It was hard to leave the kids Tuesday morning. We left our house at 3 am, so we kissed their little heads while they slept. We had said our tearful goodbyes the night before. They were so conflicted....they want their brother home something fierce - but they didn't want mommy and daddy to have to leave. They are doing great so far with Jacob's parents.
We had great flights the whole way down - and those barf bags they put in the seat backs in front of you on the plane? Sadly I can attest to the fact that they hold up pretty well. Other than that - it was a great day trip down!
Our precious social worker - let's also call her my good friend - Beth, has been in Colombia on business for the past week and a half which worked out perfectly for us to be able to meet up and have dinner that first night! We sat with her and Soraya, our in country representative, and went over some final in-country things and then Jacob and I headed back upstairs for a nap before going to dinner with Beth, Ana and Miguel and their boys, and Juan David and his friend Alejandra. Ana, Miguel, and Juan David are part of Lifeline's incredible unAdopted ministry here in Bogota and are also part of Bida Bogota, a local church that we will attend during our stay in Bogota. Have you ever worshipped alongside brothers and sisters in Christ, in separate languages? Oh my friends....a beautiful picture of what heaven will be like when people from every tongue and nation will be together praising Him. I canNOT wait to stand beside my beautiful Colombian friends and worship our Jesus!
Wednesday, we flew out to Cali - the city where Silas has lived in the orphanage. We are staying in the most charming place - Hotel Stein. A lot of adoptive families stay here and the staff is simply wonderful. All of our meals are included, there are many things we can walk to, and they will do our laundry. All we have to do while we are here is to be mommy and daddy and show Silas how precious and loved he is. And survive. I suspect there will be a few days of survival mode :)
We just found out that we actually get to meet and bring Silas home Thursday instead of Friday - at this moment we're just trying to take it all in. We are so thankful that the Lord reduced his number of days as an orphan by one more. He doesn't have to wait any longer. We get to love on him sooner. Praise Jesus!,
Here are some pics from the two days.
See ya in a few weeks, America - going to get my baby!!!
All I could think was "The heavens declare you are God..."
This was the view outside our hotel room in Bogota. Bogota sits in a valley in the mountains
at 8,500 feet above sea level.
This is Beth....she has fought for our family for 2 1/2 years. She's prayed with us and talked us through some of the deepest trenches of the adoption process. Lifeline is truly blessed to have her on staff and our family is beyond thankful for her. It was so very special for us to see her in Colombia on our adoption trip!
This is Ana, Miguel, one of their two precious boys, Juan David (all on the right) and Beth,
me, Jacob, and Alejandra on the left. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Crepes and Waffles
on Tuesday night!
These are such a lovely pictures that you have taken with your friends. They give the glimpses of the place and how much you have enjoyed.
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