Third Update in Country

Whew! It's Saturday. That means we've made it here and survived 18 days of parenting these crazy 3 kiddos. We have been tired on days, busy on days, lazy some days, and we've ran and played a lot! God is continuing to show us improvements in their attitudes, behaviors, and love for us.

 

While reading a blog this week we came across this statement about Bogota that we think fits perfectly!

At first glance Bogota might appear like that perilous glass edge to a coffee table destined to be the meeting point of your child's head before he comes tumbling to the floor...disaster!

 

So true!! That exactly describes how we feel about this place. But we are surviving without too many scars!

 

This was our week.

 

Sunday- another good day at church, got to meet some cool families through facebook in person, and got to see their kiddos. Went to the mall with like 6 families for lunch and all our kids. Geesh hamburgers here are expensive but man are they worth it!

 

Monday- we took them to a movie (how to train your dragon 2) in Spanish. The theaters here are small, and you choose an assigned seat. The chairs are huge and it only cost $20 in American money for all 5 of us! You better bet we'll be seeing another here and taking advantage of that deal. They were actually pretty good in the movie. They LOVE popcorn, we have it at home some and they thought it was cool to have it there.

 

Tuesday- We went to the doctor in the afternoon to get their TB test injected. We are blessed that this Embassy doctor is walking distance, about 20 minutes or so from our place. All the other families we've met have to drive almost an hour to get to this one doctor in the city. Whew! Glad we are close.

 

Wednesday- we went to Montserrat. This is one of the highest points of any of the mountains here. It requires a cable car to get up to the top. I think we had as much fun as they did. The views were amazing. Later I told my parents that it was a strange feeling up there. You look out and the TN Girl that I am desires to see nature, mountains, beauty....well here... you only see buildings, lots of buildings, like 10 million people worth of housing. The mountains are faint in the background of all the "stuff" as we looked out I thought to myself, all these people, all these 10 million people and no one "wanted" our kids. God had to bring us all the way here to them. Oh how I long to see the Tennessee mountains and the beauty back home. This place is lost and that view just reminded us of that! It was a good day and we got some good pictures, it was cold up at the top too! Even though it's Winter here, it was the first time we've been Cold here and it was at 10,000 + ft.

 

Thursday- We hung out with our friends Allyson and Scott at a park near their house. We took the bus there, as it was a ways away, but we made it. Huge success. They are from Atlanta and are here adopting a little 3 year old girl who is just precious! She has made so much improvement in only a few days with them. So cool to be a part of their time here and share in their successes and to jointly be an encouragement to each other through the tough times.

Thursday evening we went back to the doctor. This is when we got the news that Michel tested positive for TB by her skin test. The other two were ok. So we had the doctor appointments, just a quick physical look over with the doctor over each child. He informed us of some stuff we already knew like that Daniela has ADD and that they have some speech issues in Spanish. This paperwork he did there goes on to the embassy at the end of our time here to clear them from the country. We also found out Stiven/Brandon needed many many shots and basically has had none. SO we found out there is a waiver that we filled out to wait and have all the shots back in the states the first couple of weeks we are home. Each shot here is about $150 and they all needed 2+ each. SO we are thankful to God there was the waiver and hopefully insurance will cover most at home.

 

Friday- Jenn and Michel went with our guide super early across town about an hour and half to a doctor that does chest x-rays. This has to be done since her TB skin test was positive. This is to hopefully rule out that she has TB. There is a shot they give them when they are little that is the vaccine against TB and so they often show up positive in Latin America. Nick's family has had this happen a number of times from where they got that shot as a child. We also went to a new park this afternoon and loved it.

 

Saturday- We had our friends over with their daughter and played at our house. Nick made Spaghetti. He is a cooking champ here. We miss the grill! We got to play around the house and go to a park. This park is so cool. It used to be a polo field and still has all the horse stalls etc. They have it all blocked off now open to anyone that wants to come run, play etc. Sort of like world's fair park but much much bigger. See top statement about everything being dangerous...this was a terrific safe find!!

 

It was a good week. I really felt as if I could believe no one at first when people kept telling us it would get better, it will be fine, etc. I wanted to scream. We still many times a day want to scream. But they are getting into the groove with us here. They are learning rules (we go over them every day in the morning) they are earning stars and happy faces (and occasionally sad faces for disrespecting or not listening) but they like being able to compete with each other. We have figured out that walking to the park, playing, and walking home wears them out well in the afternoon. We can't wait for our pool to open here and we can swim. This week our friend Ashlee is coming to visit and it will be great to have an extra hand and see a familiar face! She is also brining us some more games, puzzles etc. We are so thankful each day as we pray that God has provided simple things for us here like friends, kids that eat (a lot) and are not picky, a kitchen to cook in, neighbors to ask how we are and if we need anything. HE truly thinks of ALL the details!

 

One last thing we thought you'd think was funny. So we told you already that Brandon Stiven we called Brandon for the last year and when we got here they said he goes by Stiven, and the girls call him Stiven too. The past couple days Nick and I both have had separate conversations with him about what he wants to be called. We even have people ask him at church and out places. He keeps saying Brandon. So for now we look like idiots at the park yelling Stiven Stiven, Brandon Stiven and finally he answers to one. I told him he had to decide by the time school starts. Crazy Kiddo!

 

Prayers:

- Continued Bonding with the kids

-Our case was assigned to court #2. Pray this judge accepts it without question, reviews it in a timely manner and signs it so that we can work toward coming home!

-Continuing to get a good night sleep each night

-The time that Ashlee comes that kids would respect her and yet still remember we are mom and dad

-A negative result on Michel's TB chest x-ray (we really don't want her to have to take medicine for 9 months, which is the treatment if she does have it)

-Nick would be able to find time to work while we're here

 

Praises:

-a really good week with lots done

-Dr. Appointment went well for general checkup

-Case submitted to court

-Daniela got stung by a bee and no reaction, took the ice like a champ

-The kids now know to say "please" if they want something...for example, Michel will say "alzame por favor please!" which means "pick me up please please!"

-Jenn has gained back a couple of the lb she lost in the first few weeks here (Papi is a good cook)

-We are so thankful for the place we are staying, it is nice compared to others small apartments and we have room to spread out

 

We so appreciate you guys loving on us, PRAYING for us, and putting up with us!!

 

Until next week!

 

Psalm 102:

Hear my prayer, Lord;
    let my cry for help come to you.
² Do not hide your face from me
    when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me;
    when I call, answer me quickly.

Second Update in Country

Hey Gang! So we are in our second week with the kids and the good news is we are getting better a little each day. We never knew the phrase "two steps forward one step back" would mean so much to us. We feel like this is our motto on most days. Between the fussing, fighting, screaming, kicking (and that's just what they do to us) it's hard to see that that does indeed result in STILL one step forward for us as a whole. The past couple of days have been mostly good. We are still nightly recording the days Goods and Bads and to see the "bads" list get shorter and shorter is such a Praise and one we surely are not worthy of. God has heard our crys (literally), the neighbors probably have too, and he has heard yours on our behalf and he has been so merciful to us. He has been showing us that we kick and scream and argue with him too every day and HE STILL puts up with  us. How GREAT IS OUR GOD to deal with us and the way we act toward him sometimes. When we get screamed at NOOOOO really loud or QUE NOOOO (a more emphatic "NO" in Español) and they fall on the floor whining and pouting. I cannot help but imagine myself in size 3T pajamas crying like a baby to our Heavenly Father whining about a situation, about a circumstance, etc. and Him just patiently putting up with me. Oh GOD that you would give us more of an attitude to deal with them the way you deal with us. Only with the Lord's help can we do this day to day. When we feel exhausted God gives us rest that only he can provide, and yet somehow gets us up the next morning to do it all over again. 

A few of the pictures we sent to family (that we cannot post here yet) are precious. One in particular is of the kids and a famous singer here in Bogota. His name is Christian Velez and he was born and raised in Soacha, Colombia, in an area called La Montaña (literally "The Mountain"). Our missionary friends, Trish and Emory, visit this place weekly and we hope to visit while we are here as well.  La Montaña is literally the poorest of the poor. Christian was sponsored as a world vision international child (think pennies a day feeds a child infomercial) and through love and support of his sponsors he was able to overcome the extreme circumstances there. He has since become the worship leader at Vida Bogota (the church we are attending here) and records his own music and goes on tour. For lack of a better term, he is basically Elvis around here, especially to the kids of La Montaña. It is simply amazing to see such a great success story through Christian, and it goes to show that no matter how insignificant it may seem, we all can make a difference in a child's life...from sponsoring a child, to child advocacy, to adoption, and everywhere in-between. 

We have had a difficult time enforcing rules that were completely non-existent to them before. We have to keep them out of cabinets just as you would any other kid. But we also have to keep in mind that when they get in our cabinets that could mean they are hungry, so getting them to tell us when they are hungry and also to get them to ask first is really tough. We have had great encouragement from you guys and others, so thank you for your prayers and support.

...As we finish typing this one of the kids has locked a bedroom door in the apartment. Thank God no one was inside. We are having to call a locksmith, since there are no keys to it.  All the kids are screaming and crying because we were on our way to get burgers and now we have to wait. One has literally cried herself to sleep over it while we wait on the locksmith. Ahhhhh Satan is around every corner. 

Prayers:

-Michel and Jennifer bonding... they clash about half of the day because of our attitudes and determination and I hate being told NOOOOOOOO

-That our case would be accepted by the courts quickly so that it gets to a judge (Monday is another holiday so that puts an extra day in there)

-Once it gets to a judge which can take a few days they have 10 business days to accept it (pray it would be much less) 

-Pray for our homesickness, we miss you all, family and friends and the dogs

-That our Dr. appts for the kids next week would go well (TB Test, vaccine so they can leave the country when its time, etc.)

-That we could continue bonding to them and that we'd love them more everyday despite difficulties 

Praises:

-Things are slowly getting better. We've had some fun days lately 

-We met up with some missionary friends since we have been down here and they have come to the rescue more than once and God always knows when we need them

-We had pizza/playland day and it was so fun and 1/2 price! 

-We have gotten a good routine of taking one child to the store for food and the other parent staying at home with 2 kids

-They are almost up to sleeping 9 hours and still no one peed in the bed 

Until we are home, Love,

First Update in Country

Hey Gang! So we realize we don't have as many emails as we thought we did so feel free to pass this along, especially at church we're relying on you guys to help us spread the word that we are indeed alive and God is good!

So one thing that we have been doing since getting the kids on Wednesday (besides occasionally pulling hair out and loosing weight) is to keep a list each day during the day and at night of the "goods" and "bads" of each day to look back on. When things get really loud, really overwhelming and really frustrating it is good to look at this list and see especially stuff on the "bad" list is sometimes typical kid behavior and sometimes things on the "good" list are just plain sweet for God to let us witness.

Here are some things about our trip so far.

Bogota:

The city is great, most days. Nick and I really really really miss our vehicles and didn't realize that as fun as it was to walk 8 + miles each day while it was just us here that now being trapped in the apartment is less than desirable. The apartment we've rented is nice though. The neighbors have taken great care of us and our Spanish is improving by the hour. This is a BUSY packed city! You often see people hanging out the side of the bus to pack in tight. There are lots of small markets, butcher shops (where they don't use gloves or sanitation that we saw but we ate it anyway :) and fresh fruit markets with so many fruits that we've never seen in our lives. We like it here and are trying to soak it up but if we could come home this afternoon we would do that too.

Vida Bogota

The church that we got to go to last Sunday and plan to while we are here is called Vida Bogota. You can google it or youtube it is a cool set up. We of course couldn't understand the entire sermon but the music was half English and half Spanish and the people were amazing. We spent the afternoon with 2 families until late that night and had to get a cab home. They take such good care of families here, one of the families is riding to our house tomorrow to take us on the bus for the first time to go to church as a family of 5.

The Ninos

The Kids.... while I type this sitting on the couch Stiven is watching power rangers next to me and Nick has the girls squealing in the back room they are surely jumping all over him. So we have Stiven (Brandon Stiven but apparently he goes by Stiven which we found out on Monday after calling him this for almost a year) and we have Daniela (Breidy Daniela who also goes by her middle name) and Michele Dayana who goes by Michele. We are limited to not posting pictures of their faces on social media but I'll attach one here just please don't share online.  So they are siblings...they fight as such. They have been loved by the foster family they were with but not disciplined very much. We feel that we say NO so much but we make sure we have as many or more "Buenos" Good or Good jobs! They eat a lot! They drink a lot of water. They sleep mostly through the night. They like to watch tv, play puzzles, and color. Their personalities are pretty much just as we thought. Stiven is shy, but comes out when he does something well (like finishing a 100 piece puzzle with me this morning) Daniela is very much our handful and a half. We are constantly correcting her and trying to equally love her (and her fits). Michel has Nick's whole heart already she is so spoiled! She smiles and thinks she gets whatever she wants. They all 3 already know what "popcorn" is and love having it after dinner along with a movie before bed.

Nick and Jennifer (Papi y Mami)

I should have let him write this part. We are doing ok. Honestly the most encouraging moments are to hear from my parents on Skype that we are doing good and they are proud of us. There are tough moments/hours. We have literally been on our knees singing and praying at bedtime just for them to go to sleep. The first day with them I cried...a few times... and the next day was a little less. Still at moments we feel like it and it feels so good to cry out to the Lord who put us here for his Glory! Pray for our hearts, our hugs and our kisses and our conversations at night while they sleep. Pray that Nick actually gets to work while we are here, so he can save some vacation time.

Prayer Requests:

-That we could continue bonding and attaching to each other through the tough stuff.

-That they would go to bed easier and sleep longer. This has been probably our biggest challenge so far.

-That Nick and I would have patience and be able to focus on them individually too

-That our integration meeting would go well on Wednesday and that the court process would go quickly so we can get home fast!

-That our language barriers would disappear and that we could understand them more fully

Praises:

-We do have some really sweet times with them

-they eat well (we didn't know how this would go)- Today they even said "perfecto" to our Colombian soup recipe.

-We've survived day 4 with no serious injuries, sickness, or complete lack of sleep

-We have so many people praying for us and we feel it all the time

Thank you for continuing to be behind us through this. Thanks for listening to us (ME-Jennifer) whine about things, and thank you for loving us and showing us that we are not alone and that we can do this ONLY with HIS help!

Los Quieremos (We love you)