God is so truly amazing! How He so careful crafts every little detail of our lives just amazes me! As I sit here writing this long overdue update I just am astounded by all God has done and that once again we are here with our son in this AMAZING country! Yes, the journey has been fraught with challenges, yes even this very morning I thought I was in danger of losing every hair left in my head! Thankfully to the most amazing hubs, Brianna was apparently in need of a nap and things have been MUCH more peaceful since she is sleeping!
We have been in-country for quite awhile now and have been blessed to be involved with several ministries here. The church at Iglesias Biblical del Jesus Cristo ( http://ibsj.org/) welcomed us with open arms and many great friendships have developed out of our time there! We are grateful to them for their support and understanding. While they have a great interpretive ministry we needed something a little bit different to fit our families needs and were pointed in the direction of another great ministry Iglesias de Convertidos a Cristo (http://iccsordos.org/) we have been attending there quite a bit and really feel at home there. We are praying about what God has in store throughout the rest of our time. We are now settled into our new home and spend lots of time doing household things, washing clothes, hanging clothes, washing dishes, cooking meals. I can easily say the thing I miss MOST is my dishwasher!
Things I already KNOW I will miss the most about the DR you may wonder?!?! Glad you asked... Avocados the size of LARGE softballs that taste absolutely divine! Chinolas: a fruit that might just be the most perfect blend of tangy and sweet in the WORLD! Carrots that actually make it WORTH peeling and taste AMAZING! And even better the fact that these things are discounted on certain days here! 36% when we go to Jumbo on Tuesdays! Meats are discounted on Thursdays and Fridays at La Sirena so it makes eating healthy more reasonable and desirable!
The kids LOVE the water and both have enjoyed the pool here much more than the beach to Brice and my dismay...haha. Alas the opportunities through play for bonding have been GREAT! Water, sand, and beach toys. Not to mention crafts...because I packed enough craft stuff to single handily start my own VBS! Fingerpainting, pipe cleaners, foam stickers, wiggle eyes, you name it! We have had a time! Last night we took inventory of what we had left and made a few games to work on sensory and matching activities for Elias and some writing/letter games for Brianna. Speaking of who...she has DELIBERATELY not spoken a word of Spanish while we have been here outside of the colors her Uncle taught here when he was here...then yesterday out of the blue I hear, "I want my agua." I was floored...apparently she is learning some Spanish even when I'm not looking!
We are so grateful for this time to bond with our new son. Having no language in a ACTIVE 3 yr old body is quite the challenge, but seeing the growth just THRILLS my heart. He pointed to his sisters marker colored hands and signed "dirty", he pointed when his sister was sleeping and signed, "sleeping". He can say, "I want more to eat." "I want a drink." "I want orange juice or I want grape juice." He can even sign potty and does go potty quite frequently but not consistently. This boy has completely stolen my heart and makes the months and years, the trials and tears, and every little heartache along the way completely worth every bit of it!
Prayers for wisdom. Language is increasing, but so are tantrums at times. He is understanding more boundaries and choosing to be a normal toddler and test the limits (think 2 yr old, not my favourite stage). It has been challenging and exhausting, but I am just grateful to have Brice here to partner with me through this process!
Well I must sign off...Brianna just woke up and Elias just went to sleep (watching signing time)...hopefully we will have MUCH happier kids this afternoon!
Hugs to all!
