If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31
I've seen a theme each time we have hosted: the days/hours leading up to it are the pits. It's been so predictable, and this time was no exception. Let me tell you about yesterday...
It started with me taking Reid to the Honda dealership at 8am to have an airbag recall taken care of. We were there until 10:40. It wasn't awful- we both did a lot of reading and had complimentary hot chocolate. Finally we were on our way, and we headed straight to the carwash down the road. I like to have a clean van, inside and out, whenever we take a long trip (like to the airport.) In the MIDDLE OF THE CARWASH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW DROPPED ALL THE WAY DOWN. It was like a scene from a sitcom. Suds and water and those long cleaning strips that look like octopus tentacles were coming in, as Reid and I desperately tried to get the window back up, with no luck. In the 10 years that we've owned the van, we have never had an issue with the window. We emerged from the carwash completely drenched and covered in bubbles. The inside of the van was soaked and the carpet was saturated. Oh. My. Word. So, we went straight back to the Honda dealership, where they claimed it was just coincidence. I suppose it was- what does an airbag have to do with a window? I got the shuttle to drive me home, since the repair would be another 2 hours at least. I was thankful for some dry clothes and a chance to get the house cleaned with the kids. We worked hard for a couple of hours, and then the shuttle came back for me to pick up the repaired van. It was an unexpected $450, but we couldn't exactly drive around with the window down and had to just bite the bullet. Imagine my surprise when he handed me the receipt and I saw that he charged my Visa $8,172. That was our INVOICE number. Oopsie poopsies! Thankfully I discovered his error, and he refunded the amount. I'm still waiting for the refund to show up online. Good times. Then, I discovered that my paycheck from the camp I just completed was short by about $180. I have to wait until someone is in the office on Monday to figure out what went wrong there. By now, I'm getting a little frazzled. Of course, those were issues that would resolve; I just didn't want them taking up my brain space the very day that Han (Ricky) would arrive.
When Chris got home, I ran to Redbox to pick up Kung Foo Panda for the ride home. Of course, the oil light starts blinking. OK, Lord...I am so needing you right now! Thankfully, Chris had oil at home already, and took care of it.
Then, we met my friend Kristy, who is hosting with us, at Chickfila. Other than Cole dumping his entire Coke on my flip flopped feet, that was fine. (poor Cole!) We left from there and started driving to Reagan airport. One of our kids was behaving VERY poorly. I'm not sure what was going on, but it was bad. Like, BAD. Frustrations were so high and I wondered if we would survive this 2 hour car ride. Then, Rebecca called me. She's another hosting friend, and they were just ahead of us on the highway. "Um...so, Philip just called (he's the hosting coordinator)...the kids missed their flight in Dallas. Now, instead of landing at 10:33 at Reagan, they are landing at 12:30 at Dulles." That's 12:30 am. SHOOT ME.
Now, with tons of time to kill, we decided to go to Reston Town Center to walk around. It was quite lovely and I was surprised at how crowded it was at 10pm.
We were still struggling with some behaviors, and it was rough. The kids were getting tired, and we still had hours ahead of us. We arrived at the airport around 11:45, and Chris napped in the van while I waited at baggage claim with the kids. Finally, at almost 1am, they emerged. Those kids are troopers, let me tell you!
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| The crew, waiting for the kiddos! |
I'll blame the fact that I got zero pictures of us with him on fatigue. Blah.
We got home at 3:20 in the morning, and let me tell you...that was not fun. I felt so badly for him, as our 3 slept the entire way home, but he was wide awake and probably bored. The google translate wouldn't work when he tried to use it (and still doesn't. He mumbles and stutters a bit.) He had a few tears when we tucked him in, which completely broke my heart.
Good news: I/we survived Friday and the wee hours of today. He seems happy and well adjusted and we've all enjoyed him. He just showered, and I don't foresee any bedtime issues with him tonight.
Here are some shots from today:
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| All smiles this morning |
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| Slurping up his noodles |
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| Grand opening of 2nd and Charles. It's a mega book/toy/collectibles store on Broad Street, where Babies R Us used to be. Very fun- check it out! Who is that masked man?? |
After the bookstore we took him to the park. I pushed him on the swings and it quickly became obvious by his screams and shrieks that swings were new to him. Not a fan! We'll try ARC park next week and see if that's a better fit for a park newbie like him. He still had fun climbing and exploring.
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| He is so skinny!!! |
So, after a rough start, here we are. What a privilege to be inconvenienced, honestly!! He's worth it, amen?!?
He talks a ton, and seems to forget that we can't understand him. He has been compliant and sweet. He started the morning being terrified of the dog, but has warmed up to her. Phew! He calls us "mother" and "father". So hilarious! He also says "OK!" to pretty much everything. He's a funny little dude, and I'm looking forward to getting to know him more, and spreading the word that he needs a forever family. Please share this blog- I only have 3 weeks to advocate for him before he goes back to China. Such a short time, but God does amazing things!
Please pray for us, that we would love him well and not be tempted to despair when things go wrong. Or in yesterday's case, when EVERYTHING goes wrong!!
Please pray for Han, and the other host children (two in RVA). They need families.
Thank you for supporting us, and sharing about little Han! He's pretty handsome, isn't he?!
