~WE ARE NOW COLOMBIAN RESIDENTS!...Because you prayed~

THANK YOU for helping us pray!!!   Yesterday, Dec. 27th, we had plans to go apply for our Colombian residencies again!   Before we left Phillip was reading His Bible, and He read this verse to me.
Psa 118:5 I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. 

He told me that when our bag/important documents were stolen that we CALLED upon the Lord in D.I.S.T.R.E.S.S...
and that the Lord answered us by giving us back our bag/documents! 
He then said, "I wonder if the "LARGE PLACE" might mean that He's going to help us get our Colombian residencies today????!
We went to the office and turned everything in.  We knew that some of the kid's Needed paperwork were in their EXPIRED passports which we do not have with us!!!   If they were to ask for these...they are SOMEWHERE in our house in the USA but we don't have a clue where, so we knew we had to apply WITHOUT THOSE!  
It would only be GOD if we got these Colombian residencies!! 
You have to know....that we have worked on these for 6 1/2 years!  There are UNTOLD HOURS OF HEADACHES trying to get together all of our documents, running to north Bogota, getting things from the USA, making copies, getting them translated, etc., etc.  We were to the END OF OUR ROPE, and were ready to be DONE with this process!!! 
I sat in the office and prayed silently and told the Lord that if it was NOT HIS WILL for us to have these residencies, to PLEASE SLAM the door shut so we'd know!  I didn't feel like I could do this anymore!!!! 
A few minutes later the lady helping Phillip came out and got him and took him back with her to her office. 
The kids and I waited a few more minutes and he came out and told us that he had to run to get her a few copies of some papers and then....WE WOULD BE COLOMBIAN RESIDENTS!!!  
She told the kids and I that we could leave, so we ran to a local mall and waited for Phillip to finish. 
A couple hours later he joined us and we went to McDonalds and
 CELEBRATED GOD'S VICTORY OF GIVING US OUR LIFE TIME COLOMBIAN RESIDENCIES!!!   =)

 

~Enjoying some blackberry Sundaes since we are "part Colombian" now. =)~

~Elijah took this picture of us!
Phillip is holding the briefcase that had been stolen...but is now holding our 7 Colombian Residencies!!~

~The mall had these fun "Snowy hills" (white fluffy carpet with padding underneath) that the younger kids could slide down.  Here's Elijah enjoying himself.~

~And Phillip helping Mary slide down. 
After we left the mall we went home and got ready and went to our mid-week church service.  It made us Happy at how H.A.P.P.Y. our Colombian people were that we are now "one of them!"  =D ~

Years ago Phillip felt like Jesus gave us this verse when we were working on our Colombian visas the first time (in 2006). 

Rev 3:8  I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 
After they gave us our Colombian residencies, the Lord reminded Phillip of this promise which he had forgotten about!
(Every 2 years we had to go through this same L.O.N.G. process renewing our Colombian visas.  Every time (among many other things)...We had to buy NEW ORIGINAL copies of all of our birth certificates, and marriage license...and they all had to be apostilled, translated, and then certified by the Colombian government.    After 5 or 6 years of having Colombian visas, we could then apply for our Colombian residencies. 
You can imagine our RELIEF that we do not have to do this ANYMORE!!!)   

~Phillip and I...(with our sidekick Elijah =) ...holding our passports with our new Colombian residencies.  For the expiration date our Visas have always said the date of 2 years later and this time it says, "Without End."  =D
Now we can come and go into Colombia to minister to our people and the churches here no matter how the political situation might be....for the duration of ours and our children's life time!
GOD IS AWESOME!!!~