Day 1 - Arrival in Beijing

In the course of the past "day" (48 hours) we have learned many important lessons:

• When you're tired enough, you'll sleep just about anywhere, including under airport benches or standing up in your hotel room as your parents try to rouse you for dinner
• "Beijing looks a lot like Utah," or so says Sam. I'm guessing that's because all of Beijing that we've seen is the highway from the airport to our hotel... but I still don't think it looks very much like Utah
• Mercifully for our children, a meatball sub from Subway in Beijing tastes pretty much as "good" as a meatball sub from Subway in the U.S.
• Only one of us can enthusiastically endorse airline octopus for breakfast. Sasha ordered it with gusto, but fell back to the eggs once the reality of the meal became clear to her
• Seat-back entertainment units really are a parent's salvation on a 13-hour flight
• Sasha is very disconcerted that we are in China but haven't yet picked up her sister. We try to explain that it'll be a few more days, but she is understandably *done* with the waiting
• I believe that over the next 3 weeks we'll prove that children can survive exclusively on bread, bottled water, and Pocky sticks

We're in Beijing safe and sound and even stayed awake until 8 pm. Tomorrow we do the first leg of our tourist circuit!

Today's prayer request: The kids have done *such* a great job powering through fatigue and inconvenience and parents who insist that they stay close instead of exploring on their own like they're used to. Please join us in prayer that they would know our gratitude, that we would express our thanks, and that they would feel the joy that comes from blessing others (especially exhausted and harried parents).

Also, prayers for awesome rest at appropriate resting times (roughly between 7 pm and 7 am) are always appreciated!