Arrived...

     We are here.  Exhausted would best describe our state of being - also jet-sick and car sick.  Elijah was great on three flights in terms of attitude but his stomach did not fair so well.  For all those who know him, you can guess what happened.  Twice on the big jet he lost his lunch.    The third plane was not much bigger than the first and by that trip - we were all exhausted, hot and very thirsty.  By the end of the third plane, not only Elijah but Rob was ready to lose his lunch.  
     Did you know that a small bottle of water costs 4.50 in Germany??  Anticipating that it would cost a lot, I had brought a large bottle of water for us to drink in the airports.  The water was confiscated in Germany and their waiting room was HOT.  I guess water is dangerous.  We bought two bottles of their very expensive water but it barely quenched our thirst.  To get the water I had to 'enter' Dusseldorf.  Basically I passed a booth in the airport where I had to hand the man our passports.  We then walked around the airport (very small - took us only a few minutes to go from one end and back), spent 9.00 on 2 small bottles of water and walked past the man in the booth.  Both times he stamped our passports.  Then we took 5 steps and had to hand the passports and boarding passes to another man who put a stamp on them.  All this in the airport and within a few feet of the waiting room.  Don't you just love beaurocracy?
     We breezed through customs.  We got in the 'red' line to declare our money and computers/electronics, expecting our bags to be taken apart and questions asked about the adoption.  Instead we were waved out of the declaration line and sent out the door.  Not normal procedure,  but we didn't argue.  What a big blessing to not have to open every one of our bags and explain why we are carrying so much money!
     Once through customs, we were so relieved to see our driver, Nicholai, holding up a sign with our name on it.  He does not speak ANY English so communication was definitely minimal since we haven't quite mastered the language yet.  We ended up at a small apartment that was a bit like walking into a sauna.  We talked to Yulia (our facilitator) on the phone and she said she would meet up with us tomorrow.  Nicholai drove us to the nearby market and dropped us off.  We just stood there as we couldn't figure out which door led into the market. As I said, we haven't quite mastered the language here!!.  What a hoot.  Three Americans completely clueless standing outside the market trying to figure out which door to enter.  Our driver watched us and finally came back, walked us into the correct store, waved his arms around to indicate that we were in the market and then left.   Figuring out what to buy and how to read the labels was an adventure, but we survived.  We happily walked back to our little apartment.  Getting in another vehicle tonight would not have made any of us happy at this point.  We are now home in our apartment, watching a DVD, eating peanut butter sandwiches and resting.  Elijah found a fan in one of the closets so the room has cooled down to breathable air.  
     Thank you for all prayers offered on our behalf.  We are here.  God is good.  In only a few days we meet our little guy.  I would be lying if I said we are not filled with every kind of emotion.  We are ever so  thankful that we are not doing this alone!!