Coming home

One of the most glorious days ever was the day we left Uganda.  I know that doesn't sound very "nice" about our daughter's home country, but I'm just being real.  This trip was not fun.  It was grueling.  It took YEARS off our lives.  I know people want to hear that we just loved Uganda and were enchanted by the place, but sorry.  Not our experience.  We were SO READY to come home.  That said, though, leaving came with some tough goodbyes.  One being to our precious maid, Shamim, who was a joy to talk with everyday and treated us like family.  Her twin sister and her parents were killed in a war in northern Uganda when she was NINE.  Can you even imagine?  A relative took her in and raised her, so she had a special heart for adoption and was so excited for all of us, especially Maggie.

And Hamza, our driver - although he was so much more than a driver to us.  He became our family and will always hold an incredibly special place in our hearts.  He took care of us, prayed for us, taught us the language and the culture (could not BELIEVE Mark didn't present my family with a cow when we got engaged!), made us laugh our heads off and loved us. We will never forget that it was during his prayer for us (while we were in the embassy) that God nudged him to call for our law firm to bring Maggie's father.  He played a big role in bringing Maggie home, and it broke our hearts when we learned he doesn't have email or Facebook or any way to stay in touch with us.  So we parted ways at the airport with huge hugs and Mark and I cried like babies saying goodbye, but at least we know we'll see him again in the presence of Jesus.  And oh how we'll laugh together again.

And then our sweet friends from Tennessee.  A friendship born of our adoption journeys.  It is amazing to us how God brought us both to Uganda, during the exact same dates and we are all so similar.  Mark and Leighton have the same job, and Mary Craig and I are kindred spirits.  We have opinions - lots of them - that are totally united. :)  I believe God knew exactly who we each needed to finish this process with, and I pray that this was just the beginning of a long and special friendship.

So, leaving the country also brought one more hurdle.  Immigration at the airport.  People, there is NO END to the insanity in this country.  Mr. Immigration Officer thought he needed to pick apart the facts of our case and started asking questions. It took everything I had left in me to not jump across the counter and smack the guy.  But after his little interrogation he allowed us to go, making the comment that if we were taking Maggie, then he was going to keep one of our boys.  His attempt at being funny.  We were not amused.

And then we started counting MINUTES until our plane would leave, feeling like at any moment, some official would come and stop us for whatever reason.  Such an AWESOME feeling to be in the air, flying away with Maggie safely between us.

She was not feeling the relief/freedom/excitement, however.  All she cared about was the stupid seat belt and how it was RESTRICTING HER MOVEMENT and was determined to let the entire plane know about it.  Flying = NOT HER THING.  Mark and I were totally beat after hour one.  And we had about 38 hours left.  Our itinerary?
Uganda to Ethiopia - 2 hours.
Layover of an hour and a half.
Ethiopia to Rome - 5.5 hours.
Gas stop of an hour and a half (couldn't get off the plane).
Rome to Washington DC - 9.5 hours.
Get processed through customs - MUCH more pleasant experience in this country - WOW.  Can hear "Proud to be an American" playing in my mind.
Layover of 5 hours, in which Maggie consumes her first Starbucks.  CAN. NOT. TELL. YOU. how unbelievable that tasted after 2+ weeks.  Liquid gold, people.
Washington DC to Denver - 3.5 hours.
Layover in Denver of 1.5 hours.
Denver to Rapid City - 1 hour.  In which Maggie threw up all over her "coming home" outfit.  Turns out her stomach didn't appreciate the tiny turbo-prop plane bouncing around - can't say I blame her.
Walked off the plane in Rapid City and I fell apart.  In front of family, friends AND a professional photographer waiting for us.  Oy vey. One of my finer moments, captured in megapixels to be treasured always.
I had reached my breaking point.  Coming off that plane, after everything we'd been through to bring us to this point, was overwhelming to say the least.
Thankfully, I wasn't the only one.  Many tears were shed.  There were some beautiful moments, watching our family and friends meet Maggie, touch her and hear her, after their hundreds of prayers for her.  Having a front row seat to prayers being answered is a powerful thing.
So we stood in the airport and laughed and hugged and cried and hugged some more, and then moved the party to McDonalds.
Yes, McDonalds.
The boys' request. :)  And after everything we have been through, the boys get pretty much anything they want these days.  (This will be short-lived, rest assured).

Then we came home to more surprises - a re-stocked refrigerator, meals in the freezer, a clean house, clean sheets, flowers, balloons, a beautiful banner welcoming Maggie home, and people willing to allow us to fall into their arms and just be cared for.  It was like Jesus was here welcoming us home Himself.

So we've been home a little over 48 hours and things are going as well as can be expected.  Maggie loved her room - my sweet family even filled her room with pictures of her with us, her with her friends at the orphanage and she was taken by all of it.  She seems to have made herself at home and we are attempting to settle into a routine.  One thing we've discovered is she LOVES puzzles.  And shoes.  And fruit.  And copying everything we say.  Reminded of how careful we have to be when we heard her saying "idiot."  Ooops. 

And so I will continue to record Maggie's adjustment to home, to us, to American life here on this blog.  Thankfully, (hopefully?) the stories will not be as crazy or adventurous  - however, we are 100% convinced that God has big plans for this little girl, considering this story so far, and so we will try to shepherd her story well.  It is our prayer that you have -and will- see HIM in our experiences and her life.  And we pray that someday, she will fully understand how deep and how wide and how vast her Father's love for her is.  He's not through yet!