FINALLY here...but waiting on one.

We are FINALLY here safely!

However, there are 12 of us and I feel like a shepherd who is missing one of her sheep. The student who had the missing passport didn't get it from the Chicago agency in time, so he had it in hand this morning and was rebooked on a flight today to arrive in Budapest tomorrow. While I hate having him fly by himself, I think he has made it through quite a feat so far, and I know God will bring him safely here tomorrow.

Here's the long story made short...
His passport was lost in a family move recently, so he had to reapply for a new passport at the last minute by going to the Chicago agency twice within days of our trip. He was told he could pick it up anytime Wednesday after 3pm, so his plan was to take the train up to the city earlier Thursday and meet us at O'Hare. Despite all he had already been through with the passport, his train got delayed in Bloomington because of a wreck in which someone lost a life. He was picked up by someone from LCC, driven to the city, and unfortunately did not make it to the building in time before they close their doors. We got him rebooked for the next day (Friday) and he is safely in the air at this moment as I write. We'll be celebrating when our last sheep finally returns to the flock tomorrow!!! (Along with feeling like a shepherd, I feel very much like a mother hen...)

Our flights went well. We had a 5-6 hour layover in Zurich, Switzerland in which we tried to nap on concrete floors and hard chairs and entertain ourselves however possible. We made it to Budapest, finally, and endured the long 3 hour bus ride to the Romanian border to find that the Hungarian police were having computer problems and wouldn't let anyone in or out. We got stopped there for 2 hours and finally made it here to our "home" for the week around midnight. Despite our long wait at the border, we're thankful God brought us here safely and without any problems...and with a yummy meal waiting for us when we arrived.

The thing that has been on my mind throughout our travels so far is this: Whatever obstacles come in the way I'm determined are not God's signs that we made a wrong decision or that we are not where we should be. I'm certain that those obstacles are simply roadblocks we have to get through that Satan is trying to use to discourage us. I know this has been the case for my 13th student who is on his way.

And this is what proves to me that God is up to something this week. Something big. I know He is going to do big things in us and hopefully through us.

Thanks for your continual prayers, and we'll keep updating as much as possible!
-mandy