Carrie's on her way!!!

I just returned from Dropping Carrie off at the airport. It has been an emotional day. The thought of bringing home your two new children that we have prayed over for years and long to hold and love- AMAZING!!!! Thinking of your wife leaving you for possibly two months, our kids here without their momma and to miss being there to get the kids at the orphanage and those first few weeks to bond and attach to them- OVERWHELMING and HEARTBREAKING.

We have so many people stepping up and surrounding us to help us. My mom is flying in from Turkey for goodness sake!! :) I cannot thank those people enough. The thought of me also leaving for the first two weeks of Dec for an Army course in TX, makes me feel ill!! Is it just me, or will it be as hard as I think on the kids? It will no doubt be an emotional time for them these next weeks while we wait with every ounce of us longing for a phone call or to hear the "Skype Ring" on the computer!! I'm sure they (I!!) will have their (my) moments and meltdowns, but they will be okay. We will be okay.

And it will no doubt be hard on Carrie working through the government to get our kids, living with them the first few weeks as they attach to one another and being in Africa and traveling by herself (anyone that knows her has to just laugh at that, right!) But even as experienced and amazing she is at traveling, she was never MY WIFE during all that and I feel so vulnerable letting her go out on her own for such a huge trip without me! I am her knight, it is MY duty to protect her...now I pray the angels of God keep her surrounded and watch over her. May mighty hosts of his armies travel with her.

But to everyone reading this, I cannot tell you that I have ever in my entire life felt any more dead on in the center of God's will for my life, my marriage and my family. And I cannot tell you the overwhelming joy and confidence that this brings in the moments of recognition of His will and purpose for me/us. It doesn't make it easy and it's not that it isn't a complete challenge to keep making EVERY decision by faith, but I find the strength in courage to keep going ahead without waivering as we push forward to get these children.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see," (Heb. 11:1).

When I look at all that is happening and see the struggles that we are facing, I can get through them because the things that are at the center of all we are doing are making eternal impact. The things that seem to cause the most struggles as we strive to make these decisions and to drive forward seem more and more temporal. I think of all those that have come through the Elliott house since we got married and am reminded of how impacting our home can be. We talked yesterday about how we never thought of our home having such an open door, but it always has and these have always been some of the most impacting stories of how the Lord has used us as a couple and family (you all know who you are! :). And now we have the opportunity to bring in two more and make our family bigger- a new son and daughter, sister and brother.

They are what it is all about and they are amazing. I cannot wait to hear Carrie talk after she's seen them for the first time and to hear her stories as they adjust to being with one another. And most of all I cannot wait to have them in their arms, the arms of their Daddy!!
It is good.