Our week started out with one major task on our list that we wanted to accomplish: to paint Haley's bathroom before she got home. When we moved here seven years ago, the very first room that we painted was our guest bedroom in our basement. Why? I don't really know other than I knew exactly what was going in there, and I knew the color I wanted. There is an adjoining bathroom next to it, and painting that the same color with the leftover paint was always on my list of things to do, but other rooms around this house always crept up higher on the priority list, and eventually it just wasn't that important anymore.
Well, a few months ago a guest of ours was taking a shower down there, and because of an injury he was dealing with, he somehow fell into the towel rod, and it creased it good and proper. Replacing it seemed like an easy fix, but we found out that brass 30-inch rods are just not available anymore, so then we knew we had a little bigger dilemma on our hands. Finally last week Friday night, I grabbed Harris by the hand and said, "Let's go find some new fixtures. I want to have Haley's bathroom fixed up before she comes home." (She sleeps in a different bedroom in the basement.) Kelsey went along too, and it became a really fun night of also picking out some travel-related posters to hang in our basement family room, which we had painted shortly before Haley left. Kelsey, my artsy girl who loves anything French, suggested a travel theme for our basement, and when Harris spotted a poster with this verse on it, it all started coming together for us:
That led to a whole grouping on our large wall, and we figured Haley might come home with a few pieces to add in somewhere! We're planning on having a whole lot of fun with it! Can you spot the verse in one of the pictures?
This week we were so excited to get the bathroom put together. Nothing fancy or elaborate but we knew that Haley would appreciate having a freshly painted bathroom complete with towel rod when she came home. Feel free to ask her about the kind of "bathrooms" she's been using for the last two months, and you'll understand why a shower, toilet, and hot running water have become so appreciated by her!
After we had put the last finishing touches on everything late Wednesday night, Harris and I were laying in bed and discussing the next few days. His dad had asked him to go to a couple sales for him on Friday and Saturday, so that meant he was going to need to leave late Thursday night after he'd spent adequate time with Haley, and he wanted to know if I would ride along with him to Pella so I could drive a vehicle back home since he had sold his car earlier in the week. The thought of being away from Haley so soon after she arrived home was horrible for both of us, and I was too tired to even think about making such a decision, so we drifted off to sleep rather quickly without finishing the discussion.
Just a few short hours later, Haley called bright and early from the airport in Dallas with a few questions about her flight. Despite my exhaustion, I could no longer sleep, and my excitement level all morning was completely out of control! Words cannot describe how giddy I was! I was so incredibly thankful that God had brought her thus far and was completely trusting in Him to deliver her into our arms by 6:06 p.m. that night! I went to the office, but while she was having a 5-hour layover in Atlanta, she called and spoke with Harris and I on speakerphone for nearly an hour. I had never been so thankful to hear the sound of her laughter!
And then it happened. Harris decided to break his weekend agenda to her. As she was trying to grasp what he was doing and why, he kind of threw it in there that he was going to need someone to go to Pella with him, and she immediately jumped in with "I'll go!!!!! Then I can see everyone!"
What????? It was bad enough for me to think about leaving her, even though she probably would have slept the whole time I was gone, but the thought of her leaving me and sharing her stories with everyone without me was way worse, so I sulked and pouted about that for the next few minutes . . . until it dawned on me that maybe we could just all go with Harris and enjoy the ride together and the day in Pella!!! Crazy, I know, but you have to understand that that's how our family rolls -- sometimes totally crazy, random, and spontaneous! Who would have thought that she would have been so willing to give up her bed her first night home? But that's just how much she loves her family!
The rest of the afternoon was a mad rush of rearranging and making new plans. How could we still get Kelsey's sports physical done by Monday morning, where would we sleep, would Heath want to take off work and go with us, and how could we maximize our time on such short notice with a whole lot of family in the Pella area who she would be very excited to see? It was a little bit intense.
In a message to me partway through her trip, she had indicated that she wanted just our family at the airport so as to not be totally overwhelmed with a whole host of people, but when her uncle Vance gave her a hard time on the phone yesterday afternoon, she very quickly gave in and decided their family could be at the airport too! We all made it to the airport just a few minutes before she arrived. Here are a few pictures for you!
Keaton had informed me several times that he missed her more than anyone! He was pretty quick to be the first in line to hug her.
Alexa was right there with a big hug!
Haley realized while she was gone that she's even more of a daddy's girl than she already thought she was, and her daddy was just pretty tickled to have her back in his arms as well!
Three years ago when Haley went to Australia for three weeks, she came home and found out that in that time frame, Heath had some pretty life-changing experiences which caused him not to be at the airport, so she made him promise that he'd be there this time. He was!
His girlfriend, Jenny, has been a part of our family for a few months. Vance and Steph are in the background. My other picture of them turned out way too blurry.
Shanda was quietly observing, and all of a sudden, Haley realized that she hadn't given her a hug yet!
It about killed Karson to not be there, but he was at football practice.
Keaton and Alexa just couldn't get enough of her!
Need I say anything more?
So happy to have my baby girl in my arms!!
Haley and Kelsey couldn't be any more opposite, but they are having a wonderful time reconnecting and are looking forward to swimming and being in high school together!
A very happy girl!
Once she realized that her swim team was having their annual family picnic, she decided that she wanted to make a brief appearance since she is one of the three captains this year. If the coach hadn't been in the middle of his spiel, the whole place may have erupted with jubilation upon her arrival, but instead Caitlyn had to calmly keep Taylor from giving Haley the jump hug she had threatened to do if Haley showed up. They just got to calmly introduce her instead.
She even shared with us a few other "treasures" from her suitcase. This was supposedly the cleaner pair of the two. I have yet to fully dive in to discover the contents. Is another day really going to matter?!?
Neither of my brothers' families could come, but we sure enjoyed a gorgeous afternoon of fellowship at the park with my sister and her girls . . .
. . . and my parents.
On our way home, she found out that a few of her friends were gathered together watching a movie tonight, so she decided to surprise them with a little visit! I would have loved to have seen the expressions on their faces when she walked in the room!
I wish I could somehow share all the stories and details that we've been hearing, but there is just no way that I can do it justice. You just have to hear it from Haley! She had such a fabulous time, and I really hope that she will have ample opportunities to share with all those who want to know more. God proved Himself very faithful and did so many things in her and through her. We're so very proud of her and her willingness to sacrifice so much, all for the sake of following Christ's call on her life.
From here on, life will start returning back to "normal" for our family. I'm not sure any of us really know what that is anymore because we've been so focused on Haley going to Africa for so long. Huge kudos to Heath, Kelsey, and Keaton for their hearts and attitudes throughout all of this. I would imagine at times they felt as though all attention was given to Haley, but they have been so supportive throughout the whole journey, and I'm so proud of them.
Harris has survived. To be honest, it was not easy for him to send her. Even though he gave her his blessing early on in the process, he struggled at times with whether or not we had made the right decision in letting her go. He just wanted to know that she would come back physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy, but he knew that if God called her to it, He would bring her through it. He really missed her, and last Sunday he commented, "I'm just really ready to love on my girl."
That leaves me. An African excursion from a mom's perspective. You've heard everything from me that you could possibly hear. Communicating through this blog has been such an awesome outlet for me, and now that her experience is over, I'm not sure where to go from here. I have loved the writing process and sharing pictures with you. There may be future entries on here, and there may not be. All I know is that if God prompts me with something to write about like He has been doing, I will keep writing and trusting that someone needs to read it. There were times in this process that I have felt as though my heart was probably a little more exposed than I was comfortable with, and I would wonder why I was setting myself up for potential public scrutiny. My whole goal was that somehow my vulnerability would help someone else in some way, shape, or form and also bring God tremendous glory. He has been so faithful!
As I potentially close this down, I can't help but wonder what God has taught YOU throughout this whole experience. Maybe God's placed a nudging on your heart to do something missions-related. Maybe God's taught you a lesson in faithfulness or trust or whatever. Maybe you supported Haley financially and He blessed you for your obedience. Whatever it is, would you be willing to be vulnerable and share it so as to give HIM the glory???
If so, feel free to publicly make a comment here or else email me at thewesterkamps@msn.com. If you give me your permission in that email, I would love to post it here for others to read either with your name or anonymously.
To GOD be ALL the glory, forever and ever!! Amen
Great pictures, thank you so much for sharing this journey. What an incredible time for you all :)!
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