Thursday Afternoon

Well, as usual we are still waiting. We went to see our friends, but they were napping, we'll see them later. Our friends at SYB (previous employer)sent us a contact name that may be able to help. Our only fear of calling anyone is that we have been told numerous times that the calls only delay things here. They do not work like the U.S. One of the staff with our agency said that it sounded like they were keeping our packet to prove a point that the system takes too long. There need to be changes in the Consulate here. We were told to call and complain once we return. The way they do things changes today, so I do not know what kind of impact that will have on us. The new way should speed things up for newer families coming in. We are bored out of our minds, we have watched Discovery and National Geo. until I can't stand it any more. We need to find new places to eat and go to while we are here. Bad attitudes on our part only make the waiting worse. Granny Judy if we're home at Thanksgiving we can surely cook a Turkey, anything but Rice!! I have been craving a chili dog. Van looks larger in his photos, but he doesn't have any rolls or anything. He not scrawny, but does need to gain fat in his arms and the rest of his body. He is playing with the Hotel staff. Our coordinator should be here a few more days and that always helps to know that he is here in case of anything. Van is saying Mama but not sure if he is refering to me or not though.
Julie

2 weeks today

It's Wednesday morning here and we just had breakfast. We have had Van for two weeks today. He is learning what No means. Van has learned this yelping sound and it's really loud. Grandma was asking Van's size, he wears about a 12 month size. If he keeps eating like he does he'll catch up soon. His ribs were poking out when we got him, but that's better. His backbone really sticks out, his head is odd shaped in the back and he seems to have a deformity or something with a few of his lower ribs on one side, they seem to be indented. We are still waiting on the U.S. Consulate, which we were told there is nothing we can do and nobody we could call to speed up the process. The packet we need is the approval of all of Van's medical records, forms, etc. from the Consulate. Our friends arrived and they are picking up their children this morning. We hope to meet up with them tomorrow if we are still here. Our spirits are down today as we are tired of being let down by no news. We headed to the American War Museum yesterday, but it was closed when we arrived and didn't open for another 45 minutes and it was lunch time and there was nowhere safe to eat nearby. So, we opted to come back to the Hotel and eat and try the Museum another time. Rachel, I hope we don't have to stay 5 weeks, but if things keep moving the way they have been we may be here that long. Thanks for all of your prayers and comments, we really appreciate them and are glad to know that you are praying for us. God hears our prayers!!
Julie

I wish I had good news

We were updated this morning by our cooridantor. We found out that the Consulate, that we met with on friday, is saying that more investigation is needed, but we do not know about what. We were not given a time frame as to when this will be done either. Our experience with the Province Van is from has been slow from the beginning. We are on day 17 here in HCMC. We will go to the park or out for a walk to pass the time. We had our bags packed and were ready to go yesterday only to hear-WAIT. Well waiting is what we'll be doing until we hear more. Thanks so much for all of your comments and concerns and prayers for our family as we are here away from everything we know. Van is thriving. He has learned to yell and grunt. He continues to eat anything, but not fond of spaghetti. He even eats some kind of collard green (or some green) type of soup. I even have been known to eat it also. Food is no longer a pleasure, but something to keep us alive. I sent the photos from our G&R, adoption on the Vietnames side, to our parents, but for some reason they will not open. They aren't great photos anyway. Keep Praying and pray some more.
Julie

Which Fruit is God Honing Out In Our Lives??

Today was un-eventful to say the least. We sit and wait and sit and wait in the room then go to the lobby and sit and wait some more only to learn that today held nothing new. I am not sure what fruit God is working on in our lives, but it seems to be PATIENCE!!!!
I am used to having things in order and done in a timely manner and expect others to do do the same as well. Welcome to dealing with a different culture and the government Parker family. We have always said that we trusted in the Lord to work things out for us, but we still had some control over the situation. God is teaching us that we do not have control over anything and that we need to trust Him completely. Pray that we will. We seem to be a hard headed bunch.
We were hoping to get the package we needed from the Consulate today so we could fly to Hanoi, but we did not; not sure of the reason. We are still in HCMC. The Hotel here may hire us on as servants. :) Hopefully (prayerfully) we will hear somthing tomorrow. Pray that the Patience fruit and the many other fruit that needs to be developed in our lives together and personally will be developed and we will leave here stronger believers in the Lord our God! Thanks for all the prayers. Specifically pray that God would see fit to allow the paperwork to be completed. There seems to be a concern about something on the Consulate side of the matter. Maybe we will know more tomorrow. God is a good God and He is in control!!!!!

Keith

Shoe Shine Anyone?

It's Sunday morning and we're about to go eat lunch and hit the market. We went to the Diamond Plaza yesterday it's kind of like a mall. We had lunch at Pizza Hut on Friday(doesn't taste as good, skimpy on the tomato sauce and servings). Yesterday we went back to the Plaza and Race was able to play some arcade games and we ate at the Lotteria (burgers, tasted like Hardees). We went to the park and also to the post office. We continue to meet interesting characters daily. We were sitting on the sidewalk watching the kids play in the park and this guy sits next to Keith asking the best way he knows how if Keith would like a shoe shine and Keith continues to tell him, no. The guy starts pulling out things from his kit and tries to get Keith to remove his shoes and put on this pair of flip flops (not new). Finally we had to get up and move the guy wouldn't quit. About 10 minutes later he sits by us again and starts up, but more aggresive this time. We found a lady that was able to tell him in Vietnamese to leave us alone and she must have got the point across, he left. Lots of people think we're Australians, because there seem to be a good bit of Australian visitors here. We were unable to get our package on friday, so we hope to have it tomorrow so that we can fly out. We speculate that all of the paperwork will be done by friday, Speculate being the big word here. We hope to be home at least by next weekend. Our friend Mandy flies in today and we hope to go and visit with her before she meets her son, Noah Khanh, 8 years old. Noah is at the same orphanage Van is from. We also have another friend, Kristy coming tomorrow and she has a daughter, Trinity 3 at the same orphanage also. The security guard is playing with Van, he seems to go to anyone. He likes to sing and be sung to. He sways and says goo goo. Our coordinator took photos of us at our G&R, which is the final adoption on the Vietnamese side. We are awaiting these photos and will pass them along. Our friend has not been at the desk lately to be able to help us post more pictures. Keith is ready for more rice, which I could settle for a Pepsi and a Snicker bar, which I doubt I will get.
Julie

Our Meeting

Hello everyone. Well we had our meeting with the Consulate yesterday at 11 a.m. The meeting was kind of strange. We found out that Van was possibly the 4th child of a 45 year old woman, but the Consulate Interviewer acted like she didn't buy that. She was concerned for the lack of medical records available on Van and the other child traveling with us. We are waiting on a packet that hopefully will be ready monday so that we can travel to Hanoi. We cancelled our return flight and have it on hold until we know our return date. We hope to return late next week. Van was up from 12:00-2:00 a.m. -not a fun night. Keith and I took turns trying to soothe him and get him to sleep. We are at high frustrations levels again, we feel out of the loop as to what exactly is going on. The coordinator that is with us speaks little English and the other Coordinator is in Hanoi with some new families that are traveling here. Please pray for us as we are feeling irritated and uninformed. I will try to post a photo soon.
Julie

10 a.m. Appt.

We have our Embassy appt. in one hour. We are going to do some begging and pleading, which we have done a lot of during this adoption. We need an envelope from the Embassy that usually takes a day or so to pick up from them after the appt. We are pleased to have this appointment, movement!!!! We are all doing well this morning. We have PB&J for breakfast, that was delicious. We could possibly fly out today or tomorrow. We will work on changing our tickets once in Hanoi or possibly sooner. We are scheduled to leave at 12:24 a.m. Tuesday morning. Update later, I need to get ready.
Julie

The Rain

It seems to rain a little everyday but usually in the evening. It is Thursday morning and there's a light rain coming down, but gives little relief to the heat. I haven't checked the weather for KY yet, but I need to do that. For those of you wanting to fix us a meal when we come home we're officially allergic to rice and noodles!!!! We went to a bakery this morning that was a tasty treat. O.K. I found one more thing that they have here that's in the U.S. Believe it or not, but one of the pastries had pork in it and I promise it tasted like a Krystal burger for those of you in GA and a White Castle burger for those of you in KY. I don't like Krystal burgers but that was real good, I could eat 4 or 5 more. Race is still sick we started him on some prescription medicine this morning. He was able to eat this morning. Van's burns are really itching him and making him miserable at times. He is starting to talk to us, his favorite or only word is goo. He sways back and forth when you sing and will also clap his hands. He loves to go outside and grunts if he thinks someone is going out without him. Don't think you can eat a cookie without him grunting either. He is getting fussier at night. He is not as quiet and calm as he was but still mild. We don't have plans for the day we'll just see what the rain does. We have all lost some weight, which didn't hurt any of us. Van's belly is growing. Race is being such a great help with Van.

Julie

Race & Rice

Before coming to Vietnam Race and rice were very good friends, but now Race can't stand the mention of his old pal rice. Race skipped lunch because he knew his pal rice would be there. He held out for some KFC for supper. Race is still a little under the weather with his belly because of his pal rice. It's still super hot here. We did not get a call today from the Embassy, so we will wait again tomorrow. If we don't get the call soon it will probably prolong our stay. Mama I sent you a postcard on Monday I believe, we may make it home before that makes it to you though. Rick B. check your spam on your work email, I have sent you a couple of emails. Van is really talking a lot. He is getting to be a little ramrod like his brother. It took 4 of us to post the photo of Race, two Vietnamese and two English speakers. I hope to post more tomorrow if the guy is here to help us, he knows a little English. The photo was taken in the lobby of our hotel.

Julie

No News Yet

It's Wednesday morning and we are still waiting on the call from the U.S. to approve our appt. time. Keith is sipping his iced coffee and Race has his head propped on the desk counter bored out of his mind. I am feeling a little sick this morning, but not that bad. Mandy W. we have been in HCMC since the night of the 13th and it's the 24th here. Our G&R was on the 16th. Even if we have our appt. today we can not fly until tomorrow. You have your appt. one day and go and pick up a paper the next day. Our coordinator had to fly to Hanoi yesterday to meet another family, so we are with the asst. coordinator, I guess. Mandy W. have you decide where you'll stay? I haven't seen the Somerset Hotel. We may go back to the post office today for more post cards, they are about a quarter each and really pretty. You can buy a can of coke for about 30 cents. A gallon of Aquafina water is less than a dollar. One store must have refilled the aquafina bottles with coke and were trying to sell them, needless to say I do not frequent that store. M&Ms are about 60 cents. I had Spaghetti last night at D Coffee Shop and Race had Fish and Chips again, we splurged and spent 9 bucks on supper. Van is talking some and trying to walk a little more. He is such the little pig, he will eat as much as you will feed him. He likes cheerios and crackers. For anyone traveling here babyfood is expensive and bring plastic spoons and cups to feed the baby out of. Baby cereal is also a big hit with bananas in it. I have approval to post photos, now let's see if I can. Van is not very photogenic. He always looks the other way or will not smile if you take his photo. I don't believe I have the first photo of the rascal smiling. We know the wait is for a reason so we will press on in Faith that all will work out in God's timing. Mandy R. hope you had a good trip to Las Vegas. I have been doing crossword puzzles a lot! Things we miss- (Julie) Ice in my drinks, Chips & Salsa, Mountain Dew, alone time (Race) Cheese, Playing Outside (Keith) reading outside in the lawn chair. I wish I would of brought some of Race's school work to keep him occupied instead of wasting so much time doing nothing. We have played lots of Uno and other little word games.
Julie

Return Date-Who Knows?

Some of you have asked when will we return home, good question, we don't know yet. We have stayed in HCMC a little longer than expected. I think we just have on appt. in Hanoi and then wait a few days on Van's visa. We just found out that the U.S. person we are waiting to hear from must be in a meeting, because no word yet. So we are living by the skin of our teeth at the moment. The cleaning lady is in our room, she must think we're slobs. There are crumbs everywhere as Van is a messy snacker as well as the rest of us. Our quarters are a little cramped with suitcases everywhere.
Julie

The Waiting Game

Well, we are still in Ho Chi Minh city waiting for the U.S. to call and let us know when we can come for our appt. It looks like we are still on hold for now. Race is feeling a lot better, he had ham and eggs this morning. We just went to the corner grocery for Oreos and Saltines and Water. We are just hanging out in the Hotel lobby for any updated information. Mama-there are no McDonalds here, the only restaurant we recognize is KFC, but we heard that PHO 24 is in parts of the U.S. We are getting a bit stir crazy, this is only so much you can do. We are ready to go to Hanoi. Pray for our attitudes as we are all 4 together 24/7 and starting to get a bit irritable with each other. Also pray that this appt. would happen soon. I hear that Hanoi is not as busy and a little nicer, but we'll see.
Julie

Monday Night in Vietnam

Well our friend Sharla was asking if Van was going to have our GA accent. That will be a sight to see. He has really been giggling today and having fun. Keith taught him to give you five. He has started throwing stuff and he likes putting his finger in Race's belly button. Race is feeling a little better, but does not have much of an appetite, but he said that he could eat KFC. I think he is just tired of the same foods. We went to the market and went bargaining tonight. We didn't stay too long, it's stinky and hot in there. We hope to hear from the Embassy/Consulate in the morning. The U.S. is the one wanting more documentation, etc. before they can set the appt., so maybe we'll know something in the morning. They mentioned having to run his photo on the T.V. in the province he is from. There is one more family with us and we're in the same boat. Van just loves the little bananas here. He starts to look at you and grunt if you are eating and he doesn't get anything. We are getting used to the traffic and sounds here, but ready to move on with this and get back home. I have enjoyed the break from the phone and the housework.
Julie

Hello from Horn City

You just can't imagine all the horn blowing that goes on around here. The horn means I am coming so move out of the way or I am going to hit you. I was able to read everyone's comments this morning. Thanks so much for the concern and encouragement for our family. This site is in Vietnamese, so I am unable to respond to the comments because I can not manuever around it and find my way back. We walked down to the Saigon River in the heat of the day (dumb, huh?. We sat and watched the boats: one looked like a plane, one was a sort of cruise ship, a barge and a houseboat (sort of). On the way home we saw in the market an entire cooked duck (head and all) and an entire baby pig. (I took a picture, but the glare from the glass case kind of blocked the good view). Well we finally decided to call him Van after all. He is cuter than all of his pictures. We have not found an internet cafe close by. We want to post photos soon, so hopefully once we're in Hanoi we can. We are waiting on a phone call to find out if we have our Consulate appt. today. Our coordinator, Henry has to fly to Hanoi tomorrow because a new family will come in. We have another coordinator here, but her English is very limited. Henry seems to know anybody and everybody and that helps to speed up our wait oftentimes. I found one more use of the sidewalk yesterday-a potty for grown men. For breakfast this morning we had King bananas (small sweet bananas), french bread and Ritz Crackers. You can buy a box of Ritz for about a buck. Most of the American food here is expensive in the markets. Pop Tarts are $4. and a small container of gatorade is also $4. We are not allowed to iron in our room, but there are cigarettes on the coffee table and beer in our refigerator (not purchased by us, of course). Which seems more dangerous to you?? Keith has formed a liking to iced coffee. Race is not feeling well this morning, kind of has a sour stomach. We have medicine, but have only been giving him Pepto so far. He is not too sick to play, so he doesn't feel that bad. Mandy Watson as far as the sick children I mentioned, I meant seriously ill, not so much colds, etc. But I am sure any kind of medications would be fine to bring. One little boy, Kien loved the little plastic car I brought for Van, I had to leave it with him. There are at least 4 or 5 motorbike dealerships on each block. There are fancy motorbikes with designer looking seats and emblems on them. There are also some that seem like they will fall apart. Race is still tired of all the looks he is getting. One of the guards at the Hotel just loves to serve Race, but Race doesn't know how to take it. We try to eat with our chopsticks and he brings over spoons and just watches us eat. There are white geckos here, but they keep their distance, good. Let me know of any questions and I will try to answer them. Our flight to Hanoi is about an 2 hr flight. We are hanging close by today in case we need to go to our appt. Van was whining and unsettled last night, so we thought he didn't feel well. Can you believe he is working us already, he just wanted to look out the window or go for a walk. He gets restless in the Hotel. I guess you can only play blocks for so long. Mandy, Patty, Mindy, Ruth, Alice & Connie I am glad that my old computer reminds you all of me. I will bring him in to see you as soon as I can. I think he'll be social, he seems to go to anyone and loves the loud streets. Keith and the boys are in the room, I was hoping Van would go ahead and dirty up his diaper before I return. I told Keith and Race not to leave the diaper on him until I returned. Lots of people smoke here. I need to check on the guys.
Julie

Well it's Sunday around 11a.m. We are about to go walking around the city and hopefully find the Saigon River and a Museum or such. Van is adjusting more and more each day. We had forgotten about dirty diapers that leak out onto you! Gross, I was the one to experience that this morning. But, Keith was gracious enough to wash the outfit out in the sink. His digestive tract is working properly. The sidewalks here are versatile- you can eat, park your motorbike, ride your motorbike, sell items, sleep or get possibly ran over by a motorbike. If the traffic light is red (which there are very few red lights) you just drive your motorbike up the ramp onto the sidewalk and cut across to the next street. We are becoming street wise, we have only had a few heart wrenching calls. The Lord is gracious to ignorant American in a different culture. Keith said he knows how a Kentucky Squirrel feels when dodging traffic. Van is smiling more and starting to babble with us. He still prefers to be held than to stand or walk. Van likes to suck his thumb at night and during nap time, but he also sticks his shirt in his mouth. The orphanage has done a great job at getting him on schedule. He sleeps when put down in his bed with no arguing. The biggest cry, which wasn't much was when he had his first bath. He likes taking baths now. He had to have a bath this morning after smelling up the room. He seems to smell like Tuna in the morning, no lie! I don't know if it's his wet diaper or something working out through his skin. It's not his breath, but his body. We love our little Tuna boy! We are about to cry from laughing. We should travel to Hanoi hopefully Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday depends on the Consulate Appt. Please pray for the rest of our trip.

Love, Keith, Julie, Race and Van

Service

If you come to Vietnam you will get great service at the Restuarants, but be prepared to have onlookers during your entire meal. They charge for the wet napkins and the complimentary peanuts or so I thought they were complimentary until I saw the bill. We received Van's passport and visa medical records yesterday-friday. We have one more appointment in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) before we fly to Hanoi. It's Saturday here so it will probably be the first of next week before we can have our appt. Our letter from Immigration was approved and should be in Hanoi on time for our appt with the Consulate or whoever we are meeting. We had Van smiling a bit yesterday, but today he is back to being quiet and not communicating much with us. We are all healthy, no one has gotten sick. We are avoiding the brains and intestines though. Keith saw a white girl puking this morning outside of our hotel, I am glad I was in the room. Race loves to play with Van, he can hardly let him rest without wanting to wake him up. Joel,Race watched Star Wars this morning. Hi to the Grannys and the Pops and Poppy. We are off for the day to explore.
Julie

Choco Pies and Oreos

We had the breakfast of champions this morning-Ritz crackers, Oreos and Choco Pies (their version of a moon pie). It was quite tasty. I can't bear to eat any more soup or rice right now. We order a pizza last night and had a slice on each of our plates and then remembered that we were not supposed to eat dairy products. So, we headed to the Frog Restaurant once again for the dreaded rice!!!!! I was able to get chicken and Race found fish and chips (Our New Zealand friends know what that is), Keith and Van had fried rice, of course. Van loves to go outside and ride in the backpack, he seems his happiest at this time, he babbles while we're out. He has only cracked a few smiles for us. He is still playing alone and loves to cuddle.

Julie

Adjusting

Van/Thanh is adjusting well. His appetite is better today, he will eat whatever you put in his mouth. He was fussy today, he still has a runny nose and the heat probably doesn't help either. We went to the market yesterday and it rained on us, but it felt good. We bought Van an authentic Vietnamese outift and squeaky shoes. Race wanted to go to KFC again, but we opted for Spaghetti (pretty close) at the Singapore Frog Restaurant. Keith had frog. Keith was sick this morning, he slept until about 11 or so, but he feels better now. Van's diaper rash is a burn from something, it is healing though. He loves for you to hold him and lay his head on your shoulder. He still has not laughed or smiled for us yet. He is still trying to figure out who we are. We applied for passports yesterday and had the visa medical exam. If I repeat myself forgive me I can't even keep up with what day it is. I went to bed at 8:30 and was up at 4a.m. We should go to Hanoi in about 2-4 days once Van/Thanh's passport is ready. We can't decide what to call him, because he has responded only a few times to Thanh. We are going on our first taxi ride to the grocery store soon. We need to wash some clothes in the tub, I have been washing them in the sink with shampoo. Our time seems to improve each day as we learn how things are done and which restaurants serve good food. We had mandarin oranges yesterday-gross! Cokes and water are readily available. The steamed corn is great. Race is going stir crazy in the motel, but the stroller will not fit on the sidewalk with the vendors and the motor scooters. We hope to go to the park soon and take the stroller and walk around for some fresh air without worrying about getting hit by a motor scooter.
Julie
Julie

Well, we were blessed with a new little boy yesterday, Van Thanh Parker-19 mos. old. We were able to go to the orphanage, but we did not get to stay too long. Kristy I was able to see Trinity, she is such a pretty girl and seems to like to get her picture taken. I have a few photos and some video of her. I was not able to get many photos, because we were sort of rushed to go to the G&R. Did you also get your G&R? There are a lot of really sick kids, some that can be helped, but the funds are too low. We are going to call him Thanh, he responds to that. He is such a quiet and calm little boy. Race sure does love this little guy. He seems to like stacking cups and wooden blocks the best. He has extreme diaper rash or soemthing on his legs, they are as rough as alligator skin. He has a slight fever and a runny nose. I finally had some american food yesterday-Steamed corn on the cob and it was good. Bring motion sickness medicine if you come, the van ride is worse than the plane ride. Thanh is upstairs resting. Thanh and Race slept together last night on a floor mat and they slept all night. Thanh doesn't seem to know how to suck from a bottle or sippy cup, I think they just kind of pour it down. I need to go. Continue to pray for us as we are still waiting on the form to come.

Julie
Julie

Boy is it Hot!

Hi everyone, sorry it's been a while, but I am borrowing the computer at the hotel desk, so I do not want to tie it up for too long. We have been to Ben Thanh Market where you can buy anything from intestines to silk. It's extremely hot here. Race slept most of yesterday and is finally caught up on his sleep. I went to bed at 12pm and woke up at 2am, so I am still messed up. Keith can adapt to anything, he is doing well. We met a Vietnamese student today and he wanted to practice English, so went spent a lot of the day with him, he showed us several places. Mandy we ended up staying at Y Thien Hotel. It is basic and cheap, nothing fancy. We are leaving at 5:30 pm Monday (2 more hrs for us) to go to Can Tho. The other family should arrive around then and we'll head for Can Tho. We will have our ceremony tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. and then head back as soon as that's over. I think we'll stay at the Lucky Star in Hanoi. Mandy and Kristy-heads up, there is an asst. Director and a Nanny also that you need to be prepared to give a donation to as well. Food is cheap about $2 for a bowl of soup. Mama I found the post office today and bought post cards, but it will be Tomorrow or Wednesday before I can get back over there to mail them. Patty Barnes-we can't eat the ice here!!! Maelee-Race is 9 years old and is excited about getting a baby brother. Thanks everyone for writing and I will keep everyone posted as best I can. I hope to have photos soon.
Julie

We Made It

After about 27 hours of traveling we are here. We landed about 10:15p.m. Saturday night, Vietnam time. We got to bed about 1 a.m. and woke up about 5:30. It is unbelievably hot here! We have a nice hotel and the people seem very friendly. We are headed out to the Market for a day of sightseeing and shopping. We are about to go venture out and find some food. We will leave to go see Van tomorrow. Praise the Lord for getting us here so far and pray that he would continue to sustain us throughout the rest of the trip. Race is excited about all of the scooters here, but he is especially thrilled that most vehicles here do not have seat belts (he thinks he is getting away with something).
Julie

Whew, What a Day!

We had a very eventful day. Our day started out at the Immigration Office, not a good experience at all. Needless to say they were very unhelpful. At one time today, we were going to have to choose either to postpone our trip or be prepared to stay a few weeks longer. But around 3pm we found out that all is well and we will still leave in the morning and be there for about 2 weeks. Thanks to everyone for their help with making calls and praying for us. The Lord worked it out in His timing. Our next update will be from Vietnam!
Julie

Our visas are here!

Praise - Our visas arrived this morning. We have been busy sending documentation and letters to the Senator's office in hopes of getting some help to get our Immigration document that we so desperately need. We will still meet with Immigration in the morning to see what we can do. I don't know what will happen if it does not arrive...I really don't even want to think about it. We know several people are praying for us and that's the best thing anyone can do for us now. This little guy has waited too long for this piece of paper to prolong his days in an orphanage.

Julie

Race feeding our friend's daughter, Naomi

 

It's almost time

I can't believe it's almost time to go. We have the suitcases ready and I think everything is going to fit. We have an appointment with Immigration in the morning, we are going to plead our case (I thought a sad photo of Van might help) and see if they will expedite the process. I just attempted for the third time to book a hotel, so far none available. Our visas are scheduled to arrive today. The running around of the last fews days has given us little chance to think about Van and how he will adjust. I think he'll warm up to Race first being he's a kid too. Thanks for the comments and encouragement!

TRUST is a big word

Things just don't seem to be going our way. The hotel we booked last night does not have any rooms available through internet booking. The wheel on one of our suitcases is almost broken. We are still waiting to get clarification from our travel agent with questions in regards to our tickets. Still no word on the document from Immigration and still waiting on our visas. But there is hope- "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him , and he will make straight your paths." I don't like leaving decisions in the hands of people I don't know, but I am having to do this in so many areas of this trip. We are trusting that the Lord is going to work all this out for His good. Please pray for us!

Keith, Julie & Race

Counting down the days.....

We booked our hotel, at least for the first two days and we'll book the rest once we arrive in country. Race is weighing himself on the scales that we borrowed to weigh the suitcases. Race is thrilled that he has gained over a pound since his last checkup. He is asking what I weigh-but I am not answering. Our visas should arrive on Wednesday and still no word on the document from Immigration. We will see Van for the first time on Monday. We will visit with him on Monday and he'll be ours on Tuesday. I don't think reality has hit any of us yet.

Julie

Friday is the Day

We booked our flight today-a big accomplishment. We'll be leaving Louisville very bright and early friday morning.

Julie

Flight Plans

It looks like we'll be flying out around the 11th or so. We wanted to arrive on the 14th, but it seems the flights are booked up for that day. Our visas should arrive on the 10th, cuttting it close, huh? We are going to the Immigration office today to see what we can do to speed up the process of getting this letter we need to take with us. I don't know how all of this is going to work out, but it will. We have put this in the Lord's hands-because in our eyes it doesn't seem possible for all of this to fall into place in 7 days. Our flight will be anywhere from 18-22 hrs. Did I mention that we'll be flying with two children-I can only imagine!
Julie

Dates

We received our Giving and Receiving date today. We will need to be in Vietnam on October 14th and the G&R is on the 16th. There is lots to do and little time to do it in. We are still waiting on a letter from immigration to arrive.

Julie