You have given me more than I could ever have wanted

Sorry this blog update has taken so long. I have been yelled at by many, many people. I will try to do better. I continue to be amazed all the blessings God has given me in Bogota. He is so good. We finished up our first quarter last Friday and are on to the 2nd! My students have grown so much in just 9 weeks of school. I am so proud of my class that I could burst and repeatedly tell them that they are the best kindergartners in the whole world. I think they really could be. Their English is taking off like crazy! I am actually very jealous of their tiny brains that can take in language so quickly. Amazing. We have so much fun each day and their behavior improves all the time. I have 23 parent conferences scheduled for Friday and Saturday and look forward to getting to know my parents more. I have only recieved parent hate mail one time (it was much deserved) and I think that conflict has been resolved. I accidently marked a student absent one day that was really present and when the school called the mom asking why her 5 year old son was not at school she freaked out and thought her son had been stolen off the school van. Whoops. So I am praying for clear communication, biblical truths presented, and strengthened relationships. Today we celebrated Mateo Ramirez's birthday, studied volume and weight with hard boiled eggs, did a play about elephants (it's E week),took a reading/writing test in English, and learned how the ten commandments cannot save us, but show us our sin and our need for Jesus. I am very thankful that I get to be a part of ECA this year. Everyday I walk around school and see God at work. Children from Hogar De Paz visiting for a party hosted by the 4th graders, high school students returning from a local women's prison ministry and telling all the awesome testimonies that were shared, middle schooler's leaving for an outreach trip to a special needs orphanage.... I can't even believe I get to be a part of it all. I am constantly giving God praise that He brought me here this year. Even though I know many of the students at ECA are not believer's yet, I feel like the school invites them into a better story where they are allowed to show compassion and have their eyes opened to the needs of their community and the world around them. The students love to serve and it is beautiful. My kindergartners went on their first ministry trip to visit a nursing home. We sang, hugged, loved, talked and colored with the abuelitos and you could tell that it was a huge blessing for them.

Last week was probably my hardest week since being here. Found out on Tuesday evening that one of my closest childhood friends had been killed in a car accident. She has two little girls and a wonderful husband. She was a beautiful friend, daughter, mother and wife. She was a second grade teacher. Her life had meaning and she loved so many. I have a hundred memories of growing up with her and our two older brothers. I spent a good chunk of my childhood with her family. Going on beach trips, playing softball, watching our big brothers play baseball, being mistaken for sisters, getting into trouble, a million sleepovers, and getting talked into going on a sled that was attached to a four wheeler( our older brothers were evil), only to end up crashing into a mailbox and having a huge dent in my leg for the rest of my life. I wanted to come back home so bad and attend the funeral with my brother, hug her family, cry with them, and spend time with people who loved her and knew how amazing she was. I didn't get to go home though and I am at peace with that. I heard it was a beautiful service. Her life was celebrated and God recieved much glory. While processing all of this, God showed me what a wonderful community He has placed around me. I went to work on Wednesday with swollen eyes and could not stop crying or get myself together all day. I would be fine and someone would look at me to ask if I was okay and I would just bust out crying again. Over and over, people stopped to pray with me, prayed for Lisa's family and to just hug me. There is one lady at school that I admire very much. Her name is Sol and she is the school nurse. We can't communicate a ton, but when we try I know she loves me and she knows I love her. She saw me and immediately pulled me into a staff bathroom. She asked me in her little bit of English, "what hurts?" In my little bit of Spanish, I tried to tell her my friend had passed away. She just held me and cried with me. Then she said, " I like pray." "Jesus help. Jesus, Your presence, we need, Holy Spirit help, Marianne's friend please help, her family needs you Jesus." Over and over she just called on Jesus in her broken English and it was probably the sweetest experiance I have had since I have been here. People here are so loving. Anytime I stop and question why I am here in Colombia, whether Im lost on the transmileno for an hour, annoyed that I can't communicate like I want to, or homesick, God shows me all the ways He has blessed me and I stop doubting my purpose here immediately. I want to become one of those people who stop and pray for people at anytime, it means so much when you are hurting. Please pray for Lisa's two little girls and her family if you think of it.

More quick updates:

I have started teaching 3 English classes a week outside of school. I was a little bit worried it would be too much at first, but it has turned out to be only a blessing. I love my adult students! We laugh and laugh during our 2 hour classes. It is so much fun that I can't believe I get paid for it. I make them do crazy things like act out commercials or pretend to discuss art while walking through a museum. They get really into the lessons and it makes teaching so enjoyable. It is another great oppurtunity to build relationships with the beautiful people of Colombia. They teach me so much about the culture and language too.

The student that I am discipling, Jannett, is simply amazing. l love my time with her and feel like our relationship has grown a ton in the past few weeks. She tells me everything that is going on in her 10th grade world. I tell her I will beat up all the mean boys and she tells me thats not very Christlike. Highschool is tough, I had forgotten. We have had some neat times studying God's Word, praying together, talking and laughing. This is one of my favorite oppurtunities her. God has used so many women to pour into my life and disciple me over the past years. It is cool to be on the other side of the process of life change.

One of my fellow teachers turned into Santa Claus this past week and brought back two packages from the states for me. Two of my best friends and my sister compiled a whole suitcase of my favorite things. I asked Jamie and Caroline for a lint roller and dove chocolate. They sent me a ton of school supplies, 3 new outfits, stationary, organic products, ACV, 2 lint rollers, a big bag of chocolate and all sorts of things I didn't even know I wanted or needed. My sister sent my favorite coffee, more chocolates, and lots of other treats. Thank you, I felt so loved!

-I got to go on a wonderful weekend getaway to a town called San Gil with three other teachers. Colombia is gorgeous! We enjoyed God's creation and found our adventurous side through white water rafting and rappelling. We stayed in a cool hostel that was cheap and full of the most fun backpackers from around the world. We went exploring in a town called Barichara that was breathtaking and endured some crazy long bus rides. We gave God lots of praise for protection and such a refreshing trip. It made Bogota's rain and cold weather seem a little bit dreary upon returning, but only for a minute. I love this place.

-My prayer partner, Claire, was reunited with her biological family last week. She was adopted from Medellin, Colombia when she was 1 years old and brought the the states. She lived in California and Chicago her whole life. She came to teach here in Bogota this year and immediately started trying to find her birth mom in Medellin. After finding our her mom died 7 years ago (that was really hard), she found her Grandma, 2 Aunts, 2 brothers and 3 nieces!!! She had the best week eating huge plates of food her Grandmother cooked, hugging and crying with her family, and hearing stories about her mom. Huge praise! God is good!

Thanks for being a part of this journey with me and for keeping up with my life in Bogota. Thank you 100 times for your prayers and support. I come home in two months for Christmas and can't wait to see everyone!