Arrival

The first 24 hours is its own thing.

Just get here, have that first amazing shower, get settled, unpack a little.

Sleep when you can, let your body catch up with what you've just put it through.

Chill.  Low expectations.

And.

See the children.  Have our first time of evening devotions together.

Open Sponsors' packets.  Let your heart be filled up with all the goodness of their excited squeals, like a little Christmas morning for kids who are anything but entitled and are excited by every little bit of it.

And weep a little because one of our first songs is an old chorus back home but is a favourite here.

Give thanks, with a grateful heart...and now let the weak say I am strong....

This time I get to see it all over again through the eyes of Abby.

And can I just say that she's a marvelous traveler, managed all the peculiarities of flying (her first flight) for 14 hours straight, and hauled those 50 pound bags onto the weigh scale and then off the carousel like a wrestler, and is so far dealing with the jet lag like a seasoned pro.

So here we are.

At the beginning of this particular adventure together.

Today we lay low and I'm glad.

While it was an 'easy' ride in so many ways, I am mindful that it's still less than four weeks post surgery.

There will be more pictures, I promise.

And little updates to Sponsors about your individual children.

And we will start our reading thing...with more new books thanks to Cheryl Wilton!

But for just now, these first 24 hours, we'll do our thing.