Not able to leave on Jan. 8

We finally received the paper we need from Homeland Security today, but now our agency's telling us that James won't be able to travel this week because the American Consulate in China is not making any more appointments for January. We have to have an appointment to bring Haiyan home, and since the Chinese New Year is coming up, the Consulate has been refusing to make anymore appointments this month. So, our agency's telling us that the next travel group James could go with doesn't leave until January 30.

So, needless to say, this has been another very frustrating day. We really thought that things were going to work out this time for him to go, and we hadn't been warned about the possible delay with the Consulate.

Right now we're just praying that something might happen that would allow him to still leave this week. The trip is 2 weeks, and to wait until Jan. 30 to leave puts us so close to my due date of Feb. 28.

We're so thankful that his parents are still willing to travel with him, since I can't go now. And we decided that Elizabeth will most likely go too, to help make Haiyan's transition to our family go smoother.

Thanks so much to everyone who has been praying for us and asking how things are going.