The Home Stretch

Well, I've attempted to post here a few times and it just didn't work. Not sure how to really catch you all up. We have had some challenging days. It has been a long stay now, and we are all homesick. Everyone is tired and, while there is still much to see here, not much interest in culture at this point. The lack of internet for a few days really limits our ability to "converse" with Alex. He is a trooper, and tries hard, but after a while gets frustrated. We, too, get frustrated at times, with one thing or another. We've learned to be much more flexible about meals and appointments. Virtually everything here takes twice as long as you think or have been told it will. The driving is a bit crazy. We were able to ride the metro (underground train) on Sunday to the zoo with Marina, who is a dear sweet lady who works for our agency and handles virtually everything related to our time here. It was a hot day and we enjoyed the walk and fresh air and seeing all the animals.

Today was a trip to the consulate and then another dear family invited us over for lunch. It was such an encouragement to us. They have had their struggles as well, and it's neat to see how God works in the lives of all the families here, and to hear the stories of how they were brought here.

Now that we're staying on our own (since Friday night), we've begun to cook and clean and do things more the way we would at home. One thing we have been impressed with, particulary in the homestay, was the simplicity with which many live here. They don't have 100 of everything. They have enough dishes for their family and they wash them after every meal. Everyone doesn't have a closet full of clothes, they just wash and wear them again.

Well, these are more ramblings now than anything. Thanks for all the emails. It's good to hear from home. Please continue to pray for us. The last couple days have been the most challenging of our adoption experience so far. If you've been awakened early in the morning hours, that's probably because I've cried out to God, asking him to awaken people to pray for us during some of the most challenging times when we need God's wisdom to handle the situations we are facing. Thank you for your faithful prayers, and for giving us scriptures to hold onto. We are so grateful. Psalm 20.

The Chase Five