The final trip!

We are preparing for the final trip. Yippee!!! I am trying to make sure I have everything I will need not only for myself, but also for Anya and gifts for the caregivers & other children. I'll also be taking all the paperwork needed to get Anya's immigration paperwork completed at the US Embassy. My dad & I leave on Saturday at 6:00PM out of Atlanta. We will arrive home next Saturday (the 13th) with Anya at 4:20PM. I spoke with Anya on the phone last week after we arrived home & she seemed to be doing well. I also tried calling yesterday, but there was no answer. I will be calling once more tomorrow just to check in with her. We will not be getting her from the orphanage until next Wednesday, so this is still a long wait for her.
As we prepare to leave, please pray for:
1. Health for our entire family. Faith, Caleb& I have all had a stomach bug and now they have terrible colds. I am trying to keep from getting a cold before leaving.
2. Safe travel.
3. Smooth & quick paperwork processing in St. Petersburg & Moscow.
4. Anya's motion sickness - She is very nervous about the plane rides because she gets terrible motion sickness - I am praying that she doesn't get sick at all.
5. Good weather in St. Petersburg & Moscow.
6. Jack, my mom, Beth, Faith & Caleb while we are gone - it will be a long week for them!
7. Anya's adjustment when we come home. It will be a while before all of this really sinks in with her (maybe 3 to 6 months) & when it does, she will have a lot of sadness while she grieves over all that she has lost.

Thank you for your continued prayers! Jack and I have not felt alone in this process & have really been encouraged by your prayers & support. Thank you for being a part of our lives & for taking part in Anya's adoption. Please continue to be a part of our family after we bring Anya home. We are so relieved that the paperwork process is coming to an end, but the real work is just beginning. We are excited that God has brought Anya into our family and that we have an opportunity to have a positive impact on her life. We are also very aware of the trials and heartache that may come in this next phase of our journey, but our greatest desire is for Anya to come to know the love of her Heavenly Father & to have a relationship with Him. There are sure to be some rough days ahead as Anya adjusts to life in a family and as we learn to parent an older child who has had a difficult first 10 years. We will still need your prayers! We will need people to turn to when we need encouragement or when we have exciting news to share. We were asked in court if we have people at home who support our decision to adopt Anya and who love her - when we said "yes - we have a lot of people who have supported us in this and who are excited for Anya to get home" we were thinking of all of you!