Has it Been a Year Already?

It's pretty crazy to think it has already been a year since Joyce, Odell, and Naomi arrived from Africa. Silly...my very first thought when I saw the girls was how can I ever tell who is Naomi and who is Odell. I had looked at their pictures for close to a year and thought I surely would be able to recognise them each in a crowded room like all mom's would their children. But in fact for the first ten minutes or so I was calling them each by the wrong name and the sweet lady who escorted them home to us softly let me know. I felt pretty much like the worst parent in the world.

OK...in all truth the above was my second set of thoughts when I first saw them....my very very first thought was that I needed to run away as fast as I could! "See you later Jeff! I'm out of here!" Not because of the girls but because I was SO very afraid of what life with 14 children would be like. It seemed way more than I could ever handle. I was just SO afraid.

The year has gone fast and has been pretty challenging at times. The girls are GREAT and have been from the first. It has been a very amazing year.

Would I recommend what we did to others (especially other larger families ) who might be feeling God's nudge to walk similar ground? YES,I would in a heart beat if God is leading you. Can I say it would be easy? NO.NO.NO.NO.NO. It is more hard than easy a HIGH percentage of the time.At first it is hard on the marriage,time,finances,character,siblings,etc...But I will say I would rather walk a moment on this path God has set out for me than a life time of another path on my own.

The girls on their journey home to us.