We Had Our Meeting Day!! (Stacy)

This photo was taken at PANI. 

Where do I even begin?! As the title of this post states, today was meeting day...our first time meeting D and E in person! We've Skyped a few times, but nothing compares to a face-to-face meeting. Of course, they were even more beautiful in person! :) Nathan, Kayla, Aubry and I had all kinds of emotions as we waited for them to appear in the room where we were waiting at the orphanage - excitement, nervousness, joy, anticipation, anxiety, impatience, eagerness - it was all there!

As we waited, we said a quick prayer - something along the lines of, "Lord, please prepare our hearts and theirs!" - and within a few minutes they were rounding the corner, entering the room. Nervous smiles on their faces, nervous smiles and tears of joy on our faces, warm hugs and hellos, a few awkward moments of near silence, more nervous smiles, and then we all piled into a van and went to eat! The desire for good food is something most people can relate to. :)

We found that as the 6 of us sat at the table, even with the language barrier (we speak a little Spanish and they speak a very little bit of English), it was easy to have some good conversation about food, colors, tricks with straws, Barbies, music, school supplies, and shoes. :) After lunch, we walked around the mall for a bit, and D and E took it all in. We're told that in the time they have been in the orphanage (5 years), they have only ever been outside their little community at Christmastime, so I'm sure there is a lot they have yet to see. While it's hard for me to think about them being without a family for so long, I can't wait to have all kinds of "firsts" with them!

We were so very blessed by our meeting today. Thankfully, we were given the opportunity to hire an awesome videographer to capture all theses special moments. She met with each of us (including D and E) beforehand and asked how we were feeling, what we were thinking, etc. She'll also be coming to the airport with the 6 of us to pick Dylan up and to capture his reaction and our first moments together as a family of 7!

We owe big thanks to Yolanda, Rebeca, Maria, Sarah, and Victor for a great first day!

Seriously, my heart is so full!!

Meeting with the PANI social worker. 

Meeting, at the orphanage, with "D" and "E"'s caretakers.