We Have Arrived!

Mabuhay (welcome/hello)!

We are officially safe and sound in our hotel room in Manila. We certainly had a big sigh of relief as we entered our hotel room two nights ago. We feel so blessed to be here ahead of our previous schedule.

Immigration into the Philippines at the airport was quite smooth. While there were many steps to go through at the airport, all the approvals we received in advance of our trip helped to ensure we didn't hit any hurdles upon arrival. Praise God! All that worrying for nothing. 😊

Here's what our trip will look like at this point, although final details are still being fully determined.

• First 10 days – We are under strict quarantine in our hotel room. We cannot leave for any reason. We even get our meals brought to our room. While it's challenging being cooped up in a room, it's also nice not having to worry about any details (i.e. where to eat, how to get around, etc.)
• Day 7 of Quarantine – We will undergo our COVID test at our hotel.
• Day 9-10 of Quarantine – We'll receive our COVID test results. Assuming we receive negative results, we'll receive a release from strict quarantine.
• We'll then be able to travel to JP's current home. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we won't have as much time there as normally expected. However, we'll get to meet his caretakers and ask questions.
• We will then be required to return to our hotel and remain in our hotel room for the remainder of our trip. Unfortunately, we won't really get to explore Manila. ☹
• On June 9^th (currently scheduled at least), we'll head to a COVID testing facility for our COVID test to enter back into the USA. Unfortunately, even JP will have to undergo the nasal swab. On that same day, we'll hop onto our plane to head home. This time, we're scheduled to have a direct flight into San Francisco.
• We arrive back in KC the morning of June 10^th. Yay!

All in all, our trip will be about 19ish days. I'm thinking Ben and I may pass out from exhaustion when we get home. Just kidding, kinda. 😊

The past few weeks have been quite an emotional rollercoaster for us. I'm pretty sure the next few weeks will be as well. But I can confidently say God has been working on bringing me to a place of complete surrender and dependence on Him. For that, I am truly grateful. His love for us is so great, and His plans are so much better than we could ever imagine. God truly is fighting the battle for us. Whenever I take my eyes off Him, He gently reminds me to look up and trust.

He also revealed to me something special on our first plane ride here. As I was sitting on the plane, thinking over how very exhausting and scary this travel planning has been, He brought to mind my son and how he must be feeling. While not easy, I can take comfort in this process knowing I have Ben by my side, amazing friends and family as a support system, and the confidence that something good is coming from this – a unification with my son. However, God reminded me that isn't the same experience for my son in the coming weeks. While I know I love him and will protect him, JP won't have that full assurance/understanding yet. He's entering an entirely new country, culture, and family. How my heart breaks when I think about how scary that must be for him. As his momma, I wish I could take away all that fear. God showed me that my own struggles with this trip can help me better care for my son. For that, I am eternally grateful. I am also grateful that my son knows Jesus, and as a family, we can lean on Jesus to help us when fear of the unknown feels too great.

Needless to say, God is working in this experience for us. We praise Him for that, even when our flesh fights the struggles.

Our prayer request – Lord, we ask again that all of our COVID tests be negative. Continue to bless this trip just as you have already and help calm our anxious minds and hearts. Help us get back into the USA as scheduled without any issues. Bring peace to JP over the next few weeks as he waits for us and then as we all adjust to being together. Help us treasure this time and these experiences. We love you Lord and we thank you for bringing us together as a family.

Until next time – all of our love!