~My Friend Marisol & our friends Carlos & Gloria~

~As I have told y'all earlier, when I was pregnant with Elijah, I was lonely and wishing I could have a lady friend to spend time with, cook with, buy flowers with, etc.  (This was before we started helping at Pastor Jimmy and Sis. Farly's church and became great friends with all of the people there.)
One day I was sitting outside the mall on a bench, eating an apple, waiting for Phillip.  I looked up and here came this Christian-looking lady (Marisol) eating an apple too.  As she passed, I told her that I liked her jean skirt.  She stopped and we chatted for quite some time.  She had seen me about 6 months earlier in the mall near her house, and so wanted to talk to me, but didn't get the chance until this day.
From that day on, we became fast friends. God sent her my way for my lonely heart, and she tells me over and over how God sent me to her during a very TOUGH and LONELY time in her life!~

 Last week my friend Marisol came by our house for a quick visit. Since I had to run develop some pictures in the mall near her house, Kimberly, Sarah, Marisol, and I rode to the mall together and had one last outing of just lady time. We ate supper at Subway and then Marisol treated us to ice cream at Crepes and Waffles.  She told me that before I came along she had asked Jesus to let her get to know a TRUE old-fashion American who baked, cooked, etc. She said that the people who started her church years ago were American and she had heard all kinds of stories of how the American ladies made their own jams and jellies, etc.  So, she was telling us that I was a ANSWER to her prayer about meeting a TRUE American.   She said that she still can't believe that she has gotten to come make homemade bread in the "American's home."  =)  She tells me that have been healing to her lonely heart.  She said that SHE is the reason God kept us here in Colombia instead of sending us to Argentina last Aug. or Sept., for she's going through a HUGE VALLEY and told me she REALLY needed me these last few months!  Please pray for her if she crosses your mind.
~I had just said something goofy right before Kimberly took this picture of Marisol and I enjoying our yummy ice cream.~

~Kimberly and Sarah enjoying their ice cream too. It was a delightful evening to just relax in the midst of our sorting, packing, etc.~

  ~Then the next day we were invited to our dear friends Carlos & Gloria's house for a special, yummy, Colombian dinner with them and Gloria's parents.  This is their adorable little Joel Felipe (named after my Felipe...my Phillip) eating his lunch.  =)~

~We had a nice afternoon together.~

~Goofy Phillip, Kimberly and Carlos put together these 2 coffee mugs with glasses, shoes, hair clip, ear phones, phone, etc.~

~Kimberly with their "finished product." =D~

So, here's an update, so you'll know how to KEEP PRAYING!!!
~We found out that we SHOULD BE allowed to take two  50#  suitcases EACH!!!  YEA!!!  We're so HAPPY for that will help us get more things HOME that we want to get home.  Praise the Lord!!!
(And if tonight is any indication...we'll need every BIT of that extra weight ....for 2 of our neighbors just rang our doorbell tonight bearing NICE GIFTS for our family!  How thoughtful.  =)
~Our hearts are filled with mixed emotions.  We're soooooo EXCITED to go home and see all of y'all our family and friends there, but SOOO SAD to leave our people here.
~Our babies don't really understand what is going on. Elijah was only 2 years old and Mary just 3 months the last time we were in the USA, so they don't know what "THE USA" is!!  
Every time they see yet another person taking OUR FURNITURE and leaving with it... Elijah gets quite upset.  So, we try to explain to him that we can't take beds and couches on the plane, and that we have some at home in the USA.  I've told our older children that Elijah and Mary will need lots of loving during these days, so they will feel more secure in the midst of ALL THIS CHANGE.  Please pray for their little hearts.
~Tomorrow everyone is to come and pick up their furniture, so by the evening we should have no more furniture in our house.  We have several suitcases packed and weighed. Praise the Lord!  BUT, in spite of the fact that we keep giving BAGS of stuff away, the house is FAR from empty!!!  Any volunteers to just come and PITCH the rest? =D
~Pastor Jimmy and Sis. Farly have graciously opened up their home for us to come and stay our last week with them.  That way, each morning we can come back to our BY THEN EMPTY HOUSE...HOPEFULLY ... and clean it, so we can turn in the keys soon, Lord willing.
~PLEASE KEEP PRAYING.  I'm getting SO TIRED that I might just have to let my family finish doing the rest of the packing and work.  =)
 

~What? Celebrating Kimberly & Noah's birthday AGAIN? =) ~

Back in June, we told Pastor Jimmy and Sis. Farly and their family about the new American pizza restaurant PAPA JOHN'S that we had just discovered had arrived in Colombia.  We told them that we'd like to take them there some time to eat!
Since Kimberly's birthday was highly CELEBRATED back in July, we really didn't plan on doing much for her birthday.  We did celebrate Noah's here at home, but Pastor Jimmy and his family couldn't join us that day.
So, Kimberly asked us if we could do 2 things in one.  Could we keep our promise to Pastor Jimmy & family and take them to PAPA JOHN'S and at the same time celebrate her and Noah's birthdays with them? =)
We decided that she had a good idea, and that we'd go to a new mall they had told us about to do it.
Our lives (their family and ours) are SO BUSY right now, that it took us several weekends of trying to make this happen, but we finally got to go last Friday.
We met up with them, walked around the fun mall, bought VERY little, (but a few fun, cheap things =), and then ate Papa John's Pizza together!  We had a lot of fun!  Here are some pics for you to enjoy!
~Phillip, Pastor Jimmy, Sis. Farly, and I WAITING for our pizza!~

 ~Natalie and Kimberly~

 ~Noah wanted us to take a picture of his pizza, for he had covered it in HOT PEPPERS! =)
YES! He ate it all gone!~

~On Noah's birthday post I forgot to mention how HAPPY our family was when Noah was born.  We were so HAPPY to have a son join our little family, and Kimberly and Sarah thought their little brother Noah was the best thing since Fried Ice cream!!!  =) 
How we Thank the Lord for sending Noah into our family.  He's such a DEAR and loves his brother and sisters and Daddy and Mommy to pieces.  It's so CUTE to see how he LOVES baby Mary and hugs her, carries her around, etc.  He's a GOOD BIG BROTHER to lil' Mary! =) 
Noah, WE LOVE YOU, and are so HAPPY that you are a part of our family!!~

 

 ~Gaby, Sarah, Noah, and Elijah. (Mary was asleep in the stroller!)

 ~In the background, Pastor Jimmy is making a sad face and showing y'all that the pizza is GONE! =)~

 ~But, we did SAVE MARY some pizza for when she woke up.
We were HAPPY to find this HUGE paper bib that a Steak Restaurant has for it's clients.  We asked permission to have one so that Mary didn't COVER herself in Pizza while she ate and we walked around in the mall. =) ~

 ~It stopped raining long enough for us to go out on the 5th floor of the mall, and see the various fun water fountains, and the pretty Mountains and city around.~

 ~Our DEAR friends Pastor Jimmy and Sis. Farly~

 ~Pastor Jimmy, Sis. Farly, my Sweetheart, and I!~

 ~This was a fun water fountain that you could push the buttons and make the water do different designs.  It was really pretty at night for it had all kinds of lights on it too.~

 ~Our family~

 ~Pastor Jimmy and his family.~

 ~And that is when I asked Kimberly to take this picture of Phillip and I to put on my blog for Valentine's day.  =)
The kind of internet that our family has is WAY SLOW!  So, I didn't want to use up internet by going on Pinterest, to find some fun couple picture ideas.
So, Jesus must have popped this one into my head! =D
However, since Kimberly & my Phillip weren't really for sure what I had in mind, neither one were "gung-ho" about taking this picture, but they all  WE ALL  LOVE how it turned out. =)~

 ~And we finished off the evening with some ice cream from McDonalds.~

 ~Mary LOVED her cone, and Ate. Every. BIT. BY. HERSELF!!~ =)

  ~The kids enjoying their ice cream.  (I failed to get a picture of Natalie & Kimberly with their ice cream.)~

~Sis. Farly, Gaby, and Sarah watching the fountain and the pretty lights.  I missed getting the really colorful lights in the fountain.~

It was a very fun evening together with some of our DEAREST Colombian friends; one that we will not soon forget!