Latest Word on the Possible Strike in Colombia

We just heard word from Bethany that the government and union are talking. This is a good sign that they are trying to work things out! Oh we are praying for this! We still are waiting on our I800 immigration approval. Once this comes in, things should go rather quickly ...it is looking like we have a chance of traveling yet this year!! It's muy loco right now...working hard long days on our house, our custom home project, beginning to pack up our condo, keep up on our kids daily activities, etc...it feels like we don't have enough time in our days...but, it's so good at the same time...keeping our eyes fixed on our sovereign God who alone is our strength!

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him, tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory to His Holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always!" Psalm 105:1-4

Possible Strike in Colombia

In Colombia, the courts are talking about going on strike, starting October 14. This did happen last year, and I know of a family that was "stuck" in the adoption process while there, and their stay lasted 14 weeks. I also know of a family that could not travel until the strike was over. If this strike does take place, our agency will not allow us to travel until the strike ends, as they do not want us to get "stuck" there in the process. Ugh! We so badly want to travel and be home for Christmas, but, if this takes place it will for sure push us to next year...oh, we don't want this to happen...we are trusting that God knows what is best for us and the girls...and praying for patience and grace that this possibility does not happen. There are several children in Colombia that could be "held" up from meeting their forever families if this strike takes place. It just doesn't seem fair.

Many have also inquired about how long we think our stay will be. We honestly have no idea. I've known families in Bogota who have been there as short as 3 1/2 weeks and stayed as long as 14 weeks. With Isabel and Silas we were there about 6 weeks both times. The unknown does not bother me. I fully enjoy the stay in the country, and it will be such a wonderful time for our family to get to know eachother in the girl's culture that they are familiar with. The hotel we stay at has become like family, so, it truly has become to me "home away from home!" Now, with John's parade house being under construction he will not be able to stay very long. Our hope at this point is that he can fly back and forth as needed (as flights have gone way down in price). I really hope I can keep Isabel and Silas with me for 4+weeks, as I think they will benefit greatly from spending that much time with their new sisters, experiencing their birthland, and being immersed in the Spanish language 24/7...so, when you ask me how you can pray...please pray that our family is in Colombia as long as Caroline, Marta, Isabel, and Silas need to be there. God knows better than us, and we need to put our complete trust in His timing on all of this!

SEPTEMBER

Where did September go? It has been so crazy busy at our house. From running around updating our adoption paperwork, to getting back into the routine of school and schedules, to working on our wonderful old "new" house (as Silas calls it), to settling in to a church in Holland, to preparing for the girls! It has been a very full, exhausting, exciting, and challenging month! For me, the urgency to travel to get to Caroline and Marta is strongly on the rise, the wait is getting more difficult. Working on our home has been a blessing in disguise...if I was not busy right now, I don't know how I would tolerate the wait. God knows my heart and what I can handle.

It wouldn't be right for me to look back on this crazy month and not share the blessings we've received from others...like...opening the mail and once again receiving a check for exactly the amount we need to pay for all our current adoption expenses, for a father-in-law who comes and works on our house every day he has available, for a dad and mom who came and spent an afternoon weeding in our front yard, for a family from school/ new church that invited us to join their Bible Study, for a dear friend who sent home in Isabel's backpack "the ultimate facial" on a day that I really needed a pick me up, for many offering to take our kiddos so we can get work done, for the many that offer to help us move when it's time, for a neighbor who came and helped me paint the bedrooms upstairs on a totally last minute phone call-yes there is color in the house!!!... for a family from our Colombian Connection that hosted a dinner with some other CC families so we could have some fellowship before we take off for Bogota...for amazing teachers and friends that have allowed our kids not just to like school, but, to love it...for a great Custom Home Project that John just signed in one of the worst housing markets...it has been so good...SO GOOD! We have experienced the fullness of God's grace this past month, through amazing people He has put in our path...yes, we are tired, but, so overwhelmed by God's provision and care for our family!!

Isabel is thriving at school. She loves every minute of it! I didn't realize how much I was going to miss her throughout the day. Outside of school, she has started back up taking ballet at a new christian dance studio, Turning Pointe, and Weds. nights are date night with Daddy- off to church, as John is doing a study and she sings in Kidz Praise! She is having fun playing soccer on Saturday mornings through Zeeland Rec. Below are her good friends Quincy and Brooklyn who are in her class and on her soccer team.

Many have been inquiring about the house...well from the outside, it's not looking so great yet...a little wood rotting off the sides, funky hole covers where the insulation was blown in...really doesn't bother me, just part of the process...and with the girls coming, we need to work on the inside...this has been a great picture lesson for the kids, as Isabel can't understand why we can't just make the outside of our house look beautiful...it's been great to share how God needs to work on the inside of our hearts first, getting rid of all the "junk," before we can shine bright for Him in His kingdom!

You can see, still some things to do on the main floor...caulking and sanding all the woodwork, spraying the trim, installing the Hickory hardwoods, and painting the walls...that's in the old part of the house...the kitchen still needs it's cabinets installed, booth built, etc...

...but, it is coming along. The addition has been sided, one coat of paint...the house is going to be a little goofy this winter being mix matched...

...the mudroom, pantry area, and laundry will be done by the time we move in, we may be without a kitchen for a few weeks...that's part of remodeling...one of my favorite things about this old house is the 9 1/2 ft. ceilings throughout the main floor...






...being married to a builder is fun. Stressful at times, but, fun when you are fixing up your own house...wood is good..and we have quite a bit of it going on, it will all be painted as the original was all painted ...I really like the beams that are in our kitchen...






And Zeeland Architechural did a great job of matching up our orignal baseboard and trim so we could keep it flowing throughout the main floor...





...but, my favorite thing they did was our staircase. It's going to be beautiful when painted!!

...I enjoy finding unique things, and a there is a great line called D.A.D.S. that has fun, chunky furniture feet for our built-ins!

Ahhh...and there is color! I didn't realize how much I missed it until it went up (our condo is one neutral color-blah)! Below is my favorite from Benjamin Moore called "Dragons Breath!" It is very rich!!! That's going to be our bedroom. I'm so thankful that John was willing to cathedral the ceiling to make it feel bigger and brighter!





Caroline and Marta are going to have a fun room with a few nooks and cranny's! I wanted something "cheery" for them and have not used yellow in a while...







...and here's Si Guys little green room. I still need to paint a blue stripe to tie all his bedding and pieces together...he had to give up the big room when we heard about the sisters, and has not complained! He's excited how "cozy" his room is going to be...and reminds me proudly that he is going to be in the middle of all of his sisters, being their protector! That he will be!




...and yes, sweet Izzy had to have a "bubble gum" pink room! She got it! Her reaction when she saw it was just precious. She squeezed me so tight saying "Thank you...Thank you....Thank you...Mommy!" I think the "quiet" walls on our condo have gotten to her, too!





So, as you can see...we've been working hard, but, it is now starting to come with great reward, as we are a month away from settling in to our new "old" house! I am looking forward to making our new daughter's feel safe and secure...not having to pick this light fixture out or that granite slab out...or running to get fingerprinted for the 3rd time for the FBI to make sure we are still fit to be parents...just being a family, focusing on being a mom...we are almost there...praise God for being with us each step of the way!

These past 6 weeks we have received one blessing after another. From the big things like our girls, to the very little things like paint on the walls... My prayer is that we will not take any one of them for granted, that we can give God all the glory for what He is doing among us, and that we can look for oppurtunities to bless others along their life's journey!

Silas Goes to Preschool

Today was Silas' first day of Preschool at El Puente! Our extraverted little boy has been counting down the days until school, and woke up very happy this morning!!

He has been announcing to everyone about his new sisters, a very proud big brother! He was happy to learn he has 2 Maestras in his classroom! Below is Maestra De Leon...

...and Maestra Haak!

He is under great teaching and I can tell he is so excited to learn mas espanol to try and keep up with Big Sis, Isabel!

We had one little glitch with our paperwork for updating our fingerprints. We took care of that today and sent our updated homestudy/different forms out to immigration. Our caseworker did not think it would hold anything up, and still believes it to be a possibility to travel yet this year...
we remain hopeful, as each day our desire grows to meet our new hijas!!

In Color

Introducing Caroline and Marta in Color!!! As you can imagine, we are very excited to venture to Colombia, and our prayer is that God opens the door for us to travel by November 1st! It could be a long shot, as the immigration approval can take up to 3 months, but, we can hope. That would allow us to be with Caroline on her 4th birthday, and probably bring them home in time for Christmas! Sounds to good to be true, but, that is our hope!

Please keep our soon to be hijas in your prayers! We sent them a gift, letter, and photos and they soon will be learning about us. We pray that God is preparing their hearts to join our family! We know that He had these girls planned for our family from the very beginning...the excitement is building in each of us (yes, even Silas is talking about and praying for them every day)! Now we just need to be filled with patience that only the Holy Spirit can give. We are trusting God's timing and best as we prepare for this great adventure!!!

A verse that the kids memorized this summer and a good one to pray over the girls...
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go!" Joshua 1:9

Labor Day Weekend

Translations of the girls came in last Thursday! My brain has been scattered since! We quickly put together the I-800 (immigration forms). Our Casworker was finalizing all that paperwork and off it went in the mail! Yes, this means that we are now moving closer towards meeting our girls! But, we do not know how long this process of approval could take. Our prayer is no more than 6-8 weeks so that we can travel by the beginning of Nov. But, there is no guarentee, and it could possibly be January.

The next task from Los Pisingos was to put a small gift together for both Caroline and Marta with some photos. Below my niece took this picture of us out at the lake this weekend so we can send it to the girls. Isabel and I put together a cute album, and she drew a great family picture of all 6 of us for the girls...along with a few little soft treasures, and a translated letter (thanks to Maestra Zondervan)...off that will go in the mail, tomorrow!

On Saturday and Sunday we escaped the craziness of life with our house and the adoption paper chase and hung out with my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews.

The kids had so much fun tubing and hanging out with their cousins. It was a great few days to end the summer!!!

Isabel's First Day of 1st Grade

Today Isabel started first grade! (And may I add that she has lost 5 more teeth over the summer)! She was very excited to see her friends, have her very own desk, and meet her new teacher. Below is a picture of Bel with Maestra Vasquez.

El Puente Escuela is a gift to our family for many reasons, but, as we prepare to meet Caroline and Marta, I find it a greater blessing that our kids will be able to communicate with their new hermanas! Isabel can't wait to use what she learns at school to have conversation with her new little sisters. Very sweet! It will be exactly what the school is called..a "bridge" between our very own children! Only a loving God could have orchestrated something so wonderful!