"We're going to church."

For 3.5 months our lives have differed drastically from the day in and day out.  Besides the fact that we have added a 2 year old to the family, we aren't as "free" to venture out into the world as many suspect.  After 20 weeks of spending Sunday mornings at home, we made it back to church this morning!  Everyone say "Amen" together.  AMEN!  Paisley's first time at church was a unique experience and looks very different from the "typical" child's first Sunday at church.

Because Paisley is not accustomed to just "going with the flow" and able to experience various events and gatherings without complete meltdowns after the fact, we prepare Paisley days in advance for anything that is outside of her everyday routine.  This is why we aren't able to plan things at the last minute and need a few days' notice beforehand so we can prep her.

You may ask what is Paisley's everyday routine?  For the most part, we spend our days at home.  Paisley has grown very fond of being at "Paisley's house".  In fact, she feels so safe and secure being at home that she acts like a completely different child when she is out than when she is at home.  She is quite the chatterbox and busy body at home.  She has learned that Momma and Baba aren't leaving her so she doesn't have to follow us around the house even if there is something on TV or a toy that has captured her attention that she has to abandon to see where we have gone.  When we do go out to run errands, we spend the morning prepping her about where we are going and hopefully I can give her the order of the places we are going so she knows what's next.  When we are out in public, we make sure to fully engage with her so she knows we aren't leaving her.  We don't stay out for more than a few hours at a time for these reasons plus nap time is important too.

How do we prepare her exactly for the events outside of our everyday routine?  Communicate, communicate, and communicate!  We tell her a few of the following things:
-What we are doing.
-Where we are going.
-Who is going to be there.  We make sure to repeatedly remind her of the people's names of who we will see.  She still has a hard time identifying who certain people are and will mix up names of people.  When she does call people the wrong name, there is no need to be upset or concerned.  Paisley is still learning English and trying to remember a multitude of new names along with faces.  Prior to Gotcha Day, my guess is that she knew maybe a total of 10 people (including adults and children) her entire life.
-What we will eat.
-What we are not going to do.  This is especially important if there are animals (we will not hit the animals, but we will gently pet them), a new store, new people, new activities, etc.
The more we can tell her the better.  The more frequent we can tell her these things the smoother it goes.  She is even able to repeat our routine if she has heard it a few times, which has helped her tremendously.

What about those times that things come up and can't be planned?  We go with the flow as best as we can.  Luckily, Paisley is easy to adjust to those things that come up without prior knowledge as long as we can get back on schedule soon after that.  We haven't experienced meltdowns in the moment due to unplanned things coming up, but that doesn't mean we are exempt from it either.  And it doesn't mean that she doesn't show some negative behavior due to those times after coming home.  We plan the best we can and help her through the unexpected things as smooth as possible.  Then we start "damage control" as soon as we can.

We started talking to Paisley about going to church yesterday morning.  We told her what we would be doing, who would be there, and how long we would stay.  Since we are still in the cocooning stage (more to come about that later), we felt that she needed to be in the service with us instead of going to Highlands Kids without us.  Going to a new place is confusing enough and adding the "Momma and Baba will be right back" factor wouldn't benefit her and make her want to go back.  While she was eating breakfast this morning, Daniel turned on the 9AM service so Paisley would know what was coming when we got to church.  She was mesmorized by the music and lights as she watched it online.

Daniel has done a great job at introducing her to praise and worship music since returning home from China.  We have worship in our living room while jumping on the trampoline at various times during the week.  She loves to "praise Jesus" as she says by lifting her hands, clapping, jumping, and dancing.

And then it was "go" time.  She held both of our hands while walking into church and she kept saying, "We're going to church." as we made our way inside.  I honestly believe she loved being there.  The lights.  The music.  The clapping.  The worship team on stage.  Paisley clapped and raised her hands. We left shortly after the message started for obvious reasons, but honestly, it didn't matter. Today was a success!

At every church service since beginning our adoption, I always imagined her being with us as we sang and worshipped.  Today was the day my daydreaming came true.  It took every ounce of strength to hold back the tears as I watched her little hands clap and her face light up with pure joy as we sang about the One who brought her to us.  It was the most beautiful sight.  I kept thinking that just over 4 short months ago, this little girl had never heard the name of Jesus and His unfailing love.  Today she attended church where she experienced the freedom to worship and learn more about Jesus.  One day she will learn the full depth of His love and purpose for her, but today it was the beginning of that journey.  Today she gathered with other believers in her new country with her forever parents.  Her life continues to bless others as her story draws others towards Him.  I am blessed to experience it firsthand everyday.

Today Paisley went to church and another chapter in her life started.

Paisley was excited about going to church.  Sadly, Jake and Izzy could not go inside too.

A rare selfie where Paisley is smiling and not wanting to grab and hold my phone.
Momma and Paisley selfie at its finest.