Travel Blog part 1

Travel Blog!

I have included lots of details about our travels just in case it could be of help to adoptive families who will be traveling soon.   It may be more details than the general reader will want to know.  If so, feel free to blast by them!

We left noon-ish on Friday, April 19 for the Cincinnati airport.  For the record, it was the cleanest and nicest of the airports that we were in.  Our oldest daughter, Sarah, had put breakfast in front of me an hour or so earlier and told me to eat it.  I’m glad I listened.  It was about twelve hours later before I got another meal.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that American Airlines would check our luggage from Cincinnati all the way to Guangzhou for us, and we wouldn’t need to handle it again until we got to China!  And yes, every piece arrived, though we did have a notice in one that it had been opened for inspection, and one suitcase was missing the strap we had put on it before checking it in.

Our first flight out on American Eagle was delayed.  Tikvah was pretty nervous, and visited on the cell phone with big sister Hannah while she waited.  I was very strangely calm about the situation.  I think there must have been a lot of people praying and a LOT of grace extended my way for this coward to get on so well!

    

At last we got off the ground in what I would describe as a little tuna fish can (Tikvah says sardine can) that was a teeny, tiny airplane packed full of people.  I thought I would barf as the pilot swerved and swayed getting us up in the air!  The stewardess came by a little later with a cup of lukewarm, pretty bad coffee, but I was thankful for it.  When we landed in Dallas, Texas we were about an hour behind schedule.  In order to get seats we needed to check in at the gate.  The man at the counter told us to step aside, as he was working on it.  Most of the rest of our layover was spent waiting for seat assignments and boarding passes.  We had figured out by this time that none of us had any lunch, but there wasn’t enough time to do anything about it.  We did manage to buy bottles of water and a little snack from a vending machine.  

Tikvah was feeling more confident for the second flight.  The nice man had gotten us three seats together and WOW I was thankful.  This plane was quite a bit larger than the little regional plane, but the seats were tight together.   This plane didn’t sway as badly so the flight itself wasn’t as scary, but I confess the experience of the first plane combined with the rushing to get our boarding passes had me pretty freaked out by the time we began the second flight.   Again I was offered a cup of lukewarm, bad coffee and I gladly accepted it.  My Mp3 player’s batteries were dead and I couldn’t find the new ones in my bag. The inflight movie wouldn’t work.  I read, but there wasn’t much to distract me!  By the time the second flight arrived in Los Angeles, my legs (and pretty much everything attached to them) ached pretty badly.  I wondered how I would ever be able to endure another fifteen plus hours in the air.

 

It was around 8pm (eleven our time) when we landed in LA.  This time we needed to wait in a REALLY LONG line at the airport for our international flight with China Southern.  I had heard bad reviews of this airline and was pretty concerned about how long we were going to be “guests” with them.  (I was concerned needlessly.) At last we got through the line, got our boarding passes, and went to wait for the flight.

 The only thing near to our departure gate was a little drink and sandwich shop.  We paid a crazy amount for three ham and cheese sandwiches, but it was worth it!

To be continued ... our time on China Southern Airlines

Nearly ready to go!

It was brought to my attention today that people are wondering where I went!  I made the TA announcement and vanished.  After over nine long months of waiting and hoping, meeting our Two Little Princesses is upon us and I've been kind of speechless I guess.  So many incredible things happened to bring it all to this place that I've been pondering and processing and praising the Father for His goodness.

So what else have I been doing?  REPACKING!  Having to accept our third choice of consulate dates totally changed our days of travel which bumped us to the one airline I did NOT want to use.  They have consistently bad reviews, no electrical power except in first class - meaning our diversion plans are really diminished - no meals (in a nearly sixteen hour flight!) and  different luggage allowances. The way it is spread around required me to buy another large suitcase for check in, and severely cut down on what was in our carry on bags.  I am very happy to say that we are packed, and in spite of teasing him about packing only his swim trunks, you'll be happy to know that Ethan does indeed have clothes in the luggage!

I've been gathering over the counter meds and prescriptions for all five of us.  I'm told that many of our common cold, tummy, or pain relief medications aren't available there, so to stock up.  I took that advice seriously.  Our physicians also wanted us to take several prescriptions with us for "just in case" situations.  An aside - Jennifer got her first telephone call here yesterday.  The pharmacy wanted to inform her that her prescriptions were ready!  It put a big smile on my face.

I've taken the time to connect with people.  I'm a social creature and I NEEDED that time!  I went out to lunch with a friend, visited the grandkids, had a couple visit in our home, and was in and out of our homeschool co-op yesterday.  They had a time of prayer for our family in opening, and it was very special.   Tonight we're going to a friend's house for dinner and some much needed distraction from the obvious!

As we were assigned the appointments made for us in China, the flight arrangements to get there, and informed of the possibility that since we are arriving at five in the morning we might need to "rest at a park or restaurant" until later in the day, it was so totally not my plan or what I had in mind for "the way to do it."  But, none of this came as any surprise to our Heavenly Father, and I choose to believe in His providence.  There have been several other instances on this adventure that haven't gone the way *I* would have chosen, but then as I look back at it (you know with that 20/20 hindsight) the perfect way things turned out were entirely because of the deviation from *my* plan.  I'd like to think I have at last learned this lesson, but I'm sure I have not.  The bottom line and most important thing is that tomorrow we will be on our way to meet our little girls.  I cannot express how excited we are about that!

Our plane leaves Cincinnati mid afternoon tomorrow, with layovers in Dallas and LA before arriving at our destination very early on Sunday morning.  We get custody of the Two Little Princesses on Monday, with the actual legal adoption process happening on Tuesday.  The rest of the week and the next are taken up with physicals for the visas and awaiting the various legal documents that allow them to enter the USA.   Yes, more waiting but at least this time it will be WITH them.

Some of you have asked about our prayer needs.  The most pressing for US right now would be to get through this grueling trip with grace.  Did you know that I haven't flown in twenty-five years because flying pretty much terrifies me?  Yeah, wow.  May we maintain a good sense of humor and be kind to one another as the weekend progresses, and may we be mindful of the One who is actually in charge of all of the details.

The most pressing need is for our Little Princesses.  Every thing they have ever been familiar with is about to change.  I cannot fathom what they will draw upon to get through to the place where they can learn to love and trust us.  Please pray comfort for them and peace in the midst of these crazy days ahead.

Pray for our adult "kids."  They all have very significant things going on in their own lives right now, things that I wish I could be here for to be a support to them.  I love them all dearly and they have been amazing in their help and support in bringing home their youngest siblings.  They were also the ones who were not afraid to tell me to cool it when I started to freak out, and to say "I told you so!" when God came through over and over.  Thanks guys. 

And finally, pray for Tikvah.  She has been an enthusiastic participator in this whole massive change that is about to happen in her world.  She'll be celebrating her eleventh birthday in China, and going from being the baby of the family to being the big sister.  She is nervous about the long plane trip and the unknowns.  Her world is about to be rocked in a huge way.

Thank you, each one of you who have encouraged and supported us with prayer, friendship, finances, little girl clothing, toys, etc. etc. etc.  It has been incredible to watch God's people respond in love towards our little princesses.  We are so grateful that you have chosen to be a part of our lives and our journey.  We are hoping to be able to update the blog while in China. Stay tuned for some exciting pictures soon!