When Claudia suggested taking her grandmother's housekeeper and daughter to an amusement park, she had no idea how plans would evolve into something bigger.
We had lunch at Claudia's grandmother's house earlier in the week. During our conversation, Claudia invited her grandmother's housekeeper Francia and her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter to Jaime Duke amusement park on Saturday. Neither had been there before.
The next day when Lucia called to give us an update on Sentencia, she also mentioned there were two American families in Bogota. Claudia asked if they would be interested in visiting the park also. Of course Lucia thought the idea was great and offered to coordinate getting a large bus to take everyone.
And so Claudia's small idea evolved into something bigger than us.
In fact, by the time the bus had arrived Saturday to pick us up, there were 20 people including parents and children on the bus. The group included two families from the United States and one from France. One of the American families was adopting five siblings and the other family was adopting three siblings. The French family had an 8-month-old girl.
Jaime Duke Park is near Panaca, which we visited a couple of weeks ago. Jaime Duke is a huge amusement park that also features a zoo with exotic animals like lions, various types of monkeys and panthers to name a few.
The children had a blast on the various rides and the zoo. Daniel even had his first amusement rides with Daddy. Mommy rarely rides anything. Daniel's face almost split open with his huge smile! You could tell he had a great time. He is an active baby and enjoys thrills. I'd put money on him giving us a heart attack at some point for doing something outrageous!
The American families were very friendly and it was awesome to hear their stories. It's great to recognize the similarities and differences between our experiences.
The family adopting five sibling girls already has another six or seven children at home (sorry guys, I lost count but think you're amazing!). Their hearts and love is an amazing gift from God. They were finishing their first week together and needed a break. Jaime Duke was the perfect answer.
The couple adopting three children (two girls and one boy) was from Arizona and had been in Bogota for two months. They are ready to be home! The kids have seen videos and pictures of their new house and also are ready to be in the states!
Claudia played a special role during the day as the group leader of sorts. She and I both acted as interpreter for the parents and children at various times. After seeing the gratitude from the parents, we realized how huge a blessing it is for us to be bilingual. I've rarely been more proud of Claudia than I was when watching her connecting with the children and helping them understand the opportunities they'll have in the United States.
Claudia couldn’t compete with Daniel or his cuteness though. He was the main attraction at Jaime Duke. Many of the girls held his hand. Rarely did time go by when he wasn't escorted by a girl in each hand. Needless to say, he was in heaven.
After reflecting on the day's events, Claudia and I both agreed it was one of our favorite days in Colombia. Claudia was able to teach the parents a few key Spanish phrases and explain to the children what they're trip in a plane going home would be like among other things. It's amazing how God works through us sometimes!
What a wonderful gift from God that day was to you, and to all the others! God bless you!
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