Calle 5 #14-32
La Mesa, Colombia
aaronlaurak@gmail.com
Easter Greetings
Hello all,
Today is the last day of school before the Holy Week festivities begin. We are grateful for the break, and are most of all looking forward to our good friend Matthew Hunsberger flying into Bogota tomorrow evening! We'll spend a Palm Sunday and Monday in Bogota, then come down and show off La Mesa. We anticipate a relaxing and fun week together.
At the end of February we went on a retreat with the MCC team to a place with natural hot springs! Although the air was chilly from the high altitude, the waters were like a steaming bath. Not only did we enjoy the delightful water, we also met many new workers with MCC Colombia and reconnected with old friends. We especially enjoyed talking with Charlie and Teresa Geiser from Kidron, Ohio, making family and friend connections and also learning about their many experiences in Latin America over the years.
March 16-19 we were in Cachipay at the National Mennonite Assembly. We enjoyed the lovely setting and meeting Mennonites from all parts of Colombia. It was overall a fruitful time of work for the church, without some of the high emotions and tensions of past assemblies. We are thankful for that. Alix Lozano was elected as the new President, replacing Peter Stucky. There entire cabinet has changed hands and will hopefully bring new energy for the work required. On Sunday evening the Assembly had a special celebration service for the church's 60th anniversary here in Colombia. This year we felt such a difference personally at the assembly - it was so nice to understand the church structures and see familiar faces and feel more "with it" this year. Also, Abby did such a good job of occupying herself during the long meetings. She was often content to sit and draw quietly or play with the flowers and shrubs lining the building. She also enjoyed running around with a group of pastors' daughters and checking out their new dolls.
Aside from these two long weekends, we have had a regular routine at the church and school. The English Club has really taken off and been an exciting part of the year. The students involved are the "cream of the crop" and extremely fun to work with. This past week Aaron and Ruth talked (in English) about our Easter traditions and then taught the club how to decorate eggs. Everyone colored and dyed an egg, then had an easter egg hunt. We enjoy this space to have time to do creative and fun things in English with the students.
Last Sunday at church was "youth Sunday." Members of the youth group participated in every aspect of the two worship services: as greeters, worship leaders, praise team members, Sunday school teachers, and even preachers. Everything really came together and both services were well attended and meaningful. It wasn't just a patronizing experience where everyone said "how cute." The youth really ministered to the congregation and led them in authentic worship. They proved true the belief that youth are not just "future" leaders of the church, but are capable leaders of the church already.
We keep commenting to ourselves how Abby really seems to be growing up - less of a baby and more of a little girl! She's much more verbal in both languages and it's a delight to hear her learn new words. She often distinguishes the two languages and says "English - shirt, Spanish - camisa" or "English - bread, Spanish - pan". She also loves to sing and the other morning I captured her on video pounding on her xylophone while she sang about 5 songs in a row.
The pregnancy continues to go very well. I'm now 17 weeks along, and started feeling little movements last week! Aaron also felt one of the kicks, which was special for us all. Once a month we take a day trip to Bogota, have a prenatal visit, then often have lunch with Janna and Jess. It's a fun time as a couple, even though 4 hours (total) on a bus can be tiring. Abby stays back in La Mesa with Elsy and has a blast playing with Ana and Stephany.
We hope that each of you has a blessed Easter week, remembering the new life we have with the risen Christ.
With love,
Laura, Aaron and Abby