Introducing Julieta Maynard!!!!

Wednesday, 12/18

This morning the minor defender in Valledupar placed the final signature on our adoption decree!  Little One is now legally our daughter!  So thankful that we are one step closer toward coming home.  After that signature many copies were made, papers notarized and stamped.  That took most of the day.  The packet of papers will be flying out of Barranquilla in the morning and arriving at the airport in Bogota sometime before 7:00 am.  After the papers are picked up, Diego and I will head to get Julieta's Colombian passport.  The new birth certificate coming on the plane is what we were waiting for to process the passport.  Hopes and prayers are that everything on the adoption decree and birth certificate are completely accurate! 

In the afternoon, we and another family went to the Colombia Immigration offices to try and get more information on the cedula (Colombian id card) that we are being told we must have to leave Colombia.  First of all, they wouldn't let our translator in with us.  Ugh.  Second, the man that worked in the office who spoke English made no sense.  Not his language skills necessarily, but he just talked in circles.  Here is the basic information I received from him:  Because the Colombian consulate issued us a one-year business visa instead of a 90 day visa, we were required to come to the immigration office within 15 days of our entry into Colombia to register the visa.  (WAY past 15 days)  The penalty for not registering the visa starts at 300,000 pesos.  This is about $155 for each of us.  They will determine if the amount of the penalty will be more than that based on how many days late we are registering the visa.  We explained that the Colombian consulate in Orlando never notified us of the registration process now required.  The man told me to fill out the form to register the visa, take it to the 5th floor where another person would administer the penalty and then we would pay the fine at the airport when we are leaving the country.  Then something about 10 days.  I still don't know what 10 days he was talking about.  We headed to the 5th floor and began to plead our case for our translator to be allowed entry.  Success!!  Diego came and tried to explain our situation.  The man seemed compassionate to our situation.  He made Brant and I an appointment to meet with someone else from that office on Friday morning at 9:00 am.  This was a huge favor because they are currently booking those type of appointments well into January.  Thank you God for that!! 

So....the plan is to apply for Julieta's Colombia passport in the morning.  Our guide is going to try and call in a special favor to get it processed the same day.  This happens very rarely.  We need it by tomorrow afternoon so we can take it to the doctor who performed the medical exam.  They have to see that we are acquired her passport before they will sign off on the medicals.  We would then be able to go to our Immigration meeting on Friday morning, then to pick up the signed medicals, get our Article 23 from ICBF and Julieta's visa in the afternoon (also another called in favor).  This is a REALLY tight schedule. 

Any one thing that goes wrong puts the schedule completely off.  But I know that so many people are praying for us.  It is just amazing what God is accomplishing because of all your prayers.  And the word about our adoption continues to spread and the prayers just keep increasing.  I have had several people who I do not even know personally send me words of encouragement in the past two days.  The impact has been great.  I have also received sweet words and scriptures from my friends and family.  Brant's Aunt Becky, who I claim as my own, reminded me to take the time to stop and just worship in the midst of all this, which is something I have found difficult to accomplish the past couple of weeks.  If you ever need a wise word and sound advice, I hope you have an Aunt Becky in your life!! 

Pray, pray, pray!!!!

The decorations the staff put at our table today for Reese's birthday

The birthday boy's chair

Spaghetti dinner followed by birthday ice cream

Dakota and her friend Mariana

The birthday sign from the staff

Our family and the Martin's at the Colombian Immigration office

Dakota with her friends Mariana and Valentina at their house helping with the food preparation.

So without further ado.......Miss Julieta Maynard