hello from london!

We're officially in London! Well, supposedly we're 18 miles from the city. When we look outside our window, all we're seeing is open field and a few houses here and there. But, from the little I've seen of London, it's pretty :)

Random Thoughts:

- showers and light switches and toilet flushers in London are slightly confusing (at first)
- airplane food does not smell good when your body thinks it's 2 a.m.
- God watches out for the 'directionally challenged' people. We almost got on the wrong bus outside the airport.. it took us 20 minutes to fine the right one. hah!
- London accents are adorable. I could listen to people here talk all day.
- I'm finding how true Isaiah 26:3 is.

Earlier today, as I was watching flight attendants and business men and mothers with kids and young couple walking around and going about their lives.. I was blown away at how this world is filled with so many people doing so many things. And somehow God is intertwined into the tiniest of details in our every-day. While Chicago sleeps at 2 am, London is filled with the hustle and bustle of people who are starting their day. And God is a part of it all. We all know this, but there are those moments where it really strikes you, you know? And you get a glimpse at how incredible and insane that is. And how awesome our God is, that He chooses to be so involved in our lives the way He is.

I'm 24 hours away from meeting those wonderful Ekisa kids. It's still a bit surreal.. especially being that clean running water and hot showers still exist. The fact that I'm running on 5 hours of broken-up sleep doesn't help either. I had an 8 hour plane ride and lots of downtime on this 12 hour layover to think about home. Which may not have been a good thing :) I'm missing the hugs and smiles from familiar faces, but I know that in less than 24 hours, I'll be getting (and giving) lots of those from some very wonderful kiddos. From the stories I have heard and the pictures I have seen, I think it's safe to say these kids are going to be some of the coolest kids I've ever met :)

Alright, that's all I got for now. I'm not sure how long it will take to get settled in at Ekisa, so you may not hear from me right away. But no news is good news, and I'll write you another update when I can.