Christmas Miracles 2

On December 10, 2010 one of the biggest miracles of my life transpired. I was standing in the international arrivals terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport with my wife and four girls when out walked my two Goddaughters from Colombia who had come to visit us for 3 weeks over Christmas. The story of how this moment came to be is strewn throughout this blog and some of it is hidden deep in my heart never to be shared this side of heaven. It would be impossible to list the number of prayers, tears, hours, phone calls, emails, meetings, pieces of paper, plane flights and heart-stopping setbacks that preceded this moment but suffice it to say it was significant. There were many times that we were told it was not going to happen and yet we continued to believe that “the setting for a miracle is difficulty and the setting for a great miracle is impossibility.” As I am writing now the girls are back in the orphanage in Bogota and our vacation with them is over but the list of little Christmas miracles that we have experienced over the last 3 weeks are still shining in our minds and in our hearts. Here are a few of them… Hearing Heidy in the morning say from the top of the stairs in English, “Good morning Daddy, I love you.” then she would run down the stairs and jump into my arms… Taking the girls shopping and Ginary walking up with two blouses and asking me which one I like the best and then smiling and putting the one I chose in the basket… Seeing them enjoy horseback riding, ice skating in the Galleria, making cookies and peanut brittle and fudge, picking out a Christmas tree, wrapping gifts, singing Christmas carols, shopping in Old Town Spring especially the old fashioned candy store and toy store, riding the rides at the Family Fun Center, playing video games with the girls and laughing their heads off, watching Spanish cartoons on Mom’s computer all night long (oops) and many many more. Christmas day was amazing. Seeing them enjoy our new grand baby Joy on her first Christmas. Watching them open their gifts was incredible. My favorite part however was Christmas Eve as we gathered around the fire with our hot chocolate and egg nog and listened as Heidy read to us the Christmas story out loud from the Spanish New Testament and then read Max Lucado’s John 3:16 gospel tract out loud in Spanish as we remembered why Jesus came. What a miracle moment it was.