Best Birthday Ever!

The Best Birthday Ever!

This year, beginning with my birthday yesterday, our family started a new tradition that was amazing…

        We gave creative birthday gifts that cost no money!

I know, not rocket science, but definitely a new path for us!

To be honest, Pete and I struggled as we considered changing long held beliefs, habits and traditions.  After all, birthdays are about buying presents... right?  This is the trap we had found ourselves in.  And, we realized, we were teaching and modeling the same lies to our children.  We talked, and we listened, and we prayed. 

We had been on a roller coaster beginning with our second child.  Each child could save, or we would help them buy an inexpensive birthday gift for their sibling.  I'll never forget Olivia as I sat on the floor with her at the 2nd hand shop.  She was just shy of three years old.  She had 3 quarters and she was trying to decide if she was going to buy the $.50 gift, or the $.75 cent gift for Peter.  I explained that if she chose the $.75 cent gift, she would have no quarters left.  To which she replied... "That's ok mommy, I have more teeth!"  

 Over the years we just kept on the same path.  Never revisited it... never questioned the status quo. However, as God gifted us with children, birthdays were filled with each of them wanting to give just the right/perfect present to each other.  There was anxiety about money to buy gifts, anxiety about when each would get to shop, and anxiety about whether the recipient would like the gift one had chosen. 

Pete and I wondered what a birthday would look without store bought gifts.     

So... we went for it!

Pete explained to our children that we thought it would be fun to celebrate  birthdays without the children buying us a gift, and without them buying each other a gift.  For their birthdays, Pete and I would give them a few special treasures from their lists, but we were asking them to be creative as they considered what they would give to each other this year... nothing that cost money!  We were actually a  little surprised when they easily went with the flow, did not push back and genuinely seemed peaceful, excited and content!

As my birthday approached, I was really looking forward to the 

     creativity that seemed to be growing in our home.

I woke up excited hearing Rachel and Heidy in the kitchen giggling.

                    They had gotten up at 5am to decorate!

             We had an absolutely delightful day! 

I laughed… and I cried… as I opened each personal creation from my family. 

The best part was… I felt known…  really known…

...And Celebrated and Loved!

These were not trinkets from a store... These were gifts/ treasures from my children's hearts!

My family gave me coupons for foot rubs, making dinner, mommy time, back rubs, chores, movies, games, hugs and more!  

But the very best part was how they were presented…

From Pete

Foot rubs, movies, date walks, and quite time in my room... by myself!

He knows me.  It is an amazing gift to really be known and loved in spite of all my short comings...   ...Just saying.

From Emily

 Coupons for “4 nights of making dinner, 4 dancing for you whenever you want, and making breakfast and lunch 4 times!” 

The best part was she did dance for me, at the end of our evening… to my very, most favorite song… “I am Blessed” by Rachel Lampa.   Simply beautiful and brings tears to my eyes every time.

From Peter 

“Four hours of introvert time!  With family consent!!!”

“Jesus had over 3 days of introvert time… and look at him now!”

From Rachel

 

  

Rachel organized all of my recipes into a notebook she found that she titled "Good Times from the kitchen's eyes"!  She also gave me “cu-pons” for lots of things… hugs, snuggles, making dinner, cleaning…   All with an expiration date of 3 - 12 - 3217!!!  

 

                                       From Joshua

Joshua worked hard on this one!  Love that boy!

From Matthew

Matthew gave me free foot rubs that he later told me he would do when we watched a family movie, and… sweet boy…  he gave me his Wendy’s gift card that he got for Christmas.    I know that was hard to part with.  That's what made it so very special.   

 From Olivia

Olivia made this card at Mrs. Leland’s house when I was in Colombia bringing Heidy and Andres home.  "Dreams come a size too big so we an grow into them.

And a part of what she wrote… … “And 48 is not that old anyway! 

From Andres

 At the top he tells me he is sorry about the loss of my dad.  Then he tells me happy birthday and that he will do any chore I ask him too.  But the best part is his closing… in English…

"For my love, Mom"

From Heidy 

An amazing, transparent letter from Heidy…  She writes: 

“I love you very much…  and you look like my own mother.  Jesus said in my heart that I have a family here… and I am very happy.  But, I am sad that my father died.

And I decided that you can be the princess forever in the house… 

I love you more than you think.  I love you mom.

Having many children is fun because you play much with you us… and you have patience.  

I love much as Jesus Loves me very much!”

Lastly,  traditionally for birthdays in our family Peter creates a scavenger hunt for the birthday person.  This time he wrote:  “This hunt is different.  It will take you through your past hectic year!”

(Imagine me running up the stairs to find the next clue.... then down the stairs for the next clue... then to the back room for the next one...  then back up stairs etc...  All with 8 children and Pete excitedly following me!)

“ Debbie! God here!  I just came to be the host of your 48^th birthday scavenger hunt!  

Wow!  49 years, I remember you when you were just a baby! Anyway, in this hunt the different clues will take you through your past hectic year!  Enjoy!"

(Check under blu-ray machine for your next clue.)

“Hello!  Jesus, and the Holy Spirit here!  

We’re here because us two and God decided to take you on a journey in

 your 48^th year.  We were there when  it all started!”

( Check basement dish receiver for your next hint.)

“Hola Madre!  Me and Heidy are here in Colombia waiting for you! 

If you could come quickly that would be amazing!  We're here, in Colombia,  because this is where we were at the beginning of 2011.  I'm guessing that you were looking something like this too, waiting for the paperwork to get done.”

( Check Wii for your next clue.)

“ HI Debbie, this is me again, Jesus.  This is me, the Holy Spirit, God and your dad celebrating the moment he entered heaven!”

( Check your room for the next one.)

“Hi Deb, I am here because I am one of the people that Pete interviewed with for FamilyLife.”

( Check under your pillow for the next clue.)

“Hi Debbie, this is me, Constanza, right after I finalized the adoption paperwork.  

It took long hours, loads of coffee, and sleepless nights… but it is done!”

(Go to the toilet in your room for the next clue.)   

From the flight attendant on the way home with Heidy and Andres… 

Pete is there  “In spirit” b/c he and the children were  back home in Ohio.

“ Hello Debbie! It was a joy watching you and your family fly back to Ohio!”

(You will find your next clue behind the picture of the sunset in the upstairs hallway.)

From Pete:  

“Hi Honey!  This moment last year was one of the hardest, yet most important. 

 “Welcome to Arkansas.”

( Check the chair in the front room for your next clue.)

 From our Arkansas realtor, Celeste:

“Hello Deb!  Celeste here!  This is one of the final parts of your past year!”

( Check-out under Joshua's bed for the next clue.)

 Debbie!  I hope you enjoyed the year I had planned for you!  

And I hope that you’ll enjoy all of others that I have for you too!  Happy B-day!”

Wow... 

As I read these gifts last night, amid the joy and excitement, I was taken with the worldview from which our children wrote.  I was SO blessed to enjoy our children’s creativity and joy, and doubly blessed to experience a window into their hearts!

 Yup… This Was Absolutely The Best Birthday Ever!

GIVING THANKS!

                                                        HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

We have been in our new home now for ...  hmmm...  it will be three weeks on Tuesday!
Although we have many boxes still left to unpack, we are quite settled, and even got to do a few full days of school last week!

This was our first Thanksgiving ever with just our family.  We had a wonderful day! Let's see... there was parade watching, air soft wars, games, facebook, Skype, giggles,  a few tears, phone calls, dancing, resting, cooking, snuggling, movie watching, exploring...  etc...

Each of the children picked a dish to help me prepare so I has special time with each of them throughout the day.  Of course, that means we ended up with a turkey and 8 side dishes!  Good thing we are invited to a "Left Over" party today, the day after Thanksgiving, so we can share our bounty!

The drive to Arkansas was fun... mostly.  The children did really well.  Gotta admit there were a few tears on and off as we got closer to Little Rock and our move began to feel more and more real.  A little comic relief helped though...  like the children dancing on the trailer!

We are content and happy...    that Peace that passes understanding...
It is a wonder to me that we can be grieving, and even healing from all the change we have had this past year and a half, and deeply celebrating as well.

Each of us has had our set of losses...
Losing my dad, Heidy and Andres losing all that was familiar to them - then losing all that was sort of familiar to them..., changing jobs - homes - churches - co-ops, communities...

The second week here both Pete and I had a few days of emotion that seemed at times like it was all too much.  This past year has been a lot...   and we were, and still are tired.   God has brought us to a place of rest though.  It feels good to not have any big changes on the horizon; to be peaceful, and spending our time bonding, nesting, cooking...  moving towards the still waters...   Experiencing God's restoration...

As we got closer to our home, Pete started to getting worried that I would not like the house.
( He put in an offer without me seeing it...  except in pictures.)

I was ready to be dissapointed...  I think I stealed myself to be dissapointed.  I knew we would be ok.  I believed this house was God's provision for us, but my stomach was turning as we got closer and closer.  Pete had told me we had a pretty drive to our house, but when I asked about a post office, or a bank, or a pharmacy, he consistently said our home was about 15 minutes away from anything! I was getting nervous.  However, to my delight, I love the drive and I love everything about our new home!  Really, everything!  Of course, there are things that need to be fixed, like anywhere, but the layout, the color, the setting...  for us, is simply amazing - and even in these past 3 weeks, I have not once wished we lived anywhere else!

This is a picture of what I see in the morning when I walk.  From our home, to here,  the top of this hill, is .5 miles.  From home to here and back is a beautiful, peaceful, life giving mile!

Our neighborhood is hard to explain.  Each house has a few acres around it.  Kind of like our home in Mason, but not on a busy street and more homes as we drive into our neighborhood.  We live on a culde-sac at the end of the neighborhood at the top of a hill.  The children could be outside all day biking, scootering, playing basketball, exploring, getting to know a few friends.

Beginning the first evening we were here, and straight through till the day before Thanksgiving, neighbors and friends from Family Life have brought us dinners, breads and cakes.  People here outwardly value people.  Our driveway is a bit long and up a hill, yet sometimes we look outside to see a new neighbor, whom we have not met yet, walking up to our door, often with their families, to welcome us.  The other night a lady from Family Life called.  Pete does not even know her, but she wanted to welcome us to Little Rock and phoned to pop over and bring us a few loaves of bread she had made.

God has taken care of all of our needs...  before we even knew we had needs.  We did not have a refrigerator for over a week.  Neighbors offered for us to use their fridge in their garage, and brought us a small fridge too.  There is a delightful home school family that lives down the street.  We have not had  internet until this past week, and they invited Peter and Olivia down to do school at their house so they could keep us with Pep. Emily and Rachel went and did school too.   Our family was invited to a new freind's home for cookies and games.   We learned a new game with them that we now play almost daily at our house!

From Neiva, Tenjo and Bogota, Colombia, to Mason, Ohio - to Little Rock Arkansas -
Gods' people are truly everywhere...  ready to love and serve!
Thank you!

Joshua found a way to protect the grill before it rained b/c we had not yet found the grill cover!

                                          Having fun unpacking!  Has anyone seen Heidy?

                                         A huge trash truck getting rid of all the boxes etc...
                                        In Arkansas the field trips come right to your house!

As we drove into Little Rock that first night, and stopped to eat, Heidy and Andres noticed theses three cars, parked next to each other - the colors of the Colombian flag!

Three cozy girls!

Thank you ALL...   

We sincerely love and appreciate all of your prayers, kindness and pratical help this past year and a half. 

It has been a  journey we would of never predicted just 2 years ago!

WE'RE GOING HOME!!

As we got closer and closer to landing in Ohio Heidy and Andres became more quiet... yet excited. They would laugh, and talk, and look out the window with much anticipation!

As we began to land Andres said:

"Madre, Daddy at airport?"

I was touched that he was thinking about Pete and I imagined their sweet reunion...

"Yes! Daddy will be at the airport!"

To which Andres smiled and said...

"Bien! Daddy help luggage!"

We arrived home on September 11th to be greeted by our family and friends at the airport in Dayton!

It has been an amazing month!

More pictures to follow!

Let's See... What do I title this Blog???!!!

LET’S SEE… WHAT DO I TITLE THIS BLOG?
There are so many options….!

An Amazing day – Got To Do It All!

Yesterday, our last full day in Nieva was perfect. We got to do everything I had hoped. Diego our agency contact and his family have been very kind to us throughout our stay in Bogota. Yesterday they went out of their way:

We got mandatory document #1 – no problem. Then we got mandatory document #2 notarized… that was easy. And later in the afternoon we received the children’s visas – perfect!

The most touching part for me was at the US embassy. As we waited for the visas I heard the United States Anthem being sung. I walked and searched for who was singing. As I walked towards the music I noticed the United States flag was at half mast. I realized they must have been practicing for a 9-11 tribute. It was a quiet, touching moment for me. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I had this tapestry of thoughts – realizing Heidy and Andres were a day away from becoming US citizens and seeing the flag, and hearing the anthem…. And I thought about the United States embassy offices around the word and realized that very possibly every embassy of the United States, in every country, could be holding a tribute tomorrow. Poignant..


The rest of the day was just pure FUN! We got to go to Fransico’s coffee shop. Fransico is an agency rep who has been very kind and helpful. We had lunch with him and celebrated his new venture of opening the coffee shop.

Later, we walked through a lot of neighborhoods and learned more about Colombian culture.

Then we went to Marcella and Diego’s new apartment and learned out to make juice with that special Colombian touch. We got to play with their baby girl – and we got to see their wedding pictures. SO FUN!

Later in the evening we met up with Elizabeth and her husband. They took us to a very cool – well… kind of like a dinner theatre. There was traditional Colombian food and a show of many, many traditional Colombian dances. The Colombian culture is full of beautiful, vibrant colors and the dresses and costumes reflected this beauty. We had a great time!

Elizabeth and I have SO much fun together. She doesn’t really speak English - and – as we all know… I am not that great at Spanish... But still, we are able to have meaning conversations and laugh … A LOT!

It was a perfect last full day in Colombia… Perfecto!





This Is Not Really About This… This Is About That.

Heidy and Andres got hair cuts yesterday. They seemed to look forward to them… But my sweet girl Hiedy… Well... I thought she was fine… But as the guy was trimming her hair… she started crying – and crying – and crying…. And Crying… I felt so sad for her. She could not tell me what was wrong. (Darn language barrier…) I think she was sad about getting a trim, but I also think her tender tears were about much more. She seemed mad at me… didn’t want a hug and kept her distance for a while. After we ate lunch she was back to her charming, fun self with hugs and smiles (Blood sugar is a good thing….) …but her tears reminded me that both Heidy and Andres are processing a lot…



Hotel Meets Master Card – Not Pretty…

Really? Seriously? Oh come on… you can’t write this stuff. Our early morning was going well. We got up at 5:00am to get read to catch the shuttle to the airport 6:00am today. That would give us a good 3 hours before our depature. The hotel lady scaned my credit card… nothing. I asked her to try again and told her both Pete and I had talked to the credit card people 2 days ago specifically teling them to expectthis charge. They had said “No problem Mrs. McIndoe, you are our valued customer.”

Hmm… if so then WHY was our bank fighting with the hotel at 6am? The Hotel scanned my card 4 times, with 4 different scanners and each one said “Declined.” They said our bank would not approve the charges.

The bank, however, said they had no record of attempted charges and they would pay it if the hotel would just scan the card.

Bank: “Your hotel has not submitted any charges.

Hotel: “Your bank is declining the charges.”

Me: "I am getting on the next shuttle to the airport so you guys need to figure this out. (It had been a hour of trying to get my bank and the hotel to play nice.)

I am still not sure how that turned out I will make sure and check it out on Monday. I will make sure the hotel gets paid... but seriously... that was NOT fun at 6am in the morning...




“Oh – You’re The Famous One!”

After trying to talk to and understand ALL the airport adoption officials – and what documents were needed by whom… This.... after trying to help my bank and the hotel get along an hour earlier… AND after being in the wrong loooong security line for gate #8…. And after trying to find INTERNATIONAL Gate #8, and After trying to convince one of MANY immigration officials to let me keep the originals of our documents and give them the copies… we FINALLY get to our gate.. #8 that is! The airport dude checking people in at the gate takes my passport, looks at me, smiles and says in English: “Oh you’re the famous one!”

“Me? Why?”
“
“They phoned ahead to let us know you don’t speak Spanish….”

Sheesh... thanks!



How Many Immigration Guys Will Ask?

After we landed in the states today, the first immigration guy I talked to spoke English. I commented “Oh? Su? English?!”

To which he replys “Yes, you are in the States now!”

Then he proceeded to ask me about my relationship with Hiedy and Andres. I proudly told him they were my children! The conversation that followed was amazing as he told me he and his wife were thinking about adopting etc. He looked through our documents and asked me why we chose the “Hague Agency.” This is a funny question b/c the Hague Convention a few years ago put many safety procedures in to place to assure safe and legal adoptions. Not all countries are Hauge countries… so I got to answer his questions about the process of adoption... and that hague was not an agency ... etc... He was curious about why we adopted, so I tried to summarize for him. This particular immigration guy acutally closed his lane and escorted us to the next office as he continued to ask questions.

This same scenario played out TWO other times as we got processed through immigration and customs.

I had a sense that we may of been on Holy ground…

I prayed and wondered how these seeds being planted about God’s love and provision would play out in the future. I know I will never know… but it is fun to imagine. Three different immigration guys… one family….



Six Guys Going On A Cruise.

We got through customs and took our van to the hotel. I realized as the hotel driver was loading our NINE bags of luggage that I had NO US money. NO money to tip him…. I felt SO bad. I told him I would leave his tip at our hotel’s front desk. He was very kind and gracious.

On the same van with us were 6 dad type guys obviously going on some kind of guy trip. I thought maybe golfing, but later learned they were going on a cruise. We laughed and joked a bit until we got to our first stop, which was our hotel. The van guy got out to unload our NINE bags of luggage and I had a thought. As I got out of the van I turned around and told the 6 cruise dudes that I had realized – too late – that I had no US currency to tip the driver. I quickly told them I had been in Colombia for 5 weeks… adopting… etc… and that I felt bad that I had dropped the ball for tipping this guys.

I asked them if they would chip in a few bucks each and tip him for me! It was a fun interchange as they said the would , congratulated our family and started to get our their wallets. As they drove away they waved and smiled… I hope they have a good time on their cruise, and I really hope they tipped the driver for me!


I’d Give Anything To Find A Waffle House.

We got settled into our hotel here in Florida by late afternoon and went to walk to a restaurant. Heidy and Andres have typically eaten eggs for dinner in Colombia and asked for eggs this evening. I was doing a pretty good job of telling them there were no eggs available for dinner tonight. They were disappointed, but seemed to get it. We walked into Wendy’s (Which, by the way tastes totally gross after eating fresh fruit, juice, rice, beans etc. for 5 weeks…)

As soon as we walked into Wendy’s Heidy and Andres spot the menu board… with pictures of eggs, egg sandwhiches, croissants… etc..

“Madre! Si …. Eggs!!!”

They were VERY excited.

Sadly I had to tell them that the pictures of the eggs meant they were for breakfast, not for dinner. Oh… their forlorn looks of disappointment….

How I wish there was a Waffle House nearby. I really longed to give them something familiar …




This Is How A Fast Food Joint Works.

It soon became obvious that when Hiedy and Andres visited us last fall we must not of gone out for fast food. (I remembered that with 8 children fast food is really not a choice!) It was SO fun at Wendy's though... trying to explain the menu board, showing them how to get a soda – with ice – from the soda machine, and teaching them how to clean up their trays when they were finished. I have this growing awareness that Hiedy and Andres are, in some way, truly handicapped here in the States. Even though they were with us for 7 weeks in the fall, they really do not have a clear understanding of how our culture functions in the day-to-dayness of life.

I realized, again, how truly brave they are. This is the first time I have had this thought in a while. The courage it must take to leave your country, your language, your culture…




“Madre – Me A Baby!”

On our walk to the grocery Hiedy looks at me with that Heidy twinkle in her eye and says: “Madre, me a baby!” She indicated she wanted me to give her a piggy back ride.
My first thought… “ Oh my”
My second thought… “ My feet hurt.”
My third thought: “If Pete were here he would not hesitate….”
My last thought – “Our daughter has a bit of catching up to do and if she needs me to give her a piggy back ride so she can feel like a ‘baby’ then I am all in! Let’s go girl!”




This Is How This Kind Of Candy Works…


So… we popped into the grocery and Heidy and Andres each got a treat. Heidy chose one of those gross lollipop type candies that looks like a baby bottle. As she opened it the cashier tried to explain to her that there was sugar in the bottle part and that Heidy could dip the lollipop part in the sugar… ( By the way – I HATE this kind of candy…. )

Anyway – Heidy was not understanding the candy gig and the lady kept trying to explain. I chimed in and told her that Heidy did not understand very much English… which led to 2 things: 1) A reinforcement of what I had thought about at dinner… that Hiedy and Andres are resilient, very brave children. And 2) That I was realizing we may just be getting lots of questions from people who do not know us… which is a new added dimension for our family that I had not realized.

I guess when Hiedy and Andres were with us in Ohio back in the fall we were around people who new us most of the time. But when we have been around people who do not know us, they tend to have questions…



Which leads me to:

Insights With Our Newest Children –
After we got back to our hotel today I got to “talk” to Heidy and Andres on the computer. Honestly, I think there was a bit of a spiritual battle going on because most times when I would type what I was tryng to say the computer would shut down, or the translator would not work. I started praying that God would open the doors for me to share what was on my heart with my children. God answered my prayers and I got to share with Hiedy and Andres.

Basically, I told them our family was obviously different and that I had not realized before that people who do not know us may have many questions. I told them that daddy and I are thrilled at how God has knit our family together, but it was going to be important for all of us to be respectful and kind to people who look at us as if asking for an explanation or who actually ask questions.

I know different adoptive families handle questions differently, or are even sometimes offended by questions.

We, on the other hand, love to share God’s story in our family. We are pretty much an open book for people who have questions. For me, it is not offensive, it is fun… an honor acutally… to be able to share how God has been, and is… a Light onto our every single step…


Home Sweet Home!!!

We get to go home tomorrow!!!!!!!!
Tonight as we skyped our family at home there was an excitement in the air!

I cannot wait to HUG my family- to SEE them, to HOLD them, to LAUGH with them, to LOVE them in all the tangible ways that make a family a family…

I know re-entry won’t be all roses…. But I am SO excited to jump in and start this next season of our lives – to see Pete… to see our children… to have all of us together!

As we hung up tonight Emily said:
“I don’t know who I am going to hug first at the airport tomorrow mommy…”

It’s ok sweet girl …. The good news is there are lots of options!!!!


As I close I have to say THANK YOU to ALL of you…
This journey has, without a doubt, been a true spriritual adventure made possible by God’s provision through so, so, SO many of you!

I was talking to a friend tonight and thanking her for her help. She responded that she thought she really had not helped very much…


PLEASE know that each and every act of love and serving, on our behalf has been needed and greatly, greatly appreciated. I am reminded of the Body of Christ…

Each of you has played a very significant part in bringing Heidy and Andres home. Each of you has has been a part of the body….

You know the gig…
The body needs each and every part to function.
The eye sees, the ear hears, the heart beats…
Every part does what it was created to do… and thus the body needs each and every part.

Each and every word of encouragement has helped sustain us… each and every one…

THANK YOU!

I will be sure to blog in the next day or two to share about our reunion.

Oh my…. That is in about 12 hours!!!!!!!!

Counting the seconds until we are together!!!!!

Thank you Lord!

OUR LAST DAY IN COLOMBIA... MUSINGS....

OUR LAST DAY IN COLOMBIA - MUSINGS....

Today is our last day in Colombia…

It is bittersweet…

As I type my children are still in bed, quietly awake in their own thoughts. I wonder what is going through their hearts and minds.

Last night we were invited to visit Mrs. Christy. She and her husband founded CDA many years ago. I wish I could share her whole story – which she would be quick to correct me on – telling me it is God’s story! I know she is right – and I love her Glory to the Lord for what He has and is doing through her and her family!

When she was just 25 years old, with 3 little girls, God called her and her husband to Colombia to share God’s Love. She had never been here before. They came to Colombia and started a Christian newspaper. One thing led to another and now CDA (Corporacion Dios Amor / God is Love!) serves many, many facets of Colombia, including a significant ministry that serves single moms and another helps keep families together giving parents tools and training.

As she spoke SO many things were going through my head… CDA here in Colombia reminds me of Jerry Reiners ministry Project 52. Mrs. Christy said CDA serves “the poorest of the poor.” So does Project 52. CDA also reminds me of The Shepherds Crook, a ministry that is a liason for special needs children and forever families. The Shepherds Crook introduced us to our son Joshua, as well as to Heidy and Andres!

Getting back to last night though…

I was sharing with Mrs. Christy the path/s God has had our family on for the past few years. I shared with her that years ago we had read Experiencing God, a book by Blackaby and King that teaches about “Joining God in His work.” This book has had a profound impact on our family.

I told her about God’s calling/s for our family and wondered out loud if we maybe had Experienced so much of God that we could take a break for awhile….

Isn’t that stupid? Last night as I said it, and in these past many weeks as I have thought about it - it made perfect sense to me…

But NOW – as I type it … I feel ashamed and stupid. Yes, I am tired… and I want to be home… and we are in the middle of a few different callings from the Lord …

But – WHY would I ever want to miss a step of Experiencing God? Silly girl… get a grip Debbie!
(I am so sorry Lord, please forgive my feeble attempt to control my life. I do SO want to follow your light unto my every step.)
Well – as I commented to Mrs. Christy that I was tired… blah-blah-blah…. She smiled gently in that grandmother kind of sincere “knowing” and said to me…”Oh Dear, I don’t think we ever want to stop Experiencing God….”

Note to self…. Always remember Mrs. Christy’s gentle, yet powerful encouragement/ challenge!

So… last night… we were visiting and sharing, and looking at pictures and hearing her story and I asked her how long it would take the driver to come back to get us because I thought maybe we should be calling him. And she said….

He was waiting in the car for us….

((( imagine a sheer look of shock across my face….)))

OH MY! The second time in an hour and a half I felt stupid! How did I miss that? We quickly gathered our things, hugged Mrs. Christy and went to the car.

I think it is fair to say though, that there are many, many things I have experienced here in Colombia that are and will be life changing for me… and that hour and a half with Mrs. Christy is one of them… for sure!

Then – of all things… about half way home there must have been a car accident because traffic was STOPPED. It took us 2 hours to get back to our hotel. I felt so bad for the kind man from CDA who was patiently driving us. First – he came to get us to take us all the way across town, then he waited for us an hour and a half, then he took over 2 hours to get us home… Lord, please bless this kind gentleman…

Yesterday we applied for our visas. There was another family there who was adopting. I gotta admit, it never gets old… this miracle of adoption!

There was also a family there applying for an amnesty visa. Apparently they live in a very unsafe part of Colombia and had to prove their life was as risk to get the visa. I continue to be humbled…

***** Today we get 2 mandatory documents, and the children’s completed visas. Tomorrow we fly to Florida, and Sunday to Ohio!!!!!!!! ********

The rest of the day today we will visit a coffee shop that one of the adoption people opened and we will go to another’s home to learn how to make juice! This evening we are invited to go to a Colombian musical with the social worker who stayed with us a few days in Ohio when we hosted Heidy and Andres. She and her husband, her friend and her husband, and the three of us! (I wish my husband was here!)

Since our conversation a few weeks ago when Andres asked me if he had to move out of our home when he was 18 years old, he has been talking a lot about what he wants to do – what kind of job he wants to have.

Back in that initial conversation he told me he was going to join the army so he could move out – thinking he could not stay home after he was 18 years old.

These past many weeks though, he has been talking more and more about his future. It is AMAZING to literally watch him realize he has a future….

Yesterday he told me he wanted to be a veterinarian, a doctor, a spanish teacher and a police man. When he realized policemen in the states wear blue and not green he changed his mind on the policeman gig though!)

After Andres started this conversation a few weeks ago, God put it on my heart to take it a step further. I initiated one day and told him that he would ALWAYS have a family and a home…. Grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles… forever… always…

He has the most sincere smile that shines through his eyes… I wish you could have been a fly on the wall for that converstation!

Hiedy is quite the fun, endearing, young lady. She has a very fun, quick sense of humor and she is very engaging. She is initially shy – but when you get to know her – be ready to experience life through the eyes of a child who can make anything fun!

I have also felt very loved and respected by both Hiedy and Andres. They are listening quite well, asking good questions and initiating good conversations. (Which is also interesting given I don’t speak Spanish!) They will often see a need and step in to meet it. For instance, ever since we have been together they have not let me carry a heavy bag. When I see they are struggling and go to take a heavy bag from them they will say “No Madre!” and usually Hiedy will start to tickle me until I let go of the bag. Often they will carry a bag together if it is too heavy, but they have made it clear that THEY will carry it… not me!

Oh – another quick, but very meaningful experience that happened last night. I was hugging Hiedy and I said to her…. “My Hiedy!” And she said back to be “My Madre!” Then Andres came to me and smiled and hugged me, and said… “My Madre!” To which, of course I squeezed him tight and told him …. “My Andres!”
( One of those quick, but deep moments that I think/hope will always be emblazoned in my memory…)

Well – I am off to start my day. I talked to Kimberly today and she encouraged me to help Heidy and Andres enjoy this last full day in their country. I haven’t stopped crying since then. Thanks Kimberly! There are so many mixed feelings for me and Heidy and Andres…

Andres seems to be coping fairly well though… he tells me he is coming back for a visit to Colombia when he is 15 years old… with Peter!!!!

GOD'S PROMISES....

SHEESH….. BECAUSE THAT IS ABOUT THE MOST APPROPRIATE THING I CAN SAY ON A BLOG!

WHAT A DAY….

SO… YESTERDAY WAS GREAT – MOSTLY…

WE GOT HEIDY AND ANDRES’ NEW PASSPPORTS…

ANDRES CAMILO MCINDOE CRAWFORD
AND
HEIDY JOHANNA MCINDOE CRAWFORD

WE GOT THEIR NEW IDENTITY CARDS TOO, AND WE COMPLETED THE DOCTOR’S VISITS. ALL THAT TOOK ALL DAY!

BUT IT WAS A GOOD DAY….

WE WERE WELL ON OUR WAY TO COMING HOME ON SATURDAY… THEN… WELL… THINGS KIND OF GOT A LITTLE SHAKEY!

TODAY WE NEEDED ONE MORE DOCUMENT. IT CAME IN, ALBEIT LATE…
BUT THEN THE LADY WAS NOT THERE TO SIGN IT.

WE NEED THIS "LAST" DOCUMENT TO GET THE CHILDREN’S VISAS…


WHY DO I FEEL LIKE I AM ALWAYS SAYING WE NEED “JUST ONE MORE DOCUMENT?!”

AND… MY CREDIT CARDS WOULD NOT WORK…

SO… I NEED CASH TO PAY FOR ALL THE MEALS FOR THE 2 WEEKS WE WERE IN TENJO, WHICH I HAD…

GOOD THING B/C I NEEDED CASH TO PAY FOR THE ID CARDS, PASSPORTS AND DR. VISITS…

EXCEPT NOW I HAVE NO $ TO PAY CDA IN TENJO.

MY CREDIT CARDS WOULD NOT WORK… SO NO CASH….

THE LADY WAS NOT IN TO SIGN THE DOCUMENT TODAY…

THE AIRLINES WAS SUPPOSE TO BE OPEN FROM 2:30-5:30. WE GOT THERE AT 4:00…. THEY WERE CLOSED BUT SOME KIND GENTLEMAN SAID HE COULD HELP US ANYWAY….

THEN HE SAID THERE WERE NO SEATS TO COME HOME ON UNITL NEXT WEEK…

THANKS FOR THE "HELP" MR. AIRPLANE MAN....

MY STOMACH IS STILL QUITE WEAK…

THINGS ARE A BIT UP IN THE AIR AT HOME… LOTS OF TEARS…

BUT…. IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF THIS…. HIEDY AND ANDRES CONTINUE TO BE PEACEFUL, TRUSTING, FUN, EASY AND KIND…

THEY ARE TRULY REMARKABLE CHILDREN!


SO I WAS TRYING TO HOLD IT TOGETHER AND NOT CRY… BUT I DIDN’T QUITE MAKE IT….


ALL THAT TO SAY THAT NOW IT IS 1:15AM…
I AM SO, SO TIRED…. BUT THINGS HAVE TURNED AROUND….

PETE HELPED ME WITH THE CREDIT CARDS… NOW THEY WORK. AND HE HELPED ME FIND SEATS ON AN AIRLINE SO WE CAN COME HOME…!



WE ARE BOOKED ON A FLIGHT THAT WILL GET INTO DAYTON AROUND 2:15PM ON SUNDAY THE 11TH!!!!!!
IF YOU WANT TO COME TO THE AIRPORT TO CELEBRATE WITH US YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME!!!


I AM OFF TO BED… WE HAVE A BIG DAY TOMORROW… HOPING TO GET THAT “LAST” DOCUMENT…. WHICH, WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT, IS ACUTUALLY 3 DOCUMENTS TOTAL… PLUS VISAS FOR HEIDY AND ANDRES….


I JUST KEEP CLINGING TO GOD’S PROMISES….
...WHEN I AM NOT IRRATIONAL AND CRYING THAT IS!

I HIGHY RECOMMEND THE “CLINGING TO GOD’S PROMISES” GIG….
LIFE IS MUCH BETTER THAT WAY!!!

GOOD NIGHT!!

LORD WILLING WE WILL BE HOME SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

MANNA FOR THE MOMENT!!

MANNA FOR THE MOMENT!!

Well… to be honest – today has been a hard day. Although I am starting to feel better, I woke up again quite sick. I am grateful for Heidy and Andres who have not complained one time about being stuck in a hotel room with a mom who has been sleeping most of the day. They are amazing children. Not one complaint…

Looking back to Friday – our day in Neiva…

We were praying that the mandatory document, that had originally been filled out wrong, would be able to be fixed on Friday. We had been told it was a long shot and went to bed with heavy hearts on Thursday evening.

We had to get up at 3:30am to catch the first flight to Neiva. We arrived in Neiva at 6:30am and were met at the airport by Humberto, our attorney, and his wife Alysia. Alysia had to go to work, so we only got to spend a few minutes with her. Then we went to Humberto’s office where Hiedy and Andres stayed while Humberto and I walked to the court house.

It was already SO hot… not a little bit hot… not even medium hot… but VERY HOT… it was only 8:00am…

We walked up the stairs and into this little office. Humberto showed me this huge, thick file that was all in Spanish. He made sure to point out the last page, which I “read,” and signed. That was quick and easy. I just kept thinking I was glad I trusted Humberto b/c, although I knew I was signing something adoption related, I was not sure what it was!

After I signed, we left to go back to Humberto’s office. Walking down the stairs he says to me… in English… “Congratulations!” I soon understood that those quick few minutes signing the last page of the thick file meant that our adoption was final!

We were now the parents of Heidy Johanna McIndoe and Andres Camilo McIndoe!!! I was stunned, excited and sad. I thought that it would be a bit more exciting…. For instance…. Maybe knowing what I was doing…. But that’s ok –I transitioned quickly, tears fell and I wished Pete were there, yet I was peaceful and grateful.

As we got off the elevator going back to Humbero’s office I could hear Hiedy squeeling and laughing and running down the hall. Silly girl… she can make anything fun! I asked Humberto to explain to the children that they were officially McIndoes! I wish you could of seen their smiles! BIG, BIG smiles!!

We had to wait ½ hour for Sorany, our interpreter to come so Humberto asked us if we wanted to walk to the church on the corner. We walked to this huge, beautiful Catholic Church. It was filled with people worshipping and praying and standing in line for the confessionals. There were children kneeling up front. Humberto said they were taking their first communion. We sat in the front row. Humberto talked to Hiedy and Andres. I am not sure what he was talking about but it seemed important and then I think he prayed with them. I kept thinking that if Pete were there he would of prayed too. I felt shy… not sure why… not like me! But, I pushed past the shyness and held their hands and prayed together with them thanking the Lord that we were now their parents and they were now our children. When I opened my eyes I saw that Humberto had also added his hand to ours and was praying with us. It was a poignant moment for me… an Experiencing God moment!

The rest of this VERY HOT day we spent with our interpreter Soronay. She is a gem. We walked back and forth from her house to the notary 4 times… and still did not get the document we needed. (This is a different documents that allows me to travel to the states with Hiedy and Andres… important!)

Although we did not get the travel documents, Humberto assured me we could get it this week so not to worry. As Soronay and I were walking back – again – to the notary the air was thick, it was HOT and we were still waiting to hear from Humberto about the document that needed to be redone and signed. It was HOT and we were tired.

Just as I was starting to believe we were not going to get the corrected document Humberto called and told us to come quickly to the Court House. We hopped a taxi and bounded the steps up to the courthouse. Humberto met us on the steps. He looked at me, put his hands together as if praying and motioned for me to following him into the office. He spoke in Spanish to the same gentleman who was there in the morning when I signed the adoption papers. The man smiled… Humberto smiled… Soronay smiled… so I smiled too!

Thank you Lord… thank you….!!!! The corrected document was completed and signed!!!!

The judge had the mandatory document retyped and it was signed by the Family Defender and the Judge. Humberto had to sign it, and I had to sign it.

After that, Humberto asked Soronay and I if we wanted to go get a drink. I wondered what he was going to order. It was obvious that what had just happened was a VERY big deal! We enjoyed lemonade and celebrated!

A few other really special parts of Friday:

It wasn’t long into the morning before I realized Humberto knew EVERYBODY! We walked everywhere... and literally… seriously… at least every 10-20 people he would stop and talk and shake hands and smile and laugh a bit. I told him later I believed God used him and his good relationships with people to help get the necessary documents we needed quickly. I also kidded him; I told him everywhere we went it was like a parade and he was like the King smiling and waving to people!

During the day, when we weren’t walking or visiting the notary we stayed at Sorany’s. She and her sister have an English school in their home. It was very impressive and fun to watch her teach a few students. We got to visit with her sister and with her mom. It was a special day there… even though it was HOT!

At the end of the evening we still had a few hours until we could catch out plane. We took a taxi back to Casa Blanca, the hotel we stayed at in Neiva when Pete was with me. It was SO fun to surprise Jolanda, the manager and the people who work there. Jolanda immediately hugged us and instantly asked for Pete by name. She sat with me and we held hands - Love in Every Language…. Quite an experience… She remembered my favorite cold drink - fresh tangerine juice and brought it to me with out me even asking.

It was an amazing day. Throughout the day I kept thinking of “Manna for the Moment.” God met out needs… not necessarily our wants… like and air conditioner for instance…. – but our needs for sure!

So – that was Friday. Amazing.

Saturday we went to look at a new hotel but it was more expensive so we decided to stay put.

Yesterday, Sunday, we went sight seeing with Diego and his family. We took a trolly to the top of a HUGE mountain where there is a church. They were singing “Glory, Glory Halleluia!” in spanish – it was beautiful. Then we went to an outside plaza and I realized I had not one souvenir to bring home – so we did a little shopping. We also visited a friend, Francisco and his wife and family. It was a very fun day.

That leads us to today…. I am feeling much better now – not sick anymore. Thank you Lord!

We just received a call from the agency that the children’s birth certificates are ready. Tomorrow we will go get their new passports with their new names, their new identity cards and go to their Dr. appts.

Wednesday we will apply for their visas.

It looks like we could be home on Saturday!! WhoooHooo!!!