~The Amazon TLC team~

~The TLC Team, Bro. John Finsky, the Colombian Jonathan, and our family at our quick meeting at the Bogota airport!~ (notice the 3 police in the background to the left!)

The TLC team that was heading to work in the Amazon with Becky Stence, had an overnight layover here in Bogota. So we got word that they'd be at the airport, and that they had some things for me from Kayla...so we went to see (meet) them. We got there to the airport and IT WAS VERY PACKED...people everywhere...and Police everywhere. (I don't know if they were expecting someone important, or if they were there to guard the TLC TEAM. =) We were standing there in the crowd, trying to tip-toe and peak through the GLASS WINDOWS into the airport, trying to see if we could see the team...when an older man came up and asked Kimberly where we were from. Well, we are sooo used to hearing that, so we didn't really think anything about his question and Kimberly told him that we were from the USA. He then asked WHERE in the USA? and then Kimberly and I realized that HE DID NOT HAVE A SPANISH ACCENT TO HIS ENGLISH...I then told him "We're from Ohio"! Then he SURPRISED US BY SAYING " I'm here to pick up the group from HOBE SOUND!" I told him that we were there waiting to meet them too, for they had some things for us. He then said, "Here, TALK TO BECKY"...and handed me his cell phone! Help us, I had no idea WHO BECKY WAS...so I grabbed the phone and said, "Hello, PAUSE...SILENCE...(then Hello from the other end)...than I said, "This is Heather Dickinson...is this Becky Stence?" And it was her...so we chatted for 2 seconds (even though we've never met) and then I gave the phone back to the man. The man ended up being John Finsky a Lutheran from Chicago that has worked in the Amazon for many years. ~Someone hired a Mariachi band to play to welcome their friends or family to Colombia. (The band was playing right outside the airport.) The people that arrived in Colombia were very touched, and there was lots of hugging and crying going on. Phillip and I wondered if it weren't a missionary family that was missionaries here years ago, and were returning for a visit.~

Bro. Finsky, 2 Colombian men, (that would take he and the team to where they would spend the night) Jonathan (the new Colombian guy that we had over to teach him English to prepare him to go to Hobe Sound to study) and us waited, and WAITED...and finally the TLC group came into view...almost the last persons out of the airport, it was 10:30 PM or later.
~This is the Colombian Jonathan that has plans to study at Hobe Sound. PLEASE DO PRAY FOR HIM, FOR THE USA JUST DENIED HIM HIS VISA FOR THE 2ND TIME! PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL WORK OUT HIS WILL IN THIS! HE HAD PLANS TO START STUDYING AT HOBE S. THIS AUGUST!~

We all waved to the TLC team through the window...and I felt sorry for them, for they waved back, but THEY KNEW NONE OF US, AND WE KNEW NONE OF THEM! When they came out, I said to the girls in the team, "So which of you is attending, or attended GBS?" And they showed me which girls...and then I introduced Phillip and I and told them that we attended GBS too, and love it! Then, Phillip said, "And we love Hobe Sound too!" and all of the young people laughed. I asked which of the guys was from Dad Sankey's church in Bedford...and we met Josh. Then I asked which one was from U. Carson's church in GA, and we met Jonathan. Jonathan then told us that he has our prayer card on his refrigerator at home, so when he saw our kids, he recognized us. I then asked if anyone knew "Nathan Becker" that attends Hobe Sound, and most of the kids knew the Becker kids, and so I told them that their Daddy is our Missions director. I also told them that Mark Potter has told us that we could have a TLC team come here to help us if we ever want one. We'd LOVE to have one...but for right now, we have no building projects for them to help with, and unless the team was fluent in Spanish and could teach a VBS, or something, we wouldn't have enough to keep them busy for the 3 weeks they'd be here. We walked the TLC group to their van, and had fun chatting. Then I asked for a quick group pic (OF COURSE I HAD TO HAVE A PIC FOR I'M A BLOGGER!) We snapped some quick pics with several cameras, and then the team leader (Laurelynne Melendez) found out that we were the ones to get the things from Kayla so she gave them to us. I then told her that we would have LOVED to have had them over, but I knew they would not have time, so I made them some APPLE MUFFINS to eat with, or for breakfast, and some NO-BAKE COOKIES for a snack. The whole team in unison said, "AHHH, HOW SWEET!" Then they all piled in their van and we waved goodbye and they waved, and they were off! They were a good group of kids...nice, friendly, and fun to be with...even though we were with them only 10 mins. or so.
So that's the scoop! Praise the Lord we met up with them, got the things from Kayla, and got to give them my treats! It was a nice evening, and fun seeing people from the USA, that speak English. =)