Home

We arrived last evening to warm and sweet welcome of family and friends at the airport.  The last hour of our flight was not what I would have ordered ... very turbulent as we re-routed to avoid the storms, which only ended up offering us a longer flight THROUGH the storms.  I had to make a conscious choice not to throw up or allow my migraine to cause me to faint.  I knew there would be family and friends to greet us at the airport and as I sat by Evangeline helping her to get through the same difficulties I was going through, I told her to just imagine the smiling faces at the airport waiting for us.  This beautiful image is really what got me through this final hour plus before greeting our loved ones!

I didn't have the energy or forethought to get my camera out or take a single picture, but thanks to the abundance of camera phones, we have a few images that captured the essence of the time.  It was really sweet.  I just wanted to soak it in, and not miss anything or anyone.  Of course as we were walking out the door, I missed the walkway and went the wrong way and had to turn around .... and of course I missed a few other moments and hugs as well, but it was such a sweet welcome and reunion of family and friends.  

Our time in Latvia was great, and great for our new family to bond.  But we were missing something for sure ... our extended family and friends who are like family.  This little reunion was such a great reminder and picture to me of the body of Christ and the Community for which we were made and designed to live in, grow in, adopt children into and in which to live out the gospel.  There were of course many family and friends who were not able to join us, but those who were represented the others and it was such a beautiful reminder of how not alone we are in this life.

Elizabeth, Emma and Evangeline were ready to return to school today.  Irena and I have been to the library and grocery store and are just embarking on what looks like an infinite amount of laundry.  The sun is working hard to peak through this dreary day.  I'm grateful to be home and greet what lies ahead.

I've got plenty more pictures on my camera memory card that haven't made the blog yet ... I'll likely have to do some "Latvia, revisited" posts in the days and weeks ahead.

The airport photos are on facebook ... I was happy all the signs came home with us, because there were many that I didn't really get to see at the airport.  As I was up at 4am today I decided to assemble them in foyer and photograph them!

Farewell Riga

It's Sunday night, we leave for the airport at 8am tomorrow, we're 'mostly' packed. It's hard to believe this time is coming to a close. We spent several months thinking about and anticipating this three week stay in Latvia that was required for our adoption. Now it's a memory.

There's so much I could say about it and so much that I'm feeling regarding coming home. I have really loved being here. Old Riga is like being on the set of a movie. I've never been in such a place. It's amazing I didn't twist an ankle trying to get around on these 800 year old brick streets. (and I'm wearing flats.. the Latvian women wear only high healed boots!)

I've eaten more pastries these three weeks than in my entire life, I'm sure of it.. and I will confess that we have just enough time to run & grab a few for the road in the morning and you know we will ;)

My eyes have been feasting on the fall color here.. again, it's unlike anywhere I've been. It's so rich and its as if peak season has been each day that we've been here. I learned just today that Latvia can expect only about 60 days of sun per year and 30 of them are in the summer. In that case, I'm pleased to have enjoyed a few of the yearly allowance of sunny days.

Of greater importance, this has been a precious time for our family. A true gift in many ways and a miracle that God provided for all of us to be here. We're so grateful.

It's been great to know and understand where Irena is from and yet to also experience some of her country with her for her first time as well. What a gift to have this time as a family.

As I head home tomorrow my heart feels some sadness for Irena as she leaves the only 'home' she has known. She is certainly sad to leave her close friends and caretakers. I feel some sadness too that this unique time for our family is coming to a close.

My heart is also a bit scared for the days ahead.. they are filled with unknowns.. not just for Irena but for all of us as we adjust to new roles. Please keep us in your prayers while we make these transitions.

It's good to see how we can bring some of what we had here back home. While 'home' greets us with many responsibilities and schedules, etc. that we did not have here, I believe we can have greater intention to connect even in our home context.

I am also excited! Excited about the privilege of gaining a deeper understanding of my position in God's family as we imperfectly bring Irena into ours. Excited to share with her and help her to see and to know the love of her Heavenly Father. None of us will be unchanged.

I love the first verse of this Third Day song, Children of God:

Praise to the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ
Our God and our King, to Him we will sing
In His great mercy, He has given us life
Now we can be called the children of God!

The Final Days

Today is Friday.  We have today and two more full days here in Riga.  In some ways our time has gone fast, in other ways, I feel as if we've been here a long long time.

This week has been full with appointments, our second orphan court hearing, finishing homework, and taking in everything else we planned to do here in Riga.

Yesterday we spent most of our day out and about exploring the other side of Old Riga, the President's palace, and venturing further out into the 'centrum' (as they call it here).

We found a restaurant we had read about on Trip Advisor, called Stock Pot.  It's next to a famous historic cathedral, St. Gertrudes.  They serve soups and stews, a unique and original menu, serving 6 soups or stews daily, featuring recipes from around the world.  Of course we tried one of each!

Our time here has been sweet and challenging at the same.  It's been a great magnifying glass in many ways to expose many of our family dynamics that surface as we are living closely together with the one job of bonding and spending time together as a family.  What's been great is to address things as they come up and create new patterns for our new family.  Easier said than done, but God has given us much grace in this process.

We appreciate your continued prayers for our last days here and as we make the more permanent transition with our new family back into our home environment and community.  It's our desire to wrap up our time here well and have a real sense of closure as we move back home.

These three photos below were all taken from the same spot looking in three different directions.

the canal parks

center street of Old Riga

(see if you can spot the Bechtles in the photos)

Monument of Freedom

Zoo Day

We spent a lovely day at the Riga Zoo.  It was a great way to relax and connect before our second Orphan Court appointment tomorrow followed by Visa paperwork at the US Embassy on Thursday.