We have arrived safely in Latvia! We’re home and, wow, it feels good! We had a bit of a panic moment in Cleveland when we found out they couldn’t check our bags all the way to Riga, but that in London we would have to collect them, go through security and recheck in. Not good since we paid a bit extra because one bag was over the limit. We were also very concerned because when leaving London you can only have one carry-on/personal bag per person, and we had 2 each (as America allows). While we waited for our airline to open up for check in, we hung out with our friend, Dana, which was a great time of trying to stay awake and also catching up. Before we checked in, the three of us prayed for favor, and boy did God answer! We decided to consolidate our 4 bags into 3, and then just asked the agent what to do. He was very friendly and gracious and not only did he not charge us for any of our overweight bags, but let us check a 5th bag (one of our carry-ons) for free. Amazing!

Arriving in Riga, we were a bit nervous as well, as we had special permission to be gone from Latvia for 6 months without jeopardizing our residence permit status. Somehow we were the LAST people in line, and when we finally got to the agent, he had no idea what to do with our paperwork concerning this. In the end, he stamped it all and let us through without problem. This is something we prayed with Dana about, as well.

We were met at the airport in Riga by our friend Kaspars, who also drove us back to our apartment, as well as our teen-friend Elita, her brother and mom. It was so nice to be welcomed back to the country, even though our plane was late and we were late… they waited till we got there around midnight. Amazing.

So, I think jetlag is really kicking in, since I should be exhausted but I’m not sure if I could sleep yet. So far, I’ve been awake for over 36 hours with any sleep. Wow, my bed is sounding better and better all the time.

Thank you so much for your prayers for us! Please keep us in your prayers as we readjust over the next days… we even have friends coming over in a few hours to welcome us home.