City Tour and Museums

City Tour and Museums


So here is what’s happening in Cali. On Tuesday we got to see more of Cali from the Mountain highs. Enrique has a driver that took us up to the Mountain top that is the location of the statue of Cristo Rey. The statue was first built to celebrate 50 years of peace in Cali during the early part of the 1900’s and has since been rededicated once. From the location of their protector, Christ the King, you can look down over all of Cali. The population of Cali is about 2.5 million and that is all in once city. There are no suburbs here. The road leading up to the statue is typical of the winding up a mountain side, except well it was a narrow blacktop with zero visibility. We did get to see the results of a motorcycle crash on our way up. Again houses, buildings and schools were built into whatever space existed on the mountain side. We saw some neat sculptures that were built by a Colombian artist into the soft stone. The sculpture is Indigenous in style of faces and animals.
Once down from the mountain top we went to a park there and a church in it that was built in the 1700’s. We were permitted in once we knocked on the door and a resident nun let us in. There are still worship services there. The kids were excited when they saw and ice cream truck pull up, but they were only there to deliver to A LOT of ice cream to the nuns. I guess if I couldn’t marry I would eat a lot of ice cream too. Maybe it was for an ice cream social.
We continued our descent and went to a Plaza with a statue of Simeon Bolivar. The Statue is photographed, but there is much to learn just by watching people, traffic, street vendors… It is a busy plaza with all types of people. Many students, business people, young people distributing information on Cali, disabled laying on mats hoping for gifts of money, vendors selling garlic to juices, fruits and snacks. The business men sat on benches and a homeless man slept behind the bench. The social system is different with much less or no assistance available from the government for the disabled. Our interpreter said they are taken care of by their families.
That was our final stop for the day as we had one daughter with a headache and a son with a stomach ache. He has not been prone to car sickness, but if you ever you are going to experience it, I think the mountain roads, followed by city traffic without much regulation will cause it.

What's to eat and do in Cali?

Hola all! We are staying busy while in Cali. The weather remains very mild especially if you are from Iowa. We are comfortable here in shorts or pants, short sleeved shirts in the day and add a light jacket for the evening. Sandals are my choice in foot ware. It has rained about half of the days we have been here, but it is the rainy season. It hasn’t rained for an entire day yet, only for a few hours.
On Friday we went to the fruit and vegetable market. It was very interesting. You have tables overflowing with fruits primarily, but there are also some vegetables and herbs. We were able to try many varieties of fruits. We don’t know most of them in English. Some we are very familiar with, melons, apples, pears, bananas, kiwi, grapes, mango, pineapple, guava…, but then we also had lulo, a cactus fruit, something that sounds like aunion, grenadilla ( it’s the one the kids now refer to as bird snot), guanabanya, palm fruit and many others whose name I can no longer remember. You could hear the chickens that were still living nearby, but the less fortunate were hanging inside on hooks, ready to be prepared for dinner. There were also sides of pork and beef as well as fish from rivers and the sea. You could purchase drinks, juice, sodas, water, beer or meals prepared there. It was a huge market and there of course are many others like it in the city. I only saw one hydrant for getting water, and none of the vendors had water at the tables they rent. If you bought meat they would debone it or fillet it for you right there.
We saw other objects to purchase that were handmade items like brooms from plant life which is typically used and not for decoration. Enrique, the hotel owner and our host at the market purchases all his fruits, vegetables and meats at the market every Friday. So we are now eating at t he hotel what we saw and tried there. The fruits are very delicious. If you haven’t read my Facebook entry you missed Doug’s joke that made me laugh to tears. He said “I have more seeds inside me than an Earl May.” Incase your unfamiliar with Earl May it is a seed store in Iowa. I laughed so hard when he told me. It was the uncontrollable type of laughter that does the body good. We laugh and play much, but it is so necessary to have the laughter that helps us keep going. It is not all giggles when you have 5 kids and they are just getting to know each other, speak different languages and … It is hard to keep everyone happy all the time.
We swim every day…well the kids swim every day. I love swimming, but the water is very cool here. So I don’t really swim. Rosita has grown much more comfortable in the water and is no longer using any type of flotation device. Kimberlyn also loves the water, but always wears something floaty.
On Saturday we took and excursion to El Museo de Cana de Azucar. It is a sugar cane museum. It is similar to Living History Farms in Des Moines where you can see historical farms. It didn’t have any modern equipment. At the end we had some sugar cane juice and purchased some cane we haven’t yet tried. My guess is it is really sweet. Colombians love all things sweet. The tour was in Spanish so it didn’t hold a lot of interest for the kids, not even the Spanish speakers. The gardens were magnificent. We were unfortunately the final tour of the day so they were anxious to get rid of us. But I took many pictures as we were walking from one farm example to another. The car ride out there was about an hour long and was also interesting to since we travelled through smaller towns and we could see a different lifestyle. We have seen homeless digging through trash bags and eating whatever is available. This isn’t as common in the area we live in here, but more in other parts of town or in the smaller surrounding towns. It is common employment for people of all genders and ages to be selling snacks or fruit, or phone chargers or little birdies tied by string at the foot on the street corners, or to wash your car windows, whether you desire it or not expecting, payment at the end.
As far as the roads go, it is possible that they have the best drivers possible here. I believe this because I can’t imagine driving here. The roads don’t appear to have any lane designation, and if they did it wouldn’t matter. Traffic lights don’t seem to have much significance either. I believe the primary rule is whoever has the largest vehicle has right-of-way. Even in a city of 4 million people the streets are a mix of cars, trucks, buses, vans, motorcycles, scooters, animal driven vehicles as well as bicycles and some human pulled carts. We haven’t witnessed a crash or a tire with proper tread on them. The cars occasionally have paint transfer on them from rubbing, but not much damage. Cali does have mostly one-way streets; however nothing is straight, not even for one block! It would be so easy to get lost driving here. There is no time to adjust towards the inside or outside lanes of the street to change streets. So often times you will see turns to the right from the far left lane with lots of horn honking. I’m pretty sure it’s not for encouragement.
Yesterday was a trip to a restaurant. Enrique told us today the weather is not so good so we will go to a fine restaurant. So we put on the better clothes we brought and headed off with Enrique and his family as well as 5 other families. We did not know where this restaurant was, but it was a great ride out of the city and up into the mountains. We travelled for at least an hour, seeing pueblos built along the narrow roads into the mountain side. Along the way you could purchase anything from drinks and snacks to cell phone minutes, gas or goats. Speaking of gas, it cost 8,000 Colombian Pesos for one liter of diesel. That is about $4 per liter. Ouch, yet taxi’s are very inexpensive here. The restaurant served typical Colombian food and it was delicious. Doug shared with Rosita what is commonly thought of as the national dish, Bandeja Paisa. It seems more like this dish was invented by someone who thought “ I don’t know what to make for dinner, but I have red beans, rice, sausage, some ground beef, a piece of bacon and an egg to fry.” I had a typical soup, Salcochoco con Pollo. When they said with chicken they meant it. The soup part had a chicken liver, heart and foot in it. All that considered, it was still delicioso. Like the soup wasn’t enough, it also came with a chicken hindquarter, rice and avocado on the side. It was really good, but I didn’t eat any chicken toes. There was also a little playground and three caged parrots. The Spanish dad that is here to adopt tried to get the birds to talk, I told him that the parrots only spoke English. Always a joker, huh. Hacer un chiste (to make a joke). We had to learn these words quickly here to say we were only joking.
Today was another big day. For those who have adopted from Colombia, today was our Intergracion. The day where we get to say we want to continue as a family and begin the legal process of adoption. The girls, Doug and I, our translator and a Sociologist all discussed how our family is adjusting and functioning. Then we were asked and the girls were asked if we want to be a family. Estamos en acuedos (we agree we) want to be a family. So by tomorrow we will learn what court we have randomly been assigned to. This only matters because some courts are faster than others which means we get to come home sooner.
So if you would like to pray for us, I would ask for;
Continued bonding of our family, for the siblings to see the good in each other rather than to see how they are treated differently, for the desire to be obedient without having to be told repeatedly, and divine knowledge of English and Spanish (hey, pray big, right?)`. We are so thankful for safety and health, for this opportunity to grow our family and for the support of family and friends!

His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. Ephesains 1:5

The Meeting----La Encuentro

How am I to pick the words to describe meeting Kimberlyn and Rosita. We were picked up by our interpreter and went for a very interesting ride in 2 taxis to arrive at the office of ICBF. It was very well guarded. I don’t know why that is the case, but our interpreter needed to leave an ID with the guard and it was all gated in. We were met by our attorney there and we all went upstairs to wait our turn to talk with a committee about any final questions and receive information about the girls, like Rosa goes by Rosita. We received copies of their identification card and a letter saying that we accepted total responsibility for their health, safety and emotional well being while in our care. The facility was really warm and the furnishings were very well used. There wasn’t a board room to meet in, just a table that barely fit all of us. That is how it is here. They do not live in a society that is so disposal. Nothing seems to be replaced until it can no longer be fixed. Remodeling because you want a change doesn’t appear to happen. I appreciate that. Then the moment we were waiting for.
Syd, Jack and Evan saw them first. There were 2 doors in a corner, each facing a different way. They snuck the girls in one door while we were in the room behind the other door. When the attorney opened the door to let us know they had arrived, the kids saw the girls through the crack of the door. We left the table and went through a tiny passage and around the corner and we were greeted by Rosa and Kimberly. I cried! Rosa jumped up immediately and ran to me with a hug, and then she ran to Papa while Kimberly ran to me. All the kids joined in on the hugging. Later Doug over heard Jack telling Evan that he nearly cried and Evan said “I almost cried twice!” After hugs all around and then a second go around of hugs and kisses we sat down and we gave them some backpacks filled with things. One of them was bracelets that we helped them put together with their new names. Rosa put Rosita Houston on hers, but Kimberly could only put Kimberlyn because that is a long name and her wrist is very tiny. The time there was short and back to the taxis to ride to our hotel.
Back here we were greeted by staff and other families and took a few pictures as a family. The girls are so excited by electronics that we have decided to limit the opportunity and for this reason I haven’t blogged as much as I desired. It has been fun watching them use the computer and sing along in Spanish to the Ipods, but we must limit screen time so that we can bond. Much to the dismay of Evan they love Justin Beiber y Demi Lovato y Selena Gomez y Miley Cirus y jonas brothers y katy perry y etc. (Rosita typed that for me.)
It is very loud in our life right now. The girls love to tickle, they say “chica chica” when the tickle. They also adore their older sister and both desire to the one who gets to share the double bed with her. They are good eaters and can eat more than my boys combined. It is going to be interesting in our house because Kimberlyn is quite an actress. She loves to be the center of attention. Do remember that has been Evan too. WOW is it crazy. It seems that there is a game afoot of “one-ups-manship” for the youngest four that really seems to play out at meals.
We have been busy, mostly in the hotel. We went on an excursion yesterday with the hotel owner and other families to the zoo. Our newest girls love to take pictures, therefore I have lots of evidence we were there. After lunch we swam and played games, both electronic and otherwise. I brought many games and crafts. We have played Uno, Checkers, Kazink, Sequence, and tried Cribbage. We have made bracelets and colored. Painted nails and braided hair. I have learned lots of new vocabulary I never needed before in Spanish. Right now I can barely type only in English and had to ask Doug how to spell words in English because I could only think of the Spanish word.
It’s a small world after all. Walt Disney got that right. You won’t believe this, but another family staying here is adopting a girl and a boy from the same foster family as Kimberly and Rosa. So that was delightful to meet them and we can exchange information for the future. The down side is if they could, Rosa and Kimberly would spend all their time with Vanessa and Sebastian. I can only imagine what a hard week the Senora has had, saying goodbye to four kids. Other than her daughter, there is one girl from ICBF left in her care. Leidy is her name and she is 11 years old. I ask you to pray for her to have a family soon. It would be an awesome miracle if she were a part of the Kidsave Summer Miracle program hosting Colombian Orphans in Des Moines Iowa and while there met her forever family!
Tomorrow we are going on an excursion with the owner, Enrique, to the fruit and vegetable market. We don’t plan on leaving the hotel much on our own for safety reasons. There is a small shopping center 4 block from here that is called LA Catorce (14) that I have been to twice for little items.
There have been many times of bonding already with games, tickling, crafts and laughter. Sometimes I think you can hear us from there. I just asked Kimberlyn how is the Houston family and she said “la familia Houston is muy divertida.” Eso es! She said the Houston families is very fun and I added THAT’S IT!
We give praise and thanks to God for placing all of our children in our care and pray that He will help us raise them for His Glory.

Colombia Dia UNO

Greetings from Colombia!
Our travels began yesterday at 0500 (thats AM) when our friends who really love us (since they got up super early) met us at our house to take us to the airport! We flew to O'hare, Miami and then to Cali, Colombia. The flights were all on time and smooth sailing, but still it was a long day. We arrived in Cali at about 2200 EST or 10 PM and we were very tired. We were the last off the plane, so the last through customs. When we finally departed with our luggage we went out expecting to find someone our agency lined up to meet and transport us. There was a bit of confusion. After borrowing some guys phone, calling our representative in Bogota and some more waiting we got a ride to our hotel We are staying at a beautiful hotel called the Hotel Pension Stein. It specializes in hosting adoptive families and I love it already. We have 3 rooms already, but will be squeezing in our newest daughters tomorrow! The architecture and flora surrounding it is beautiful.

It is fun to see all the other families here with their beautiful children. We are anticipating meeting them tomorrow. What will that feel like? Will I jump or dance, will my legs shake as I wiggle in anticipati/on... I think for certain there will be tears! What are they feeling today? When I asked my boys what they thought Kim and Rosa maybe feeling they said anxious, scared, fearful, excitment... Doug said "they probably heard of Evan already." Jack said "heard of him, they probably have heard him." Evan was a little loud while in the pool a little while ago.

We have met with our lawyer and with our translator today. We are prepared for our first meeting with Rosa and Kimberly tomorrow at 2PM. Following our introductions Kimberly and Rosa will stay with us. We have a week to get to know each other and then return back to have a another meeting to begin the legal process of adoption!

Wait, What

Wait, What? Those are frequent words in our house. I no longer can remember who started it, but now it is a slogan that brings smiles and giggles. So when you heard the Houston’s are adopting, did you think “Wait, What???” We want to answers the Top 10 Questions we have been asked. God create the desire to adopt in us and now we are chasing after that dream.

10. Why International?

We believe that all types of adoption are God ordained ways to grow families and care for children. We desire to help children whose futures are uncertain. For each person considering adoption God will lead you in where to go.

9. Why Colombia?

My God given personality believes that there are no strangers in this world, just people I have yet to meet. So I met someone at Fareway who had just completed an adoption of a child from Colombia who she met through a program called Kidsave. Colombia has sibling sets, the kids are well cared for by the government, we speak some Spanish and the children are beautiful!

8. Are they sisters?

Yes. Colombia has sibling sets ranging from 2 to 7 and ranging in age from infants to 15 years old.

7. What happened to their parents?

Colombia has orphans due to all the main reasons, abuse, neglect, abandonment, internal conflict or violence in the country, AIDS, and poverty. Our daughters’ history is theirs to share when they are ready. We are waiting to talk about it with them and fill in the gaps of their memories with whatever information we may have when we feel the girls are mature enough.

6. Do they speak English?

We don’t believe that they know much yet? About as much English as Jack and Evan know Spanish! Fortunately Doug and I know enough Spanish to feed them and care for them. We will be asking for help for the big emotional issues pre-adolescent girls have even when not dealing with moving to a new country, learn a new language, eating different foods…

5. Why Older Kids?

We want to parent more, but not forever. Well that is true, but for us our hearts were softened to help the children for whom their hope is reduced. Many children remain without families only because of their age. Children beyond the age of 8 have a much reduced chance of finding a family. I copied the following data from Kidsave.org
The longer children live in institutions or foster homes without a stable, loving adult connection, the bleaker their future becomes.
• 1 in 10 will commit suicide
• Less than half will finish high school
• 1 in 3 will be homeless
• 50% will end up in jail
• 1 in 4 will become parents before the age of 20, and their children will likely end up in orphanages or foster homes
• Many will turn to drug trafficking or prostitution to survive
Many of these children are overlooked for adoption because they are “older” (more than six-years old) and parents believe they don’t want to be, or can’t be adopted. It is not okay.

4. How long will you spend in Colombia?

We will all be travelling to Cali, Colombia together. A day after we get there we will get Rosa and Kimberly and they will stay with us. After the first week together we will have a meeting and it will be decided at that time to start the adoption process that will be finished a few weeks later in Bogota. Doug, Sydney, Jack and Evan will be returning home after a few weeks. My dear friend and college roommate, Whitney, will be joining us for a couple of weeks. It will be great to have her help and company.

3. Does it cost a lot to adopt?

Yes and No. It does look like a lot, but the costs are spread out across the process so it isn’t so overwhelming. Additionally there are adoption grants, loans and tax deductions that help with the expense. We also knew we were going to do this so we cut out vacations, gave up eating out, found entertainment in board games, borrowed books… We also received a gift of frequent flier miles that will bring our girls home. I think it costs more to give up dreams. Our lives will be enriched by bringing Rosa and Kimberly into our family.

2. How did you get African kids from Colombia, South America?

Colombia had a slave population like in North America. From Wikipedia ; “It has been estimated that only 4.4 million Afro-Colombians actively recognize their own black ancestry, while many other African Colombians do not, as a result of inter-racial relations with white and indigenous Colombians.[3] Afro-Colombians may often encounter a noticeable degree of racial discrimination and prejudice, as a socio-cultural leftover from colonial times. They have been historically absent from high level government positions. Many of their long-established settlements around the Pacific coast have remained underdeveloped.[3] In Colombia's ongoing internal conflict, Afro-Colombians are both victims of violence or displacement and members of armed factions, such as the FARC and the AUC.

1. What can I do to help?

We ask for your prayers, specifically for;

For Kimberly and Rosa

Pray for God’s protection of their minds, bodies and spirits! Comfort of the Holy Spirit. Healing from the difficult start in life, of hunger, abandonment, loneliness, abuse, and feelings of rejection, the healing that only Jesus Christ can bring us in grace and justification to find all our worth in Him. For the gift of knowledge to learn English. To understand what adoption and living in a family means. To look forward with anticipation and joy to meet us and move to the USA.

For Syd

For God to always increase her desire to love and Follow Him. To surround her with God loving friends who come from Christian families. To give her strength and knowledge to walk as a child of God in this broken world and to be set aside different as the salt and light of the world. For her to maintain her great academics even while away for a few weeks from school.

For Jack

To understand the great need of orphans in the world and our opportunity to be the body of Christ serving His children. To discern the leading of the Holy Spirit. For Jack to have God loving friends from Christian families. For him to have increase immunity and to protect him from sickness.

For Evan

May God work in Evan to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit guiding him, increasing his desire to learn about God and grow in personal relationship with Him. That Evan is surrounded by God loving friends and teachers.

For Doug and I,

that we remain in unity and agreement as we parent. That we seek the wisdom of the Heavenly Father to guide our children. That His peace surround us in the middle of the chaos we are entering into, in travel, changes in dynamics of our family and marriage, finances, and in all the things we are not able to foresee or understand. Protection from the spiritual battles and plans of the enemy.

Willingness to be obedient. The gift of wisdom and knowledge of Spanish. For discernment of the promptings of the Spirit and to see God at work in our lives. For safe travel and for God to place things in order for us. For the wisdom to use the finances God has provided for us for His glory.

That we get the perfect housing arrangements and are safe and healthy.

That our time in Colombia is full of great memories and we are home without having the expense of having to adjust our tickets unless it is to come home early!

If you would like to help the plight of Orphans support organizations like World Vision or Compassion International.

Encourage an environment that is supportive to adoption.

Make tax deductible gifts to the James 1:27 Foundation that offers grants to Iowa families adopting. You can contact them at james127@partnercom.net or mail a gift to
James 1:27 Foundation ,504 Butler St, Melbourne, IA 50162
Consider hosting an Orphan in your home through the Kidsave program, visit http://kidsave.org/

4000 Words

Obedience

"Dear Friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." Philippians 2:12-13 NLT

Doug and I have discussed adoption over several years. Perhaps this is your story too. Why adopt? Why adopt older, international, or siblings? What about if they have a difficult start that disrupts your family? What about the cost? Don't you want to enjoy your retirement? What about... college, orthodontics, weddings, vacations, comfort, security, an easy life... Can we attach and bond with them. What if they break our hearts? What if we never love them? How will it change our family? Will others accept them? Are we crazy? What does God say about adoption?

We have wrestled with all these questions or have had people ask us about them. For me it was through prayer my life was changed. I prayed for the Lord to open my eyes and let me see the world they way He does. My heart was broken for the need for families for all of God's children. God gave us the desire to do what pleases him. What does God say about widows and orphans? If you want to check out some scriptures look at the following;
God adopts Us--Romans 8:15, Gal 4:5 and Eph 1:5
God commands us to care for Deut. 24:17, Isaiah 1:17, James 1:27, Romans 12:13
God promises us he knows them Psalm 139:13-15
He sees them Psalm 10:14
He has compassion on them Psalm 68:5-6
He defends them Psalm 10:18
He will come to them John 14:18

In a blog named the Abba Fund(http://abbafund.wordpress.com/) Bob Ewoldt wrote the 5 Reasons Christians should adopt;

1. The problem is huge
2. Christians value human life
3 We bring glory to God
4. We have a huge impact
5. We imitate Christ

I would add number 6, we are being obedient. The decision to adopt came down to obedience to God's will for us. We had many affirmations of God's plan for us, through prayer, other Christians words for us as a result of prayer, scripture and eventual PEACE. Some of the barriers that were the largest for us were fear and discomfort. Do you see tools of the enemy here. We are comfortable with 3 kids and the place we are in life, mostly coasting along enjoying our comfortable existence! A useful way to seek God's whispers in our life is of course in scripture and prayer in having a relationship with our Creator and Author of our life, but also in the feelings we are given. Feelings of peace or lack of. Another way is to see how does this decision look like from a worldly perspective. Does the expense of international adoption of 2 adolescent girls with difficult histories that may make for difficult futures, who speak no English who will cost a lot to raise and will expose layers of my heart to pain as they mature and overcome issues of abuse, neglect, racism, abandonment, rejection, hunger, who will change the dynamics of my family resulting in less resources of time and money for my biological kids, to have to defend our decision to family, friends and strangers make sense to our world outside of God? Mostly no, it sounds like from a worldly point of view to be upside down. In faith it sounds like a God thing to do! I do not know which topic is discussed more in scripture, caring for widows and orphans or obedience to God. "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15