TRAVEL!!.... Yipee!

Not this past Monday, but the Monday before, I was in Publix on a hunt for dessert - and a loaf of Italian bread, which is also dessert for me.  Anyway, as I was pulling in and trying to rationalize a reason for stopping for dessert, I thought, "wouldn't it be nice if I was getting a cake to celebrate receiving our Travel Authorization" - the coveted TA!  But alas, I thought it was too early and that we were going to have to wait until the next Monday.  God is good at surprising me... while I'm there, I get a phone call from our agency telling me that they received our TA and wanting to know whether we wanted to travel 10/4 or 10/11... well... no question - we want to go TODAY.  However, I told her I'd check with Brian and call her right back.  This particular Publix has terrible phone reception, so Brian had no idea what I was talking about (thought I was asking him something about a wedding dress?) and I ended up having to leave my dessert and head outside - whereby I noticed my cell battery was about drained - to add to the excitement & urgency.  Anyway, long story short - Brian said let's go the earliest & thus we are now preparing for our trip - leaving early morning Thursday, October 4!

Lots has happened since that day with getting tickets (ouch!) and having our travel conference call with the agency, and letting everybody know who we need to let know.  Having survived that wave of excitement, we have now landed and are scurrying to do all the things we wish we had done months ago.  Last night I finished getting the gifts for the officials that we were told to get ... ended up choosing  scarves, t-shirts, "quality" makeup - (yes, that's what they said - they don't know what passes for quality make up with me) candy and chocolate.  Why they would want a "nice pen" or "stationary" over chocolate is beyond me, so I just went with my instincts and chose the things from the list that I would want.  The scarves are especially nice!

It was hard finding non-Chinese made items!



No trip to the store is complete without more stuff for Jonah. 
Not sure how the Lego Batman underwear will go over... but I liked them!

 Right now I'm home wasting my time on the computer instead of packing or cleaning house... so I need to go do that now.  I wonder if Jonah knows we're coming yet?  I wonder how they're preparing him?  I'm hoping they don't take him from the foster home before we come - as I heard sometimes they do that for some reason.  I'm thankful that God is growing this child in my heart as we speak.   I'm also glad that this morning I heard a message from Dr. Charles Stanley, one of my favorites, on the "Blessing of Inadequacy".  It so well spoke to me - and helped quell my fears - long and short of it is:
  God does not require me to feel adequate for those things which He has prepared ahead of time just for me to do.  My adequacy does not come from my efforts or experience - or the measuring stick of others - but from Him.  So... no excuses, or whining that I'm not prepared for this - because my God is!