Today is Asher's "Gotcha Day"! We can't believe one year ago today is when we met him for the first time. I can remember pulling into the babies home in Uganda and all the children were playing outside. We opened our van doors and they jumped inside and gave us hugs and were so welcoming. Then we saw little Asher standing off in the distance a little ways. The girls saw him first and immediately went to meet him. I didn't want to scare him so I waited a little while then I couldn't stand it anymore. I went to him, bent down on his level and our eyes met. He looked so sad but his eyes just spoke to me like he needed love and wanted to be held. I picked him up and he just melted into my arms. It wasn't long after that that he started telling the other kids, "My mama way!" ("my mama"). It was very clear that I belonged to him and he was not going to share me with anyone else, lol! He instantly bonded with the girls and Steve, too, and loved being held and getting the extra attention.
When I first chose the name "Asher", I looked it up and it means "happy" & "joyful" - but that boy was anything but happy & joyful when we first met him. He was so sad looking and malnourished. He had only been at the home a short time and had already gained a little weight but there were so many children to take care of and nothing substitutes for one-on-one-attention. I'm so thankful to the home's director and our friend, Sharon Nyanjura, for the care he received while there. I can remember chatting with Sharon before she matched us with Asher. She was asking if we would like to be matched with a boy or girl. I told her either but we preferred a boy - then I added nervously, "but a girl would be just fine with us, too!" She said, "Oh, I believe God has a boy in store for you." A boy?! Are you sure? I'm used to girls & don't know what to do with a boy! Somehow God knew what He was doing & Asher was the perfect fit for our family.
That boy used to also throw the biggest crying fits and had quite the temper- but not anymore. I think most would agree that he is very happy & joyful. We've loved seeing the change in him over the past year and so look forward to what God has in store for his life. I've said it many times before, but he is such a blessing to our family - much more to us than we could ever be for him. We love that guy so much & are so thankful to God for taking us down the adoption path. And we thank all of you who have supported us along the way. Adoption is a BeAuTiFuL thing!
