Whirlwind Week

Pick Vickie up airport - check
Get Visas in D.C. -  check
Copy gazillion (I might have just made up a word) documents - check
Buy Gifts - check
Scabies medicine - check
Lice medicine - check
Ibuprofen - check
Neosporin - check
Antibiotics - check
Antimalarial - check
Typhoid vaccine - check
Yellow fever - check
baby carrier - check
stroller - check
passport - check
crisp new money check - gotta tell ya - I do NOT get that one, but oh well...at this point, we're willing to do anything to get Caleb home!!
formula - check
diapers - check
hand sanitizer - check
deet - check
Power of Attorney - check

And, that's just a small sampling of what we've been working on this week getting ready to go!  The list goes on and on.

Through all this busyness and running around, God hasn't forgotten to show Hisblessing.  For starters, He's allowed us to journey this path with Art and Vickie - how totally cool that two brothers and sisters-in-laws would be adopting from the same country at the same time!  And, for me, just spending time with Vickie is always fun.  Since Art & Vickie live in Hawaii and we live in Pennsylvania, we don't see each other often.  I'm so thankful that I'll get to spend my time in the DRC with not only Caleb, but also with Vickie and my new niece (can't wait to meet her!).

We didn't know how long it would take to have our visas processed.  When I called, they said we might have to spend the night since we'd be arriving after lunch.  We made it there by lunch and had our visas in the afternoon.  Didn't have to stay over night - yeah - another blessing!

And, I was totally blessed at work yesterday when my coworkers presented me with a generous gift of money (thank you so much, girlies!  love ya!).  Came home to find out that our neighbors and some dear friends have also felt compelled to help with this journey.  Thank you, Everyone!  You know who you are and PLEASE just know that you've been a huge blessing and we thank God for you.  :)

Oh.....and let me tell you about my other sister-in-law who knew how busy I'd be this week.  She called and asked if she could make us a meal.  I said, "That'd be great!".  Didn't I come home from Washington D.C. Wednesday night to find....are your ready for this?...chicken, corn, double baked potatoes, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, bar-b-que, apple cobbler, ice cream...I might even be forgetting something.....she not only made enough food to get us through the week without having to take a lot of time to cook.  She provided a couple of meals for the freezer for George to heat up while I'm gone.  TOTALLY AWESOME!  Thanks, Autum!

We were blessed tonight with lots of friends stopping by.  Love having the kids and the old people (Mark) stop by.  Tonight, I needed a couple of hours away from making lists, checking documents, etc.  Friends stopping by was the "perfect interruption" - just what I needed! 

Point is that God provides and gives us what we need.  The cliche "It all works out in the end" isn't just a cliche.  It REALLY works out. 

Tomorrow will be a day full of packing (AFTER soccer) and then Sunday, it's early church and straight to the airport.  Hopefully next time I blog, it will be from the DRC with a little man snuggling his mama while she's trying to type.  Can't wait!