LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- Waiting. It is a grueling task when minutes seem like hours and hours like days and for Martha White, days literally turned into years.
"It's been really rough. We've waited six and a half years for them to get here," says White.
But on Wednesday, the wait was over. White's daughter, Kerri Evans and her five children arrived in the United States from Cambodia, two of them, for the first time.
"We're very glad to be home, very glad and very grateful. We never thought it would happen," says Evans.
Evans adopted a son, Kameron from Cambodia in 2000. A year later, she learned the facilitator of the adoption had been accused of adopting out children without the parent's consent. After a four year legal battle, Evans discovered her son's biological mother had since passed, leaving a daughter behind. Evans traveled to Cambodia 6 and a half years ago to meet Chenda, the sister of her adopted son, Kameron.
"I mean, I kind of had a inkiling that I might be, I might try to adopt her but I didn't even tell my parents," says Evans.
Evans adopted Chenda and another child, Noah. But getting them visas to come back the U.S. became a challenge. So Evans did the only thing she knew to do. She waited.
"I don't know why God has me in the waiting room of life but I'm telling you, He has taught me so much about waiting," says Evans.
Waiting is exactly what Evans was doing more than a decade ago, when we first introduced you to her. She sat in a hospital waiting for her son Sawyer to receive a new heart. While the heart came, months later Sawyer passed away.
"Losing my son was the hardest thing that has ever happened to me. Although, I could never have chosen to lose him, I know God gave me something beautiful in my life despite that huge, huge loss," says Evans.
Last month, Chenda and Noah received their visas to move to the United States.
"I think we're all waiting for something right? We're waiting to get married or waiting to have a baby or waiting for our kids to get old enough so we can go back to work or you know, we're always waiting. I think it's important that when you're waiting, you have to learn what it is you're suppose to learn during that time, otherwise it's kind of in vain, all that waiting," says Evans.
The Summit Church in North Little Rock is providing a home for the Evans Family for an entire year while they make the adjustment. Evans says friends and family have donated food, clothing and living necessities for her and her children.