Saturday, May 3, 2008

Making Progress

Slowly, we are making progress on the "to do" list. Visas were ordered Tuesday and due to multiple Russian holidays ( May 1, 2, 8 & 9) we had to pay for 3-day processing in order to have them on time. Then it was time to order airline tickets. Wow what an ordeal! It was not just a simple phone call as trip number one was. Several hours were spent on this one issue. Since we are at the end of our journey, we have our final fees to pay and have to watch and manage every expenditure.

Thursday, I called a travel agent that works with a lot of adoptive families. Her quotes were significantly higher than those we purchased for trip one ($7,000 vs. $4,000) and add to that the cost of three one way tickets for the kids - total cost was about $11,000. I asked God to find a way to make things happen within our budget. Late Friday afternoon, I contacted the travel agent we used on trip number 1 and she was able to save us about $2,000. What a blessing!

So, our plan is to leave Tuesday, May 13 out of Birmingham and we will return Saturday, June 7. We have lots of ends to tie up before leaving and only about 9 days to do it all. God has answered many, many prayers and we are truly thankful for those who have been praying for us. When we return, I hope to list each and every prayer that was answered to show how God is watching and listening...

7 comments:

Joel and Clarion said...

Wow! It sounds like everything is coming together for your trip. We'll be praying for safe travels and a smooth, easy court appearance. We hope to be returning to Vlad for our two boys around the time you are returning home with your children. We're still hoping for news of a court date soon. God's richest blessings to you and your children. Say hello to Lana and Irina from Clarion and Joel. Peace!

Bill and Myra said...

I will be praying for you. I appreciate all the advice on travel, visas, etc.

Blessings to you and your family!

Myra

Troy and Rachel said...

That's great about the travel agent saving you some money! Prayer really works. It won't be long before you bring those babies home now!

The Wilson's said...

I hope the travel plans continue to go well. I know fist hand about those tricky Russia holidays. I hope all your preparations continue to go well.

Christie M said...

Praying for a great trip so you can bring your kids home.

Unknown said...

I have been reading your blog and thank you for your comments on mine! I will be praying for all of you!

Dewayne said...

Tony great to hear you got your travel date. We will be watching the blog for additional updates. Please let us know if you need anything for your trip or if there is anything we can do for you or your family while you are away.....anything!