Another Wonderful Visit!

I am finally back in North Carolina after leaving on Sat., taking the plane and then the train back. No internet connection was available in my hotel this time or at any of the train stations this time either, so this is the first time that I have been able to do more posting.

After having two great visits with Sonia, Yiseth, and Francisco, my last visit was to be with Bleidis. The visit to Bleidys' home started off pretty rough because the hotel forgot that I needed transportation to the city of Barranquilla, which they promised earlier to provide. So after learning that I had to be up at 5:30 a.m. in order to catch the only van that would get me to Barranquilla by 8:30, I was really rushing. This is why I forgot the flip book that had Bleidis' pictures that I wanted to give to her. Anyway, the ride to Barranquilla was very dangerous because the driver was going at least 100 miles an hour passing everything in sight. Driving like this seems to be the norm! While I held on for dear life, everyone else was taking a morning snooze before getting to their jobs. We made it to the Children International center and the driver promised to pick me up at around 4:00 p.m.

When I arrived at the center, they were waiting and took me on a tour around the center. Ruth, my translator, took me around to meet everyone which was very informative, I had a chance to meet everyone who was translating letters for the kids, one of our CI Lifters, Emelisa included. She had a photo of pretty little Stefani, her sponsored child on her desk, and was showing me how she was following the blog that I have on LiftOne! It was great to see how diligently everyone was working and everyone was so caring. One young man was a former sponsored child who explained how he became a part of this special group of people. You could just see the joy in his face as he was speaking!
After the tour it was time to visit Bleidis and I learned that her name is pronounced "Blaydis" with a long a.

I have only been sponsoring Bleidis for about a year, so I was wondering how the visit might go. Bleidis lives in another poverty striken community called the Village of Hope and when we arrived she and her little sister, Marie, were standing outside in the yard looking like little princesses. They had dressed up and had their hair fixed in beautiful hairstyles decorated with glitter! When I got out of the car, they greeted me and gave me lots of hugs. Bleidis looked just like she does in her photos, beautiful but very thin. Ruth explained that her appearance is the norm for children who live in their conditions, although she is not malnourished.

After opening gifts, the children invited me to see their bedroom which has two good sized beds with a colorful blanket on the children's bed and Bleidis showed me where she kept all of my letters that I have written to her. Then Bleidis grabbed my hand to show me their new puppy who was tied up in a little area next to their bedroom. They danced around me like two little fairies the whole time :)

I was able to see the their home consists of two rooms, a pretty good sized multipurpose room which was the family room and the kitchen, however, they do not have a kitchen stove. They also do not have a bathroom and use an open field. One of my goals is to see if I can raise funds to have a toilet and shower constructed for the family but it will be a surprise for them.

While I was there, Bleidis announced that she wanted to come live with me which was kind of awkward. Her mom looked a little sad and Ruth and I explained that this would make her mommy sad but that we could write to each other and be friends. Bleidis seems to be a child who is not afraid to say what she wants and told me that their TV was broken and that she would like to go to the beach! Since the day was pretty well planned, the beach trip would not take place today but we all climbed into the van to go to the mall. On the way to the mall, both girls fell asleep and I think that they had probably stayed up all night, too excited about this day!
Once we arrived at the mall, we had to wait awhile before the food court opened, so we went ahead with the rides. Both Bleidis and Marie were a little timid about getting on the rides, but Bleidis gradually tried some of them. She seemed to really enjoy getting on the trampoline, dancing and acting with a puppy!

After the rides, we ate and everyone had the same meal, some kind of beef with soup and veggies. Bleidis would not eat as much as she needed to, so her mom fed her at times.

After eating, we went to do grocery shopping and during this time, Bleidis mentioned that she had just had a birthday and did not have a birthday party! As I said, she is pretty outspoken,so since we were near the cakes and pastries, I asked if she wanted some cake for her birthday. She selected a slice of delicious looking cake and said that she wanted me to eat it with her. I explained that as much as I wanted to, I could not eat it and that it would make me happy to see her enjoying the cake. Then Miss Bleidis grabbed my hand and insisted that I get a piece of fruit instead!
Both girls picked out some cute outfits and Bleidis also saw a sticker book that she liked, so she was able to get that also.

After groceries, it was time to get back since I had to catch the van back to return to Cartagena. The CI staff had also made a reservation so that I could get back before dark. On the way back home, both girls fell asleep again and when we arrived at the house, I wasn't able to get out so Bleidis' mom thanked me for everything and I told Bledis to listen to her mom and to study hard in school. She said that she would and waved at me from her front yard as we drove away. She is a sweet, bright little girl with a lot of potential, seemingly trapped in a cycle of poverty but hopefully with the help of Children International, that cycle of poverty can be broken. When I was there I realized that her young mother needs as much support as she can get. I know that she had dreams once of being a princess like Bleidis, but the cycle of poverty stole those dreams.

Anyway, the ride back to Cartagena was just as crazy until we saw an accident where a car had flipped over an embankment. After seeing that, the driver slowed down some, and I was grateful for this!

I have many more photos and then videos of the visits which I will post, some tonight and some tomorrow. I will also post some on LiftOne and Facebook.