Incredible. Our agency contacted us today and said we would not know anything about Paul Daniel or travel dates until after Sept 13. Our contacts in Russia are on vacation.
Yes, it's killing us.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Week 8
The future is an opportunity yet unmet, a path yet untraveled, a life yet unlived. But how the future will be lived, what opportunities will be met, what paths traveled, depends on the priorities and purpose of life today - C. Neil Strait
We are trying to keep our heads up, but needless to say, it is getting much more difficult. We talked to our agency today, and they still have no news for us.
Carl and I are so, so thankful for the two showers we received from our family and from our church. Both were lovely and uplifting. I told Carl that we won't have to buy Paul a birthday or Christmas gift until he is at least 5 years old...so that's a HUGE help! :) Thank you.
All I know to do is keep busy - I'm packing Danil's suitcase this week - picking out each piece of clothing, each toy and each food item with careful deliberation. We're still determined to make our second trip to Siberia with only two suitcases...we'll see.
This is the time that writing on the blog is no fun. I'm not going to waste your time with useless details of our days and our lives just for the purpose of giving you something to read. The big question everyone wants to know is "When are you going over?" and I wish I could tell you something. We wonder every day about the condition of our son and can only trust that God's caring for him until we bring him home.
Oh, taste and see the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him (Psalm 34:8)
That's all for today.
We are trying to keep our heads up, but needless to say, it is getting much more difficult. We talked to our agency today, and they still have no news for us.
Carl and I are so, so thankful for the two showers we received from our family and from our church. Both were lovely and uplifting. I told Carl that we won't have to buy Paul a birthday or Christmas gift until he is at least 5 years old...so that's a HUGE help! :) Thank you.
All I know to do is keep busy - I'm packing Danil's suitcase this week - picking out each piece of clothing, each toy and each food item with careful deliberation. We're still determined to make our second trip to Siberia with only two suitcases...we'll see.
This is the time that writing on the blog is no fun. I'm not going to waste your time with useless details of our days and our lives just for the purpose of giving you something to read. The big question everyone wants to know is "When are you going over?" and I wish I could tell you something. We wonder every day about the condition of our son and can only trust that God's caring for him until we bring him home.
Oh, taste and see the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him (Psalm 34:8)
That's all for today.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
OH, It's Timbuctoo!
My dear sister informed me it's Timbuctoo! A ghost town in California. Been saying it for years and had no idea...Always good to look into these things!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Week 7
This past week, Carl and I went to Alabama and Georgia. My family threw a little shower for Paul Daniel on Saturday, July 31 in Moulton. Everything was super nice and I enjoyed catching up with friends and family. We got lots of things we will need for Paul Daniel. Mother kept saying, "I don't know how you are going to get it all home. I don't know how you are going to get it all home." I knew it was going to be somewhat of a challenge since I was taking back with us the 7 cases of diapers that my sister got for us at the hospital. I came up with the brilliant idea of taking everything out of gift bags and putting each individual item directly in the trunk. I opened all the cases of diapers so, in addition to the gifts, I had 28 packages of diapers. It fit, but it was tight. Almost could not get the trunk to close. Still had to put some of the larger items in the backseat.
Carl went on to Atlanta on the afternoon of Sunday, Aug 1 so that he could work at the Atlanta office. That way he didn't have to use any vacation days on this trip so we could save them for our 2nd Siberia trip. The plan was for me to join him in Atlanta on Thursday.
I stayed in Alabama to visit some more with my family. I had a WONDERFUL time with Grandmother. It amazes me that she can still fix the best bacon and egss at 9o years old! (She will be 91 this month!) I have NEVER been able to make a fried egg like she does. She has given me lesson after lesson and somehow I can't seem to master it. Whenever I fix Carl a fried egg, I always have to apologize to him for its appearance when I put it in front of him. Well, anyway, Grandmother fixed breakfast every morning. We were able to go out at least one time a day - even in that oppressive Alabama heat - and for that, I'm so thankful!
I drove to Georgia on Thursday. We stayed with our good friends, Marty and Mary Broadwell. Carl and I did a lot of visiting...we saw as many of our friends as we possibly could in the short time we were there. We never have enough time, though, and that's always the frustration when we make the trip back to Atlanta. Sewell Hall delivered the Sunday morning sermon on "Reverence" and I couldn't take notes fast enough. What a blessing Sewell is to all of us who know him and have the pleasure of hearing him present God's Word.
Carl gave me the unfortunate news that we would have to drive back to TX on Sunday afternoon b/c he needed to be back to work on Monday. So we took back the rental car he had been using in Atlanta and loaded up to go. We had to fit his bag, my bag, his golf clubs, one bag from Trader Joe's, a baby swing, plastic chair, rubber ball and Carl's computer in the backseat of our car. Again, it was tight, but it fit. And here's where it gets interesting. Carl and I headed to TX about 1pm (TX time) due to arrive in Dallas at 1am. We were trucking along, making good time, enjoying the fact that traffic was light and had managed to make it just past Monroe, LA by 10:30. I was driving along at my normal 85 miles an hour (just kidding) with a semi to the right of me and a semi behind me when Carl said - "What's that noise?" And I said, "What noise?" All I could hear was the semi beside me and the semi behind me. But somehow a man's ear is so fine-tuned that it can distinguish a noise coming from his car versus the 18-wheeler he is riding along beside! So I slow down, merge into the right lane and exit. Well, sure enough, there was a noise coming from our vehicle. I pulled into a gas station parking lot, we both got out to inspect...and there it was, a flat rear tire. Well, I looked at Carl, he looked at me...he said, "You know where the spare is." I said, "No! Please no! Not the trunk! There's got to be another option! We'll call AAA to bring us a tire." They don't bring tires, Wendi. "We'll drive to a hotel and spend the night and then drive somewhere to get it fixed!" We can't drive on the rim, Wendi. "We'll sleep in the parking lot tonight, hitchhike to a tire store in the morning, get a tire, hitchhike back and fix it." No response. It had to be 90 degrees, Carl already had sweat soaking through his Sunday shirt. There was no other option. I HAD to unload the trunk. But before we unloaded the trunk, we had to unload the backseat so THOSE things could go in the trunk with the tire. Some 30 mins later, it was all done and Carl was sopping wet. He had sweat running down his arms as he worked dropping off his elbows. Carl said we will need to stay in a hotel, though, because we don't need to ride on a spare for another 4 hours and risk it blowing. So we got a hotel at the next exit in the middle of 10-buck-2. (is that how you spell it?) As we were getting our stuff out to go in the hotel, I looked at Carl. He looked at me. I said, "Honey, I don't want to leave all this baby stuff in the backseat out here in the middle of nowhere! What if the right person comes along who could use a carload of new baby stuff!?" Well, to make an already long story somewhat shorter, we unloaded the trunk (including the tire), put all the baby stuff BACK in the trunk, put the backseat stuff back in the backseat (including the tire) and went in and slept. We made it back to Allen, TX at about 4:30 on Monday.
And that was our trip.
I have no news from our agency on Paul Daniel. Nothing. Carl doesn't think we'll get to go in August. I'm still praying for August. Please do pray that God will work out what is best.
Carl went on to Atlanta on the afternoon of Sunday, Aug 1 so that he could work at the Atlanta office. That way he didn't have to use any vacation days on this trip so we could save them for our 2nd Siberia trip. The plan was for me to join him in Atlanta on Thursday.
I stayed in Alabama to visit some more with my family. I had a WONDERFUL time with Grandmother. It amazes me that she can still fix the best bacon and egss at 9o years old! (She will be 91 this month!) I have NEVER been able to make a fried egg like she does. She has given me lesson after lesson and somehow I can't seem to master it. Whenever I fix Carl a fried egg, I always have to apologize to him for its appearance when I put it in front of him. Well, anyway, Grandmother fixed breakfast every morning. We were able to go out at least one time a day - even in that oppressive Alabama heat - and for that, I'm so thankful!
I drove to Georgia on Thursday. We stayed with our good friends, Marty and Mary Broadwell. Carl and I did a lot of visiting...we saw as many of our friends as we possibly could in the short time we were there. We never have enough time, though, and that's always the frustration when we make the trip back to Atlanta. Sewell Hall delivered the Sunday morning sermon on "Reverence" and I couldn't take notes fast enough. What a blessing Sewell is to all of us who know him and have the pleasure of hearing him present God's Word.
Carl gave me the unfortunate news that we would have to drive back to TX on Sunday afternoon b/c he needed to be back to work on Monday. So we took back the rental car he had been using in Atlanta and loaded up to go. We had to fit his bag, my bag, his golf clubs, one bag from Trader Joe's, a baby swing, plastic chair, rubber ball and Carl's computer in the backseat of our car. Again, it was tight, but it fit. And here's where it gets interesting. Carl and I headed to TX about 1pm (TX time) due to arrive in Dallas at 1am. We were trucking along, making good time, enjoying the fact that traffic was light and had managed to make it just past Monroe, LA by 10:30. I was driving along at my normal 85 miles an hour (just kidding) with a semi to the right of me and a semi behind me when Carl said - "What's that noise?" And I said, "What noise?" All I could hear was the semi beside me and the semi behind me. But somehow a man's ear is so fine-tuned that it can distinguish a noise coming from his car versus the 18-wheeler he is riding along beside! So I slow down, merge into the right lane and exit. Well, sure enough, there was a noise coming from our vehicle. I pulled into a gas station parking lot, we both got out to inspect...and there it was, a flat rear tire. Well, I looked at Carl, he looked at me...he said, "You know where the spare is." I said, "No! Please no! Not the trunk! There's got to be another option! We'll call AAA to bring us a tire." They don't bring tires, Wendi. "We'll drive to a hotel and spend the night and then drive somewhere to get it fixed!" We can't drive on the rim, Wendi. "We'll sleep in the parking lot tonight, hitchhike to a tire store in the morning, get a tire, hitchhike back and fix it." No response. It had to be 90 degrees, Carl already had sweat soaking through his Sunday shirt. There was no other option. I HAD to unload the trunk. But before we unloaded the trunk, we had to unload the backseat so THOSE things could go in the trunk with the tire. Some 30 mins later, it was all done and Carl was sopping wet. He had sweat running down his arms as he worked dropping off his elbows. Carl said we will need to stay in a hotel, though, because we don't need to ride on a spare for another 4 hours and risk it blowing. So we got a hotel at the next exit in the middle of 10-buck-2. (is that how you spell it?) As we were getting our stuff out to go in the hotel, I looked at Carl. He looked at me. I said, "Honey, I don't want to leave all this baby stuff in the backseat out here in the middle of nowhere! What if the right person comes along who could use a carload of new baby stuff!?" Well, to make an already long story somewhat shorter, we unloaded the trunk (including the tire), put all the baby stuff BACK in the trunk, put the backseat stuff back in the backseat (including the tire) and went in and slept. We made it back to Allen, TX at about 4:30 on Monday.
And that was our trip.
I have no news from our agency on Paul Daniel. Nothing. Carl doesn't think we'll get to go in August. I'm still praying for August. Please do pray that God will work out what is best.
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