We Made It!!!

Bonjour and 'Zdrustwui' (very approximated phonetics),

Where do we begin to tell you about this eventful day? It's been a great trip so far! We are settled into our hotel room in St. Petersburg, and Bob-who-doesn't-sleep-on-planes is lying on the bed "trying not to go to sleep" as we were advised not to sleep until 8pm. Why one would lie on a bed to "try not to go to sleep" is beyond me.

In any case, yesterday our good friend Sarah came all the way from The Woodlands to pick us up and drive us to the airport, so we were spoiled right off the bat. We had a GREAT experience with Air France, other than a particular segment when we were over the Atlantic that was...um...turbulent, to put it mildly.  But the airline was great.  Good food, French coffee, and really cool personal TV's on every seat back where we could watch anything from our choice of movies, to what was going on right in front of and below us through a camera mounted on the front of the plane.  Maybe all that is standard, but we don't get out much.  Not a lot of leg room, but we're short, so we were fine.

We flew for about 9 hours, then had a plane change in Paris.  As we were coming into Paris admiring the landscape and a few beautiful old estates of some sort, we looked and there it was...the Eiffel Tower emerging through the morning mist.  I got so excited I about jumped out of my seat.  The changeover was uneventful and timed perfectly, and we were off to St. Pete!

(OK, now Bob is watching The Simpson's dubbed over in Russian...maybe he should just go to sleep.)

After just 3 more hours of flying, we landed in beautiful, snow-covered St. Petersburg. The city is amazing. Small airport, easy to get through customs and such, even though the city itself is about the size of Houston. We were picked up at the airport by Natasha, who works with Buckner and will be our case manager, translator, and so much more while here in country. We couldn't wait to meet Natasha, and all those wonderful things people say about her are true!  She is warm and welcoming and organized and knows everything there is to know about the city, having been a professional tour guide in the past. She has a heart for orphans and loves to see them adopted, and her English is perfect.

She and her driver Alexander (Sasha) brought us to the hotel and briefed us on the current situation and the next couple days.  The day after tomorrow we will visit both children, as planned. But the great news is that we found out we will be able to meet Dasha TOMORROW! She has known about us for quite some time and is really looking forward to meeting us - we are thrilled that it will be a day sooner than expected. Her brother has agreed to meet us but seems doubtful that he will want to leave Russia.  

(Bob is asleep.)

However, there has been a new development, and something else to pray about.  Their grandfather has been very ill and is in intensive care.  He may not recover from the recent surgeries he has had. When he does die, there will be no family here for these kids. I'm sure his illness is very hard on his grandson right now, and we do not know how that will affect his decision regarding adoption. It could go either way. Please pray for clarity of mind for him, and that he will not be torn between loyalty toward his grandfather and prospects for his future.

I got Bob awake again, and I think we will go try out the hotel restaurant.  By the time we get back, it should be close to his recommended bedtime.

We would love for you to pray for us tomorrow as we go meet Dasha for the first time!  And I'm sure you will hear from us again soon.

Love you,

Karen (and Bob, who is awake and hungry.)