Up to speed

I'm sorry I have not been posting much. I have been busy with the family and trying to get over the jet lag. There is a 9 hour time difference between Heidelberg, Germany and Oregon, USA. Our flight went very well. We flew on Lufthansa and the pilots were on strike. The day before we flew all the International flights had been canceled and 18,000 people grounded. But by the grace of God International flights were flying on our day. Check in took forever, but everything else went very well. We watched allot of movies. Rick (my brother) was at the airport when we arrived. And we got to visit with his family in the Seattle area. We spent the night in his new guestroom. He converted his garage. And I think he did an amazing job. Sarah and I slept until 4am US time on the first night. I got up and downloaded a children’s Bible in German and we listened to that for a few hours before we got up. Then Rick drove us down to Oregon. On the way down we stopped to have breakfast with my niece and her 4 kids. They are very well behaved and beautiful kids. Each one is very talented. It's spring break in Oregon. The road was very full on the trip down to Corvallis. But I really enjoyed having that time alone with my brother. He is the most amazing person! We stopped near Salem to have a milkshake. It was one of the types where you have a car hop. Sarah thought that was so cool! We arrived at my parents’ house around 4:30pm. My sister was also there and we had a good visit before we had to sleep. My dad is not doing really well. Everyone is concerned for his health. He sleeps badly and has trouble staying awake during a conversation. My mom is his primary care giver. She is also exhausted. On our 2nd night in the US we could only sleep until 3:30 am. So again we listened to the kids Bible and tried to rest until 6am. On Sunday we went to my sister’s house for a pot luck. I got to see my niece Carmen. She had just arrived in from New York. I have not seen her for many years! And it was nice to see many other faces as well! And last night we slept until 5am. But Sarah has gone back to bed. Jet Lag really is not fun! My dad is not doing well. So please pray for him. I'll see my sisters again today. My brother Rick has to go home today. All the visits settle down after today, and then I'll have more time for my parents. I have a big family. And it is wonderful seeing them all.