So off we go for our three hour drive to Hong Kong. Sarah Grace in the very back with the luggage, Hannah in Kim's lap, Jacob in the middle and me in the back seat. Stephen sat in the front seat with the driver who he tried to make conversation with only to discover he either did not speak English or just didn't want to talk. Actually he was texting a friend while he was weaving in and out of traffic which was a little unnerving. No car seats for the kiddies and crazy drivers on the road really increased our prayer time. Even though Hong Kong is part of China, which they don't like to claim, we had to cross a border when we got to Hong Kong. As we arrive at the border the driver stops the car and first points us in the direction of the public bathroom then tells us to go inside and tells us he will meet us on the other side. We look at each other and follow his instructions a little hesitantly wondering if we will ever see him or our stuff again! We get our passports out, get in line and are processed. We walk out the door on the opposite side and thank you Lord, there is our driver. Back in the car and drive a little further to another check point where we actually stay in the car but they point this gadget at us that supposedly takes each of our temperatures. We had already been tipped off about this so we had all taken Tylenol because we did not want ANYTHING to detain us from our destination. If any of us had a temperature they would not have let us cross the border. Now we arrive in Hong Kong and get checked into our hotel. We all order grilled cheese and French fries from room service and Stephen scopes out a place downstairs for a steak and also figures out exactly where we go in the morning as the hotel was right at the airport. We did not want to do anything that would cause any delays! We woke up even before the alarm sounded and rallied the kids and we were on our way to catch our flight. We all got comfy in our seats (well as comfortable as you can get:) and to our pleasant surprise it was ONLY a 14 hour flight this time instead of 16 which sounded good to us. I don't know if the plane went faster or took a different route but we didn't really care. We all set in for our movie marathon and lowered our expectations about our yummy meals. There were many adoptive babies returning on this flight and they took turns crying but everyone took that in stride and just put their headphones on and took into consideration this was not only their first flight but everything they do at this point is new to them. We arrive in Detroit and were just happy to be on American soil! We had to go through customs, etc. We then went to Wendy's for frosty's and hamburgers. So nice to speak our language and be able to communicate again. After a three hour layover we board our little commuter plane for our short flight to Birmingham. As we arrive poor Sarah Grace throws up right in the isle from coughing so hard. Everyone just looks and won't move on. We get off the plane, clean up a little and run to see family who are anxiously waiting to meet Hannah! What a wonderful homecoming it was! Balloons (which Hannah loved), signs, stuffed animals, flowers, cameras...it was great! She just smiled and soaked it all in! She is now united with her Forever Family which includes many cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents! Next order of business was home, eat and bed. There is no place like home!
Thank you Lord for this incredible God Adventure! We recognized your presence every step of the way!
