Beaty Family NEW Adventures: Adventure #1

BIG NEWS from the Beatys in Bolivia! 

And no, it’s not another baby! ;-)

There is actually enough news for THREE separate blog posts, so that's how I'll do it.

Sunday, July 19, was my 11 year anniversary of moving to Bolivia!

On July 18th, 2004, I went to church with my family. Then there was a heartwarming send-out, I changed clothes, and went straight to the airport!

I've been out of Bolivia for 2 months twice, and of course regular short visits, but otherwise this has been my home base since right after I turned 22. That's 1/3 of my life, all of my adult life, and all of my life married and as a mother!

This is the first picture I have after moving here:

Titled "Discussing Contract" (from the architect building the first Baby Home on HOH's property)

I love how my life here has come full circle! In the picture above, Guillermo is holding the contract that we're studying. Even though neither of us is currently with Hospitals of Hope, he is our neighbor now and our sons all play together, as we share the same yard. His father-in-law Jorge looks on, and Jorge is the owner of the house we currently live in! He and his sweet wife even lowered our rent when he found out we were going to have five children.

 One week after moving here in 2004 with a volunteer family from Alaska

This will be my last anniversary in Bolivia. 

The current plan is to move in September to Memphis, TN, to be near my parents and sisters.

Sometime next year we will move to Washington state to be near Jake's family and our kids' only (so far) cousins. The exact timing of that will depend on Jake's job in Memphis, how affordable housing is, etc.

Although Jake feels more adapted and comfortable now in Bolivia than he ever has, let's just say Bolivia hasn't become his favorite place in the world! Or at least, the city part of life in Bolivia.

However, the timing wasn't right earlier because of these important items:

~ Two years of follow-up is required for adoptions (an international law, I believe), and since there is no "agreement" between the US and Bolivia, those needed to be done here. We have done three faithfully and lack one at year's end, but we have spoken to our lawyer and she told me about another family who adopted from Casa de Amor and has sent in social/psychological reports from another country and that's been fine with the court. We'll do our final evaluation from Memphis!

~ The boys have valid US visas but must live with us 2 years before being allowed to become citizens, and one applies when LIVING in the United States. They get a 6 month stamp entering the country, so we couldn't go further out than 6 months before it's possible to apply for their citizenship... Going in September and applying early next year is just about right. (If that all makes sense?!)

~ For years, I would get emotional every time Jake talked about us leaving, but in the past few months I have finally come to embrace the plan. Casa de Amor finally had potential future leaders on the horizon, and as our family grows, I have longed to be sharing the joy of our children with relatives. Jake has also "paid his dues" with the frustrations of Bolivia long enough, and I look forward to seeing him feeling more at home in the states!

We both think it will be a plus to be in a city that is new for both of us, a place we have never lived. That should help our expectation level, something that often seems a challenge for returning missionaries. And we'll be "learning the ropes" of raising a family in the US together!
 
~ And last but not least, we couldn't leave without having replacements at Casa de Amor Children's Homes, my original reason for coming. Almost a year ago now, two ladies wrote us asking about long term positions, and I jumped to offer them something probably quite a bit larger than what they had dreamed! Even though our departure was not confirmed at that time, I knew that expecting our 5th child in 18 months meant that I could use some help no matter what. (Cool side note: They discovered us through lots of prayer...and when God told one of them to add the name "Thompson" to their search terms online. Casa de Amor popped right up!)

There will be an email to all CDA supporters soon describing the "hand over" in more detail, but suffice to say four wonderful people have stepped up to the plate and I'm so excited about everyone's dedication and passion for our children!! This month I've been making strides on the transition process, spending time on the necessary paperwork and training.

Incredible to think that I arrived alone and now there are SEVEN of us!

We’d appreciate your prayers as we all make this huge transition!

Now that we have made the news public, people are worriedly asking me what the boys think. Well here's the answer: If they were in charge of the decisions, they would never have left the US last year after our visit!! They will jump on that plane with excitement when the day comes. That's not to say they comprehend the implications of this move to so many thousands of miles north. Even I am going to struggle with the concept of LIVING in the states and not just visiting. It's going to be a change, for sure!


Stay tuned for more....