Home Life

We're back into the groove now! I worked my first full day and Marcelo and the family had a really good day. It snowed a little last night so he got to go outside and play and have another one of his "firsts". I'll share a few of those in this post as well. I wanted to share what our lawyer told us about the last 2 days in Ecuador. Everywhere she went people said what we were doing was impossible yet here we are. We told how we had the crazy day of traveling to get his identification card. What she told us of her day is that as she hurried to the airport and arrived there they told her boarding was closed. She showed her ticket and said the plane wasn't even there yet. It just so happened that thick clouds covered the little town Catamayo where the airport was and delayed the plane just enough that they let her on. She then went to Quito to work on our papers. She first went to get some papers signed. The lady asked if everything was legal because no one ever comes with the papers dated the same date. She showed them her plane ticket and everything and they were surprised. They then told her that the Lady who normally signs those was out on sick leave and the other person with authority had resigned the day before. There was no one with the authority in the country to sign the paper. They said we'd have to wait until Jan. 4th, 2010 and someone was appointed. Our little hero lawyer then asked what she needed to do. They said they couldn't do anything. She asked again. They told her the steps that had to happen to get all this done. She then took all the legal paperwork from person to person getting signatures and approvals until someone who had never done this was appointed. This new person then procedes to ask her questions about us she doesn't know like where we were born, birthdates, etc... She tries to call me but I don't hear the phone. Finally this person says she has one more minute, I answer the phone and she asks me to text her the info. I had no idea the hurry she was in. It took me a while because of the cheap little phone I had. She called in the middle asking why I hadn't sent it, I told her it would be there. I find out later the person left, she ran down the stairs, blocked the doorway with her little body, and told them to wait, the info was coming. The paper got signed.

The next day another paper had to be signed. The only man to sign that was away on religious holiday praying. She had to get a flight this same morning (the 23rd) to make it to Guayaquil to work on the Visa. They said she'd have to wait again. Someone contacted him, she said he told her, " a child is even more important than this", left where he was at, and came and signed the paper. She then couldn't find a ticket to Guayaquil because of the holidays. She spoke to a friend in the government who got her on the plane because of "special government" business. Off she went. This is the day we had to wait until noon for the passport. Which we did get around noon. We ate and were back at the house when she called and needed the scanned copy of the passport. That story is recorded as well. It was needed come to find out for the US doctor to sign the necessary paperwork for the Visa. With this copy they started the paperwork for us to just go, show the original on the 24th and get the final paperwork at the US consulate. We made it to Guayaquil as you know. Ran around all morning and finally caught our planes. Due to many days of looking at different return options I can say I felt inspired as to what planes to book and the times of them. It was really the ONLY option to get home that night.

So many miracles over the past month. It's hard to describe how our faith in the Lord and his miracles has increased. I guess some could look at it and just say we were lucky or we had a hard working lawyer. But we know that through the prayers, fasting, and faith of us, our family, and hundreds of friends, and maybe even some people we don't even know that God heard those and answered them. We can never doubt this.

Marcelo has enjoyed a lot of firsts. His first plane ride, his first water fountain in the airport. He sucked on the fountain itself, I had to show him how to sip from the top of the stream, very cute. His first bathrooms with the automatic water on, handdryer, and flushers. His first home with a family in it. First older brother to share of room with. Him and Trey just layed there looking at eachother with the blankets up to their noses and a slight grin on their faces that first night. His first snow and really cold weather. His first bike, riding it outside, 39 degrees, with a cold drizzle on Christmas morning, he knows only one speed and that is FAST!

I'm sure Jill has some more firsts and I'll let her add those as they come. Thank you everyone again for all the help, prayers, and faith. It's so good to be home yet we miss a lot of our Ecuador experience. It seems as if it passed like a dream and here we are. What a blessing to know that God lives and loves his children. He is there always waiting for us if we will but come close to him and ask. May God bless you all.