The Big Day!

Dateline: Riga

We arrived here in Riga on the 11th of June after a long journey from the US.  Three days have passed and we could tell you all about the magnificent history of this city, the majestic architecture and the warmth and openness of its people.  We could tell you about the delicious food and the marvelous coffee here.  We could tell you about how we seriously underestimated how cool it is here even in the summer (yes, we will have to buy some sweatshirts that say "I Love Latvia") or how the sun rises at about 4:30 a.m. and sets at about 11:30 p.m. (makes for some difficulty in adjusting your sleep patterns).  But this is not a vacation journal.  This is a life journal.

We had the blessing to finally meet some "old" friends from the hosting program.  We had been messaging, calling and posting with each other for over a year and finally met for dinner here in Riga.  What a joy and a blessing it was!  These wonderful friends have been praying for us and encouraging us and following our story, Kristofers' story, for quite some time and it was wonderful to finally spend some time getting to know them up close.  A big hug and heartfelt "thank you" to all those who have prayed, donated, encouraged and followed us to Riga.  We could not have done it without you!

We also had the most wonderful opportunity to meet up with our girl, Daniela and some of her friends!  This is the girl who last summer had some challenges with us (read our other blog about that adventure); but God broke through those defenses through love, steadfast and strong, and now Daniela could not contain her excitement at seeing us here in Riga.  God knows how much we love this young woman.  She is our lovely daughter and we love, love, love her to pieces!  We also saw our grandson, Harry, for the first time.  Goodness he is a big boy (only three months old) and a very happy baby.  We will see the two of them throughout our stay in Riga.


We also had the good fortune to meet another lovely young woman by the name of Sabine.  She is friends with Daniela.  What a joy it was to continue our journey of love and acceptance and encouragement with Sabine.  We talked with her throughout dinner and into the next day.  Her message to me the next day was:   It was a very nice to meeting you guys! still I am smiling from yesterday!  All it took was some conversation, mixed in with some love and a little bit of time.

New friendships are formed so long as you are open to the movement of Spirit and we have made a connection with Sabine.  Turns out that she plays soccer with a team and we plan on watching one of her games.  Way more important and awesome than the World Cup!

Despite a night filled with imagined doom - what if Kris doesn't like us, what if Kris doesn't want to come to America, what if, what if, what if .... - we eagerly await the moment when we finally get to meet our son, to hug him, to love on him and, probably embarrass him with overflowing emotions.  That moment will happen today sometime. 

One chapter closes and a new one begins.