thank yous: part 2

Now that our out of country experience is complete, I wanted to add an additional thank you post. We have a profound sense of gratitude to so many.

In no particular order…

Children’s Hope International: We found our adoption agency providentially. Ren knew a parent in her school who worked with CHI. From that point on it has been a wonderful relationship. I can’t recommend them enough. They’ve helped us every step of the way, were very transparent, answered emails and calls right away, and cared…a lot. Special thanks to Nichole Deal – the director of the Colombia program – who is simply awesome. Nichole, you rock! (that’s from Renee).

Lucia and Andres: These two wonderful individuals are the brains in Colombia. Lucia’s a pro – she’s helped with international adoptions for decades. She’s also a keen grandmother to all the children that are adopted…not to mention very intuitive when parents need to just step out, get a cup of coffee, and gather their wits. Andres is very laconic, but highly effective. At one point we were traveling to the embassy in a taxi and almost got into a major accident (the car missed us by an inch…no joke). Because the car was about to hit Andres’ side, he jumped into my lap. I also got to learn some fascinating Colombian expletives.

Olga Elena: Our lawyer in Neiva. I’m certain she was part of the reason the adoption only took 2 days in the courts. Before the integracion she stopped by on a regular basis to see that we were doing well.

Sorany: Before starting this trip I had doubts about needing an interpreter that often. My Spanish is solid (and Renee does well too). That said, I’m so very glad we got Sorany. She was more than an interpreter. Part tour guide, part Aunt, part friend. She made our experience more rewarding (and the girls loved her). She, too, was a blessing.

Orlando: I have to place a small thanks for Orlando the waiter at our hotel in Neiva. He loved the girls. And he took care of us every morning.

Friends and Family: A double thanks to all of them. Their comments (on this blog), prayers, gifts, and advice have sustained us. How awesome is it that our girls get to come back to a loving community that can’t wait to help them grow! We are richly blessed. Special thanks to the Rozells who welcomed us back to the states with a home cooked meal and a chance for all our girls to play (it was a bittersweet in some ways…makes us realize how much we miss you Chris and Kara!) while in Atlanta. Double special thanks to Jeff and Kristin, who we love so much, for decorating our house with pictures of us as a family. This truly was a spectacular gift to see when the girls first walked into the house. Ownership! And for abuelos, abuelas, tios and tias, primas and primos.

The US Government: You might think I’m at the part of the speech where the violins are telling me to get off the stage…I mean, the US government? But I’m actually serious. Sometime in years past some legislator put an amendment into the tax code that gives adoptive parents a significant tax credit for adopting children. In my opinion, this is a good thing. International adoption is expensive. The help is appreciated. And noted.

Finally, our Lord: We didn’t really enter into adoption for altruistic reasons. It was selfish. We wanted children. Nevertheless, I am acutely conscience of the verse from James 1:27. I’m very grateful for the blessing of these two girls. It is my sincere prayer that they grow into Godly women who reflect the joy and the glory of the Lord.