We made it to Hong Kong and are about to head to bed. Please keep us in your prayers as we start the long journey back to sweet home Alabama! Ayla does not like for me to sit down and is typically clingy, so we are a little concerned about 15 hours on a plane. The good news is we only have one layover in Detroit. Once we clear immigration there, Ayla will instantly become a U.S. citizen!!
We are so so excited to see everyone and welcome Ayla home! We would love to have anyone who wants to greet us at the airport to be there. Consider this your personal invitation! We are scheduled to arrive in Birmingham at 4:30 on Delta flight 5086 from Detroit.
There are just a couple requests... please meet us downstairs at the bottom of the escalators by baggage claim. We are going to have just a couple minutes with family up top before we head down so Ayla can meet her Pops & DeBe, aunt, uncles and cousin Kali. All our flights have been a little early so far (knock on wood), so we may very well be downstairs at 4:30.
Second, since we are still going through the bonding/attachment phase, please don't reach out to hold Ayla. You are welcome to talk to her or rub her arm, etc. You can imagine the confusion she will have. Just a week and a half ago she was taken from the only place and people she knew. Then, just as she started coming out of her shell and felt like the hotel room was our home, we move her again. Because of this, once we get home from the airport, we will be spending a lot of time at home as a family to help her become secure with all the new changes. So, the airport is a great place to meet her before we hunker (sidenote: I don't like the word "hunker", but I can't think of another word...it's late) down at home.
Ok, now I have a request for you all. This blog is really for Ayla to be able to look back on to see how God brought our family together. I would love for her to have notes from any of you who have followed our journey and prayed for us. We have had so much encouragement and have truly felt that we have been surrounded in prayer throughout this process. So, while you're waiting for us to get home, please leave notes for Ayla in the comments section of this post (not on facebook).
Ok, we look forward to seeing you all soon and hope some of you can make it to the airport!!
With love from China,
Tiffany, Steven & Ayla
12 comments:
Ayla, we are so thrilled to meet you! You have been prayed for and anticipated with great joy and excitement :). I have three little boys who are anxious for a new small group playmate. We've even got the youngest, Bo, saying your name :).
You are already so, so loved!
Ayla, you have been covered and smothered in prayer so much! Your little friend from Maoming is waiting for you to come home so that she has someone familiar to play with sometimes! We love you already even though we haven't met you yet and you have wonderful parents that have wanted you for so long! So glad that you're almost here!
Ayla, we are so happy that you are coming HOME! We have prayed for you everyday, and are so excited to meet you and play with you! You are loved by God, your family, and your community of friends! Blessings to you!
Ayla!! We have been praying for you and your Mommy and Daddy! I hope we can meet you someday so you and Claire can play with dolls and dress-up! God has blessed you with such an amazing family...we are SO happy for you! We love you so much...come visit us in San Diego sometime!
Ayla, (and Mom and Dad)...we have been praying for you and are so excited that your Sovereign Father chose on this very day to place you in this very family, in this very place, to feel His love and know all about Him. May you look back on this journey and see His hands in and through your life. And may you understand that it was He who loved you first...who pursues you...and loves you....just like your mom and dad. Cannot wait to meet you in person!
Ayla, your mom has been a long time friend of mine and has such an amazing heart. She loves you dearly. I remember when your parents met back in the All American Singers days. Jesus knew even at that moment that they would be married and you would be their daughter. We are excited to see you grow up. You are beautiful. I pray that you will grow to know Jesus and make Him known.
Love, Aaron and Heather Spigner
Hi, Ayla. My name is Lysa. I am 14. I am so excited for your mom & dad. You are a beautiful little girl and I know God has great plans for you. Praying for all of you. I have really enjoyed following your journey. Welcome Home!
Hugs,
Lysa
Ayla, you are dearly loved by two amazing people with huge hearts, along with so many who have followed your mom's blog and dad's pictures. Tell them to sing to you (and with you) often, because it's the way I remember them most. (They were part of an awesome group called Legacy when we were in college.) Your mom and I had some classes together back in those days. Ask your dad to do his "Smooth Criminal" lip sync sometime--it's another memory I have.
We'll have to meet sometime, most likely at a future college reunion in San Diego. Blessings until then!
Ayla, we love your parents, and are so happy you are finally theirs. We have prayed for you and your mommy and daddy during this whole process. We live a little bit down the road, but would love to meet you someday soon! You are a beautiful blessing, and we know God has a perfect plan for you! We look forward to watching you grow up, and pray that you come to know Him at an early age. Blessings on your life, sweet girl.
John and Jessica Phillips
Deacon and Harper
Ayla,
You are blessed and loved beyond measure. My heart overflows with the knowledge that God made this day possible. Many, many people love you already. May you soon know the one who loves you the most, Jesus.
~Heather and Dan Woosley
hi... a nice blog, wonderful stories;.. thanks for sharing. My daughtre also comes from Maoming, Maonan SWI, she is 8, with us since september 2012...
I wish you and your family all the best for ever
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