She's a keeper

So today was the big day, Agape's "Gotcha Day"!  I must say, it couldn't have been more incredible.  Our day started out with a less then impressive breakfast at our guest house, but it's free so we're thankful for that.  Shortly after breakfast it started pouring rain, and remained rainy for the rest of the day.  That's ok, because shortly after us and the two other families were loaded in the van heading to our big moment.  To sweeten the deal we were joined by a little orphan girl who was at the embassy earlier this morning.  I was the lucky guy who had the quiet treasure in my lap the whole way.  We were afraid that she was very uncomfortable around us when not one of us could get a little smile out of her, but shortly into the ride she was sleeping soundly in my arms.  The family who is adopting her will be very happy to have her.

Finally it came, we all arrived at the orphanage.  Not sure what to do next we all climbed out of the van, cameras ready, and hearts opened to receive our girls.  We stepped through the open gates to find a small house with a plain front yard, and a row of orphans staring at us on the front porch.  The head of the orphanage started calling out the names of our children shouting "They're here!"

That's when we saw her.

Before I continue I must talk about her confidence.  She always has her head held high with a smile from ear to ear.  Though she does have a little problem with snatching, I can see a fire of strength blazing within her.  I absolutely love that about her.

Anyway, she steps out onto the porch and walks right up to Jen, and is immediately embraced by her.  Jen looks her in the eyes and says, "I'm your mama."  Agape smiles and repeats, "mama".  Jen then turned to me, and Agape says, "papa."  I held in my arms, stared into her eyes and we both laughed uncontrollably for a moment.

We spent some more time at the orphanage playing with the children there, and headed off.  Now comes the challenging task of building her trust through a big language barrier.  But we are all happy.  On another positive note, Agape loves her new name.  At the guest house she was asked by at least three people what her name is, and each time she responded with "Agape".  I feel that this is a very positive sign that she feels a part of our family.

So much more I want to say about her, but it is currently very late here in the Congo.  Agape is a very restless sleeper, and has fallen out of bed twice now.  We hope she sleeps well tonight.  Another blog post will be seeing you all tomorrow.

Blessings to you all.