Today is a day I will remember for the rest of my life. Today I hugged and played with a shining example of God's grace, and his name is Archie. One of my closest friends, Lisa, and her husband Joey, along with their daughter Audrey, just recently brought home their newly adopted son from Bulgaria, and Jake and I got to meet him this morning! If you don't have the privilege of knowing the Eichers, you will be touched by their adoption story on their blog,
http://eicherumba.blogspot.com. Lisa has documented every step of their faithful journey and the
photography by the talented Whitney Runyon and Chris Hsieh will make you cry tears of joy!! I still cry when I review the incredible pictures and I've already seen them numerous times! Here a few of the many amazing photos taken by Whitney and Chris on the day Archie came home...
 |
| Audrey waiting for her Daddy & brother to arrive |
 |
| Oh Happy Day! |
 |
| First hug for Mommy after arriving |
 |
| LOVE that Archie waved at everyone as he arrived!!! |
 |
| Audrey hugging her brother at the airport |
Audrey, or "Ace" as many call her, is one of Jake's best friends, and they have playtime each week during our bible study on Thursday nights (during which Michael, Joey, Lisa and I have to apologize to the group for the preciously loud giggles occurring in the next room that occasionally interrupt our bible discussions!) Our kids love each other and Lisa and I always revel at how neat it is that they will grow up being best friends. Audrey is almost a year older than Jake and she was his first real friend, which is very special. She is one of the coolest kids I've ever met, and I knew she would be an awesome little sister to Archie. Audrey is so playful and good natured, with the same vivacious spirit that Jake has, and Archie fits right in! I often say Jake's only setting is "GO", which seems to be the case for Archie as well!! It's as if the Lord specifically created him for the Eicher family. Just looking at Archie, you can see his beautifully happy and energetic spirit. His smile is infectious and he is adorably affectionate and sweet! I fell in love with him months ago from the pictures and stories his caretakers at the orphanage would relay to Lisa and Joey. He has such a charming personality and can no doubt steal your heart in an instant! Today he gave me numerous hugs and kisses and I fell in love with him even more! It was so exciting getting to finally see Archie in person, so I can only imagine what homecoming day was like for Lisa, Joey and Ace after waiting so long to get him home!
We knew Archie would be coming home soon after we got back from Zurich, so we decided to bring him a Barracudas t-shirt like Jake has. And as you can see from the picture, Archie was SO appreciative that he just kept looking at Jake with a huge smile! Below are some precious pics of our first playdate today with the three kiddos! I am so honored to have been able to pray for the Eichers from the beginning of their journey. It's crazy to think that last spring we were all hoping and fervently praying for this adoption to go through, and now Archie is home at last with his family!! Joey and Lisa have such faithful hearts and a strong desire to follow the Lord's calling for their life. They truly are an inspiration and I'm fiercely proud of my friends. When you seem them together, you know it's a match made in Heaven and that God had his hand in this the entire time. Archie and the Eichers were absolutely made for each other and I know they have an amazingly special, happy life ahead in the years to come. I look forward to making many memories together with our children, and I can't wait to get to know Archie even more and see what incredible things he will do in this world. Today has fed my soul and brought me immense joy for my friends. I am a better person just witnessing the love between all of them. God bless Archie and the Eichers!! WELCOME HOME ARCHIE, YOU ARE SOOOO LOVED!!!!
Matthew 18:5 "And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me."
Psalm 126:3 "The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."
Hosea 14:3d “For in You the orphan finds mercy.”
Romans 8:14-16 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."
 |
| First pic together! |
 |
| So precious how Archie is looking at Jake while holding his new Barracudas t-shirt |
 |
| A Bear hug for Archie! |
 |
| Such a happy boy! |
 |
| Best Friends |
 |
| Me & Archie |
 |
| Eating donut holes |
 |
| Me & the boys |
 |
| Coloring together |
 |
| Ace and me in our "girls only" picture (she melts my heart calling me "Bree Bree") |
 |
| Archie loving on Lisa |
For Chris Hsieh's pics of the Eicher Homecoming, go to:
For Whitney Runyon's pics of the Adoption Process & Homecoming:
No comments:
Post a Comment