Up early

Well, we're both up and it's around 3am.  Should have taken an ambien I suppose.  :-)  One of the things I was thinking about while laying awake is all the things that went well, so I wanted to make a list of praises to share with you.  (I did have one dream, I dreamt I was Troy Polomalu). I would like to point out too, that I am deliberately avoiding mentioning some of the more obvious points.

 

1. Despite that 5 of 6 flights had some kind of delay, they all left relatively on time and safely.

2. It's always a little concerning when you leave one city and come into another.  You're wondering if anyone's going to be there to meet you.  We were greeted happily by our guides, on time, in each city.  We came to find out later that they were in constant communication with each other. They called the next one when they dropped us off and then called the previous one when they got us.  We thought, until the end, that they were working independantly.

3. We had 3 very excellent guides.  They were all very thorough, very pleasant, very helpful people.

4. After we entered China (which means that the pen debacle at the beginning doesn't count, since we hadn't technically entered into China yet through Border Patrol), we had zero problems, not one technical glitch.  Everything worked out perfectly.  Any potential problems were headed off long before they became anything to be concerned about.  Literally, nothing went wrong.

5. We both had some stomach issues upon arriving that we associate with the time shift, as we both have them again now, but aside from that, no one got physically sick.

6. I was warned by a friend that Satan often likes to take your joy from you when you should be most joyful, and that warning included an exortation that I "get on my knees" on the weeks before heading over, that Satan would not use the stresses to drive a wedge between us, instead of letting us enjoy the time.  While there were some stressful moments, we never fought, never argued.

7. The kids were in excellent hands back home.  Thanks to all those who helped out!

8. We were so worried about the flight back and really super confused with God regarding why we were not issued a basinette, however His provision of an extra seat was far better and cheaper.

9. The flight home went as smoothly as possible.

10. We learned a lot about the local culture that we are able to share with her as she grows.  While we don't necessarily want her to mimic the CHinese lifestyle 100%, we want her to know of it.

11. Despite that food that was edible was not readily available, we still were able to find healthy meals.

12. We were worried about not knowing how to feed her with her disability.  This was not an issue.

13. She slept well.

 

There are probably more, which I'll think of as soon as I lie back down, but there it is for now.  We are very aware that many of you were praying for us while we were gone, and we are very thankful. Please continue to pray for her acclamation into the family.. At this point, the kids love her and most is going well.  The major concern here is the dogs.  She hates them and can't be within 15 feet of them.  We need wisdom as to how the handle the situation as you want to teach her that her needs will be met, at the same time we don't to teach her that she gets picked up everytime she sees a dog, which is often.

 

Thanks again!

Brian