Delays...

As many of you know by now, our scheduled departure date of August 15th is not going to happen. Just when we started to get emotionally ready to leave and begin packing up, we received an email saying Ben's visa is not ready yet and will not be ready for at least two weeks.

We were not thrilled to say the least. All of our anticipation and excitement that we would be leaving on Wednesday was gone. Instead, we were left frustrated and wondering why the process is taking so long when we had sent in all our paperwork months ago.

Regardless, it was out of our hands, so all we could do was try to be patient and enjoy these extra few days in the States. However, it is hard to not think about what we are missing as most of the teachers fly out this week: training, meeting everyone, getting settled, recovering from jet lag, etc. In the mean time, I am trying to learn to just appreciate this extra time and not worry too much about being delayed.

Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." 
So even though my heart is a little "sick," I know that our Father's timing is perfect, and this is just another reminder that worrying and stressing instead of trusting in Him will only bring further hardships. It is still good to hope and plan, but I'm trying to keep an open and trusting attitude at the same time.

Whether in traveling or life in general, we should always expect delays. And we need to be ready to make the most of it like getting massages at a spa, going to SF and the beach, and eating lots of good food with friends and family.

...Our next scheduled departure is August 25th! Hopefully!

-Rachel