WE ARE LEAVING IN 9 DAYS

Fri, 06 Jan 2006 18:26:43 GMT

Hi Everyone - we are very excited to share that we are leaving in nine days. I know some of you may be confused because I sent out an email saying we were traveling on Jan. 8th. Last week our appointment date in Ukraine was changed from Jan. 11th to Jan. 18th. We are now leaving on Jan. 15th from Los Angeles International Airport. The travel time is estimated at 20 hours. We will fly from LAX to San Francisco to Munich, Germany to Kiev, Ukraine. We will arrive in Kiev late in the evening on Jan. 16th. With that kind of travel time, I am really glad that we are not taking the boys with us.

The boys will be staying with my (Jen's) mom during the week and with friends on the weekend. I have a WONDERFUL support group in my community that will basically run the show the entire 3 weeks while we are gone. Yes, you heard right! We will be gone 3 weeks. Hopefully not more. Could be 4. But, we are praying for 3. The boys will still do school, play dates and go to church. We are trying to keep everthing as normal as possible. I heard Payton say last night "I wonder if Nana will give us Ice Cream for breakfast at our house too?" What ever she needs to do to keep them happy...right?

Our first day in Ukraine, we will get ourselves set up in our appartment, find the internet cafe, buy groceries, and figure out how to use the cell phone. From what I am told ther is no charge to us for incomming calls. I will verify that. I am also trying to find out how to get the best international rate for family and friends. There is a seven hour time difference, so not sure how much we can chat. :) We will be checking email and you can leave comments on this blog.

January 18th is our appointment date. What we will be doing that day is a mystery. The system has changed since the new year, and we have yet to find out what will happen. Our facilitator will be running the show. So, as long as he knows what is going on, we are fine.

We will keep you posted as our jouney unfolds. We are excited to put pictures on this site so you can see how the boys have grown and what our daughter looks like once we find her.

Please continue to pray for us! This journey has taken so many twists and turns it is so hard to keep up. Thankfully, the Lord knows exactly what he is doing. We give him praise for being in control over this entire situation. Here are some things you can pray for:

1) The health of our family - currently Payton is sick and Andy is getting over a bug.

2) That all travel plans would go smoothly - no fog in San Francisco or extreem snow in Munich, Germany (they have had a rough winter)!

3) That the boys would feel secure with all the plans that we have made for them and don't miss us too much.

4) Most importantly - that God would continue to prepare Hailey's heart for the big change that is coming. That she would feel the love that God has for her and that we have for her. Also that God would give her a peace as she goes through the grieving process of leaving the only home she has known since birth.

We thank you all for the continued love and support you have given us through this entire process. Jen

The Dugas Family Adoption: Travel

WE ARE LEAVING IN 9 DAYS