Part II, By Beall Phillips
After almost ten hours of waiting in the airport, the moment happened so fast that we were all taken by surprise. We had been told so many different things by so many people: The children would come out one by one over 5 hours; The parents would be taken to the back to see the children; the children would be taken to a bus in the back and the parents would see them the next morning; the children would come out in front for a moment.
Understandably, this was very hard for the parents. Every emotion had been felt and displayed.
At about 1:30 am, most of the families had left. Some left with eight “Category 1” children who had been released. Others left without their children hoping to try again Sunday morning.
There were about 6 families left, including David & Laura Birdy and Clayton & Leah Trotter. We were chatting tiredly, debating as to whether we should wait or go.
But we just couldn’t go. As long as there was one staff member left and as long as there was an indication that the children were still back “there,” we just couldn’t leave.
Then someone called out with surprise. Everyone turned around and faced the glass barrier. Fedeline Birdy broke into the biggest smile I have seen on her beautiful face, and raced around to hug the children...the children! They were really here!
They walked slowly out, in a strung-out line, exhausted and sleepy, some were carried, several were wrapped in oversized white blankets, a few walked. It was almost surreal.
These parents had been waiting so long. And then, just like that, they were here! Those little precious children were squeezed so hard and long. The children and the families were ushered through the airport outside to the infamous bus we had heard so much about—the bus that would take them away from us for just one more night to His House, a local facility where the children would sleep, have breakfast, and then wait a while more for the final paperwork to be finished.
It seemed like torture to hold and hug these babies for half an hour and then let them go for the night, but the parents were grateful the process was moving along and reassured the children that they would be at His House first thing in the morning. And of course, many of the parents had left already. So we hugged and kissed as many as we could. Thankfully, I think the children were too tired to even register everything that was going on.
Joshua, Justice, Chris, and I stood transfixed until the bus drove away. The children smiled and waved enthusiastically, sleepy, but happy and hopeful.