August 15, 2015 is a date that we will always remember as the day that we officially met our new "son" Alonso and welcomed him to Idaho. Alonso is a foreign exchange student from Spain that will be living with our family for the entire school year.
the Jamison clan: Jake, Dixie, Lander, Josh and Alonso
Wait?!? When did you decide this? Are you crazy? What are you thinking?
We have been asked this many times since July when we decided to accept Alonso into our family. The answer has always been simple; faith and trust in the Lord!
It started one day while Dixie was working in the recovery room.
"Want to host a foreign exchange student?" Dixie's thoroughly groggy patient who had just awoke from surgery asked, a drugged young woman who works to coordinates placements for exchange students.
While Dixie paused to say "No thanks!" she quickly flipped open her phone and pulled up a picture of Alonso. He was younger, even childlike in his picture. He was cute and looked nice, but Dixie wasn't overly interested.
"Here, I think I have a picture of his family," she continued and scrolled to a picture of Alonso with his parents and sister.
As soon as Dixie looked at Alonso's mother a pit formed in her stomach and she knew. He was supposed to come to our family. And it wasn't just Dixie. When Dixie got home and discussed this with the family, everyone knew.
Update (8/31/15): It's interesting to see things come full circle. Alonso recently told some guests who were eating dinner at our house, "When Dixie speaks, if I am not looking at her, it's like I am hearing my own mother. She is 8000 miles away, but she and Dixie are so alike. They are sisters and exactly alike, even though they have not met!" No wonder Dixie felt such a bond with this mother in Spain!
Lander holds up a sign at the Jackson, Wyoming airport
Alonso, happy to be meeting his new American family
Alonso, Jake and Lander at the top of the Jackson pass
