The Day really got interesting

In my last post, I was boarding my flight to go to Cincinnati. I got to Cinci and a slight delay was posted. I went to my gate and waited. And waited. And waited. My goal was to get to JFK
before our kids arrived from Kiev. They got in at 5:19 and were boarded on their flight to Cinci at 6:30. My flight had still not left Cinci at that time so I made the decision to stay and wait right where I was. I stayed in constant contact with the other host families and my sweet sister Cynthia who was giving me regular updates of what Delta was posting about flight from JFK.
We contimued to get notices of delay from JFK. These poor travel weary kids who had traveled
5 hours to get to the airport in Kiev. Got there almost 6 hours early (they started calling me at
1:30 AM and we talked off and in until they were boarded at 6AM our time.) Flew 10 hours across the world, arrived in New York and were boarded in a flight for Cinci at 6:30 .
I had hardly eaten all day, was exhausted and not leaning on the Lord. None of these are a great
place to be in. I finally decided to try to find something to eat. Not long after I sat down, I got
a call from the person who put this trip together. She asked..are you sitting down. Those words
never sit well. No pun intended. She said, Denis is not on the flight. My heart sank, Where was he? What happened? She said he thought I would be at JFK and a gaurdian allowed him to leave the gate and secured area. Through a long series of phone calls, rude airline employees and
hard things, the Lord worked it all out. The workers in Cincinnati were delightful and so on my team. The Lord provided. Some nut at JFK would not give Denis a boarding pass to go back through security because he could not tell the desk idiot who his gaurdian was. (that is me), She
was asking in English and said he could not answer because he did not speak English and she
could not reissue a boarding pass. HELLO....we know he doesn't speak English. JUST GET HIM ON THAT FLIGHT. We finally got someone after calling the control tower at JFK and said we had an emergency situation to make contact with the gate agent at JFK. Again, the Lord provided. So now I try to calm down and settle in a bit with the 100.s of other people whom I had seen pass through while I was waiting. Time was ticking, apart from Denis there were 12 other people who had to get to Birmingham and their flight was to leave Cinci at 10:10. Well, 10:10 cane and went and our kids were still sitting on an airplane at JFK. Shift into plan B mode.
We had to reschedule 12 people to Birmingham the next day and they all had to travel together.
Wasn't going to happen. We were able however to get them all out of Lexington together
on Sunday at 3:10. I got all of that rescheduled. The Lord continued to provide. 11PM...plane with kids still at JFK. 12..still there...1 AM still here....airport in Cinci was all closed except for
the gate waiting t0 receive this flight. 12 hours was a long wait. While I was sitting on the
floor in the airport, 2 precious women who work for the airline came by and offered blankets and water. The Lord provided. Still no confirmation of takeoff. Before long, these sweet ladies offered
to take me to the employee lounge. They made me hot chocolate and put me in a recliner. The Lord provided. Then the news,,,the flight was in the air. I had to then contact a van service
to get all 14 of us to my home in Lexington, I found a place who was right on time and waiting
when the flight landed at 3:19 AM. The Lord provided. When we got to my home, the children
ages 6-14, were wound up and hungry. I had anticipated Denis but not the extra 12. These precious orphans went through every room in my house. They especially liked the Christmas tree! They looked at every present under the tree. In the 7 hours there were here, we made candy, they ate a loaf of bread, almost 3 pounds of cheese, a whole package of capri sun, 3 containers of juice, sprite, a 12 pack of diet sprite,hot dogs and buns, 3 large bags of barbq chips,
all the plane chips I had, every piece of fruit in my fruit bowl including the tomotoes, cold cuts from the Russian store, candy and snacks from the Russian store, unfrozen freezer pops, bacon...
and anythiing else that was hanging around, including unshelled peanuts. I let thrm rollerblade
, ride bikes and run around mt yard before daylight, they also played ping pong, video games,
chased each other through the house, showered, warched TV, habd washed their socks, washed hair, ate some more, piled up in my bed and the lost goes on. I never slept. Way too long to be awake. I loved it. I never dreamed the Lord would have these kids in my home. What a blessing.
This is s but a part of the sroty. I a, exhausted yet my heart is full. My boy is here, now long asleep on the couch with the fire roaring in the fireplace. Much more to share about the past fre days, I will post later. Love, Cathy