Bogota Columbia - The Nichols' family!!!

I had the great honor and privilege to go and be with my sweet friends the Nichols the first week of them getting to meet their new family in Bogota, Columbia. Let me just tell you Beth and Tyler Nichols are some of the most amazing people I know, and they are amazing parents. I want to back track a little bit to tell you how I met Beth and Tyler. Tyler came to Peru in June 2011 on a mission trip to Peru with FBC Mansfield. He was SO amazing serving in every way possible, always playing with kids. Anyway, through that I got to know the Nichols. When I came home for furlough in May, I got to go over to their house and hear more about their adoption story, we had been keeping in contact since that trip, but I got to hear it from them personally. It was such a beautiful story. I was so excited in all that God was doing in their life. I offered to meet up with them to help them translate in the beginning if they wanted it. I didn't know if they would really take up on that offer because I know if I was just meeting my kids for the first time I wouldn't want other people hanging around that wasn't family. I was so honored when they told me that they wanted me to come!! What a gift from God.
Here is a blog post that Beth wrote talking a little about the mission trip Tyler took and how it relates to their adoption: http://dinnermesa.wordpress.com/2012/08/page/3/


Anyway, so I missed my flight to Columbia because of stupidity, I got the hour wrong and I only got there one hour before the flight was leaving and it was closed already. I was pretty upset, but it ended up all working out. Anyway, I got there at about 11 o'clock at night the day before Tyler and Beth would meet their precious family. Man are they precious, I can't show you any pictures or tell you their names, but it is such a sweet sweet family!!! Instantly they connected with their parents and started calling them Mami and Papi.

The next 7 days were just precious to watch. Tyler and Beth did a great job of being amazing parents from the beginning. Honestly, they didn't even need me, they were communicating with their kids in Spanish from the very beginning. Each kid has a great personality and are just beautiful. Their are 2 girls and 3 boys. It was fun getting to play with them, watch them with their new family, and just be on this adventure with them.

Bogota is really pretty, you can see Mountains, the sun comes out everyday, their is random rain showers, and the weather goes between hot and cold every day. You never know when you need a jacket. It was so refreshing to have the sun come out everyday and to have it rain, since it NEVER rains here and the sun rarely comes out in winter. Although this winter it has been coming out a lot, God is so good to me. Everything is super expensive in Bogota. I felt like I was in culture shock. It is more expensive than the states. I could not find a market anywhere!!! I asked every taxi I was in about markets, and apparently there was none anywhere close to where I was staying. CRAZY! I know every South American Country is different but I was not expecting it to be so different. I was dying to see a poorer part of Columbia just because that is what I am so used to in Peru and my heart is for the poor places. I think to get to a poorer area you had to drive at least 40 minutes.

Everyone was super nice in Columbia. Everyone is much lighter skinned there and a lot of people have lighter colored hair. I was so excited when one Colombian lady told me that people there could think I was Colombian because I spoke Spanish and I looked like them. That made my day since I totally look like a Gringa here in Peru. Also, they use some other phrases then they do in Peru. They call everyone Senor or Senora which took me off guard, because everyone kept calling me Senora. Here in Peru I am Senorita because I am not married. Normally if you don't know someone you call them Senorita here in Peru to not offend them for being to old. They also do not use the informal "you" which is tu, they only use the word usted, so everything is much more proper. They also use the word Bueno a lot!! Here we used the word bien more. But they use the word bueno which means good/ well a lot! Anyway, it was just interesting for me to see the differences.


The orphanage where Tyler and Beth adopted their precious family was AMAZING. I was blown away. I think it is better orphanage than you would see in the states. There is about 80 kids there right now. It is so amazingly run, with plenty of help, beautiful facilities including: a huge playroom, a computer lab, a library, a small indoor gym, each child has their own bed, a dining room, a room for just sick kids so not to infect the others, a baby room, separated room for all the different age groups, a baby play room etc. Everything was SO clean, all beds made, with a matching pillow, matching bedspreads; i was in shock. It was AMAZING! I am so thankful that the Nichol's family has been there for the past 6 months because it is no doubt that they received exceptional care.

(I was going to post pics of the orphanage, but my computer won't let me for some reason...oh well)

God also did a lot in my own personal life while I was in Columbia:

He did a lot of healing in my life emotionally. I was just in a rut before I went to Columbia, very down, and God totally brought me out of that. All glory to Him.

It was so great to be encouraged by fellow believers: Tyler and Beth and just get to talk with them at night in English about things going on with them and about things going on in Peru. They encouraged me SO much.

He showed me how much I really do love the Peruvian people. I really liked the Colombians, but I missed Peruvians. I feel like Peruvians are so much easier to talk to, and it is so much easier for me to share the gospel here in Peru than it was for me in Columbia with people I meet, yet that is probably because of the area I live in here in Peru and because God has called me here.

I was reminded once again of the value of having a Peruvian teammate. I had to go and run some errands at times for the Nichols, but I really didn't know where anything was. I knew the language so I could ask questions, but it just made me so thankful for Nicchola because he knows where everything is in Peru and can always help me. Even before we worked together, he would help us find the places where we needed to go etc. I felt a little lost trying to figure out where to go buy things etc in Columbia.  Also, it also showed me how much I have learned in Peru because going somewhere alone and going shopping or whatever is no big deal now. God has brought me a long way, from not knowing one thing about Peru to being able to live daily life now without any problems. God is so good.

I missed the poorer life. It was amazing because there were so many imported foods from America in Columbia like Campbell's soup, taco shells, and so many other things in just regular grocery stores, yet even with all that I missed living in the poorer life. God really did show me that the things I miss from the States at times, do not compare to not being able to live in Ventanilla where there is nothing from the states, but there are beautiful people here that God has called me to minister to.

God showed me the wonderful opportunity I have to lead here. Getting to take a step back from my normal life in Peru for a week, showed me what an awesome opportunity I have to get to lead people here. I take it for granted and it something that I should be so thankful for. It is something I should delve into way more and really really invest in the people that I have the chance to invest in everyday here. There are so many people that need Christ's love here, and I have the privilege and opportunity to be a part of that. God showed me what a great privilege I have that I can be a leader and invest in the lives of so many people here and that I really need to always being investing in people's lives.

It was a phenomenal week,  I am so blessed that I got to spend to spend an entire week with the Nichols' family. I really want to post pictures, but I can't until everything is finalized. I don't really have pics of Columbia since I was really busy hanging out with the kids, that is really all I have pics in Columbia is those 5 precious faces with their precious parents. Would you please commit to praying for Tyler and Beth Nichols as they are still waiting to go home from Columbia? Would you pray that things would finish up on Monday so they can go home this week. They have been in Columbia now for about 40 days and they are ready to go home and start their life with their family there. Follow their amazing story on their blog at: http://dinnermesa.wordpress.com

To Him be all the glory!

Eating a typical Colombian food. It was like fried cheese or something like that not really sure. 

Carmen Patricia and I. She is so sweet. She helps in the Nichol's apartment. I love her and loved getting the opportunity to get to know her!

Sweet Beth and Tyler right before they are about to meet their precious family!!! They are such a blessing to my life and to their 5 new kids, and really everyone they come in  contact with!