You might want to grab a cup of hot chocolate, hot coffee or hot tea...and settle in for awhile for this is a LONG post. But, it is full of FUN Colombian pictures and memories that I want to make sure I have in my blog books when I print them out. :-)
~Saying those HARD goodbyes before we left the USA! Cousin Bryan holding Baby Abigail.~
~My DEAR Sister Laura made a special Christmas eve supper for us the night before and made a yummy breakfast for us on Christmas morning...right before we left for the airport.
THANK YOU, Laura!!!
Cousin Brittany with Mary, Elijah, and Noah.~
~In the airport with Gramp and Gram.~
~Flying to Colombia on CHRISTmas day!~
~We felt so special that our great missionary director Bro. Mark Becker and his dear wife and my Daddy and Moma went to the airport with us!! ~
~Elijah and Mary wanted to wear suitcase "name tags", so we got a picture of them with their "ID tags." =)~
~Abby had given Sarah $5.00 to get a Starbucks in the airport. (Thank you, Abby!! :-) Sarah also got a $5.00 gift card at the youth Christmas gathering. So, Dear Sarah treated Kimberly and I to a yummy Eggnog Starbucks in the Cinci Airport before we fly to Dallas Ft. Worth. =) THANK YOU, SARAH! ~
~Elijah in our first plane.~
~Mary and Daddy.~
~Kimberly in the airplane.~
~We were ABOVE THE CLOUDS!~
~Noah and Mommy...taking and "us-ie"~
~Sarah. 4 of our 6 children got window seats on our first airplane ride.~
~One day right before we left Cinci, we were BUSY packing...when someone knocked on our door. When we opened it, there stood Rebekah and Sarah Wegener with 3 Starbucks coffees, suckers for all the kids, Lego type toys for the boys from their brother Joseph, Coloring book and crayons for Mary, a notebook and pens for Sarah, and 2 adorable hats that Rebekah made for Kimberly and Abigail.
Here is Noah on the airplane... playing with the toys from Joseph Wegener.
It was SOOO sweet of the Wegeners to think of our family. THANK YOU, Rebekah and Sarah, and Wegener family for your kindness!~
~Another airplane landing at the same time we were in Dallas-Ft.Worth, TX!~
~Abigail sleeping in the second airplane heading to Bogota, Colombia.~
~They served us a nice choice of meals on this airplane. A salad with chicken, and a caramel brownie, or ....
~A turkey sandwich, a little salad, and a caramel brownie. :-)~
~We got to Colombia safe and sound at 12:15 AM on December 26th!
But when we went to collect our baggage...Sarah's suitcase was missing!
It contained her clothing, her violin, and Noah's ripstick (sort of like a skateboard) which he had just received for Christmas! :-(
But, Thank the Lord, yesterday (4 days later) her suitcase was delivered to Pastor Jimmy's house!~
~It was SO NICE to be with Pastor Jimmy and Sis. Farly again!!! We got to their house at 2:00 A.M.
Of course we ALL were exhausted and slept in!!
When we got up...For our first Colombian breakfast they served us yummy tamales and hot chocolate!~
~On Friday night we took Nataly and Gaby (Pastor Jimmy's daughters...our "adopted daughters":-) to the park to see all the Christmas lights. Colombians really know how to decorate for Christmas with pretty lights!
Here is Gaby, Sarah, and Mary.~
~Mary, Elijah, and Noah in the park.~
~Gaby and Sarah eating their green mango with salt and lemon.~
~Abigail riding in her new stroller. Our friends from CNC bought us a new jogging stroller for Elijah when he was a baby back in 2008 and we used it for Mary as well. Since we have no car on the mission field, this stroller helps us lug our groceries home as well! I can't tell you how many POUNDS of groceries that stroller carried plus Mary and sometimes Elijah... and we WORE IT OUT!!!
So we got a new one for Abigail before we left the states.~
~Kimberly, Nataly, Sarah, Gaby, Abigail and Mary.~
~Phillip and I with our beloved Andes mountains behind us.~
~Elijah and Noah happy to be back in Colombia.~
~We went back to visit the apartments where we lived and we were happy to see Kimberly's friend Angela. Kimberly used to teach her English!~
~Our family with Angela and her mother. They are very sweet people and were so Happy to see us and we were Happy to see them!~
~Phillip and the kids at the park.~
~The Lord gave us a wonderful service on Sunday! It was so GOOD to see all our Colombian people again! And they were happy to see us!~
~The kids in Sunday School.~
~Us up in front of the church greeting everyone.~
~The Lord helped Phillip to preach.~
~Kimberly's friend Angela came to church. We were so Happy to have her come!~
~Me (Heather) with my dear friend Zulma and another lady from church.~
~Dear Marina and I. (My Kimberly remembers being Happy years ago when she got as tall as Marina. :-) ~
~Marina (on your right) attended the first church Phillip pastored here in Colombia. So, she is part of our Colombia family, having known us since 2006!~
~Some cute little girls from the church. Alejandra, Mary, Heather Sofia, and Stephanie.~
~Sarah and her Beloved friend Gaby. They are twins separated at birth!! :-) They think alike, act alike, and love each other to pieces!~
~Sis. Farly served us Yummy Skyline chili...for Sunday dinner here in Colombia.~
~We Love our Dear Pastor Jimmy and Sis. Farly, Nataly and Gaby!
They are such DEAR people and love God with their whole heart! We have such wonderful fond memories of our times being with them...and are happy that God has allowed us to make some more memories being together.
They are part of our Colombian family too!!!!!
We really appreciate them opening up their home to use while we are visiting here. They are treating us better than we deserve.
Please pray that Jesus blesses them really good and gives them grace ...for with their family... there are 12 of us in their home. :-)
We are helping with groceries and trying to keep things neat and helping with meals and dishes, but still it isn't easy having 14 large suitcases, and 5 little suitcases, and 8 extra people in their house. :-)
~Pastor Jimmy's Dear Parents Bro. Jaime and Sis. Sofia. They are such Dear people and we love them to pieces too.~
~Mary and Abigail.~
~Mary playing with her play dough that Pastor Jimmy and family gave her. The boys got some nice remote control cars from them as well. :-) ~
~Then yesterday I got to see my Dear friend Marisol for the first time in 1 year and 9 months!!!
We were so happy to see each other again!!!
Back in 2008....Jesus sent her to me at a time when I was very LONELY here in Colombia. Later I found out that it was a very lonely time in her life as well, and she had PRAYED for a friend.
We met outside of this mall.
When I was pregnant with Elijah...I was sitting on a bench outside of this mall
eating an apple and waiting for Phillip and the kids... when Marisol walked by
eating an apple! :-)
I told her that I liked her skirt and she stopped to talk to me. She told me that she had seen me about 6 months before inside that mall and had admired that I would leave my country to come and be a missionary in her country. She told me that when she saw me that first time she told herself...one day I'm going to get to know her! :-)
So, as you can imagine it was a very happy reunion yesterday! :-)
She LOVES my magazines from the USA (Better Homes and Gardens especially) so I was able to bring her a couple.~
~Marisol and Abigail.~
~Marisol and I having some yummy Colombia ...Juan Valdez... coffee. :-)~
Stay tuned for more pics from our Christmas and from our time here in Colombia. We plan to be here for 2 or 3 weeks and then go on to Argentina, Lord willing.
THANK YOU for your prayers for us as we packed and as we flew to Colombia.
I WOULD NOT have made it without y'all's prayers!
I cannot tell you what an overwhelming job it is to pack for a family for a YEAR, and make sure you don't forget things, make sure you have clothing for your family for all 4 seasons of Argentina, make sure the suitcases weigh less than 50 lbs., make sure you have all the kids school work and musical instruments, etc.
God really helped us...and I could tell that YOU were praying! THANK YOU!!!
~HEATHER~
