One Year Ago Today

It is hard to believe, but exactly one year ago today we boarded a plane bound for Kazakhstan. Well, actually, it was a plane bound for Frankfurt Germany, followed by a plane bound for Kazakhstan. The memories this weekend have been flooding back to me like it was just yesterday. At this time last year, I was truly terrified, not believing that we were actually going through with our plans and not sure why I would have ever gotten myself into such a situation. The trip was so long, it actually took three days before we even met our daughter. In that three days' time, we were thrown into situations I could have never imagined at any point earlier in my life. All I could think of at that time was how much I wanted to come right back home. Luckily, my fears did not get the best of me, because now when I look back on those things that terrified me, I am filled with fond memories. I actually grew to love the country of my daughter's birth. I grew to love the simple lifestyle, the beauty of the Russian language, and a town that loves its children enough to have a "bounce house" party every night in the town square.

Of course, when we first arrived in Kazakhstan, all I saw was the differences between there and my home. I remember waking up the first morning and going down to the breakfast buffet. I don't know about you, but "breakfast buffet" to me means eggs, hash browns, sausage - you know, that kind of stuff. The buffet we woke up to was made up of mostly food I couldn't even recognize. I remember being worried that I would not be able to eat again for the entire trip. Luckily, there was yogurt and something that looked like crepes. Jacob thought it was the best breakfast he had ever had. Many times during the trip, I had to look to my four year old to set my mind in the right direction. We were following God, our Father's guidance for this trip. I should have had the same mentality that Jacob did. He was just following his father's (and mother's) guidance. Since he was following us, he never felt worry or fear. He knew his father would never let him be harmed, and had a plan for a great adventure. I knew that God had a plan for a great adventure for me, too, but I just couldn't get past the fear. I had to remind myself of that many times during our trip and even during the first few months at home. A year later, I can look back on this adventure and truly see the hand of God in all of it. Our daughter was made to be in our family, and I was made to be her mother. On September 12, 2006, our lives changed forever when we finally met the girl who would be known from that point on as Dasha Kathryn Werkmeister. I will post again in a few days with a full update on our little Kazakh princess.