BLESSED

To my El Puente friends, I'm sure you remember the face below with our girls...Nico! Last year Nico lived with the Fennema family in Holland, as an exchange student for 10 months. I got to know him a bit, as he always showed interest in our kids when he'd pick up Sammi (Isabel's friend) from Kindergarten. God blessed me on Saturday, and I had no idea that it would be through an exchange student that lived in MI, that I barely new...I was feeling a little blue from our discouraging news the day before and Nico was able to bring a little home my way (like telling me how much he didn't like the snow-I needed that reminder-how much he loved Russ'-and how special his little "hermanita" Sammi was to him)! He also shared more of this great country with me...

This day also reminded me what a gift our school is for the kids (and us as parents)...we read often in the Blue Notes... "Blessed to be a Blessing!" Last year Nico was blessed forever by the Fennema family...today God used him to bless me! Amazing that in a foreign land, seeing a familiar face from school was just what I needed being away from home...not only was he a familiar face, we had non-stop conversation for 4 hours...in MI I could barely communicate with him, but, the fact that he has learned more English, and I Spanish, allowed us to have a wonderful time getting to know more about each other's home lands...and that is why El Puente is so special...Saturday I experienced first hand the true meaning of El Puente ( "the bridge")...my world was opened up when I wasn't expecting it...Nico blessed me on Saturday...

And then on Sunday, Tias Isabel and Katya, took me out for the afternoon. I always wanted to go downtown Bogota. I've been to the "old" downtown, La Candeleria, and loved it...but, I wanted to see more of what went on in the heart of the city...it is not a place "foreigners" can just walk, as Isabel said she would never let a family come there with out her. So, again, I was blessed by our Representative, Isabel Romero. We took her car, had a blast walking the streets, having a pastry at some shop, walking the antique markets, having a goofy "old fashioned" photo taken of the 3 of us, and then ending with lunch. These 2 women have given of their time to our family...and today, I could enjoy just the 2 of them on a personal level. It was overwhelming once again taking in the heart of the city...the poverty great, the junk, pornagraphy every where (men here do not have a chance)...but, amidst all of that, the smell of the corn roasting, children laughing, music playing...there was beauty in the mess of it all...and I was so blessed!

And then that night I opened an email from my mother-in-law...and she shared some pics of the kids from Saturday. They are always on the back of my mind...and it was so fun to see what they have been up to that Saturday...Grandpa and Grandma VM took them on a scavenger hunt through the mall...

...and ended up at "Build a Bear" to make a special animal for Caroline and Marta...

...then back home to show daddy what they did...

Right now, while I am away...I have 2 sets of parents working hard every day to help John out with the kids...getting them off to school, helping with meals, doing laundry, homework, etc...and again...God reminded me...that I am so BLESSED!! And it doesn't end there...the emails I have received from friends and family (even total strangers) were so overwhelming...they brought me to tears and my knees praising God for all that He is doing and has done!!! "Blessed to be a Blessing"...a simple statement said over and over and over in my world...but, it is what we are here for, I don't think we can say it, or work on blessing others enough!!