Calle 5 #14-32
La Mesa, Colombia
aaronlaurak@gmail.com
Life in High Gear
Hello friends and family,
A big hug from warm and rainy La Mesa. We've been in the rhythm of the school year for a few months and it's hard to believe that May is upon us. Now that life seems to be in a higher gear time seems to be flying by!
Abby turns 18 months on Friday. I know that parents have been doing this since the beginning of time, but now it's our turn to stand in awe of her explosive development, cheering proudly as she masters running, drawing, dancing, talking, going potty, and other life basics. Ok, so she hasn't "mastered" any of those yet, but we're amazed by the new changes every month brings. Lately she's learned the power of saying the word "no". When something isn't to her liking she'll let out a wailing "noooooo", and if she's feeling especially melodramatic, will collapse to the tile floor. Or if someone wants to pick her up at church and she isn't feeling in the mood, she look at them straight in the eye and politely tell them no. She might also shake her pointer finger for emphasis.
But for the most part she's an easygoing and cheerful little girl, taking changes in stride and making us stop and enjoy life's small pleasures. Last Sunday night Abby was getting restless in the church service so I (Laura) took her outside to run off some steam. The moon was shining brightly so I pointed to it and said "moon". Her eyes rose up and she beamed and excitedly said "moo! moo! moo!" over and over. I savored the feel of her warm little body leaning into mine and the sight of her chubby finger raised to the sky.
Our running water supply ran out this week for the first time. Ironically, it's rainy season, so we watched water running through our muddy yard and dripping off the banana leaves in rivulets but the faucet was maddeningly dry. So we hauled in bucketfuls from our tank out back for washing dishes and the bathroom. We only had to do this for less than 24 hours, before the public water supply came on and filled our roof tanks, but it certainly reminded us not to take running water for granted. And not to squander it when it's available.
Aaron's in the swing of his classes. English classes are going well for the most part. He was getting a little frustrated with the teachers' class because attendance had dropped since the beginning of the second quarter. Most of the absences were due to legitimate excuses, not simply a lack of interest. What frustrated him was the fact that few let him know that they couldn't come, so he'd show up having planned the lesson and there would be only a handful of students. A heart to heart chat with the teachers this week convinced him to keep going with it, at least until the end of the semester in mid-June. They in turn promised to do a better job of letting him know about schedule conflicts.
His first World Religions class on Saturday went really well, and he's enjoying teaching stimulating, new material. He's grateful he brought along some books by David Shenk, Global Gods, and God's Call to Mission, the latter of which he also has a copy in Spanish. The students in the missions institute are eager and responsive. At first glance, they seemed a bit intimidated by the course requirements: one test, one short essay, and a group project, spread over 12 weeks. Doesn't sound like that much to us, but perhaps they're used to just coming and participating in class without having to do much outside preparation. Aaron thinks they're up for the challenge, though.
I had an idea-packed meeting with pastor Martin and other people interested in health work with marginalized children in La Mesa and neighboring communities. The goal is to provide nutritional support, basic health and hygiene lessons and spiritual formation for these neglected children. Of course it's a big project to get off the ground, but we want to intentionally lay a strong groundwork so the project is sustainable. On Friday I'm planning on visiting families in a nearby rural town to build relationships and explore some of the possible health needs.
Our puppy Luna adds plenty of energy to the household. We're training her to not pull our arms out of socket when on her walk, and not lick Abby's temptingly sticky fingers dangling from her high chair. But she CAN sit and stay for 15 minutes looking longingly at a treat until we give the OK. The goal is getting her to do that during an entire meal with guests! Our cat Rico thinks its his job to get fat and catch moths the size of my hand.
Some of you may know that elections are being held in Colombia on May 28th. Alvaro Uribe, the current president, is up for reelection. Also, the 27th is the anniversary of the FARC, the largest Colombian rebel group. Violence is known to escalate during these times, so we're not planning on traveling to Bogota this month. Please keep the situation in your prayers.
We want to say thanks to the members of Zion Mennonite Church for contributing to the repair costs of our video camera, and to our support team for their great idea of having a "penny power" Sunday to raise the money. We just began some filming this week that will hopefully result in another DVD by the end of the month. Right now we just have some footage of Abby dancing around the dining room, but we'll try to squeeze in some things from our work at school and church, too!
We're grateful for the many ways you support us. We love hearing from our dear family and friends. News from your lives is always a delight to read. Keep in touch!
Blessings and peace,
Laura, Aaron & Abigail