One year ago today, the Lord changed the fabric of our family forever through the miracle of adoption. One year ago today, we met Mercy and Odesco for the very first time. I stand in awe of all the Lord has done in just one year.Truthfully, it has been a year filled with unique challenges but more significantly it has been a year marked by His abundant grace for every member of our household, for every circumstance encountered. When I think of the huge transition for Mercy and Odesco I am amazed at how far the Lord has brought them. Sometimes in the thick of the day to day 'opportunities' it is easy to lose sight of all He has indeed already accomplished in the hearts of our precious Liberians. I can't imagine life without them and I am so grateful the Lord led us down this path. I am humbled to know that He would entrust 2 more children to us...in spite of our weakness and ever present sin, He chose us to parent these two . There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord in His perfect wisdom sovereignly chose to add Mercy and Odesco to our family for His purposes.
On Saturday, to celebrate the one year anniversary of the kids' homecoming, 21 of us went to an authentic Liberian restaurant that we located with the help of the Internet. Everyone who was there at the airport to welcome home our Liberian children was able to join us for dinner. Before leaving for the celebration Mercy asked,"Will there be brown people there?" Yep...lots of brown people :)
Below is a description of our experience as written by MamaK on her blog...she captured the experience perfectly so I thought I'd share her thoughts here:
As we Squeezed into the tiny yet quaint accommodations of a Liberian restaurant, our rather large group of 21 seemed to over take the place. The small, nearly invisible staff graciously handled our intrusion with patience and wide eyes. Even the noise didn't seem to bother anyone who happened to step into the place, yet another testimony to the easy-going boisterousness of the Liberian people in general. The few patrons who were able to find their way around us were very curious about all these white folks in "their" place. Those who did inquire of our seeming displacement, quickly turned from curious to congratulatory. The adoption of four beautiful Liberian children is worthy of all the hoopla.
It was definitely a cultural experience and I'm so glad we were able to 'taste' just a little slice of Liberian life:)
Mercy told me the food did not taste the same but she really enjoyed the hot spices. She also told me that the fish she ate in Liberia still had the eyes in it and it was," YUM!!" Well, I am grateful that we did not eat fish with eyes still in it . One of the soups had many unidentifiable animal parts floating around in the palm oil broth...when packing up the leftovers, I subtly placed that dish under the other empty platters...I was not interested in bringing that home and I didn't think Mama K would want to transport it home either. Odesco was more interested in consuming the KFC we brought along for the less adventurous eaters but he enjoyed all of the rice dishes. Mercy was very impressed that L actually asked for and ate 'fu-fu'... which is made of ground up cassava roots...it is a sticky yellowish blob ~ you put it in a bowl and then pour soup on top of it. Mercy mentioned many times her excitement over Luke's consumption of one of her favorite Liberian dishes..I think their sibling bond has risen to a new level :)
How blessed we are to be walking this path alongside our dear friends, the K family. It really is amazing to consider how the Lord moved them from across the country 5 years ago, joined our hearts in friendship, and then called both of our families to Liberian adoption at the same time! Not only that but our paperwork lined up simultaneously and 3 of our kiddos were actually brought home together. He is a God of details .... nothing escapes His attention. As the verse says above, even though I desire to proclaim His wondrous deeds and thoughts toward us ,there are too many examples to tell of them all.
It is good for my heart to recount His wondrous deeds yet again!!
Thanks for sharing our joy!
Love,MamaB
Now for a walk down memory lane and a few pictures of our special celebration.
THEN: 12/02/06
Our first glimpse!!!This is my all time favorite picture.( I equate this to our delivery room pictures with our biological children!!) We are watching Mercy, Odesco and Jenkins as they approach the glass doors in the airport with Auntie Melodie. I just love everyone's expression as we see our children(siblings) for the very first time.
First Hugs!!
After our hellos above, we had the kiddos quickly pose for one final picture with Auntie Melodie before she boarded her next flight.They have changed so much in just one year....NOW:
Odesco has grown a bit, hasn't he?? He now has a pair of capri Liberian pants!! Dont' worry, we didn't let him out of the house this way...see the picture below :)Mercy and Odesco wanted to wear their Liberian garb to the restaurant. G just tried hers on at home and decided she would rather be warm !!
Much better...Odesco loves wearing these dress shoes
Mercy fit right in... this was one of the ladies who worked at the restaurant.That's sweet Felicia with the hat on in the background.
Mama and PapaK...
Mr and Mrs. G...last year they drove all the way to the airport spending several hours in the car on their wedding anniversary with 2 little boys in tow to join in welcoming our little Liberians . They also took some great videos and pictures for the K family. Several years ago, our family had the added blessing of welcoming them at the airport twice when they arrived home from Guatemala with their sons....how blessed we are to be surrounded by so many children whom God has added to families through the miracle of adoption!
We were so glad Mimi and Pop-Pop could join in the festivities...
J and G...they did not try the Liberian food but enjoyed the KFC and cake!
Big Sis S and "Miss C"
Mr. G's eyes grew very big when he saw Mercy receive this loaded plate. He asked me if she'd be able to eat it all.and he watched in amazement as she happily enjoyed 3 plates full...typically we limit servings to 2 healthy portions but today, we let her indulge just a wee bit :) Note the palm oil smile...I often wondered when we received pictures from AOH what was all over Mercy's face...it is red palm oil which is used as a base in many Liberian dishes!
Good to the last grain of rice!! The picture on the table was a thoughtful and creative gift made by Mrs. G ...a montage of the last year of life in America! 
Odesco and friend S... even Odesco is sporting a palm oil smile!!
The owners of this restaurant were so gracious -allowing us to bring in KFC for the non adventurous eaters and a big cake to top off the celebration-believe it or not, it was too sweet for Mercy. She prefers her meat and hot pepper over sweets any day!! Odesco though fits right in with the rest of us and loves the sweet stuff! 
Celebrating God's gifts to us: Odesco, Mercy, Felicia, and Jenkins
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