Dubai

Dubai: Millenium Hotel

Friday was the longest day of our life! Saying goodbye to Haven and life as we have known it for the last three years was every bit as hard as we imagined it would be. Haven did well talking about leaving these last few days and was ready to load up the minute Traci got there. But when we buckled her in her car seat, reality hit our sweet girl hard and she just couldn't stop crying. It didn't help that Kate was a wreck and they just sat there tears mingling together for a few moments. The windows were down as the drove away and Haven's poor sad wails still make our hearts ache. Traci said that she really did well the rest of the afternoon, especially considering what was going on. We are so thankful for that amazing girl the Lord's given us.

Our travels have been relatively uneventful to date. An easy flight from Cincinnati to JFK. Loathed JFK and it's ridiculous lay out. But we found some decent dinner and then just sat to wait. And wait. And wait some more. It was painful and Kate was really struggling. it didn't help that once we got on the plane and settled in we had another hour and a half ground delay. We did a lot of praying and through a few different things Kate was very aware that her struggles weren't just about missing Haven or being anxious about flights- it was a true spiritual battle. So we prayed some more and Kate prayed and journaled and listened to worship music. The Lord, in His grace, finally brought peace to our hearts, settled upset stomachs and gave our minds rest. By the way- Kate's soundtrack for this time was Travis Cottrell "Jesus Saves Live" and it was so appopriate! I wouldn't have thought this CD would be my favorite style, but the Lord has used it so many times in the short span we've had it.(The upset stomachs returned when they started serving curry for dinner at 2am. Kate slept with her sweatshirt over her head to block out the smell! And she even likes curry- just not at the hour!)

So now we're here in Dubai, getting ready to leave in a few short hours. We definitely have a countdown to Mathios running in our minds. 36 hours til we see our son's face! Praise the Lord!