Calle 5 #14-32
La Mesa, Colombia
aaronlaurak@gmail.com
An Update Long Overdue
Dear family and friends,
Greetings from beautiful La Mesa. We hope this email finds you enjoying the warm summer months with family and friends.
A lot has happened since writing last. After finishing a busy semester at the Colegio in the middle of June, we immediately left for a vacation to the "Coffee Region" of Colombia. We flew to Cali, and spent the first 2 nights with Holly and Chet Miller-Eshleman, an MCC family we've become close with over the past year and a half. We enjoyed connecting with them and hearing them reflect on their four years in Cali as they prepare to move back to the States this summer. Abby and their 7 year old daughter Mary had a blast together, and Abby discovered the joy of having tea parties with Mary's miniature tea set. We will miss their family at the MCC retreats in the coming year, but look forward to visiting them in Ohio next summer.
Then we took a beautiful 3 hour bus ride through a valley of sugar cane fields and rolling hills to Armenia, home of famous parks and lovely coffee farms. We met the pastor of the Armenia Mennonite church and enjoyed having lunch in his country home. For three nights we stayed in a country inn near Armenia, and were surprised to have the entire place to ourselves! We enjoyed the pool and lush setting and time together as a family. The first day in Armenia we traveled to the famed "Coffee Park", which had fun and interesting activities for all age groups. We learned about coffee production from start to finish (in a stunningly beautiful location) and Abby got to ride her first merry-go-round and ferris wheel, so we all left happy. The next day we went to a nearby park called Panaca, also beautifully laid out with amazing views of the Andes and well maintained grounds. This park had lovely animal exhibits and shows. Abby got to pet her first baby calf and pony. Once again we were impressed with the quality of the park and really enjoyed being together as a family in a new setting.
The day after coming home from the Armenia vacation we joined up with the youth group in their retreat at Cachipay. At first it was hard to switch gears, but once there we felt very glad to be at such an important event in the life of the youth. On Monday three people were baptized in a nearby river. One of them was Francisco, a middle-aged man who had gone to church as a child, and then distanced himself during his adolescent years. Last year when Francisco was going through a personal crisis, Aaron had some key conversations with him about God's faithfulness and power to transform our lives, so it was especially meaningful to see him take this step. It was also special because Aaron was invited to help with the baptisms for the first time.
We feel so fortunate to have had visits from family the entire month of July. Our first visitors were Aaron's brother Ryan and his wife Christy. They are both professional musicians and we really enjoyed making beautiful music with them throughout the week. We even provided some special music during our friend Ruth's wedding ceremony on July 7th! It was Christy's first time in Latin America, and we loved showing both of them around La Mesa and Bogotá, and hearing their feedback and impressions of Colombia. It helped us see with fresh eyes some of the scenes and experiences that we take for granted here after 2 years. More than anything we appreciated the good conversations around the table, playing card games, and watching Abby bond with her aunt and uncle. We even got to celebrate Ryan's birthday by taking a long, beautiful hike down the mountainside and then later eating a carrot cake (baked in our toaster oven!) while sitting on our back patio enjoying warm tropical evening.
The day they flew out, Laura's sister Rebecca flew in for her 3 week visit! She continues to be a wonderful guest, up for all the new experiences, food, local culture and adventure that we can offer. She's become such a comfortable presence around the house that it will certainly feel empty around here when she leaves on Monday. Then on July 13th, Laura's other sister, Joanna and her husband Clay arrived for a nine day visit. Highlights from their time with us include renting a cabin where all 6 of us stayed on a farm/campground and enjoyed the pools, horseback riding, walk to the river, and beautiful views of the nearby mountain. We also had plenty of time together around the house and Clay got to try out our juicer and provided us with fresh orange juice many mornings from the oranges in our back yard. Thanks Clay!
School began again on July 17th, so Aaron's been busily preparing lessons and teaching. In addition to English, he actually gets to teach a little Anabaptist history this quarter, so that's exciting. Life is always interesting when you're teaching 40 squirming middle schoolers about the church. We are also preparing to receive a RAD team here in the fall. The young adults will spend 8 months here with host families and volunteering with the church and school. Over the next few weeks we'll be figuring out their host families and job descriptions. We are excited about the new challenges and dynamics the RAD team will bring to the work here.
Laura's pregnancy continues to go well and we are anticipating the birth of our second daughter in about 6 weeks! Between the new baby and the RAD team, we will certainly have a full and interesting fall. Please keep us in your prayers as we juggle new responsibilities and a growing family.Thanks to all of you who support us in so many ways.
Grace and peace,
Laura, Aaron & Abigail