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Friday, March 28, 2014

On the Other Side

We made it safely to Indonesia on Saturday morning. To be totally honest with you I was COMPLETELY dreading the entire trip. I just had so many uncertainties that had taken up a rotating schedule through my mind. I just wanted to give you a report on the prayer items from the previous post.

- that Kate would sleep comfortably in the bassinet offered on the international flights and that while Kate sleeps, we would sleep!
The first and longest leg was the one I was most concerned about. The flight left Seattle at 2 AM (yes, you read that correctly), so she was already in a deep sleep when we had to go through security. Taking a baby through security (in America) means taking them out of the carseat, waking them up, making them mad, putting them back in their carseat, and spending the rest of the time until your flight getting them to calm down and go back to sleep! Once we were on the plane, she nestled right into her bassinet and slept comfortable for a while.

The second leg from Taipei to Jakarta was a different story. She screamed almost the whole flight. Looking back I'm quite proud of her persistence, but at the time I was on the verge of tears and secretly feeling the "can't you keep that kid quiet?" or the "oh no, not again!" thoughts coming from the passengers around us. I'll just go ahead and apologize to the first class cabin for the screaming baby and her momma that was spying on you behind the curtains.

The third and final leg (the "home stretch") was better. Less crying- mostly Momma cried less, but Kate did too- and more sleeping. Indonesians love babies and seemed to be more gracious about her crying, maybe because they felt the same way too. Babies are lucky because they can express themselves freely without fear of judgment, because Kate was just doing what all of us who travel internationally feel like doing at some point- screaming and crying our eyes out.

- Kate is being fed Momma's milk through a bottle, would you pray for Amber as she pumps on the airplane. Pray that the milk supply would not decrease while on the flight. Pray that Amber would push aside the feeling of being an inconvenience to other passengers (by occupying a bathroom for 30 minutes) so that she can do what's best for Kate.I owned that bathroom. I used the same one each time and brought a phone to use as a timer and to play music. At one point I think I was even playing Tiger Wood's golf on Josh's phone. The first time walking back to the bathroom with my bag full of pumping gear I was giving myself this pep talk "You can do this! Kate needs you to do this! You're a great mom!" So I shut myself in a incredibly small space and did it, because that's what mommas do. We set a timer on our phones so I could maintain a schedule. Kate ate everything that was pumped, so nothing went bad. She didn't need any formula that we brought as a back up. Only once did someone knock on the door. I later found out that someone had gotten sick and other had a nosebleed. Oops. Sorry you'll have to use another bathroom, this one is taken.

-for our transition in Jakarta. We have to get our luggage to a hotel for a shower and a nap and also to air cargo. Would you pray that things would go smoothly at the air cargo desk? This will be the first time we have sent things this way
Our transition in Jakarta was smooth (from my perspective) because we opted not to use the air cargo. This meant we all could go to the hotel together and crash for a few hours. Josh took our bags early to the airport to check in. Kate and I got some extra sleep and met up with him later at the airport.

- for energy, stamina, and peace. It's easy to get short tempered with each other or with strangers while traveling with little or no sleep. Pray that we would be pleasant and that all would go well with the flights
Overall we were pleasant to everyone we met and most of the time with each other. A baby crying for a hours on end will shorten even the longest of fuses. My grouchiness came out the last few hours of our journey.

-for our families. It's always been difficult letting us go, but now with Kate it's even more difficult. Pray for the Holy Spirit to wrap our families up and give them a deep peace that surpasses all understanding.
After considering all our good-byes I'm realizing that a way God may have helped our families cope with our leaving was preoccupation. In the weeks leading up to our trip we had four family members go to the hospital. Strokes, cancer, and colds may have helped in some way to distract our family from a difficult see ya later. They may say the good bye was still difficult in more ways than can ever be put into words (and that is SO true), but I'm going to thank God for distractions.

-for our home in Sentani. Please pray that any repairs or maintenance that needs to be done would be an easy fix. Pray that all the parts would be found and that the work would be completed soon after we arrive.
The house is in excellent shape! Josh completed many projects before we left, so it was nice to walk in and see some of the repairs that we haven't been able to enjoy yet. New paint, art hung on the walls, and Kate's room ready for her to move into. We're grateful for a stress free re-entry. 
Thank you for praying! More gratefulness to come in other posts, but I just wanted to update you on the specific ways you prayed for us.

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