Hello all! This very overdue update will likely be only the first part of a series of posts to catch you all up to where we are today. I had every intention of posting a short update when we arrived in Colombia, maybe even while we were there, and as we arrived home... But, as you can see through my lack of posts, we boarded that first plane and from that moment on we haven't quite had the time and energy to put together a thoughtful and sincere update.
Before I backtrack to the beginning of our time in country, I do want to give you a quick idea of where we are currently. We arrived home in the States as a family of five nearly two months ago. While at first there were some new challenges with yet another change in location and routine, at this point we are finding a groove and the adjustment for everyone seems to be continually moving on the upswing. Communication between the kids is an ever-evolving explosion of language learning and I've been able to move from translator to miscommunication resolution assistant, haha. We've been so thankful to jump back in at church after 30 days out of the country, and L loves being involved at Mercy Hill en Español. We've completed 5 weeks of homeschool, started gymnastics, and showed L the fun things we can do at the science center. We've eaten well (THANK YOU ALL!) and felt so loved by our people too.
Now, let's take a moment to rewind to January 2022...
On Jan 9th, we woke in the middle of the night and made our way to the airport for an early departure. K and T were full of excitement and we managed to make it to Bogotá, Colombia with 2 kids and 7 suitcases by mid-afternoon. Moving through the airport was a breeze and our driver was waiting for us as we exited the doors. Before we knew what was really happening we were loaded in a van and on our way to our apartment. With multiple trips up the tiny elevator, the whole family and all our bags made it to the 5th floor, found the key, and couldn't figure out how to get the door open. OOPS! A little fumbling through getting accustomed to using the Spanish I'd worked to hard to learn and we received a lesson on the tricky door and entered our home for the next month. It took the entirety of the rest of that day to walk to the store and grab some basic groceries and order in dinner. There was an app called Rappi that we would soon learn was our BEST friend because we could have meals and groceries and any other number of things delivered directly to our building.
The next two days were mostly filled with continuing to acclimate ourselves not only to our surroundings, navigating, and communicating, but also to the change of elevation. A quick jog up 5 flights of stairs was all it took to remind me of the drastic change, because I couldn't even catch my breath enough to explain to Ben the information I had gathered from our incredibly helpful friend in the lobby.
On Wednesday, full of excitement and also with a lot of nervous energy we prepared to meet L and bring her home with us. A day we had been awaiting for many months. It was hard to know what to expect... we'd had Skype calls for weeks and even just the day before, but how would she respond to seeing us face to face. We arrived and signed a few papers, waited for what seemed like hours - though it really wasn't - and then they brought her to the room to meet us.
She rounded the corner timidly, a blank look on her face, and slowly walked into my arms and stayed there for a while. I leaned back to tell her how beautiful she looked and how happy we were to be there with her, and Ben and the girls leaned in to give hugs as well. At that point, they left us in the room alone with her and we shared the bag of coloring supplies and little toys we had brought. She remained timid and communicated only with a nod of her head. After a little coloring and searching through the bag of toys, all the big emotions began to catch up with her. After a little support from the amazing staff and some more time to acclimate, I held her in my arms repeating how brave she was and how proud I was of her as we walked out to the van to go back to the apartment.
I'll be honest, as much as we had prepared for this moment, it was hard to carry her out with tears in her eyes and hold her as she looked out the window of the van and began to cry again. Once we had made it about 10 mins down the road, she stopped crying and was holding the little rainbow fidget spinner Ben had given her - though she was reluctant to open it. She seemed exhausted from all that had happened, so I asked her if she would like to lay down and she immediately shook her head in agreement and fell asleep in my arms. So, this how we rode the rest of the way back.
My mind was filled with ideas about how it would go when we arrived. Would she be scared of the new place? Would she even eat dinner? Would she sleep well or be crying to be in a familiar place? But, we arrived at the apartment and made it back upstairs and in the door. She quietly walked in, and showed some immediate curiosity about the birthday gifts that were on the table, so we allowed her to open them. As the minutes passed, you could see her relax more and more. Only moments later she was changing into her pajamas and running around with K and T playing and laughing. She was a completely different child than what we had seen only hours before. After filling our hungry bellies, we tucked in three girls into two pushed together double beds for the first time.
All of that waiting and anticipating, and there they were... three girls all snuggled up together sleeping in an apartment in Bogotá. So, Ben and I quickly made our way to bed as well, praising God for a successful bedtime and not knowing what the night or the next day may hold.
And this is where I'll leave you for tonight... to be continued.