Alain. and his story.

{so I wrote this weeks ago...but it still applies so I HAD to post it.}

faith.

courage.

and a broken heart.

the enemy really wanted me to think this week that the Lord wasn't moving in my life.

he really wanted to get me down

but today I was reminded anew of god's unwavering faithfulness

I was leaving Target for the 5th time this week {hey, I'm organizing & needed some fun new containers to get me excited!}, and I just was overwhelmed with emotion.

thankful & heartbroken all at the same time.  

thankful and reminded of all the beautiful relationships He's given me with friends in Africa

and heartbroken that I can't be with them every day

after Target, I went to Chickfila to pick up some lunch for me & the hubs, and while waiting in the double-wrapped-around-the-building line, I saw my good friend Jenn had a new post about our time at Noel.

pic by Jenn Verme, the one that made me BAWL!!!!
{this is Justen by the way, more stories when I start posting more from Noel!}

read post here. 

I'm not joking when I say I bawled like a baby in the drive thru

big ugly can't get your breath tears

let me give you a quick recap....

pic by Jenn Verme.  us at Noel together! 

• god put adoption on my heart summer 2010
• I remembered this random photog that I followed started an adoption blog (Jenn)
• I read every.single.post over my familys beach trip in Mexico
• I emailed her when I got stateside & we quickly became email/phone friends
• she took our family photos last spring outside of San Antonio (where she lives)
• at said photo shoot we tried to convince Jenn & her hubby Chris to come to Africa with us on our man up mission trip...no luck. 
• we proceeded to talk on the phone for hours at a time- about adoption & africa
• after we had already been "meeting" with our team for above mentioned trip, Jenn & Chris decide they want to go
• sadly, it was closed - they couldn't go with us (insert really sad face here)
• so they signed up for the next available trip to Ethiopia that week - that trip was also going to Rwanda
• they didn't know why they were going to Rwanda, they just wanted to go to Ethiopia (home of their soon to be daughter, Maya)
• I kept telling her that obviously god had a plan (which she knew full well)
• we left ethiopia 20 minutes before they arrived
• I left her a note at their guest house telling her to PLEASE find my boy, Eyob in Korah and give him some love from me
• 2 weeks after our trips, I had surgery and while laying in bed feeling half dead - stephen brings the computer to show me this video of EYOB that Jenn sent to me (true friend right there)

• I digress.  back on topic.
• people asked Jenn & Chris how their trip was, Chris said..."it was great, we fell in love with this boy in Rwanda & we would bring him home if we could"
• Jenn, being a woman of action said "stop saying that, unless we are going to DO SOMETHING"
• do something they did.  they started the process to get Alain a student visa
• I was happy to be along for the ride.  walking through 5 months of joy, pain, heartache, stress, worry, excitement, calling out to god, frustration, excitement....
• they had done pretty much all they knew to do & were in the "waiting" phase.  that's when I traveled to Rwanda with Jessica to pick up her son, Jack.  
• I got to know their Rwandan attorney & quickly put the pieces together that maybe Norbert could help Jenn & Chris
• Jenn & I skyped from Rwanda and I sent her his info
• with Norbert & Tara in Rwanda, and Jenn working furiously at home they were able to get Alain his visa!
• they were waiting to figure out when they could travel to pick up Alain and about a week or so before I traveled on this past trip to Africa...Jenn texted me to tell me...
• we were going to be in RWANDA the same time! can you believe it?!  the TWO days we were going to be at Noel, so were they!

this is what Jenn said on her blog about that day:

 As soon as we got out of the car, I was looking for Wynne. I could hear drumming coming from one of the buildings, so I made my way towards the sound. I didn’t see her until she was running towards me. The second best hug I’ve had in a long time. It was just so good to be with her in Africa. God really is too good to me!

It really is crazy.  They were basically a part of our team for 2 days - eating every meal together, staying at same hotel.  Please go visit Jenn's blog for some amazing pictures from their time at Noel.  I have more stories to tell from Noel, but wanted to leave you with some pictures of my time with Jenn, Chris & Alain!  

Enjoy!