Alive and in America!

I safely arrived on Friday evening, about 1 1/2 hours late but with no complications, including the Warsaw connection. Thanks to all of you who prayed about that. Just a little about my last days in Riga before I move on to current experiences. On Thursday (has it only been 6 days? Wow!) I had a delicious lunch with the Riga 2 crowd. Ilona RT fixed one of the most tasty meals I've every had. If you get invited to eat something she's cooking - say yes! And Ilona and Evelina made me some great cookies, traditional Latvian, to take with me. I just ate the last one yesterday. I have to admit I didn't share them very freely. That evening the Smiths and I went to the Big Lido. I had my last pankukas. We had a nice time together. Later, Veronika and Marina came over for a while. We had a good talk and said goodbye. Friday I finished my packing and cleaning then to a good bye coffee break for Linda Silina (off to a mission trip, then something new) and me. After some nice food and words, I was on my way to the airport. The girls said goodbye at the office, then followed us to the airport to say goodbye 'one more time!' The Smiths and Larssons stayed with me for lunch (at Lido!) and then it was the last goodbye. It was hard to say bye but I was tired of being in 'farewell' mode and ready to get on with the move. While in line to check in I met a couple also headed to Chicago (then on to San Francisco). She had looked into all of the travel rules and got opposite answers from what I did. She put me in a little panic but it all worked out. We continued to talk when we got on the bus to the plane, then while we waited in Warsaw. They were an interesting couple and if I was headed back to Latvia, we could probably have become friends. For you in Latvia, they are going to be featured in a couple of magazines soon - Ieva, Sieviete and Apelsinu (OK, maybe not spelled correctly but you know what I mean!) She will be on the cover of at least one - red hair and called Airina, I think. He's from the UK and of Indian heritage. Read their story, it should be interesting. I think they kept me from dwelling on leaving and getting too introspective. That was a good thing. I had a great group meet me at the airport - Chris and Steve and kids, Lisa and girls and Joe and Kristin. The 3 little girls came running and calling my name as soon as I got through the door and I felt well welcomed home! My sister's family stayed for the weekend. It was good to be with them without any pressures of schedules. And they helped me get on to a normal routine right away. No lounging or jet lag for me! Well, for a couple of days anyway. On Sunday we went to CBLI for church - it was good but a bit overwhelming to see so many people at once. I headed to OBT afterward for their day camp musical and to see people there, then to Jordans for a while. A very nice Sunday but I was tired. So Monday was my lazy day - and piggish - I ate lots of junk food! Some of my initial impressions of being at home:

• my cell phone is a portable PC - EEK! I have not figured out how to use it and feel overwhelmed by it. If you try to call me, be patient! My car also has some high tech things I've got to figure out. If you know me or you look at this blog, you understand that I'm not very good with technical stuff.
• I had Twizzlers (thanks, Kristin and Lisa!) and a Portillos hot dog and what ever else I eat, I've had my favorites!
• I went to get my driver's license replaced and had a Latvian 'de ja vu' of my immigration experiences as I walked in to the Secretary of State's office and saw the numbers above the desks. I brought something to read, expecting to wait for a long time. The whole process took less than 30 minutes, really! No hassles, no questions.
• Today I went to THQ and was amused when I realized the smell of THQ never changes! It's not bad - just unique. However, I did have some strange feelings as I realized I could quickly settle in to my routine there - coffee break with Carol and Kristin, lunch with the IT crew and visits to the usual offices. Again, not a bad thing, just interesting to think about.
• I get tired easily when I've been having lots of those quick conversations with people I haven't seen for at least a year. I wish I could sit with each person for an extended time and really get caught up. I can't easily or quickly answer the question "Are you glad to be home?" So, if you really want to hear the answer, let's meet for coffee or a meal together.
• I don't really have a plan for my holidays and I'm finding that stressful - how crazy is that? Why can't I just relax and enjoy having no responsibilities or people needing me?

When Sergejs said goodbye to me, he said in English "Let God bless you. Let God use you in your new work". I guess you could call that a missed translation, but I think they were important words for me. I know God wants to bless me and use me. The question is, will I let Him? During this holiday time, I'm looking for God's blessing every day and He is faithful!