sentencia and passports

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This was quite the day. After visiting the records office three times we finally got Daniela and Juan P.’s birth certificates. And it went quickly. Daniel and I couldn’t believe it. So we rushed to the passport office to stand in line while Brian and Jena wrangled the kids and brought them to meet us. (For those coming to Colombia, the passport office in Bogota only accepts newcomers until 3:00 p.m.) We were put in line six which is the “special line” for elderly people and people with children. Fortunate for us…unfortunate for the people in line behind us. By the time we were finished processing all four passports, the line had grown and was the longest one. Everyone in Colombia is always so nice though. The ladies directly behind us struck up a conversation with Jena, and we became good friends by the time we left.

Part of what took us an hour at the desk was that the children had to come up one by one and sign their names. They also had to be fingerprinted. You can imagine how long it took each of them to write his or her new last name, and fit the whole thing on the line in the passport. It was quite adorable. The kids did fairly well waiting. Of course, I had Brian, Jena, and Daniel there to help. After everything was processed, we only waited about 10 minutes to receive the passports. We were home by 4:00 p.m. At that point we started changing our airline tickets and making arrangements. We were even able to see the Embassy doctor that evening at 5:00 p.m., which allowed us to head to the embassy the next morning.

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And seriously, what would I have done without these three helpers that last week?

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By the time we left Bogota, the children had wormed their way into the hearts of many. Good friends began to talk and think about adoption. These children are so very loved!!! And I don’t think I ever posted pictures of Sentencia. Here are a couple:

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We were in Family Court 3. It moved along quickly, without any glitches. We were so very grateful. We are even more grateful now that the courts have been shut down for over two weeks. The workers are on strike with negotiations hopefully nearing an end this week. There are many many adoptive families stuck in Colombia waiting out the process. Although we feel fortunate and blessed to have missed the shut down by three short days–we are praying for a quick resolution so that no family is there longer than needs be. I know I certainly would have lost my mind by now. Our hearts and prayers go out to you all, dear friends. It is just another reminder that nothing about adoption is fair or easy!

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