Great is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy Faithfulness 

 

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endure

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

I stood with Abbi Grace strapped on my chest as she slept, clinging to me, in a coffee shop on the streets of Insadong in awe and in worship as this song played over the speakers the day after we gained custody. The magnitude of the event that just occurred combined with the obvious provision of our Father to get us to this point was overwhelming. Through the people, financial provision, and the preparation of our hearts for this moment, it is so obvious that He should be given glory for each step of the way. Through doubt, He gave us hope; through weakness, He gave us strength for tomorrow; through fear, He gave us peace; through this entire work of unknown outcome, He continually promises to take care of us. We pray that our family for generations can see His faithfulness through this little girl. She has a plan and a purpose in the Tyler family, in Owensboro, Kentucky, and we are so expectant to see God’s plan unfold over the years as He works out His goodness through the many difficulties and tough conversations we have to face in our future family. In the midst of it all, will always remember God’s faithfulness in her life and the lives of our boys. God will finish this work that He has started. For no word from God will ever fail (Luke 1:37). 

 

May 14, 2018

This day was a day filled with anticipation. In the morning, we worked out and got ready for the day. We made our way to Gangnam, which is about 45 minutes from Orakai Suites in Insadong where we were staying. (Side note: The hotel was fantastic, giving us the ability to cook some of our own food and space to move around and play. The hotel staff was also very friendly and helpful in any situation).

Suite at Orakai Suites, Insadong

Orakai Suites Insadong

 After making our way to Gangnam, we ate at the Korean BBQ restaurant across from SWS again because of the familiarity. It was a quiet meal as we rested our hearts and minds. Finally, it was time to go across the street. We paced the street a bit and went right in. She and her foster mom were downstairs at the clinic getting her final check up in. They were at the doors immediately and the foster mom said: “mommy and daddy!”. Abbi Grace did not seem like she wanted to see us, like she knew what was going to happen. She buried her head and backed away. We were told to go upstairs, and our worry heightened due to that reaction. We said a quick prayer and went in and waited on the blue couch. We waited for them to return and read over her initial adjustment report about when she eats, sleeps, poops, etc. Finally, Abbi Grace and the foster mom came back upstairs and we went into the small play room. We sat down and they showed us all of the things that they brought for us, clothes, diapers, formula, and toys that we sent. We then gave the foster mom a picture frame with all of our photos and some of our t-shirts that we sold for fundraising. We played a little bit and then it was time to go. We signed another paper stating that we picked her up today, got information regarding our visa interview appointment, and our social worker said it was time to go.

Foster Mother, Abbi Grace Harang, Social Worker at SWS

Tears welled up in the foster mother’s eyes. They gathered us up and quickly ushered us to the elevator so that we would not miss our waiting Taxi. We left the foster mother at the top of the elevator with tears in her eyes as Harang tried to wiggle away. We made it down to the taxi, got in, and took a deep breath. There was a lot of emotion: sadness for the foster mother and the brokenness of that lost relationship, joy that she was finally ours, and worry for the upcoming reaction to this transition.

In the Taxi

We played some YouTube videos that the foster mom said she liked to divert her for a few minutes before she shut down an went to sleep. We got back to the hotel and she took a long nap. When she woke up, she was confused but happy to see us. We played the rest of the evening and got to know one another. When she was upset, she allowed us to comfort her, which was more than we could have asked. 

Waking up to Eat with Mommy

 

May 15, 2018

Today, we had all day just to hang out. It was a beautiful morning, so we got up, went downstairs for breakfast, and then headed out for a walk. We went to one of the palaces, but it was closed, so we walked to Changdeokgung Palace. When we got there, we put her Hanbok on her that she got for her first birthday and took pictures of her walking around with the rest of the people. She enjoyed seeing all the people and getting to run around a bit.

 

It was then time for a nap, so I put her in my carrier, and she quickly fell asleep. We walked back to the hotel after grabbing some lunch at Wells Coffee and she slept for quiet some time. When she woke up, we played for a bit, and then went out and grabbed some supper in the near streets at a famous dumpling restaurant in the Buchon Hanok Village.

Koong Traditional Dumplings

Finally found the dumpling place straight ahead down this alley!

May 16, 2018

Rainy, rainy day today in Seoul. In the morning, Abbi Grace woke up early and we went swimming downstairs after breakfast. She really enjoys the water and bath time, so it was perfect. She is a little daredevil, however, so to say we had to "watch her closely" would be an understatement.

Abbi Grace naps for a couple hours in the afternoon, so we had some time to just relax during that period. When she woke up, we fed her some rice (bap) and bananas (her favorite). The foster mom tipped us off on some of her favorite foods as well and gave us these snacks along with her formula for the week, which was very helpful.

After eating, we went on a subway ride towards the DDP. John Mark and I visited here on our first trip for shopping, but we did not make it to the Kyobo Bookstore, so we thought it would be a good place to pick up some books for the boys and family. We also found a Pinkfong Songs Book for Abbi Grace, which plays her favorite kids songs in Korean. It has been her favorite!

After the bookstore, we made it back to Vatos Tacos to change up our cuisine for the night. Abbi Grace tried some tortilla chips and really liked them. She is an adventurous eater for the most part, but you can tell there have been lots of "new" things that take her by surprise.

Following supper, we made our way back to our hotel on the subway in the rain. She loved being out and about as long as I had her strapped in the carrier. That night, she was ready for bed and some daddy snuggles.

She loves to be hugged, snuggled, and loved on. We kept her close in times of panic when she would look for her foster sister, and times when she generally would look or feel anxious. It makes our hearts sad that she has to go through this at her age, but we are so thankful that is now instead of later and that we are able to comfort her. She looks for us and wants us to hold her. That is way more than we could ever dream of expecting at this point. Thank you Lord!


May 17, 2018

Thursday morning we repeated our morning swimming routine. This time, she had sassy, independent woman attitude on with her swimsuit, so this didn't last as long. More play time in the room followed before an early nap. While she napped, John Mark and I got ready for our Visa Interview. At 12:30 we headed downstairs and met the rest of our group to walk to the U.S. Embassy (about a 20 minute walk from Orakai). We turned in our electronics and went upstairs to the 3rd floor and waited for our names to be called. When we were called to the window, Abbi Grace repeatedly tried to eat the microphone as we were asked only a few simple questions regarding our location in the U.S., our Korean court date, and her future name. We waited for a little less than an hour in the room until the documents were printed. During this time, all the kiddos shared snacks and ran around. Our wild woman was on the loose. Finally, after running out of snacks and a new change of clothes later, we were given a sealed envelop to save for U.S. customs and her Korean Passport. This was it!!!!

Outside the U.S. Embassy after the Visa Interview

For some reason, she was intrigued by her passport.

That night, we were spent. Orakai Suites has a play room downstairs, so we went there for a little bit in the evening and she played on the slides.


We went out to 3.14 Pizza down the road (kind of the only place we could find at the moment when we were starving) and brought it back to the room and worked on beginning to pack up everything for the night as we watched Disney Junior in Korean.

May 18, 2018

Today, we transferred to the Grand Hyatt Hotel Incheon in order to save us some time on Saturday morning before our flight left. It was about an hour drive from Seoul costing us about 85,000 won with all of our luggage in tow. Abbi Grace slept all the way there and even when we arrived. We made it up to the room and relaxed for a bit before heading down to the hotel restaurant to grab some food.

That afternoon, we swam in the hotel pool (swimming cap required ... just a bit of info for those that may be traveling there in the future) and walked around the beautiful grounds there. We also walked to E-Mart around the corner (which we had been looking for one the entire time we were there) to get some rice snacks to take home and to see if we could find any of the brands of food items that her foster mom gave us. Only thing we could find were the rice cakes. It was very cool and still wet that afternoon, but that did not stop this little one from letting go and taking off. It was good to see her free and that she felt that she was safe to do so without being in the carrier.

May 19, 2018 (The Day we Lived Twice)

Last night, she slept wonderfully. We woke up early the next morning and caught the shuttle from the airport hotel to Terminal 2 for Korean Air at 6am. When we arrived, we dropped off our wifi egg and then, after waiting in line to check our baggage, we went through a priority security lane with her and all of our belongings. It was a fairly easy process. We then went to the food court and grabbed our last Korean meal, which was an excellent hot pot and some rice for Abbi Grace.

Finally, it was time to board our flight (which boarded about 10 minutes late). We were able to board priority because of Abbi Grace, which was helpful in getting her settled in. We were surprised, however, when we boarded that John Mark and I were not sitting by one another. Upon check in, they put me in the bulk head row for the bassinet and gave us the impression that John Mark was going to be sitting right across the aisle from me. Not ideal either, but if we had the bassinet to lay her down in, it would give our arms a break when she slept and he could still be helpful. However, the reality was that there was a sweet elderly woman with a leg problem sitting in between John Mark and I, which made it very difficult for him to help or engage with us at all the entire flight. I managed to sneak her into his lap briefly a couple of times, but this little one is on the move and had to be redirected for 15 hours with very little sleep time. She did well all in all, but it was definitely a lot of hard work to keep her entertained and avoid meltdown or her eating our neighbors' kids food.

Of course she fell asleep 45 minutes before we landed. When we finally landed in Atlanta, we made our way through a neverending line at customs with a foreign passport, going her passport checked off and then had to wait again to get her visa approved and the confidential packet processed. I'm not really sure how long it took, but by the time we got through, we had about an hour until our next flight started boarding. We grabbed some food, changed diapers, and let her run around the airport a bit before we started again. Even with all of those people around (that she loved visiting), she always made sure we were right there and longed for us to hold her.

Customs - sleeping beauty

Thankfully, on the flight from Atlanta to Evansville, we all three fell asleep immediately before take off and then woke up upon arrival. It was the best flight ever! We landed in Evansville and changed clothes and headed to Owensboro. She did not seem to mind being in the car seat and fell back asleep immediately.

Abbi Grace in her Car Seat for the First Time

When we arrived at home, we had so many lovely friends and family waiting to greet us. We privately met the boys in the side of our yard as they doted on her and hugged her. She was happy to see everyone, although she clung to my side. It was beautiful to finally have her home with us.

As the night went on, we had our first meal, bath time, reading, and bed times together. Grayson and Paxton are going to be the best big brothers. As you can see, she has really taken to Grayson right away and tackled him with her hugging. There will definitely be some adjusting to do for everyone (as we have learned some today, especially Paxton, as expected), but all in all, she fits so perfectly into our family with all of her personality, flare, joy, and love in her heart.

 

 

Pray for us as we continue to adjust to a family of 5, attachment and bonding to continue to take place, security to flourish, and that she has peace in her heart as she processes the stresses of these transitions. Pray for our boys as they develop their new roles as big brothers and for our patience and endurance as we make parenting decisions, help our kids grow, and teach them through these experiences about the love of Christ.

Brotherly Love

Our Hearts n’ Seoul - Trip One

Saturday, April 14, 2018 - Sunday, April 15, 2018

This morning we packed up and left our house early for Evansville to fly out to Dallas. The long flight over was exhausting, but it was so exciting to finally arrive in Seoul a little after 4:30pm, the birth place of our daughter.

15 hours on a plane stuck in the middle seat in between 2 men= me= tortured.

Upon arrival, we went through immigration and then checked out our WiFi Egg from KTOtella, which we reserved ahead of time through a coupon from Klook for about $15 for the entirety of the trip. We also went ahead and exchanged some of our USD to Won. We then went downstairs under Terminal 1 and found a station to get a ticket on the AREX express train from Incheon International Airport to Seoul Station. It was W9,000 per person, and we did not have to wait long. We boarded the train, which took us straight to Seoul Station in about 45 minutes. When we arrived at Seoul Station, we stopped in a convenient store and bought our T-money cards, which we would use for transportation. Then, we found Exit 12, where we were meeting our host, Cho Yeon, through which we rented a studio apartment from AirB&B in Jung-gu. We walked to the Twin Residency about 4 minutes away from this exit and made our way upstairs to the 21st floor. She quickly explained procedures (including taking our shoes off before entering, how to take out the trash, and the ondol (heated flooring system)) in broken English, and things to do and then left us. 

View out our bedroom window.

 

We got settled in and went down the road to Seoul Station to try to find something to eat. We went to Seoga, the Original One Plate, restaurant at the bottom of Lotte Mart. We learned quickly regarding service in Korea. There is a button on the table that you are to push when you want someone to come over. They will not come and ask, and they will not return unless asked.  We ordered bacon risotto and hamburger patties with salad. It was delicious with plenty left over. We also learned that meals are very big in Korea, and the food comes quickly. You do not tip your servers in Korea, but you take the ticket they leave on the table up to the counter and pay on your way out. Most places also take credit cards as well. After supper, we walked back to our AirB&B (about 15 minutes) and went to sleep for the night. Today, our little girl turned 17-months old.

 

Monday, April 16, 2018

After a very long day of traveling yesterday, we took the morning to sleep in. We then got ready for the day and stopped by Starbucks down the road for some breakfast. It is very difficult to find a lot of breakfast items here in Seoul in the early morning. Coffee shops (which did not open until 7am) or convenient stores were our best options. We grabbed some food and some fresh juice to go and caught the Metro line 5 to Yeouinaru in hopes of seeing some cherry blossom lined streets in the Yeouido Hangang Park south of Han River. We got out of the Metro at Exit 3, and we rented some bikes from a bike stall there around 9:30 for about W14,000 (about $14) for 3 hours of riding (#shouldhavewornathleticclothes). They kept our driver’s license as a deposit for when we returned. Helmets were provided, just make sure you get a comfortable one and be prepared not to look very cool (John Mark put his backpack in the front basket of his bike and felt like E.T. The whole time, and he said I looked like the Wicked Witch of the West with my coat tails flapping in the wind). 

Riding over Mapo Bridge.

 

We hopped on our cruisers and made a loop around the park for some adventuring and good laughs. The city has amazing bike paths, so it made it fairly easy once we found our way. 

 

We cycled west out of the park across Mapo Bridge and headed down the ramp to the north side of the river heading west. We tried to stop at the Jeoldusan Martyrs’ Shrine, but as most things in Korea, it was closed on Mondays. So, we continued on to the Yanghwa Bridge and carried our bikes up the stairs to the path on the west side of the bridge. Halfway over the bridge, we stopped on an island there that used to be a water filtration plant: Seonyundo Park. Here we finally found some cherry blossoms in bloom. I think we were a week too late to see everything at its fullest, but they were still beautiful and there were some beautiful views of the Han River and the city from here. There is a cafe here as well, but it was closed today.

Seonyundo Park with Cherry Blossoms

We continued back to the south edge of the river and back towards Yeouido Hangang Park. During the ride, our Social Worker from SWS called and rescheduled our appointments with our daughter for this week. We were going to be able to see her tomorrow morning at 10:30am at the agency first and the go to the foster family’s home on Wednesday at 1:30pm. We kept cycling and passed by the National Assembly, Seoul Marina, the Eco Park, 63 city skyscraper, and a strange monster sculpture. There were a few outdoor gyms along the way, so JM snuck in a few muscle ups with his cool bike helmet on. (haha! we just had to be a spectacle).

Riding by the National Assembly.

 

Overall, it was a 20-mile bike ride, but the weather was absolutely beautiful, and it was a great way to see the city. 

We then got back on the Subway and headed back towards Insadong with plans unsure. Everything seemed to be closed on Monday. I sat down next to a man on the subway with my guide book out, and he immediately started talking to us in perfect English. He had studied in England and was a professor of politics here in Seoul, Mei-Jei-Poong Moon. We told him we were wanting to eat, and he was going the same way we were, so he offered to show us a few options that were close to our next destinations. He recommended a traditional Korean restaurant that was by far our favorite place that we ate while we were in Korea. Unfortunately, we are not really sure how to get back there. 

 

They brought out the most fabulous Kim Chi (spicy, fermented cabbage), that you had to cut up yourself with scissors (someone came over to show us because they felt sorry for us trying to shove this huge piece of Kim Chi in our mouths with our rusty chop stick skills), buckwheat dumplings filled with vegetables, rice, broth, and meat. They also served us rice wine that you drank out of a bowl. It was a great learning experience overall, and it was definitely more of a place for the locals, so I think we were genuine entertainment for the groups of elderly men that were enjoying their lunch there. 

 

After lunch, we used our CityMapper app, to find our way to Gyeongbokgung Palace. Along the way, we saw a beautiful lantern festival. The colors were amazing. This was in celebration of Buddah's birthday, but regardless it was a sight to behold.

When we got to the palace, we took an English-speaking tour about 3:30pm, which was very interesting to hear about the current palace, which was only about 25% of its original size because the rest was destroyed, and the traditions of old and how the confusionist mindset influenced architecture, family, and government.

One of the beautiful aspects of the palace were the people as well. Most people (young and old) dressed up in Hanboks to tour the palace (traditional formal attire). It was a beautiful display of color and a step back in time. In hindsight, we should have jumped on the band wagon and stopped in one of the rental shops on the way in ourselves, but it was fun to watch all the other princesses running around taking pictures. 
 

Girls dressed in Hanboks taking photos together.

 

Inside the gates of the palace.

 



The throne room.

 

Following our visit to the palace, we lost power with our WiFi Egg, so our navigation was lost. We had to pull out the map and do things the old fashion way. We went to the Bukchon Hanok Village, which is an area around the palace with traditional buildings, streets, and shops. 

Bukchon Hanok Village.

We kept getting lost and turned around, however, in the maze of houses, so we decided to go ahead and head in a different direction towards Namsan Park hoping to make it up to North Seoul tower for a beautiful sunset.

Namsan Park

Spring Blooms along the Way.

We walked up the street (literally up) towards a cable car station. John Mark thought we were taking the cable car up, but I had other plans to walk the “easy” and “undulating” Northern path through the mountainside. I’m pretty sure whoever wrote this wasn’t wearing street clothes, nor did they take the “short cut”, which was more like a straight up steep climb towards Seoul Tower at a higher elevation. Regardless of the path we took, we made it to the Seoul City wall, the Geographical Center of Seoul, and North Seoul Tower right at sunset. 

The Geographical Center of Seoul.

 

Before we headed down, we stopped at the place where you can leave a "Love Lock" on a wall. There were tons of locks with notes. We brought a lock along and already had written on it, but evidently you can buy them when they are there. We took pictures and kept the key, so if one day we go back with Abbi Grace, she can take off her love lock if she wants or keep it there forever.

It was then head back down and find some supper. We followed the city wall down, and we thought we could make it to Namdaemun Market since it was located at the end of our hiking journey. However, after walking for hours, by the time we arrived there, the stalls were closed up and we could not locate the correct gate. So, knowing that most things close early on week nights we hurried back to Seoul Station and found a Traditional Korean Noodles place and chicken. We were exhausted by this point and ready for bed. 

 

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Today is the day we have been waiting for. The day we were able to meet our daughter, Abbi Grace Harang, for the first time. We woke up and went up to the 29th floor for a quick workout and got ready to go. We gathered our gifts for the foster family and social worker, grabbed some breakfast, and headed towards the subway. The metro ride down to Gangnam took about 45 minutes in the morning commute. We got off a the Yeokum station and made our way up to the 7th floor of Social Welfare Society (SWS) a little early to wait to meet our baby girl. 

 

 

We waited silently and patiently seated on the low, blue couch. Then, we heard the elevator ding, and our girl’s foster mom walks in with a look of joy to see us with Abbi Grace in tow in a carrier looking like she is half asleep. The foster mom said her nap was interrupted so she is sleepy right now. We immediately went in the play room at SWS and all sat down together on the floor. Our social worker was not in today, so Mrs. Lee helped us with the meeting. We just talked to her, tickled her feet, and gave her some of the new toys we brought, including some blocks with the boys’ faces on them and her bunny that we put in the videos that we sent. The foster mom and the case worker left us alone in the room for one hour to play. During that time, she sat in my lap very briefly and ate a piece of cheese, and we gave her some rice snacks. She is a very smiley baby, and she thought John Mark was pretty funny. In one of the videos, we sang “You are My Sunshine”, so I started singing it. She immediately recognized it, and she even acted like she was singing it towards the end. She, like most toddlers, went from one activity to the next. 

It was amazing how we felt that she just fit with us. Not that it was super easy or she just took to us like nothing, but she just fit with us. We know the transition will be very difficult because she loves her foster mother and you can tell that she has been well taken care of and loved deeply. 

When they returned to the room, we tag-teamed changed her diaper. It was an effort because they said she does not like diapers and she always fights them to put them on. She is still wearing 18-month clothing, so a lot of the clothes that we sent are still working fine. However, all the 2T clothes that we bought are still going to be too big, so it looks like we will have to do a little bit more shopping before the second trip. 

That hour with her went by so very quickly. We quickly wrapped everything up and we had to leave from there. We went across the street to a Korean BBQ restaurant that was very good to just gather our thoughts on the whole experience and talk. It was such a strange place to be in, knowing that she is ours, but being unable to fully care for her as a parent would, knowing that she thinks of us as complete strangers but loving her so much. Overall, it went well and she did not cry. That is all that we can hope for at this moment. We can hold her to no expectations. All we can do is just look forward to tomorrow to see her again. 

The Korean BBQ place was fantastic with wonderful meat that you wrapped in lettuce; although it was difficult to think much about the food. We also talked to the boys over FaceTime and they were super upset that we did not FaceTime them while we were with Abbi Grace. It really just was not possible. We wanted to spend that time just being with her. We are just so ready at this point for our whole family to be together. 

Korean BBQ Place Across from SWS.

 

After lunch, we went to the second of the big palaces in Seoul, Changdeokgung Palace, which was north of the river back around the other palace and Hanok village from yesterday. We were not able to make reservations to see the secret garden because our plans have been so fluid overall. We just walked around the palace and read the placards that told about the history. They also had a fire drill while we were there, which was an interesting experience, especially because we did not know it was a drill at first. 

 

On to Myeong-dong for shopping we went following the palace. We found an OSulloc Tea House, where we found some unique teas from Jeju island and had a green tea tiramisu. This place was amazing. 

Myeong-Dong.

 

Myeong-dong was a super interesting place with street vendors, food vendors, and lots of shops along the way. We had not yet started our souvenir shopping and gift shopping, so we knocked out a few things here. After shopping, we met up with Jori and Zack from Tennessee who are in our court group. We walked down the street in Myeong-dong and found a restaurant. It was great Korean BBQ. 

 

We then headed back to the room for some rest and relaxation. 

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Today, I feel more nervous about meeting Abbi Grace than I did yesterday. I have so many questions to ask and so many things I want to see and know about her, and I only have an hour to do all of this. We needed to get outside, pray, and clear our minds. After looking up great places to run in Seoul, Mt. Ansan popped up, so it was close and looked like it would be a nice path going around the base of the mountain. So, we took metro line 3 to Dongnimmum and got off at exit 5. We followed the signs to Mt. Ansan and quickly realized that this is more of a climb/hike instead of a run. Regardless, it was beautiful with paths lined with flowers and huge boulders. We could see N. Seoul Tower, the Seoul City Wall, and the other mountains that surrounded the city. There was also a stone beacon on the top of the mountain that was used to signal in times of distress.

 

We finally found our way back down and made our way quickly back to the hotel for showers. Grabbing some food on the go, we headed to SWS on another 45 minute metro ride to meet up with Mrs. Hwang for the meeting with our little one and her foster family. Little did we know, we would be in a taxi for 1 hour and 20 minutes, since they lived outside of Seoul (which was a little bit of a frightening ride accompanied by some mild car sickness through the mountainside). We took in every detail of the trip there, hoping to one day tell our Abbi Grace of this journey. We finally made it there and went up to their apartment. The foster mom, foster dad, and daughter (who is in 4th grade) were all present. The foster mom served sweet breads, tomatoes, and pears, and rice snacks on a low table where we all sat around on the floor. The foster family was sweet and kind. We were able to ask many questions of her habits and her daily routine. It was obvious that she loved food and definitely did not love if you took her food. Her favorite food is rice (thankfully that is easy enough I can fix). She played with her blocks, her bunny, and we brought a simple wind up bunny toy. She would smile and laugh. I got in her tent and tried to play with her, but she would only stand at the door and smile. I got some of the items that we sent her previously with our pictures on them and she looked at it and then touched my face, as if to say “that’s you.” We gave the foster family all their gifts, which they appreciated.

We learned that she takes 2 naps per day, still has 4 bottles a day, and eats other regular food. She still wakes up in the middle of the night to eat and sleeps on the floor with her foster mom. 

We found this tent at one of the street markets and bought it for our house. It is one of her favorite places to play with her foster sister, so we thought it may bring her some comfort when she is home.

 

One of the most comforting things of all, was the peace in their home. We saw a cross hanging on their wall, joy and love in their hearts, and we learned that they take her to church regularly. We also learned that 2 of their youngest daughters became a part of their family through adoption, so she knows too well the importance of these moments together. 

At the end of our visit, Harang let me pick her up and hold her. Then, it was time to go, I had to hand her back. They walked us out and to the elevator. Her foster mom left us with a gift of bread to take back with us. As the elevator closed and we waved goodbye, I felt like my heart had been ripped out. 4 more weeks seemed like another eternity to wait yet again. I began to cry immediately and John Mark held my hand as began the silent journey back towards home.

When we returned to SWS, we took another 45 minute metro ride back north of the city. After having time to decompress, we went straight to Namdaemun Market for street food and shopping. We ate some fish cakes with chili sauce, Potato on a stick with onion powder, Pajeon (Seafood pancake), Rice pasta (I don’t really know what this is called), dumplings, and Hotteok filled with honey. 

 

Back to the room for bed. 

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Today is court day. We woke up and got ready to go. We headed to the metro station to go to SWS all dressed up and arrived there a little before 9:30am. We rode in a van with 2 other families from Canada to the court room where we were debriefed by Katie, our interpreter, on how the morning would go. We had 7 families in line and we waited outside the court room for permission to enter. 

Waiting to go in.

We entered the court room and sat down in 2 comfortable chairs facing the judge with the interpreter and the case worker to our right. He asked us to confirm our names, asked our motivation for adopting internationally since we already have 2 boys, asked how our visit went with our daughter, and then asked us if there was anything else we would like to add. The time inside the court room maybe lasted 5 minutes. 

Success!

Afterwards, families gathered to talk about their experiences inside the court room and talk about what is to come. It was so wonderful getting to meet so many people and go through everything together. 

We then had to find our way back to Insadong from the court room. We changed clothes and headed out to find some lunch. We went to Dongdaemun History and Culture Park, where we saw some interesting architecture and sculptures.

 

We ate lunch at Doota (shopping mall) in the food court and then made our way through some of the alley ways of the shopping complex. We finally found “Toy Alley,” which had an amazing array of toys that the boys would enjoy. We finished up our shopping here and headed back towards our home where we got some “Take Out” and headed back to the room... exhausted.

 

Toy Alley.

 

John Mark's favorite.

 

Friday, April 20, 2018

Our flight was delayed 6 hours at this point (not leaving until 11:30pm tonight), so we had another day to do some exploring and Cho Yeon let us keep our bags in the room until 3pm. This morning, we went to Hangang Park north of the river for a quick, 4-mile run and headed back to the room to clean up and head to Itaewon. 

Upon arriving, we explored some of the streets and stopped in an engraving shop to ask where we could get a Dojang (Name Stamp) made. They printed out some directions for us to a place close by. We went ahead to Vatos Urban Tacos before heading there. This is a Mexican restaurant with a Korean twist. It was good! Itaewon had a very different atmosphere and feel to it than other places we had been previously in the week. Because of the military base there, it was definitely more geared towards foreigners.

 

After lunch, we typed in the address in Korean to find the Stamp Shop where we found an elderly man down a small alley way alone in his shop. He was excited for us to be there and to share his craft with us. He helped us pick out a seal for Abbi Grace that said “Harang” in Korean with an engraving on it that means “to make everyday happy” in Chinese. He also made one that says Tyler in English and Korean. It was a beautiful and interesting process. We told him about our daughter and showed him a picture. He gave us a gift of pouches to put the Dojangs in and a stamp pad. 

 

 



"Harang" in Korean.

We then headed down the street to the Korean War Memorial. This was much larger than we had imagined. It was breathtaking the number of names and the the countries involved in the casualties of this war and all that were involved.

 

 

We headed back to the room to grab our luggage, headed to Seoul station, hopped on the AREX and headed back to Incheon International Airport. When we got off the train, we got our deposit back on our AREX ticket at the kiosk (W500), returned our WiFi Egg, and went to check in to our flight where we got vouchers for supper to use in the food court due to the delay. We were entertained by some ladies playing instruments in the court, and had plenty of time for JM to get some liquid nitrogen ice cream. So, here we are on the long flight home trying to stay awake in the middle of the night so that the jet lag is not so extreme when we get to Dallas. We are ready to get home to our boys and enjoy these next couple weeks with them until we can finally bring our little girl home. 

Now to more planning for Trip Two and half unpacked bags!