Worth the wait!!!

G is now able to read the text to her younger siblings!
~A definate Kodak moment~
Odesco and Mercy with their albums-Lost but now found -thanks to some diligent AOH employees :)!!


This time last year, our 4 homegrown kiddos helped me put together 2 scrapbook/photo albums to introduce Mercy and Odesco to their 'white' family. (That's how Mercy used to refer to us in Liberia). We packaged these up in the backpack (aka: "travelling bag" according to Mercy and Odesco) that they would later be sent home with, and sent them to the AOH office in Wisconsin. Later, the backpack (stuffed with clothing, snacks and small toys for the trip home), and albums were carried to Africa in preparation for the kids' homecoming. Looking at albums is quite an event in the orphanage and it seems to really prepare the kids for their new families. I am not certain how often this occurs but it seems to be some part of their routine and the nannies read the pages and look at the pictures with the children.
Upon Mercy and Odesco's arrival home, we were disappointed that neither album made it back to the States..in fact we learned that Odesco never even saw his album as it had been misplaced.
Looking back I can see the kindness of a Heavenly Father preparing our 2 unrelated little Liberians to be siblings. Evidently, whenever Mercy would look at her album, Odesco would peruse it with her...thus firmly establishing the fact that these 2 were coming to the same family.
After the dust settled upon their arrival home in December, I contacted AOH regarding the location of the albums...Mercy was able to tell me exactly where her book was at AOH/ Liberia, and sure enough, that was where it was found. It was sent home a few months ago in Felicia K's backpack. Odesco was quite put out that he did not also receive an album. His seemed to be forever lost but thankfully, Melodie from AOH found the mysteriously missing album somewhere in the Liberian AOH Office and Donna, an AOH representative, brought it back to the States with her just last week. Donna and Melodie, if you are reading this, thankyou, thankyou!! It arrived in the mail on Tuesday and Odesco has looked at it numerous times since then. I equate these albums with their newborn pictures we will never see...the album represents the beginning of their lives as a part of our family. This summer, I hope to compile "Lifebooks" for both children detailing their lives before they came to us using the information in their adoption decree and their own descriptions of life in Liberia. Seeing how they treasure their albums now, I think these books will be a real gift for them in the years to come.
So, now all 6 B children have their own special albums...I will never get caught up on them ...not until life is alot quieter around here, but it's a start , and I am so grateful our newest additions now have their albums to add to the shelf with their siblings' treasure of memories!!

Grateful for yet another evidence of God's great care for our newest additions!! He does not overlook a detail :)!!
MamaB