Russia-2nd Trip-Traveling Nightmares!

When we  left our house on Tuesday morning at 7:00am I never in a million years imagined this trip would be as crazy as it has turned out...God must be teaching us something... and we are trying to learn our lesson quickly! We should have known when..... we got to DFW to get our tickets and they only had us booked to JFK...but they checked our luggage all the way to our final destination-St. Peterburg.... then we get on the plane..a Delta plane and sat for over an hour before they told us there was too much weight on the plane and they needed to remove a few passangers and their luggage... then they proceded to shift passagengers around on the plane to balance it out! Just a little scarry people!! Flight went well..
At JFK.. we went to get our tickets for the next flight.. when they asked for our luggage we told them it had already been checked to our final destination...The lady said... "This is not possible!!! It can't go straight to St. Petersburg.. since you are stopping in Moscow first your luggage has to stop there and go through customs" ... GREAT!!! So, we thought maybe she was wrong so we asked someone else...they basically said.. no worries.. so we had no worries.. good 9 hour flight to Moscow..we got there and ask where to go to catch our next flight.. the lady there looked at our papers and said that we first needed to get our luggage... snap!!! There is only 1 hour in between flights! It took 40 min. for the luggage to even make it to the baggage claim...we waited, waited, and waited... NO LUGGAGE... so we went to Lost and Found... not helpful.. they just made us fill out a claim.. in the meantime we missed our connecting flight to St. Petersburg...we are at this point thinking that our luggage did just go straight through..so we get another ticket and wait for our next flight...We found a TGIFridays in the Moscow airport.. we were so excited.. we deserved some American goodness...we split 1 burger, 1 order of fries, and 1 coke=approx. $40 dollars!! I heard Moscow was expensive... but I almost had a heart attack! On our way through security.. me of all people gets stopped.. not sure why..This is how the conversation went... "you.. you open your bag!" ok... so I do..The securtity guy flips through everything in my backpack  and I think he is a bit disappointed in what he finds...so he asks"Why you fly?" I wasn't sure what to say.. If I said adoption would it cause problems? So I said"tourism"... then he asked" you speak French?" me- "No" .. so then he flips my backpack shut and says, " then just go!"... Well ok Mr. angry Russian man! Short flight later we land in St. Petersburg and..... NO luggage!!! It is now Thursday evening 10:00 and we have done nothing but chase down our luggage!!! We found it.. stuck in Moscow..but everyone we talk to they say, "I don't know" or "This is not possible" etc.. etc...How hard is it to just put it on one of the 16 flights they have going back and forth..They don't seem to care that we have court tomorrow at noon.. and the judge expects to see us in a suit and tie, skirt, jacket, heels, MAKEUP!!! We went shopping for clothes for about 30 min..then quit... I am not willing to pay the prices they have.. we are in the middle of the city.. It would be like buying clothing in New Your City! The judge gets Michael in  plaid shorts and T-shirt and my jeans with holes in the knees and T-shirt!!! I hope she still tells us yes! Where is a Target when you need one? Anyways, after a very long day the airport people tell us that our luggage will be here tomorrow at 12:20 in the afternoon...after our court time!! Did I mention that we have been in the same clothes since Tues.??? I am really good at handwashing clothes now=) We wouldn't care so much about the luggage.. everything is replaceable.. It's just that is has our clothing for court, pictures of us with Vitya that the judge requested, and several gifts we brought back over for the orphanage caregivers etc..This is a trip not to be forgotten! I know one day...far, far, far away we will sit back and laugh!
Thank you God for your continued reality checks on us and reminders to truly be greatful for ALL you have given us.. even the little things..are not to be taken for granted.. a little more understanding for those that do not have and a greater appreciation for all! This reminds me of a verse we recently studied..James 1:2-3 "Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance."