Shifting focus.

WE ARE HERE!!!!

Well we made, our luggage made it, and the car made it from the airport to the apartment. Now if our energy reserves will just make it as well we will be set.

God is amazing, and sometimes funny when you look back over events. When we arrive in Rome, our second stop of the trip, we went to the internal check in desk to get our boarding passes for our last hop. They inform us that my checked luggage was fine, however... Laura's was probably getting ready to come out at baggage claim which was an 11 minute walk from where we were then standing, back in the direction we had just walked 10 minutes from. Then we would have to exit the airport Terminal B (international) and re-enter Terminal A (domestic) to check in Laura's luggage and get her boarding pass. So annoyed but realizing that the poor girl behind the counter had nothing to do with it we went on our way. So we arrive at the baggage claim, which was right around the corner from our original arrival gate, to find lucky that nothing had started to come down the luggage chute yet. Then comes the money shot, as we are standing there waiting for L's bags, where looky there here comes my guitar sliding down the chute, complete with tag that clearly states the last hop of it's trip is to be PMO (Palermo). So completely annoyed at the whole situation, tired from lack of sleep we choose to focus on the new seemingly newly hired girl back in Dulles and how much of a dunce you have to be not to check luggage though to the last stop after having been told 3-4 times to make sure that it was (yeah Ok I know I could have looked at here baggage claim tickets too, but I looked at mine, mine were Ok so hers should have been too. Right??) So, we wait for the rest of my bags to come out assuming they also would not have been sent through to the end of the trip, only to never see them come. We decide that maybe they actually sent them in the right direction and haphazardly pray to that effect, assuming that some one at the check-in counter will be able to give us confirmation of this. We get to the check-in window and get started and are informed that they have no way of knowing where the rest of our luggage is and short of filling a lost and found claim there was nothing to be done at this point. So we check the other bags in are told that we should be charged again since they are being rechecked (praise God we weren't) and are finally able to walk back towards the boarding area, deciding that we would trust God to get all the luggage there safely.

It's interesting looking back over things and reanalyzing the events with a non frustrated mindset. We realized that our luggage had been checked-in separately, so traveling in the mind of the baggage sorter independently. If the girl in Dulles had not made the mistake that she had, I could very easily at this point have no guitar, remember that was one of my checked pieces that was checked through to Palermo. So God provided and came through as he always does for us. Sure he could have just made the whole situation easy and just had the bags checked like they were supposed to be, but then what would have been the life lesson in that. We would not even be thinking about this whole situation now, if everything had gone according to planed. Sure we would have thanked God for providing safe passage but, not have been reminded that he works in ways that we my not always understand, or want to understand at the time, but if we keep an open mind and are willing to peek outside of our little boxes we'll see that He is able and willing to do all things for those that are in Him.

At the airport and waiting...

Well we made it through security, got our bags checked, and are seated at the gate. The excess baggage fees ended up being a little less than we had anticipated, so even less that shipping a bunch of boxes. We are looking forward to sitting down on the plane and doing NOTHING for the next seven hours. We do want to express our deepest thanks to those of you that helped us out over that last month. Your efforts in making up for our shortcomings were very much appreciated. Well God bless, and we will talk to you all soon!!

Update

It's hard to believe that we have only ten more days left in the States!! The immensity of it all is starting to kick in. We are starting to get excited but at the same time realize the awesomeness of the task before us.
The house has been rented, someone is dropping off a check for the car this afternoon, there is only painting and grouting left on the room, and then we get to start the cleaning process.
God is good and He always provides.
Please be in prayer as we start to pack that we would remember the things we need to take with us. Also begin to pray for our flights: for an easy time at security, for safety, for our luggage (we a only a one hour layover on our first stop) that it will all get through. Also be in prayer for our second week there, it will be the week of the Vacation-Seminar which is the same event we participated in last year. Pray that is will be a time of refreshment both spiritually and physically for all those involved.

First Entry

Well our date of departure is rapidly approaching. We leave on the 18th of August from Dulles International at around 3pm. Our bags are not packed and we are not quite ready to go, well physically any way. The room is almost finished but not quite, we have a handful of interest in the houses, car is not yet sold. We rest in the knowledge that God's timing is not always in par with ours. I would much rather have everything in order and planed out, but if that was the case, how could He teach us to place our trust in him. God is good and has all things in His hands. Please be in prayer that we will be able to trust Him in something this small to in turn learn to trust Him in the larger things in life.