Colombia and Etc

There is a lot to be said about the trip to Colombia, but I'm hoping it'll be best said by the video that will someday come out about it.  For now I'll throw down some highlights with a couple pictures:

 



 

We left on Friday, which gave us the weekend to settle in and get used to Colombia.  I enjoyed a chance to remember the language and see some of the sites.  On Saturday we went to Guadavita (pictured above) and then ate dinner in the country. 

On Sunday we went to what we consider our sister church in Colombia and I enjoyed the challenge of a service in Spanish.  I did well with the songs, then I kept missing more and more of the sermon until it turned to communion where the context let me understand more of the words.  (I should also probably mention that I accidently grabbed a huge chunk of bread.  Which turned out good because I was super hungry.  It was difficult to hide in the meantime though, so I kind of crushed it in my hand to hide it.)

Later that afternoon we took 4 of the kids from church and went downtown.  We all took "blessing bags" (bags with toothpaste, toothbrush, snacks, and a couple other items) and handed them out as we happened by the people.  Every single individual expressed gratitude for the bags, and some people even ran to get their friends and tell them about it.  (I was impressed by this.  It would be so easy to ask for more to bring to friends, then keep it.  But many of the people immediately thought of others they wanted to get in on it). 

Just for a little context, the streets of Bogota are much like Chicago.  Similarities include the homeless, entertainers, dense amount of people, and both fade from downtown to general suburbs in a similar way.  Some differences include the press of traffic in most places, yet Bogota has limits to traffic in many of the downtown areas (for safety and for space).  On most streets that have cars there are 3 lanes and they tend to be filled with motorcycles, entertainers and vendors.  They drive very aggressively (many consider it dangerous), yet they are generally safe.  While there are any close calls (I've seen contact every visit), I've always felt safe in Colombian taxis.  They are definitely more skilled and friendly in a much more stressful press of traffic than most North American drivers experience.

This year I didn't get nearly the same amount of pictures because someone was assigned as the photographer/videographer.  I decided to leave my camera behind most of the time and enjoy the moments instead of letting them slip by while I tried to capture them.  I did make sure to get a fresh picture of Bogota.  It's hard to describe, and the picture doesn't do it justice.  It's a city that goes on forever (or further than we can see), yet it's captured by mountains that basically encircle the city. 

These pictures capture the 4 children (Caren, Juan, Laurena, and Camila) that we spent time with along with their parents (in the second picture on the right) and a missionary that reaches out to their community.  (It also gets all the team except myself and Jay). 

Our experience at CRAN (which I have no pictures of) was challenging, and yet good.  All of Colombia kind of acts on their own set of time rules and CRAN had several scheduling changes.  This can be frustrating if you have a plan that is setup for the whole morning, but if you roll with it you can get all of the important stuff (Bible lessons) in.  This was likely caused in part by Bogota's 475th birthday, which is a major holiday for them and landed right in the middle of our week. 

Man, I need to keep going so I can go to sleep yet tonight.

I was happy that Adela was able to come along!  This girl helps me in so many ways.  She helps me keep a good attitude in trying situations and her love for the helpless is a living example of James 1:27- "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." She has a passion for those in need that I can't even comprehend fully.

I'll wrap this up with a couple final subjects that I believe are tightly linked. 

"Soy especial in los ojos de Dios" (I am special in the eyes of God).  You can see it taped to my hoodie (rather sloppily, yet it held up all week).  We gave this card to each child twice (once on a picture frame with their picture in it and another time in a little keepsake bag).  I tried to make sure that any kid I played with tried to read it, then I'd help if needed.  And afterwards I'd tell the they are too.  Many of them would kind of blush and squeeze in for a hug.  It's not in my comfort zone to tell people things I consider are commonly known facts, yet for these kids it was clearly special for them to hear those words. 

As the week unfolded I caught many people leaning in to read those words (you can tell if people are staring at Gringos and if they are trying to read).  One kid in a market asked me if I was a Christian and told me he was as well.  Another woman on the Transmilenio told me she liked the card (after a lengthy discussion about her experience growing up in both New York City and Colombia). 

This tied in with our last day that included a trip to visit a special needs orphanage.  After a sketchy taxi ride (quite a story I'd be happy to share with anyone, and it's important to note I never felt threatened) we landed at this House of Light and Life.  They have all ages of disabled people with a lot of Cerebral Palsy along with Down's Syndrome and other ailments.  These people live in chairs, most of them strapped in for their safety and the safety of those around them.  It's as dependent of a life as you can have, yet every single one of them was special.  Our group tried to show them this in a limited time by not only talking to them, but touching and hugging them. 

It made me think of a man that understands the humanity of a disabled person (physically or cognitively).  His name is Lee Brown and many of you that follow this know him.  He's been ministering to disabled campers for what has to be over 30 years during HIS week at Camp Barakel.   I couldn't help but think of him knowing that HIS week is starting tomorrow (Tuesday). 

I've written far more than I meant and yet it doesn't cover a tenth of our activities and the work that God did over the last week.  I'm very thankful to God for the opportunity, for Adela being at my side through it, and for a mission team made up of Godly people that are willing to give up themselves for the work of the Kingdome of Heaven.

Here are two final thoughts:

1)  I'm thinking about HIS Week at Camp Barakel and the many campers that will get an exciting break fro their normal routines.  I'm praying that God will work in their lives along with the parents (and workers) that get a much needed rest during this week of camp.

2)  I'm also thinking of Ferley, an almost 12 year old boy at CRAN who needs a home.  He's special in God's eyes, and I'm not just saying that, I know it.  I've seen him stop bullying on the rough playgrounds of an orphanage, I've seen his athletic stride as he sprints up and down the hills (elevation 8000 ft), and I've seen him sit and listen to the word of God spoken through our team. 

There is not a doubt in my mind that someone who reads this blog knows someone that could adopt a 12 year old boy that they would bless, and then they in turn would be blessed by him.  I wouldn't say that any adoption is easy, yet I've seen so many adoptions come through to the point where the family has more benefit from the adoption than the child. 

Please consider sharing about Ferley.  It's an opportunity to REALLY advocate for a REAL person instead of just talking about it all the time.  Help find him a Christian home and Bethany Services (along with Project Hope) will help every step along the way. 

http://project-hope-ministries.org/contact/