Love and Promises at First Sight

Today was a taste of the classic "hurry up and wait" rhythm that the Musick's warned us about (among so many other things ;p).  It began the way I imagined our first day meeting you would, with not a wink of sleep due to all of the racing thoughts and excitement in the air.  But when our scheduled 6:30am pickup time rolled around, it was like a monsoon of events swept us from our apartment steps in Kiev and plopped us in the heart of Dnipropetrovsk.  There was no time to adjust, to take in any differences between the two cities, or to imagine all of the places you'd been.  We continued our mad dash in a taxi (driven no less haphazardly than a monsoon) to pick up a key to our apartment from a man waiting on a street corner (legit? Sure), then to our apartment to drop off luggage with no time to waste (or waste, if you catch my drift).  Due to the crisis in Ukraine, we were told that it was best that we get moving on our paperwork as soon as possible--they take this phrase very literally.  Praise God for our bladders of steel.

Finally (or so we thought at the time), it was on to your orphanage!!  We were so disoriented, yet so overcome with excitement at finally seeing you in only minutes!!  Just pulling up to the front gate of your house made both Dad's and my eyes well up with tears.  The emotions were overwhelming.  It really was as if we were having a baby all over again and the doctor just came in to tell us it was time.  Unfortunately, there was a little bit of a let down when we entered the house to discover you still had an hour or so left at school. But still.  Seeing everything we've seen in the backdrop of your pictures...walking where you'd been walking all of this time that we've waited for each other...it was all so surreal.  I'm pretty sure it was one of the first, if not only times the entire Rose family was found speechless.  Brothers included.

The officials soon arrived to go over your documents, so we went ahead and sat down at the table with them, nodding our heads like we had any clue what was being said, feigning patience.  I heard Tatyana gasp and saw her looking behind me.  When I turned my head, there you were!!!  Not just a still picture, but you!  Looking at me from around the corner.  I know it sounds cliche, but it really felt like time stopped for a moment...then suddenly fast-forwarded bringing us crashing into each other's arms for the best first hug with my new daughter-to-be ever.

As if that alone didn't bring me to tears, you didn't let go...even when I started to pull away slightly, you just held on tighter.

Yes.  It was at that moment I realized God answered yet ANOTHER prayer that we had been continuosly petitioning Him for from the very beginning: that He would prepare your heart to receive us warmly <3  My favorite answer thus far.

It killed us that we had to whisk away again, saying goodbye only one hour later.  But we are SO overjoyed that God slowed the whole day down for that one small moment; to let us bask in all His glory and the wonder that He made in you.  We have no doubt that our family was purposed for you before you were even formed in your mother's womb (Jer. 29:11).

This whole journey is behind the reason why, when asked to come up with your new American name, Dad decided that your middle name would be Elizabeth, meaning "God's promise".  God promised you He takes care of orphans; He promised us that He would take care of you.  You, now Lucy Elizabeth Rose, are a living breathing testimony that the God of yesterday is the same God today.  His promises are still valid.  His Words always true.

<3 We love you, Lucy Lu <3