June 29, 2005
Dear Family,
Just thought we'd drop you a line and let you know that we have arrived in Jakarta. We're all very sleepy and worn out, but other than that, we're great. The flight was basically uneventful, as far as a 23 hour flight goes with 4 children. I think the most excitement we had was Grant and Luke falling asleep so hard on the flight from Detroit to LA that we couldn't wake them up to get off. The entire flight was empty and the flight attendants were just waiting for us.We shook them, yelled their names, everything and they wouldn't even open their eyes. Somehow, we got them to stand up and start moving. However, Grant left the Gameboy in the little seat-back pocket and so poor Creed went all the way back to the Northwest terminal (about a 15min. walk) and was able to get someone to go back on the plane and find it for us. Grant was about in tears when he discovered he left it so Creed was his hero. Other than that and a small orange juice spill by me, all the flights went great. The boys had plenty to keep themselves entertained and they all slept for quite a while. Mallory did great. She had her own seat so we put her in her carseat and she slept. Needless to say, we are all very grateful to be here and that things went well. Thanks to all of you for your prayers.
I was looking forward to the boys seeing all the sights on our drive out of the airport, but they all fell asleep. As a matter of fact, it's a quarter to nine and they are still asleep. I've never seen them so wiped out. I tried, unsuccessfully, for over an hour to keep them awake, but I gave up. The bellmen were all laughing at them when we arrived here at the Marriot because Luke and Grant could hardly keep their eyes open.
Getting off the plane was funny. I felt like Mallory and the boys were celebrities. People reached out and touched Mallory's face and smiled. Mothers grabbed their children and pointed at us so their kids could see the blond children and a baby with blue eyes. Everyone smiled and pointed. It was funny. I'm sure that will get old after awhile. The people here are generally very kind, happy people and they smiled and cooed at the kids. Mallory seems to be very popular.
Creed and Nash took all of our (12 pieces!) luggage to the house this afternoon (except for the suitcases we packed for Singapore). Creed said the rental furniture was all there and in the rooms and the security guards were there. We leave tomorrow afternoon for a two day trip to Singapore to process our visas and then when we come back on Friday night we can go straight to our home. That will be nice. Well, I will write more later.
Our preparations for the trip on Monday were horrendous. We realized several things we forgot to get and pack but oh well. Our entire family room was full of things to be put into suitcases. Frankly, I'm surprised we fit it all! I realized quickly that we should have sent more of the clothes by sea. Chalk it up to experience.We really appreciate all your support. This is a big move for our family and comes with some obvious apprehension, but we know that the Lord wants us here and that it is His plan for us. We know that for sure. We are excited to start this new chapter in our lives. While it was very difficult to leave family and our dear friends in Michigan, we know that soon we will have dear friends here and this will become our home. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers. We need them.
We love you,
Creed, Heidi, Nash, Grant, Luke and Mallory
