Many of the events of the day were nice. We toured the large cathedral here, walked through downtown which they had blocked off from cars because the bicycle tour of Colombia was coming through (too bad Scott wasn’t here for that) and enjoyed lunch with our friend and the boys. Actually I toured part of the cathedral and then let Alli and Lanie go up to the VERY top of the cathedral with my friend Stephanie to view the city. They took pictures for me. It was a tight winding stairway with a tiny observation deck on top. Didn’t sound like fun to me. 🙂 The girls loved it though and the pictures were wonderful. They even got one with Stepahanie and the 4 kids squashed together on the tiny observation deck!
That is the logistics of the day. It could sound very nice which a lot of it was… However, the behind the scenes is a bit different…
Lanie is continuing to exert herself more and more In many difficult ways. I prepared myself for a hard year, but its here and it’s just hard. We survived three full out tantrums today that were exhausting. Alli is tired of the screaming and taking my time and is having a hard time wanting to play with us. It’s full on war for Lanie’s heart. All of the education and experience with children I have is helpful, but often I find myself saying, “Really God? What do I do now?” I know the answer is cling to Jesus for creative things to do and strength, create many good times connecting with Lanie and stay consistent in the battle for her heart. However, I would rather just snuggle on the couch, read books, laugh and talk before falling to sleep. By the end of the night I was exhausted, however this morning the Lord has reknewed my strength through his Word in Isaish 46-47 and given wisdom for the journey. In truth, I am much like Lanie. I am stubborn. I often rely on all of the education, training and experience I have to try and “charm” her into obedience. Well… all of my “strategies” and “charms” only get me so far. It is the Lord that calms and changes hearts. Lanie has a lot of fun characteristics as well that the Lord was gracious to give her. The fun and laughter help.