Is it really Friday?

I can’t believe it’s already Friday and my week in Colombia is ending.  It’s been a great week connecting with Aaron, Beth and Eryca individually and as a team.

Today was a day to be a tourist.  It rained all morning, which apparently is pretty typical weather here in Colombia; however, I haven’t had that much rain since I’ve been here.  Aaron, Beth, Eryca and I met in the morning to take the Trans-Mi to “Maku”—basically a one-stop shop for all of your souvenir needs!  We all ended up with some nice purchases for ourselves and our families and friends.

On the way back to Glenn and Glenda’s apartment, we stopped at the mall nearby and went to McDonald’s for a snack…which really turned into lunch.  We made our way back to the apartment to hang out and talk.  The team has been struggling some relationally.  With me as a “mediator,” they took some time to be open and honest with one another.  Praise God—forgiveness took place!  It all comes down to communication…and not letting things bottle up inside.  They all agreed on some steps to take to make some positive changes for the remaining weeks of the program.  They asked (oh, no…I told them) to be kept accountable to what they have agreed upon.  We pray that this is a fresh start for all of them.

Around 2:00, we joined Glenda to catch a bus for a 45-minute ride outside of the city to see the “Cathedral de Sal” (Cathedral of Salt).  This was quite an experience!  It’s an actual salt mine that was made into a cathedral.  It started out many years ago when some miners carved the Virgin Mary into one of the walls so they could pray for protection as they entered the mine to work.  Over time, so much more has been carved and there is an actual cathedral where they have Mass every week.  The mine where the cathedral is located is no longer an active mine.  However, they are still mining for salt on the other side of the mountain.  In fact, while we were on our tour there, we heard explosions from the mining that was happening!

We took the bus back to Bogota to join Glenn for dinner (around 8:00 p.m.) at Crepes and Waffles.  The food was delicious!  And, of course, you can’t go to a crepes place without getting dessert, too!

I have an early morning flight tomorrow morning.  It’s been a great week to interact with Glenn and Glenda and what they do here in Colombia, as well as to see what the STEP team has been involved with.  Please continue to pray for all of them here in Colombia as they finish out the STEP program over the next few months.  Pray for open and honest communication to continue.  Pray for team unity.  Pray for protection against the enemy’s attacks on the team.  Pray for me as I continue to lead them from the U.S.  I am so fortunate and blessed to have the opportunities to travel to other countries and to be able to work with some awesome young people!

Hogar De Paz (Home of Peace)

Today I managed to navigate the “feeder bus” and Trans-Mi on my own.  If you saw the maps and all of the choices and options for this, you would be really impressed.  But, keep in mind, the STEPpers have been doing this for months and are true experts.  I was able to spend the day with Eryca today—we had clear communication today and actually met at the right place this time!  J 

Eryca has been serving at Hogar De Paz.  This is a safe place for children to come after school.  Most of the children come from homes of extreme poverty or single parent homes, from a very poor neighborhood.  Eryca has been helping, Michelle, (another teacher there) to teach the children English.  Eryca has also been putting together all of the lesson plans for Michelle to use.  Today, they continued working on the days of the week.  Eryca taught them with a song, to the tune of “The Adams Family.”  The kids loved it!  The girls and boys split into two groups and quite a competition broke out! 

I had an opportunity to meet with Rafa (the founder of Hogar De Paz) and heard about the work that is going on at Hogar De Paz.  I also had an opportunity to meet with Luz Mary (Director of the children’s program).  My visit with her turned out to be much longer than I anticipated (1.5 hours) where she shared with me (through a translator—Michelle) her story and things she is struggling with right now.  God works in mysterious ways—He arranged that meeting today.  I was able to share my testimony and the journey that Jared and I have had.  I am so thankful that God can use everything that happens in our lives to be an encouragement to others.  Please pray for Luz Mary and the situation in her life. 

After the visit with Luz Mary, I ended up having another lengthy conversation with Michelle and Eryca.  Michelle is not a Christian.  She was brought up Catholic and believes there is a God, but she is really searching right now.  She had a lot of tough questions.  Again, another God-arranged meeting today.  Michelle was really open to talk with Eryca and I about the questions she has.  Please pray for Michelle and that God would make Himself real to her.

After all of those God-ordained meetings (totally not expected for today), Eryca and I had some time to really connect and share together, too.  Eryca has been struggling during her time here in Colombia.  She also has quite a bit of things going on at home in her personal life.  She is really learning a lot about herself here and learning to rely on God. 

I’m still processing all of the conversations that went on today.  I just think it’s funny how God chooses to work and use me in ways that I least expect it.  That’s what He does—not sure why I’m always surprised at that!?

Tomorrow I’ll be spending most of the day with all of the STEPpers.  It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is my last day here!  Please pray that Friday is a great day for all of us and that team bonding would take place.

Things don't always go as planned...

I joined Melody (another teacher at ECA) for an early morning run this morning around 5:00 a.m.  I joined her and some other teachers around 6:20 a.m. to catch a ride in the school van to go to ECA.  I was at ECA for a few hours this morning.  Glenn spoke on “When Helping Hurts” for two sessions (one for high schoolers and one for middle schoolers).  He did an excellent job, especially using some fun object lessons and props!  Leave it to the Science teacher…

I also had the opportunity to sit in on part of Glenn’s Science class.  He started the class with a pop quiz and wondered if I wanted to take it, too.  Sure, why not.  The students got a kick out of me trying it out…it sure has been a long time since I studied anything science-related, let alone tapeworms!  Needless to say, I didn’t pass the test.  J

Well, as any of you who have been involved in mission work, you know, things do not always go as planned.  Today, I was to spend time with Eryca where she has been serving.  We got our communications mixed up and never got to meet up together.  Glenda dropped me off at a Trans-Mi station where Eryca was going to meet me.  After waiting 1.5 hours, I decided something got mixed up.  Glenn and Glenda were not picking up their cell number (since they were in school) and Eryca’s cell phone is broken; so, I got on another Trans-Mi and found my way back to Glenn and Glenda’s apartment.   It’s all good, though—Glenda came back to meet me at the apartment and we left to do some sightseeing.  We were going to do that on Thursday, but we just switched the days.  So, I’ll be joining Eryca tomorrow instead.

Glenda took me to a few tourist spots for the afternoon.  We left around 2:00 and after about an hour Trans-Mi ride, ended up at the other end of town for our first stop at the “Museum of Gold.”  We spent about an hour at the museum.  It was interesting to see how some of the early people of the area lived and worshipped.  One of the pictures shows all of the different groups of people that live in Colombia.

After leaving the museum, we started walking up the mountain and decided to stop for something to eat.  We each had Ajiaco (a Colombian soup) and maracuya juice.  The soup came with some rice and an avocado.  Everything was delicious—it was a serious bowl of carbs!  After we finished eating, we walked up some serious hills to our next tourist stop.

We took a cable car up to the top of the mountain to visit the Monserrate (a Catholic cathedral).  It was beautiful and we had amazing views of Bogota.  After spending some time there, we took the cable car back to the bottom of the mountain to begin our long trek back to the apartment.  All of the Trans-Mi’s were PACKED…standing room only.  We got back to the apartment around 8:00 p.m.   I’ll be calling it a night pretty soon.  Tomorrow is another adventure!  I’ll definitely be meeting up with Eryca!  J

El Camino Academy

This morning had an early start as I left at 6:15 a.m. with Glenn and Glenda to drive to El Camino Academy (ECA).  ECA started as a school for missionary kids.  It is an all English, Christian school, for pre-K through grade 12.  School season runs from early August to June.  There are approximately 300 students at the school.  Glenn is a principal for the middle school.  Glenda is a literacy coach for elementary school. 

When we arrived at ECA, Glenda gave me a tour of the school.  After the tour, we joined the other teachers for morning devotions.  Then, I joined Beth (our STEPper) for the day.  Beth has been serving as an aide in the kindergarten class.  There are 23 students in the class and it was definitely quite chaotic at times!  Miss Brittany does an amazing job with the students.  They are certainly a handful.  Beth does an awesome job working with the children, too.  Everyone at the school talks very highly of Beth.

Beth and I had some time to connect throughout the day and over lunch.  I’m so excited for her and how God is working in her life.  Beth is definitely getting some clarification from God for the future He has for her.  That’s one of the main things that the STEP program is all about—figuring out who you are and what Christ has in store for you.

I do have to say—teachers are amazing people!  I am exhausted after today, and I didn’t really do anything (except some crowd control)! 

As a side note, ECA is always looking for teachers!  Check out their website at:  http://www.eca.edu.co/

After leaving school, I went home with Glenn and Glenda.  Beth returned to her host family.  Glenn and Glenda hosted Jerry and Karina for dinner tonight.  Jerry came to Colombia about 13 years ago from Canada.  He had been a Youth Pastor and now he is working with the youth here in Bogota.  We had an amazing Colombian meal--Bandeja Paisa--rice, beans, egg, sausage, hamburger, avocado and arepas.  (Look at the size of the avocados!)  This is a very common meal for this region--Medellin area.  Delicious!!!  We had a nice time of fellowship and visiting.

We have another early day tomorrow.  I’m joining several of the teachers from ECA to run at 5:00 a.m. and then I’ll catch the school van around 6:20 a.m. to meet Glenn and Glenda at school.  Glenn will be speaking in the morning.  After hearing Glenn, I will join Eryca for the day.

Thanks so much for following along and for all of your prayers!

Trip to "The Farm"

On Sunday morning, I was able to go for a run with Glenda’s niece, Melody, who is a teacher here at El Camino Academy (I’ll tell you more about that school later.)  There is a nice running/biking path right by Glenn and Glenda’s apartment.  We only went for about 40 minutes.  It was a pretty run and there were a lot of people out running and biking.  I was surprised!  I’m definitely feeling the altitude here!  Melody mentioned that her and a few other teachers run a few mornings a week before school.  She invited me to join them this week.  I’m excited about that.

After coming back from the run, I joined the Glenn and Glenda on a walk for about an hour, back on the running path and around the local community.  On our walk, we saw a tropical king bird (John Hawbaker, if you’re reading this, that was for you!)  We did some local shopping and they pointed out various fruits and vegetables at the market to me.  I love seeing fresh markets in other cultures! 

After breakfast, we went to the BIC church here where Glenn and Glenda and STEPpers attend.  I am being introduced here to everyone I meet as the STEPpers “boss.”  That’s the best way to translate my role as running the STEP program.  It just sounds funny to me to be called their boss.  After church, we all headed up the mountain to “The Farm,” which means “country place.”  Glenn and Glenda took Beth and Eryca in their car.  Aaron and I took the Trans-Mi to another bus and took that up the mountain.  We all met at a fun restaurant for lunch.  We had a Colombian meal, all served on a platter and we sat on tree stumps to eat.  It was all finger food.  Pig intestines were one of the choices on the platter, but I passed on those.  J  The others tried it…although, we found out later that Aaron bypassed that one too!  I enjoyed the grilled corn, which was pretty much like field corn!  It was tasty, though.  We stopped at a little stand for dessert after lunch.  I had maracuya cake (passion fruit flavor cake) with mora (fruit, like raspberry) topping.

After we finished eating, we continued on our way to the top of the mountain.  Aaron and I walked while the others went up in the car.  It was quite a hike!  “The Farm” is where Aaron has been serving while he has been here.  As I mentioned the other day, he is helping to build a house that will be for future workers or kids who are part of Steve & Evie’s ministry.  What a beautiful place!  We had an awesome afternoon of hiking the Andes Mountains!!  We hiked an hour up to the top of the mountain…11,000 feet!  What spectacular views!  Beautiful!

We visited with Steve & Evie after our hike over some tea and coffee.  Glenn, Glenda, Eryca and Beth left to go back to the city.  I stayed overnight with Aaron and Nathan, in the house they are working on.  I felt like I was camping out.  No running water, but I did have a bed.  We were on the top floor of the house that has a skylight.  It was a beautiful, clear night—you could see a ton of stars!    

Monday morning, Aaron and Nathan humored me by joining me in a workout.  We did some intense intervals and then did some running around on the mountain.  It was a great workout, AND, we had great views of the Andes Mountains all around us! 

One of the things I tried at breakfast this morning was a fruit called “Granadilla.”  It definitely looks questionable, but it is delicious!  After breakfast, I joined Aaron back at the house and we worked together for the day.  His latest project has involved welding the steel together for stair railings for the house.  So, Aaron got to teach me how to weld and grind it down.  He was a great teacher—and I was a quick learner!  J  Of course, he kept laughing at me in the welding outfit that I was wearing. 

It was a great time to connect with Aaron and how he has been doing here in Colombia during his time with STEP.  He’s really growing in his faith and listening to God’s voice.  He has a lot of great ideas and dreams.  It was great to see him interacting with Nathan and others at The Farm. 

Tomorrow, I’ll be spending the day at El Camino Academy (ECA) with Beth.  She’s helping to teach English to a kindergarten class.  I’m looking forward to hanging out with her!

The weather was beautiful today…the sun was out most of the morning!  It’s been cloudy and mostly in the 60’s, which has still been nice.  But, I have to say, seeing the sun on the mountains this morning was pretty awesome.

Enjoy the photos!  I have so many--sorry I can only show you a sampling. 

Thanks for your continued prayers.  Everything is going well here.  Pray that my continued interaction with the STEPpers goes well and that I can provide a listening ear and encouragement.

The Jungle

I arrived safe and sound in Bogota, Colombia on Friday night around 10:30 p.m.  After going through customs and getting my luggage, I met Glenn and Glenda to take me to their home for the week.  We spent a little bit of time visiting over some hot chocolate, so didn’t get to bed until after midnight.

We had an early start to the day on Saturday.  After a breakfast of some fresh squeezed orange juice and homemade granola, we were off to meet the STEP team.  We picked up Beth on our way to the Trans-Mi (bus) station.  Beth and I met up with Aaron and Eryca at the bus station.  We had about an hour bus ride to get to “The Jungle.”  And, no, it’s not a real jungle…that’s what I thought at first. 

The Jungle is a ministry created by Steve and Evie for street kids to have a safe place to play in the city.  Most of the kids come from neighborhoods with a reputation for drugs and prostitution.  There were maybe 45 kids that came in—it was crazy!  And, there are usually more that come!  There are just a lot of activities available there for the kids to play—basketball, foosball, golf, tiny zip line, fire pole, ball pit, these huge buckets on wheels where you spin them around…tons of stuff!  We were there to play and just love on these kids.  Some do not get much love or affection from home.  We also spent time praying for the program and the kids that came in.  After playing, they also always share the salvation message.  Today, 21 children asked Jesus into their hearts!  Pray for these little ones!  (You'll notice there are not any kids in the pictures at The Jungle--due to privacy reasons, I was asked not to take pictures.)

I’ll be spending more time with Steve and Evie in the next few days and will hear more about the complete ministry they run.  The Jungle is just one part of their 7-step program to help get these kids off of the streets.

After leaving “The Jungle,” Aaron, Beth, Eryca and I went for lunch.  We invited Nathan.  He’s from New Zealand and is here helping out with Steve & Evie’s ministry.  He’s staying with Aaron in the mountains.

After lunch, we walked about 25 blocks (maybe more?) to Luis and Nubia’s house.  Today is Beth’s birthday and they hosted a birthday party for her!  And, apparently, the tradition in Colombia (for parties) is to start with dessert first!  So, we had cake and ice cream, followed by sandwiches a bit later.

I came back to Glenn and Glenda’s house.  The STEPpers all went to their respective host families for the night.  Tomorrow we’ll all meet up at church in the morning and spend the rest of the day together.  We’re heading up the mountain.  I’ll be staying up on the mountain with Steve & Evie (and Aaron and Nathan) Sunday night into Monday.  Aaron has been working there, helping to build a house that will be used for future kids or work teams that are part of the ministry that Steve & Evie run.  I’m told I could be doing some welding!?  Should be interesting…

And, of course, you know me, I’m always up for some sort of physical challenge.  And, Aaron is just as bad as I am.  So, we’re already talking about doing a workout on Monday morning that may include running up the mountain.  So, pray that I don’t pass out from sheer exhaustion, dehydration, or from altitude problems (we’re 8500 feet above sea level here)!  J 

I’ll be back on the blog sometime late Monday night!  Thanks for following along.  Thanks for your prayers, too.  Enjoy the pictures!