Ethiopia

It's morning time here and night time back home. We are ready to start another day here in country. I wanted to give a quick update as there has not been a lot of time to communicate with everyone back home.
How do I sum up the last several days of our visit to Ethiopia?  It feels impossible. But what I'm sure you mostly would want to know is how's Jude?!  Let me just say, HE'S AMAZING!!!  We have enjoyed every minute we've been able to spend with him. We have giggled with him, cried with him, snuggled him, fed him, photographed him, played with him, rocked him to sleep, prayed over him and much more. It all seems so surreal. After four years of praying and waiting, we are finally with him.
I described the first several days of our trip as magical. Meeting Jude, the culture, the food, my time with Derek, all magical. There has also been so many tears for our son and the culture here. So much to take in. Yesterday, the tiredness set in. We are exhausted. Emotional. Concerned. Pray that we continue to trust The Lord and lean on him for the remainder of our time here and this entire journey of bringing our son home.
The reality is that this is hard. Even in the midst of the beauty, it is painful. The loss. The poverty. The stories of these little ones. The fact that we have this lingering feeling of having to leave our son. We are really trying to focus on the moment that God has us in. He is holding us in His hands.
We are grateful for this unforgettable time we've had with our baby. In my bias opinion, he is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen! Melt!!!
Continue to pray for us and the group we are with. We are traveling with 3 other families. One has a baby girl bunking with Jude. The other two families are adopting older children. That is so hard. Their kids are asking when they get to come home with them. Gut wrenching. They understand that their new parents have to leave and come back later to pick them up. That's been so emotional.
One other highlight for me has been loving on all the other kiddos. That has blessed Derek and I. There are some precious children we've got to kiss and hug everyday.
Thank you again for your love and support as we continue to rest in The Lord and His plan for our lives.