I lock myself out of my house at least once every two weeks. Usually one of my roomates shows up within thirty minutes and it always creates an opportunity to practice spanish with Don Manuel (the greatest gaurd in the world). Usually its no big deal. Today I waited for a very long time before the rain started to pour and I had to seek shelter in a cozy coffee shop down the street. But no worries, the opportunity to blog has been created and I am sipping the most delightful chai tea latte. Im only slightly drenched.
All is well in Bogota. Staying busy with school and English classes. My "Shepherding Your Child's Heart" conferences have been going great. The one for parents was very well-recieved and I have been able to speak at length with parents who attended. Parents shared a lot in areas where they struggle and fall short, and it is amazing that God's Word has an answer for every teaching/parenting problem. I have finished only 1 of 3 for the ECA staff but it went well too and I felt like it was really good timing. Wasn't even as scary as I thought it would be. It has been a wonderful reminder for me of how to make teaching your full-time ministry.
Last weekend I was able to visit a new ministry called Simon Bolivar. It is for street kids in the poorest part of Bogota and was a really neat place. My good friend, Edgar, started the ministry a few years ago almost immediately after becoming a Christian. He is an architect here in Bogota and felt the need to get to know his neighbors in the south of the city. God has been teaching me so much about intentional community. Simon Bolivar is a really cool place and definately much needed. It is a place to seek refuge from the oppression of poverty, a place to be fed, a place to be loved, a place to play and laugh, and to hear truth. The children are invited to come every Saturday to get help with homework and participate in fun activities. They also come on Wednesday nights with their families. I went with five 11th graders from school to help with registration for the new year and to clean the entire house from top to bottom. The students from school were so much fun and very helpful. It was neat to see all the families greeting Edgar and the children filled with excitement for the ministry to be opened back up after break. I hope to keep visiting and cant wait to go when the house is filled with the children of ciudad Bolivar. Edgar really wanted us to see what the community was like and the affects of December flooding so he got us to pile in his jeep for a wild ride. The students had to stand up in the back and I was scared for their lives as we rode to the top of a mountain to get a clear view of the city. So many houses had been destroyed and tons more were barely standing. I heard about how devastating it was in the news, but had no idea what it was really like. I was struck at how terribly selfish I had been during this time. I had been praying for the floods to stop because I knew of all the devastation in the poor areas from the news, but it was only halfheartedly and only for a short time. Really I was annoyed the whole time because our school grounds were so muddy and we couldn't go outside. One week we had to teach without electricity for 3 days and I thought the world was ending. And in the back of my mind, I was also worried that the airport would get flooded and I wouldn't get to go home for Christmas. I was seriously thinking about that. I was disgusted with myself after I saw what happened there and how many families were displaced. I really am so far seperated from the poor people in Bogota, going to visit a ministry in the South of Bogota every other weekend obviously isn't teaching me and changing me enough. I have some amazing friends who just moved to this neighborhood so that they can be changed and live how the people they are serving really live. I will write about them after I visit their new home this weekend.
All is well in Bogota. Staying busy with school and English classes. My "Shepherding Your Child's Heart" conferences have been going great. The one for parents was very well-recieved and I have been able to speak at length with parents who attended. Parents shared a lot in areas where they struggle and fall short, and it is amazing that God's Word has an answer for every teaching/parenting problem. I have finished only 1 of 3 for the ECA staff but it went well too and I felt like it was really good timing. Wasn't even as scary as I thought it would be. It has been a wonderful reminder for me of how to make teaching your full-time ministry.
Last weekend I was able to visit a new ministry called Simon Bolivar. It is for street kids in the poorest part of Bogota and was a really neat place. My good friend, Edgar, started the ministry a few years ago almost immediately after becoming a Christian. He is an architect here in Bogota and felt the need to get to know his neighbors in the south of the city. God has been teaching me so much about intentional community. Simon Bolivar is a really cool place and definately much needed. It is a place to seek refuge from the oppression of poverty, a place to be fed, a place to be loved, a place to play and laugh, and to hear truth. The children are invited to come every Saturday to get help with homework and participate in fun activities. They also come on Wednesday nights with their families. I went with five 11th graders from school to help with registration for the new year and to clean the entire house from top to bottom. The students from school were so much fun and very helpful. It was neat to see all the families greeting Edgar and the children filled with excitement for the ministry to be opened back up after break. I hope to keep visiting and cant wait to go when the house is filled with the children of ciudad Bolivar. Edgar really wanted us to see what the community was like and the affects of December flooding so he got us to pile in his jeep for a wild ride. The students had to stand up in the back and I was scared for their lives as we rode to the top of a mountain to get a clear view of the city. So many houses had been destroyed and tons more were barely standing. I heard about how devastating it was in the news, but had no idea what it was really like. I was struck at how terribly selfish I had been during this time. I had been praying for the floods to stop because I knew of all the devastation in the poor areas from the news, but it was only halfheartedly and only for a short time. Really I was annoyed the whole time because our school grounds were so muddy and we couldn't go outside. One week we had to teach without electricity for 3 days and I thought the world was ending. And in the back of my mind, I was also worried that the airport would get flooded and I wouldn't get to go home for Christmas. I was seriously thinking about that. I was disgusted with myself after I saw what happened there and how many families were displaced. I really am so far seperated from the poor people in Bogota, going to visit a ministry in the South of Bogota every other weekend obviously isn't teaching me and changing me enough. I have some amazing friends who just moved to this neighborhood so that they can be changed and live how the people they are serving really live. I will write about them after I visit their new home this weekend.
Meredith scrubbing chairs and tables and families signing up across the street.
All the places where there are steps, there used to be a house.
Our crazy jeep excursion
Que Linda!
Cleaning up the kitchen with JuanFe
I am having tons of fun with my kindergartners as usual. Two of my students became Christians over the weekend so we celebrated in class this morning big time and it was a beautiful thing to hear them share their simple but truthful testimonies. Last week we made pizza and playdough for "P" week. We are learning that God loves all kinds of sinners even the "worst" ones and that has been a great reminder for me. My high school student and I started going through the book of Romans after Christmas break and we are still on chapter one. We are learning so much together. Hopefully we can start moving a little faster and get at least halfway through before the end of the year. I hate the words, end of the year. I am hoping to have her and two other girls over this coming weekend for a fun girl's night.
I have had two very serious goals since living in Colombia. To make Needtobreathe wildly popular here (everyone should love them) and to become a street vendor. I am still working on the first goal one student at a time, but I became a real life empanada selling street vendor last weekend with my dear friend Maggie. We made shirts, signs, aji sauce and the best empanadas that we have ever prepared. It was really our social experiment to see if a Colombian would trust a gringa to make one of the most "colombian" foods here. They did. The night before my Colombian mom, Gladys and her son Alex came over to bring a table over and see how they could help us. They spend at least 30 minutes telling us all the ways we had failed in our business endevour by explaining how cheap we could of gotten our meat if only we had gone there and that you have to use double the amount of potatoes to make profit. We were not discouraged though and set out with determination the following morning. People got the biggest laugh out of us but we sold over fifty empanadas. We made a profit of 40 mil pesos (almost 20$). Some people hung out with us and ate 5 empanadas and some people wanted their picture taken with us. Some people walked by with their mouth hanging open. It was beautiful and one of my favorite experiances so far.
I am having tons of fun with my kindergartners as usual. Two of my students became Christians over the weekend so we celebrated in class this morning big time and it was a beautiful thing to hear them share their simple but truthful testimonies. Last week we made pizza and playdough for "P" week. We are learning that God loves all kinds of sinners even the "worst" ones and that has been a great reminder for me. My high school student and I started going through the book of Romans after Christmas break and we are still on chapter one. We are learning so much together. Hopefully we can start moving a little faster and get at least halfway through before the end of the year. I hate the words, end of the year. I am hoping to have her and two other girls over this coming weekend for a fun girl's night.
I have had two very serious goals since living in Colombia. To make Needtobreathe wildly popular here (everyone should love them) and to become a street vendor. I am still working on the first goal one student at a time, but I became a real life empanada selling street vendor last weekend with my dear friend Maggie. We made shirts, signs, aji sauce and the best empanadas that we have ever prepared. It was really our social experiment to see if a Colombian would trust a gringa to make one of the most "colombian" foods here. They did. The night before my Colombian mom, Gladys and her son Alex came over to bring a table over and see how they could help us. They spend at least 30 minutes telling us all the ways we had failed in our business endevour by explaining how cheap we could of gotten our meat if only we had gone there and that you have to use double the amount of potatoes to make profit. We were not discouraged though and set out with determination the following morning. People got the biggest laugh out of us but we sold over fifty empanadas. We made a profit of 40 mil pesos (almost 20$). Some people hung out with us and ate 5 empanadas and some people wanted their picture taken with us. Some people walked by with their mouth hanging open. It was beautiful and one of my favorite experiances so far.
I am missing home a little and starting to get anxious for next year. I will definately be back in SC and will have to start worrying about my living situation, car, and job soon. Please pray that I will stay focused for my last few months here and also be able to take care of the things I need to for next year as well.
I am so proud of you and happy and excited for you!! What a blessing you are! I will be praying for you...don't worry about tomorrow--God will take care of you!!
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