Barton is Amazing.

I was able to meet Barton today. He is amazing. He is incredible.

My husband and I arrived in the taxi and all the boys on the front porch started yelling, "Hello!" since they have picked that up from him. We walked across the front of the building and shook everyone's hands and said hello to them. Then one of the boys grabbed my husband's hand and started walking with him. It was Barton, but he is so small that I didn't realize it at first! He was a little nervous around me at first because I am a new strange person, but he started to warm up after a little while.

We had a snack and played with toys, then went out to the swings on the playground. It was hot and he kept telling us it was sunny with a smile on his face. A few of the other boys walked over to ask us questions. Some of them I understood and some of them I didn't, but they were very nice and polite boys. We walked around and watched some of the young adults playing games before he had to go in for lunch.

We came back for our second visit of the day and he was much more comfortable around me. We played more and watched a little bit of a movie before he had to go for dinner. Afterward we were able to explain to one of the teachers that we would be coming back for him as soon as we could but we need to wait for court, and a little bit of what his life will be like here. The staff there seems very nice and like they really care about the boys. Since we didn't know where he had been transferred to, that was one of the things that we worried about before we got here. I am so glad that the people caring for him have spoken so kindly about him.

I am so excited to be able to get him home. I think that his vision and his time in orphanages are his biggest obstacles. We can't believe he has waited so many years for a family. He is 16! He looks younger, but his age made him too old for most families to adopt. We did not decide to adopt him until his birthday had already passed. But he is so incredible. He has already started to blossom in so many ways. I wish he had the chance to have a family when he was still a little child, but I am so happy that he will be a member of our family.

Hopefully my next update will be after our court date for the other boys!

People have asked where we stand on funding at the moment. As of right now, our expenses after some very generous donations will be at least $1850 more. We won't have an exact amount for if it will be more and how much more until we have the other boys home. We are very thankful for all of the donations we have received and for everyone who has supported us! We will be continuing our updates so that all of you who have played such a big part in this story will see how it continues. Thank you all!