Disobedience

So we're having some obedience issues. One of the girls has been choosing her own will over mine, utter insubordination! Fortunately, this week I'm not talking about Angie. Ruby's decided she will sleep on the bed, "sí o sí" as we say here (yes or yes.)

So we bought her this great doggy bed for the floor, cause she's a dog.

But she's in complete denial. Refuses to accept she's not a human. So we put it on the bed.

Fail!

We move the bed around, put it under her. (These pictures were taken over a series of days, every time we'd walk in and find Ruby misbehaving.)

Finally, she reluctantly complies.

Her punishment for her bad attitude is wearing a hooded sweatshirt for the duration of this cold spell.

But really, she's ecstatic about the clothes, as demonstrated by the huge smile below:

Given up. Obedience. Success!

Back sliding a bit, but maybe she was trying. We'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

She actually loves it now. When we get home she wants to jump right on her bed, must be the frigid cold outside that's tiring her out. It is like 60℉! We're barely surviving, don't laugh.

Ange and I, on the other hand, have had a perfect obedience week, first like this since I can remember. It's lovely. Especially, with the freezing cold front we're enduring/enjoying.

Visa Lessons, Part II

I do not remember praying for patience, stick-to-it-iveness, or more faith, but if I had this is surely how God would have answered.

Last October, I spent many many long hours (enough to read 4 books if I remember correctly) in the immigration offices of Santa Cruz and La Paz, Bolivia working on renewing my visa. Saner people have a lawyer do this for them, but I'm much cheaper than sane. It came down to the very last minute, and was its own lesson of faith as you can see from Part I of the saga. Then a few days after the visa miracle, and the urgent visit to Peru for veterinary continuing education credits, I started the adoption process, because 1 whole week without bureaucratic paperwork was just too peaceful.

I knew I'd be traveling to the U.S. for Christmas so I recommended to the lawyer that we start the process after I returned, but he assured me repeatedly, that there was plenty of time to finish the process and take her with me to meet the family in December (should have looked into the accuracy of this statement before elating the family.) I believed him, started the process, and slowly learned just how clueless he was about the U.S Department of Homeland Security and such things. But Dad was not discouraged, between attempts to get a U.S. senator to help us get Ange into the country, he said I was just like the disciples when they found themselves surrounded by more than 4,000 hungry people for the second time in a few months wondering how they were going to feed them all, even though Jesus had just fed even more people with even less bread and fish. If God, and Immigration, could get my visa to me just in the nick of time in October, why did I already doubt that He could do the same for Angie's visa in December?

Turns out, that was a miracle God was not willing to perform this time around, which is exactly why I'm skeptical, how do I know when He's going to come through?

So last month, after something like 8 months of daily Bolivian bureaucracy, I was once again starting to doubt whether we'd get the paperwork in time for our next attempt at a visit to the family, scheduled for July. One afternoon when I was particularly discouraged after a phone call with the lawyer I said to Angie, "I think God is playing with us."

To which she immediately and forcefully replied, "You shouldn't talk like that, because God doesn't play with people."

"Maybe not, but He does test us, and teach us, and maybe He's teaching us about faith now."

"What's faith, Mommy?"

"Faith is confidence. Not confidence that God will give us everything we want or ask for necessarily, because sometimes He won't, but trusting that He knows better than we do what we need, and that's what He will give us." Or as I just read moments ago, Max Lucado says, "Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right."

So, that became my prayer, as we struggled through the arduous adoption process, the wait for the birth certificate, the painstaking paperwork for the identity card, the mountain of requirements for the passport, all finally culminating in the trip to La Paz for the interview for the Visa. That I would trust that God knew best, whether He chose to agree with me or not, and that my attitude would glorify Him in either outcome. Fortunately for me, He seems to agree that a quick trip to the States is what's best for everyone involved. I picked up her passport with her 10-year Visa inside today! Praise be to God (but don't worry, I was gonna praise Him either way.)

Feliz Cumpleaños mi Angel

Yesterday, was somebody's first birthday, and it was kind of a huge deal. In my opinion, most first birthday celebrations are a bit controversial, the cumplañero, as we call them here, is 1 or 2 years old and debatably too young to understand or really appreciate what all the fuss is about. But not this munchkin who's been watching the rest of the world celebrate for 9 years as each one passed her by unnoticed.

In a country where, I've learned first hand, you may be scolded if you don't want to make a big deal out of your special day because how could you not be grateful for the blessing of another year of life, she's finally getting her overdue fuss. And oh has it been fun to spoil her. I´m not generally one to say "but it´s my birthday..." but yesterday I found myself saying, "it´s your birthday, of course!" about pretty much everything she wanted.

We started the festivities Tuesday by dawning our aprons and baking 34 strawberry cupcakes and using our new standing mixer (thanks Mom) to adorn them with some buttercream icing. Nothing but the best for a bunch of rowdy 2nd graders who don´t know the difference between a cupcake and a muffin anyway. Then, thank goodness, we had a little frosting leftover for the chocolate chip pancake birthday breakfast where I let the overly eager (woke me up at 4:30am) birthday girl open 3 little presents.

After school we had her favorite chicken and rice dinner, opened lots more presents, and downed a few more cupcakes. I think she could get used to this, and I'm not complaining about the cupcakes either. The festivities aren't over yet, Saturday we're gonna have a bowling party for her little friends with a very appropriate Angelina Ballerina theme.

In the meantime, I made a quick day trip to La Paz for a little interview at the US Embassy today. Visa Approved!! July 8th - Angie meets the U.S.A!!!

On the Move

As most of you know Angelica and I have been living in some generous friends' guest apartment for the past 5 weeks between houses. The Elliots were such a blessing during this awkwardly homeless moment of our journey. It was a great setup for us. Angie loved that we had to share a bedroom, Ruby did not love that she had to stay outside, but she's a dog so she forgave us quickly. However, she jumped right in the car when she saw the suitcases, she was more than ready to reassume her role as a spoiled puppy.

But now we are finally semi-settled into our new house. We moved our stuff over Wednesday night and had 9 house guests last night for small group, so settled basically means we hid the boxes and disarray under the beds and behind closed doors. I'm told as a mother I'm not supposed to say "Ange, don't organize that stuff just shove it in the closet for now." But when was I ever a normal mom.

The new house is great. Ruby has so many new pieces of furniture that she can't even choose one to illegally sleep on. In her room, Ange has a double bed plus bunk beds (which Ruby is pretty sure we added just for her), so there's space to sleep at least 4 for slumber parties, more likely 7-10. We may have given up a dryer, microwave, and what I would call hot water, but probably 99% of the people here don't have those luxuries either, so it's about time we start living like everyone else. We do have a third bedroom now, so if you're not inclined to join Angie and the screaming balls of energy in her bedroom, we have a lovely guest room all ready for you, as long as you're not afraid of a showerhead called a "widow-maker" and you know how to hunt and gather, cause that's basically how you have to eat if you don't have a microwave, right?

Thank you so much for your prayers. Ange and I are doing well for our third day in a row, and the paperwork is coming right along. I should be picking up her passport this afternoon! PTL!