Visiting Bleidys and Maria in Barranquila, Colombia

After spending three days in Santo Domingo, it was time to travel back to Ft. Lauderdale to catch a flight  to Cartagena, Colombia. I landed in Cartagena on Thursday, July 23 and spent one free day revisiting the city and spending the day in the home of my host, Vilma. I enjoyed walking the city and remembering where certain things were such as previous hotels, restaurants, and plazas in the Old City.

My visit to Barranquilla to see Bleidys and Maria was the most challenging and eventful part of the trip. I have visited these sisters before and each time, unexpected things happened and this time was no different.

Bleidys and Maria are two sisters who live with their parents in a place called the Village of Hope in Barranquilla. It is a neighborhood where Children International built 20-30 homes for sponsored children some years ago. Most of the homes are made of wood and the floors are dirt floors.

I began sponsoring Bleidys when she was 8 years old and I decided to sponsor her little sister, Maria, after meeting her on the first visit. The girls are very sweet and  their parents are very kind and always appreciative of the services that Children International provides. They often tell me of the benefits that they have received from the program in their letters. The girls have grown up fast over the years and now Bleidys is 14 years old  and Maria is nine.

Visiting Bleidys and Maria in 2011 (first visit)