Travel Call

On Friday, when we found out that we didn’t get a travel, we exchanged a few emails with our agency on her speculations on why they didn’t give Cora and Sarah a TC.  We left that email conversation feeling like the agency wanted to get through all of their TC’s before ours so they had extra time for her. Dave said to our contact on Friday via phone, “I’m going to call every morning at 9:00, so I’ll talk to you on Monday.”

(If our agency (Any agency?) was thinking ahead, they could reduce these phone convos with a simple email each morning for those at the TC process, “No info about your TC today! Hope it comes tomorrow!”  If we got that at 8:30 am, we could know for the rest of the day. It seems so simple.)

So, 9:00 came and Dave called.  The convo was simply this:

Dave:  “Hi J, It’s Dave A..”

J:  “Nothing today Dave”

Dave: “OK! Thank you!”

The end.  It took all of 6 seconds.  But then Dave called our country director. She talked to him for about 5 minutes on what’s going on, how many got travel calls and how she reminded our agency of Cora’s upcoming birthday and said she hoped it would come this week, but she couldn’t be sure. She said she talked to our Korean agency last night and there was no mention of SJ’s travel.

I was feeling OK. I had just digested our lesson from Sunday and was feeling peace. It would come.  It would come. It would come.

5 minutes later, the phone rang.  I saw it was the agency so I ran it to Dave. (He’s waaaay better than I am at almost any emotion.  I do mad, madly. Irritated, irritatedly. Happy, with tears….You should hear this guy when he’s on the phone with Charter! All polite and calm.  I’m all, “My internet does not work AGAIN!!!”)  It was our director. She said she wanted to talk to us together, so can we get 2 phones.  Our phones don’t work that way, so she called back on the cell and Dave put it on speaker phone.

TRAVEL CALL.

Say what? We had just talked to you! And your employee.  And right now it is 11:30pm in Korea, so how did that just happen?  Apparently the TC info was in email, and it is usually in fax. She said there were 2 dates that we needed to note, so get a pen and paper.

April 11th is a holiday in Korea.  Nothing would happen that day.

April 13th there is an orphanage picnic where they will honor Cora and Sarah. !!!!! And we get to go!  And it’s Cora’s 5th birthday!  This is the thing that I am the most excited for for our trip.  We were told we would likely not meet any of the other children at the orphanage, but we will! And we will get to meet my friend Wendi’s daughter, Avah! And hopefully we will be able to take some pictures of Cora with her “family” that she can forever have as a reminder of the love she had in her orphanage.

Can I just admit to my control issues again? IF we would have gotten a TC when I thought we should have (um. first!) then we wouldn’t have been able to spend Cora’s birthday with her orphanage picnic.  God is all over this from start to finish, and thank goodness He didn’t just give me what my pouty, demanding self asked for.

The picnic is mandatory for Cora to attend, so we knew we couldn’t just leave the next day like we really wanted to.  We knew we’d have to be there all week next week, so we hung up the phone and planned our dates, prayed for a flight and hotel to match them.  After 3 hrs of looking online at every single booking site, we finally found 1 hotel that would fit our family.  And when I say fit, I mean 2 dbl beds.  Many hotels in Korea have twin beds! One twin bed! And everything was booked solid.  (One was booked through February of 2013.  Dave said we should move to Korea and open a hotel that has 2 queen beds in each room for the tourists who are used to having a big bed. Though, imo, a queen isn’t a big enough bed. 😉  Doubles!? )

We’re going to be in Korea for 9 nights.  (10 when you count the one we lose on the way over.) We’re not sure of the itinerary that our K. agency will give us, but we think we will meet her on Monday and Tuesday at her orphanage and maybe take custody on Th at the agency office with the picnic on Fri. ?  But we’re not sure yet.

If you could pray for her heart, as she says goodbye to her orphanage, her friends (basically brothers and sisters), her caretakers (basically her mothers) and her life in Korea.  My heart really is breaking for all she is saying goodbye to. And those who love her.  I know they realize that a family is like winning the lottery with an orphanage full of children who many can not be adopted, but they also are saying goodbye, and that must be so hard to look at her knowing she’s leaving.

Also, for our safe travels, but most importantly, my boys as we embark on this life changing time for them.  Specifically my youngest son, who will go from being a “little” to a “big AND little”.  And for our communication, as Cora doesn’t speak English.  Also, for our transition to American food, because the two things I’m stressing about is food and language. (Not to mention the fact that we’re thinking my youngest will starve in Korea due to his picky eating. 😉 )

We’re spending the next couple of days just hanging out with the boys on spring break.  I wish so very much that the brunt of our travels could have happened this week so they would miss less school, but that’s OK. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how happy the kids are that they get to miss another 2 weeks of school, huh? 😉 )

Our hotel has free internet, so we will absolutely be sharing pictures when we’re up at 3:00am with jetlag. 😉