a few minutes to ourselves. I can't really describe how it felt that first night. It was surreal. These three children, who God had given to us, with so many unknowns, were sleeping in the room next to ours. Three bodies. Three souls. Three people. And they were ours...forever. There was definitely a feeling of relief having passed from our old life into the new. We had survived the day and were ready to look ahead. We both slept very well that night. The next day was Romeo's 12th birthday! We celebrated in our hotel room and took this picture of the three kids. So much has happened since then, but I love this picture because it reminds me of those intense, but exciting first days together.

People tell me how great it is that we adopted three children into our family. I wish I could say that it has been easy. It was a difficult decision. I was neither brave or confident going into it. It has been very challenging. We are still trying to understand what BLENDING a family means. We are still trying to be faithful to what we believe God called us to do. In our weaknesses, I believe that God is changing all of us to learn about love. He's teaching us to trust Him. Believe me, it is hard work and not very much fun sometimes...but well worth it.

I have been telling people that I am looking forward to the one-year anniversary on November 8. We have now laid the foundation for what our larger family looks like. This year has been filled with firsts - American school, church, a wedding!, camp, vacations, holidays...the list goes on and on. We can now build on those experiences and continue to bond together. This year has also been filled with victories and struggles. I am proud of where our family has come this last year. It is far from perfect and we all have work to do, but I believe that we are headed in the right direction. Happy Anniversary, Mork family!