PHILLIP IS HOME SAFELY NOW!!! PRAISE THE LORD! =)
Well if I would have known the HALF of what I was going to face on our flight back to Colombia from Argentine...I WOULD HAVE HAD A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS! I couldn´t get to my blog to tell you details, but I know that a lot of you were praying!
After showing our CLEAN apt. to our landlady (WHO ARRIVED ON TIME =) and receiving our deposit back...our dear Chinese friends took us to the airport.
We arrived at 1 AM. Much to our sadness, the airlines desks weren´t opened so we had to sit in hard seats out in the FREEZING AC until we could check in around 3:30 or so. But our kids were HAPPY for we were going home...and they had a bunch of new toys to play with that Daddy had purchased for our trip. (Legos, playdough, etc.=)
When we checked in all went well...exept for we were SAD when we were told we had to send ALL OF OUR CARRYONS underneath. We had packed 2 with extra clothes in case of emergency, and with our valueable so they wouldn´t get stolen. So, we quickly went and wrapped those suitcases with plastic and prayed a prayer that they would arrive safely! Then when we went through customs...we figured that this part would go relatively smoothly...and before we knew it we would be at the gate awaiting our time to board!
NOT!!!!
We DID NOT REALIZE that Phillip´s passport had EXPIRED on Feb. 21, 2012!! (When we were in the USA last time we realized that we needed to renew it, but didn´t realize it until it was too late to renew it there. Phillip assured me that he could do it when we got to Colombia! Then when we got back here our apt. was filled with mold, we had to sort through our stuff and throw a lot away, Elijah got sick and nearly died, God provided another apt. and we moved!!! Needless to say we never thought of Phillip´s passport date again. (10 years seems like an eternity...so one NEVER thinks that the 10 years will pass as quickly as they did! =)
So, Phillip was told that HE COULD NOT TRAVEL...THAT I WOULD HAVE TO TRAVEL ALONE!!! So...with a kiss goodbye, and one of my children weeping from saying goodbye to Phillip (HAVING NO IDEA WHEN WE WOULD SEE HIM AGAIN!) I boarded the plane BY MYSELF with 5 children and all our carryons!! (Right before I got on the plane Phillip told me that I WOULD NOT GET OUR STROLLER UNTIL COLOMBIA! That meant I´d have a layover with no stroller to help carry babies and things!)
The problem was that Mary had SLEPT ALL NIGHT...and the rest of us had NOT SLEPT A WINK!! Ever since she´s learned to walk she LOVES to walk and does NOT like to sit for long periods of time. So out of the WHOLE DAY (a nearly 3 hour flight from Argentina to Sao Paulo, Brazil) a 2 hour layover there where nearly everyone speaks Portuguese, and the last 5 and a half hour flight...she slept ALL OF 45 mins.!!!
God really helped us and THANKFULLY the people around us LOVED Mary and she got nothing but smiles when I would allow her to stand in the airplane aisle occasionally! When we landed in Brazil I thought I UNDERSTOOD IN Portuguese that I HAD TO COLLECT ALL OF MY LUGGAGE (13 counting a computer bag we had with us) and go through customs! I thought I´d DIE and PRAYED that God would PLEASE help me just to be able to go straight to our next gate! HE ANSWERED PRAYER and we didn´t have to collect everything...NOR DID WE HAVE TO WALK TO "TERMINAL Z" (meaning the FARTHEST GATE AWAY ;-)...just a short walk and we were at our gate.
We arrived safely last night in Bogota...and Bro. Jimmmy, and Sis. Farly along with her sister and husband picked us up in the airport. Thankfully by the time we got to our luggage it was on the floor so we didn't have to KILL our backs trying to lug our HEAVY suitcases off the moving belt!
Bro. Jimmy and Sis. Farly brought us home to our SUPER clean house that they had cleaned for us. (They said that since all the windows in the houses here...have openings above them to let in air, the whole house was COVERED in DUST!!) Sis. Farly had washed all of our bedding, cleaned everything, made our supper (YUMMY rice with chicken and a whole gallon of sweet tea!) They gave me money to spend until I could go and get some and just went the 49th MILE for us! WHAT A DEAR COUPLE! I´m convinced that they are ANGELS from Heaven. =)
Mary...who´s not used to steps fell down the stairs last night and got a bloody nose. =( So, now all of us are BACKING DOWN THE STAIRS trying to teach her how to go down our 38 stairs in our house!
We were able to have a good night´s sleep...although sweet Mary awoke at 6:30 and wouldn´t play by herself, but wanted to be with MOMMY...who was DYING to sleep! =)
When I arrived Bro. Jimmy told me that Phillip had an emergency passport and was to fly HOME TODAY!!! Please pray for him to arrive safely!!!
We are HAPPY to be home. Our kids are THRILLED to be in their rooms and with their toys again. I don´t have internet at home yet, so am writing this from a Spanish computer in an internet cafe.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!!! I would have NEVER have made it without YOUR PRAYERS. When a missionary flys internationally they NEVER know what they will face! So when yáll pray...God goes before them and helps!! =)
