They Arrived Safely, But...

...not without problems. Andrew and Laura got delayed in Minneapolis due to the NWA mechanics' strike, thus causing them to miss their connection in Amsterdam. So they waited there eight hours, flew to Nairobi, waited there five more hours, then on to Addis Ababa. They eventually got to the baggage claim to find that their four bags had actually made it, but not before Laura's passport was confiscated. Andrew had thought she could buy a tourist visa in the airport in Addis, but they discovered you can only do that if you are from one of 23 countries, and the DR is not one of them. Pray for them as they return to Immigration on Monday to try to get things sorted out.

When Andrew phoned us this morning with this information I could hear Laura in the background asking how to turn the hot water on in the shower. I'm sure a hot shower felt good after all those hours of travel.

They're Off!

Andrew and Laura's last morning here went smoothly. They opened another bank account, made another trip to the drug store, said goodbye to two more family friends. We stopped at Taco Bueno for lunch on the way to the airport (we don't recommend their new potato skins), and they had no problems checking in. Their 4 bags each weighed just barely under 70 lbs so they didn't have to pay; starting tomorrow, the maximum weight is 50 lbs each before you have to pay. Good timing.

Our new daughter-in-law has quite a sense of humor. Here are some funny things we heard from her today:

• I know they're going to think I'm starting up a farmacia with half a suitcase of deodorant, three bottles of contact solution, two Epipens, ...
• He can buy his first Hummer when he has his first dictatorship.
• That pink suitcase is so bright it will show up on Google maps.

After we dropped Andrew and Laura off at the airport, we went to see a movie using the free passes I had gotten for my birthday several weeks ago (they expire tomorrow). We saw The War of the Worlds. My favorite line from the movie was:
"Rachel! Stop talking!"

Big Bug

Some things do grow bigger in Texas. We found this dead bug yesterday. I tried to look it up in my insect book, but couldn't identify it. Any ideas? And while it is large, it is considerably smaller than the rhinoceros beetles we used to have in the Solomon Islands. (Hmm, it may be a female Eastern Hercules Beetle. I found that info while using google images to look for a rhinoceros beetle.)

The power at our office is still out, and may be until Friday. Rumor is that $25,000's worth of copper cable has to be replaced. I used my unexpected holiday to organize and upload all of my photos from our trip to the Dominican Republic and Andrew and Laura's wedding. If you are interested in having a look, here is the link to my website. The four new sections of photos can be found under the link called "Some favorite photos."

Andrew and Laura leave tomorrow at 3pm. Pray for God to give them a safe trip and a smooth transition to their new life as a married couple in Ethiopia.

Forced Vacation

No trip to the office for me and Gary today, or for anyone else at our Wycliffe Center. The quad of offices are without power since yesterday, apparently due to a burned out power main or something.

The timing is good from my point of view, since David showed up late last night to spend a few hours with Andrew and Laura before they leave for Ethiopia. He will drive back to Houston sometime later today. Since he did so well on his first exam last Monday, I guess he thinks he can miss classes today. At any rate, we are glad he came home, even if he missed the reception last Saturday.

Andrew and Laura have to get serious about starting to pack their stuff up and I think they decided they need to start by buying another suitcase. Yesterday I started feeling sad about them leaving. Laura's mom and David are making plans to go to Addis Ababa for Christmas, so they should be able to have some family with them for the holidays.