Calle 5 #14-32
La Mesa, Colombia
aaronlaurak@gmail.com
Easter Reflections
Dear family and friends,
Death. Life. Ending. Beginning. Pain. Joy. Good Friday. Easter morning.
Coming to the end of our time here in Colombia is a kind of death. It's painful to think about saying goodbye to what has become our life. Three years is a short time, of course. But it's just long enough to adapt to the new soil. Be nourished by the rain and sun. Put down roots. Give new growth. Produce a little fruit.
Thinking about being uprooted in just three months' time is not easy. Transplanting to some other dirt always smarts, even if it's the dirt you grew up in. It's not as simple as saying we're going "home." We've made a new home here. Our homecoming is also a departure from home.
And yet it is a homecoming. We long to be reunited with friends and family. To feel the contours of Virginia (and Pennsylvania) under our feet. To join our voices in four-part harmony at Zion Mennonite Church. To eat a good sandwich on the deck of our Cape Cod on South Dogwood Drive.
So this Easter we are living through death and resurrection.
Yesterday, Good Friday, we shared a delicious meal of fried fish, rice and guacamole with our good friends, Martín and Elsy González, and their daughters, Ana María and Stephany. In his prayer for the meal, Martín gave thanks for this chance to continue strengthening our friendship. Sometimes they seem more aware of our departure than we do. But the slew of visitors we hosted in February and March have made that reality sink in these past few weeks.
Galen and Gloria Lehman, Caribbean Regional Directors for Virginia Mennonite Missions and good friends of Laura's family, stopped by on their way to Jamaica for the 50th anniversary of the Jamaica Mennonite Church. We heard reports about the Mennonite churches in Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad. We also got caught up on their family, news from Virginia, and the latest from Eastern Mennonite University, our alma mater, where Galen is a psychology professor. They were enthusiastic about the different ministries we are part of here in La Mesa. One highlight was using Galen's GPS tracker to play hide and seek with some children from Anapoima!
A week later we welcomed Darrell Gascho, director of Radical Journey, to La Mesa for the second time. Last year he visited us to check out La Mesa as a possible site for Radical Journey to send a team. This year he saw that hope realized in the five young women who have been serving here since last November. He visited each of them in their homes, toured the places they serve at Colegio Americano Menno, the La Mesa Mennonite Church children's feeding program, and the church planting project in Anapoima. He even shared his culinary gifts with the women from the Vida Nueva (New Life) neighborhood in Anapoima, teaching them how to make crepes.
The following week Melina Hunsberger's parents arrived from Johnstown, PA. Though we were not hosting them, we did have the opportunity to connect with them on several occasions. Melina's father, Dan, invited the Radical Journey team, Martín and Elsy's family (Melina's host parents), and us to an Argentinean barbecue. Melina's mother, Mariela, is from Argentina, and Melina lived there for the first few years of her life. Dan and Mariela also came to our house and we talked about life in the US, particularly some of the challenges there. It was good to be reminded that we will experience quite a transition--reverse culture shock, it's sometimes called--upon returning to our country of birth (except for Anna Sophia, of course!).
The culmination of all these visits was the arrival of Laura's parents and brother on February 29. It was gratifying to reveal our Colombian life for one last time with Paul, Donna and James. We toured the usual sites in Bogotá, including the Mennonite Center, historic district, artisan shops, the big flower and produce market downtown, and Monserrate, the mountain with a church on top of it overlooking the city. Everything was an adventure. Then we were off to La Mesa for the rest of the week. Aside from visiting school and church, Paul and Donna relished their time with the grandchildren. James made new friends with the Radical Journey team and youth from church. A highlight was a day-trip to Anapoima where we swam, rode horseback, ate fresh fish, and attended a worship service with the church Martín and Elsy are forming. We finished the week with an inspiring Sunday morning service at the La Mesa Church, and an early morning trip to the airport the next day, with James frantically photographing the stunning Andean countryside as we whizzed by. Saying goodbye was relatively easy since we knew we'd see each other in a few short months.
So these visits have helped us begin to contemplate our ending in Colombia and new beginning in the US. We are acutely aware, however, that we want to live in the now. We want to soak up everything possible in these last three months.
Most moments in our house are filled with the sounds of a 3-year-old's monologues and songs, or the squeals and cries of a 6-month-old. Anna is trying very earnestly to crawl. She rocks on all fours, sometimes sticks her rump high in the air, or scoots backwards, but has yet to coordinate it all into forward movement. We know it won't be long though before our little baby is mobile. She also has started to eat pureed foods and patiently gums cheerios to a soft paste (thanks to Grandma Donna for the jumbo box) and continues to brighten our days with her luminous smile and peaceful personality. We enjoy watching Abby engage in imaginative play with her stuffed animals, or absorb herself in an art project. We are so thankful for our healthy and lively children.
School has picked up pace as Aaron teaches three levels of English: low-level students who need additional help; elective students who want to practice speaking English; and an advanced class of teachers from both Colegio Americano Menno and the public school system in La Mesa. Laura drops by during recess each day to tend to bumps, bruises, and tummy aches. The Radical Journey volunteers are organizing the library, helping in English classes, and forming a student music ensemble. It is rewarding to see them form friendships with students and teachers and take initiative with their own projects.
It is exciting to see God at work in the lives of families in Anapoima. We have seen some of them reconcile old grudges with their neighbors, and take more ownership in their weekly Bible studies and activities. It is becoming their church. We are praying that the developing community might be able to find a suitable location to build a meeting place. A few generous individuals are trying to make that purchase possible. If you would like to add your name to that list you can write us an e-mail or contact Mennonite Mission Network.
We continue to pray that God would call another couple to come to La Mesa when we leave. If you know qualified people (English teachers, health workers, youth leaders, etc.) who might have interest in this kind of mission work, tell them their skills are needed in Colombia. You could be the channel through which God speaks into someone's life.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support. May this Easter renew your faith in Christ and his kingdom.
Grace and peace,
Aaron, Laura, Abigail & Anna Sophia