Another First - THIS is a story of HOPE!

Today is a big day at the baby house.

Every day I drive my loud diesel engine vehicle around the circle drive at the baby house. It can't help but be heard, especially by the babies. As I walk up the drive towards the front steps I can already little voices calling from the window, "Mama! Mama!" And now, as the older ones are starting to speak more, "Hi Mama." I open the door to find the smaller ones who were not standing at the window, looking up from the playroom floor. "Mama." Absolutely HEART WARMING! The sound that makes all the frustration of business in this country, hardships of living in Africa, and time away from my familiar American life all worth it. A house full of happy, healthy babies. Babies who call me "Mama" in this season of their lives....but only as they wait for their next season of life, their permanent home and family, the place where they will have their forever mama.

Today, little Hopey will leave with her forever "Mama."

I remember going to NCH to pick up Elijah and being asked to take a new baby that had just come from the hospital that day. A two week old with an unknown heart condition. She had come from a rural village hospital that had modest facilities. They had detected a "severe heart murmur" and sent her out with "unknown heart condition, in sable condition" because they had no way to diagnose or treat her beyond that. That is all we knew. But how could I leave a two week old baby in that place where she could not be checked out?

I brought Hope home that day. She indeed had a distinct heart murmur. She was a preemie, so we knew it was highly likely that the murmur would go close on its own, as it eventually did. And this tiny baby, weighing in at exactly 5lbs, grew into a happy, healthy little girl with a perfectly normal heart.

And Hope's heart is full of love. As I have shared before, her favorite thing to do is to be held. She is a quiet little cuddle bug who just wants to love and be loved.

She has been matched through the adoption agency with a perfect mama. Her new mother lives in the village and wants nothing more in this world than to have a baby to love. She has experienced great loss in her life and knows that value of family, and she has a heart full of love, waiting to be poured out on our baby Hope.

Hope has met her new mama. As I sat with her during introductions and time with the agency representative, I sat next to her mother, patting her shoulder saying, "Mama. Mama. This is Hopey's mama." We all tried to help familiarize her with her mother, and as the day went on, began saying, "Hopey, where is Mama?" As she looked towards me, I would duck away, look or point towards her mom, and say "Mama!" Heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time! By her knowing me as "mama" we hope it will help her transition and transfer that role to her real mom, her forever mom.

They have had a great beginning, and I feel confident that this is the Lord's will for Hope's life. As tears pour from my eyes at the thought of this little girl not being in the baby house every time I walk in, my heart rejoices in the providence of God's perfect plan!!

Such a flood of emotions today!
Peace after seeing how naturally and easily Hope and her mother bonded.
Excitement in seeing our first adoptive match.
Sadness in loosing my first newborn baby girl.
Joy in having brought a new baby girl into our house yesterday.
Fulfillment as I see the vision God first put in my heart two years ago, carried out before my eyes!

THIS is why we are here! We have been a home, a safe haven of hope, for our Baby Hope. Now, little girl Hopey, has grown and is ready to meet her "forever family."