Whatever is Lovely

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has given me strength that He considered me faithful appointing me to His service." 1 Timothy 1:12

I have been in Colombia for over a month now!!! I can't believe it. Time is flying. I am so thankful that I am have the opportunity to serve in Bogota. School is going great. I have had three weeks with my students and am completely in love with them and working in the kindergarten classroom. I am learning a ton about English Language Learners and how to teach specifically to those types of students. It is frustrating at times because I don't always have someone there with me to translate. I basically have to act out everything I am saying all the time which I'm sure would be hilarious for someone to watch. My students are incredibly smart and loving. We talk about how big and good God is all the time. Their favorite song is, Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord, and they know all the hand motions to it. So cute. It is fun to worship with them. The next song I am going to teach them is, How Great is Our God. I used to love singing that one with my BRCA students. We learn a memory verse every week and a wonderful teacher at our school teaches us all the signs to go a long with it. That is a really good way for them to learn english words. We spent the week studying plants and living things. They were so excited to watch their seeds sprout and kept a daily journal of all the changes they saw. I love them because they are excited about learning and love for me to read books to them. They give me tons of hugs and kisses each day and make me laugh all the time. They also love to teach me words in Spanish and will correct me 30 times until I get the pronounciation right. "No Meez, no, like this..." Wow, I LOVE them. I need help with my pronounciation for real. Just as predicted, they are learning to speak English with a southern accent which everyone in the school thinks is hilarious. I have had a lot of fun getting to know the parents as well. So many of them are involved in awesome ministries in Bogota. It is an honor to get to serve the families by teaching their children so that they can do what God has called them to. Families of my students have been inviting me out with them on the weekends to see more of Bogota and some of the surrounding cities. I look forward to spending time with them, practicing my Spanish and learning more of the Colombian culture. Our school verse this year is, "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)

God has continued to bless me in many ways here. I found the church that I want to be a part of while I am here. Today was my second week visiting and it feels like home. Worship and teaching is wonderful and I always have someone to help with translation. Getting to sing is helpful because I learn a lot of Spanish and can hear correct pronounciation. They sing a lot of songs that I know from back home only in Spanish. People there are so welcoming and loving. One of my student's father is actually the pastor (he is my most difficult one, imagine that). They are passionate about serving the people of Bogota. Last week we sang:

Luz en estas tinieblas

Esperanz al perdido, paz para el intranquilo, eres tu

Mas grandes cosas aun vendran

y obras mas grandes Dios

nara con su pueblo

Which is from Chris Tomlin's song:

You're the God of this city

You're the King of these People

You're the Lord of this Nation

You are
There is no one like our God

There is no one like our God

We believe

Greater things have yet to come

And greater things are still to be done in this city

Greater things have yet to come

And greater things are still to be done in this city

They are studying prayer right now and what can hinder our prayers from being recieved by God. We have talked alot about humbling ourselves and forgiving people we have conflict with. Letting go of selfishness and letting our blessings be for others and not just us. I loved today's sermon because they talked about how the church has been praying for reconcilation with Venesuala and strengthened relationshiops with Equador and Boliva so that Colombia can continue to experience peace. The pastor urged us to pray for the new president and leaders because Colombia has come so far, but still has so long to go before it can be considered a peaceful nation. They believe that God's presence is the only thing that can heal their country.

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 There is so much for the church to do in Colombia because there aren't many social service programs for the homeless, the handicapped, people battling addictions, or orphans. One of the ways my school urges us to serve in the community is to encourage the leaders who already have ministries in place because they are burnt out, isolated and lonely. It is neat to see the church at work here, very encouraging.

Two people that I have loved watching are Beth and Rafa Afanador. The directors of El Camino Academy where I teach. Beth met Rafa when she was here on a mission trip in college. She later came here to teach and they got married shortly after. They are a blessing to be around and a blessing to everyone they meet. She is much more serious and organized while Rafa is completely crazy and out of control. He makes me laugh so hard. They both have huge hearts and love to serve. A match made in heaven. They put their faith into action in the most pratical ways and give their lives away everyday. I have been challenged by them already. They work with a ton of pastors in Colombia to bring in famous speakers to do big conferences here in Bogota. They work with goverment officials, embassy workers and business men. They serve the poorest of the poor, drug addicts, prostitutes and street kids. They run an after school program for street kids called, House of Peace. They line up medical mission trips to the jungle throughout the year. They find out people's strengths and use them in anyway possible. They dream huge dreams for Bogota and with God's help make them a reality. My pastor back home always says, "If Grace Church was bombed would Greenville, SC miss us? Who are we impacting, loving, serving? Who would notice if we were gone?" Bogota would definitely miss Beth and Rafa if they were to leave. In a city of nine million they make a huge difference. I plan on spending as much time with them as I can this year.

Friends and family, you have to come see Bogota!!! It is incredibly beautiful and there is so much to do. Last weekend I went to some really neat places downtown. There are tons of art museums to see that only cost about 1 American dollar. If you can come we will hop on the transmileno and see all there is to see. There is a neat place called monserrate where you can see all of Bogota, a beautiful Cathedral made of salt, amazing architecture everywhere you look. You must experience Colombia. Beth and Rafa will put you to work in one of their ministries as well.

Dios la bendiga!