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!