Step by Step

This morning the psychologist came by to check on Camila. She came with her husband, who speaks English, and even brought her little baby boy. She is very laid back, and I believe, another Godsend in this story. She is the SNA psychologist who oversees the adoptions in Iquitos. She is not the psychologist who sees the kids in the orphanage normally, but only if they are going through adoption.

So that meeting went very well. That's really all there is to report there. Camila fell asleep with me holding her while the psychologist and her family were here. She played with her brothers, and the boys were also great.



Camila has began to test some boundaries today. She will do something that she cannot, and then when we tell her no, she sometimes throws a fit. Believe it or not this is a very good thing. It means that she is trusting us more, and that she is testing us to see if we will still love her anyway.

In reading about adoption and the process of kids attaching to their mommy and daddy, I never expected these reactions to be so evident, but they really are. When Camila begins to throw a little tantrum, she pauses to look at us and see what our reaction will be. If she thinks we are disappointed in her tantrum or behavior, her bottom lip puckers out and she begins to actually cry. Then we assure her that we love her, and we kiss and hold her. She immediately begins to smile, even if she has tears in her eyes.

She has been very happy most of the day. She plays and laughs so much. She will sit in my lap for a while (about an hour or so) by the pool, or in a restaurant. She is also very good to hold our hands and walk beside us. If you let go of her hand, though, she looks at you with a grin and quickly takes off running. She thinks it's a game, but she will run off in a flash and so we never let go of her hand!

Camila imitates everything we do. She has seen me clean up water spills, so now of she sees someone spill water on the floor, she goes and gets a rag by the sink and begins to wipe it up. She has seen me put on makeup, so she does that. She has seen me put sunscreen on the boys, so she tries to. It is so stinking cute.

Today I went next door and bought a few more little toys for the kids. I got a little tea and cooking set, and Camila loves to play with that with me and Amaus.


Tonight, and at nap time, Camila only cried when we began to prepare her for bed, but began smiling as soon as she realized me or Danny were going to lay beside her.

As I opened the bible to read psalms to her tonight, I began reading in Psalm 68, the place I just so happened to open to.
Then I came to verses 5 and 6.

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His Holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families;
He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land."

I know the Lord brought me to those scriptures tonight. I am so thankful God saw fit to choose our family to set Camila in. What a joy, and a peace to know He has led us and is still leading us forward by His grace.



Someone reminded me of that last night. That there would be grace for every step. Then today, as I was listening to my favorite cd in the whole world, "10,000 Reasons" by Matt Redman, there was a verse that basically said,
"With every step we are breathing in your grace. And with every breath, we are breathing out your praise."
That's so it. Every step, for every calling, it takes breathing in His grace. With the power that comes only from His hand, we are able to sing a song of thanksgiving and praise. What a privilege, to be used by God and then to have the honor of being able to proclaim His goodness. It's truly all Him.

Today we are all missing home. It is a sort of lonely thought to know we have nearly two weeks remaining here in Iquitos, and then I will remain in Peru for one more week. Iquitos is a big, busy city, and we are missing the solitude of our "country" home. Amaus has told me more than once that he wants to go home, and he wants to see (Aunt) Beth. Haha

We are all good though. We are cheered by knowing we are in the center of God's will, and resting in His care. We also had the awesome news that my sister and her hubby had their baby boy, Israel today. We all are so excited to see him when we get home.

Tomorrow we might go on a trip to see a butterfly conservatory. It is on the edge of the jungle, and there are monkeys, jaguars, and lots of Amazon insects. We are all hoping the weather cooperates. It is the rainy season here.





Thanks again, everyone, for all of the encouraging comments, words, and messages. If I haven't called or responded, it hasn't been because your message didn't mean anything to me, or to our family. All of those words have really just made us feel not so far away, have often brought us into major sobbing, and have reminded us of things, right when we needed it most. Thanks for commenting, sharing, and being so kind to us.
It has been difficult to do anything online until after bedtime, and at that point it is difficult to stay awake. Lol We love and miss you all!