By now, most of you probably know that we found out our first court date in Latvia will be Feb 14, 2011!! We are beyond thrilled that the moment has FINALLY arrived! I think it's fantastic that our reunion with our sweet Viktorija will be on VALENTINE'S DAY!!! That day will have extra special meaning from now on.
We were excited to call Viktorija on Sat. to tell her the good news, only to find out that she had a stomach bug and was not feeling well. She sounded so pitiful on the phone, even though we could tell she was trying to act excited. We called her again today to see if she was feeling any better, and she sounded good. She was happy and laughing. She asked Mike if he would read her "Vinnis Puks" (English: "Winnie The Pooh") in Latvian as he had done when she was here last Summer. She got the biggest kick out of Mike's attempt at pronouncing Latvian words. She also asked him if he would sing to her in Russian again. Again, it was Mike's attempt to sing along with a Russian girl band CD. Viktorija enjoyed this and obviously has thought about how it made her laugh. Memories like this, of her stay with us, have helped to sustain her while she's been away from us. She told us she is praying for our safe flight and for her "American school". She has had plenty of time to think about everything. Although I know she is excited, she is in for some pretty big changes! I consider her one of the bravest people I know. I'm so nervous about going to Latvia (for many reasons), but when I think of what she did last Summer coming to America and not speaking the language well, or knowing much about us, I realize my fears are kind of silly. If a child can change her whole life forever, I can certainly take a 3-week trip to a foreign country!! It will be enlightening to see where she comes from. And, I know she will like to teach us about her culture.
We have SO MUCH to do in the days to come. My lists have lists! Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for the biggest event in our lives. We plan to post pictures and videos while we're in Latvia as often as possible so that you can share in our journey.
Love to all of you!
