Greg here...
It's 5:30 in the morning and Connor and Jessica are sound asleep. My eyes popped open somewhere around 4:00 and I tried to go back to sleep but it just wasn't happening so here I am, wide awake talking to you guys. I hope you don't mind.
The first time we visited Taiwan last year I figured jet lag would be no big deal... I've always been a person who could get by on just a few hours of sleep so I was confident that I could deal with it rather easily. Wrong. Jet lag is my daddy. I'm hopeful that it will be better this time but I guess the fact that I'm wide awake while everyone else sleeps isn't a good sign.
Anyway, I wanted to let everyone know when we hope to be home and also to let you know why we might not be on that flight. As of right now, we are scheduled to return to Knoxville at 10:45 AM on Sunday morning, February 14th. Unfortunately, one of our documents that we need to leave the country has not cleared the court system yet. We are praying hard that happens by no later than next Friday the 12th because if it does not come in, we will not be able to be home on the 14th as we originally had planned.
So you're probably thinking "okay, so if it doesn't come in on Friday the 12th, you can get it Monday the 15th and come home right after that." That's what we thought also but as luck would have it, the next week is Chinese New Year, the biggest holiday in Taiwan and the court systems are closed for a solid week. So, if our documents aren't in by the 12th, we would be here AT BEST for an additional 10 days and quite possibly another 14-17 days which would mean we would be in Taiwan for nearly a month.
We love it here in Taiwan, we really do. It is quite possibly my favorite place on earth other than Knoxville, Tennessee. Still, being here for a month is not something we really need to do right now. Connor needs to be in school, I have a job I need to get home to, and most importantly, I only brought 12 pairs of boxer briefs!
Of course there's a bright side... if we do end up having to stay we will get to enjoy the holiday season here in Taipei. I'm sure we will experience some amazing things, learn even more about this wonderful country, and having the extra time with Claire in her homeland would be special and something we would remember forever. Like I said before, we really do like it here and it will probably be a long time before we'll be able to come back. There would certainly be worse places to be stuck!
Unfortunately, an extra 2 weeks means an extra giant pile of cash we can't really afford. If we have to reschedule our flights there will be a $1000 fee and then on top of that we'll have another 2 weeks worth of hotel expenses. Taipei is a city the size of Chicago or New York and the hotels are more expensive than they are back home. Ten days we can afford... a month not so much. My wallet hurts just thinking about it!
So that's where we stand... a lot of uncertainty. If you're the praying type, please pray that our documents come in immediately. It could literally be anyday so why not today! Once that hurdle is cleared, we will most likely have smooth sailing and should be able to return home as scheduled on the 14th.
Whatever happens, we have a feeling of peace in our hearts knowing that the same God who knew Claire before she was born and then led our family on this amazing journey to find her also has a plan to bring us all back home together. In the grand scheme of things, if that is February 14th or 28th doesn't really matter all that much and we'll be alright either way. Still, pray for the 14th!
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Whatever happens, it will be an experience you will never forget. Glad you guys are finally there and that little man did well on the trip.
Can't wait to see the first picture with you all together.
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