Calle 5 #14-32
La Mesa, Colombia
aaronlaurak@gmail.com
Joy in the Journey
Dear friends and family,
Our last letter left us saying goodbye to Aaron’s parents after their visit in July. We pick up this time in the middle of a busy new semester at school in which we feel like our gifts are being used in ways that give us joy and satisfaction. We’re also in the middle of a visit from our good friends David and Ericka Gingerich, Mission Network volunteers in Ecuador.
Sleepless Nights and the Menno Code: The Youth Group Camping Trip
The youth campout was one of the events we had been looking forward to since we started with the youth group in February. After months of planning and fundraising—including the showing of World Cup games with the video projector and a youth auction—we finally had everything ready.
Then the night before we were to leave, some unforeseen events kept us from attending the campout. Abigail woke up crying at midnight and vomited all over her crib. It turned into an overnight vigil that left us exhausted in the morning, and ready to go to the clinic, where Laura began to show some of the same flu-like symptoms.
The next two days Aaron was taking care of Abigail and Laura, so they missed nearly all of the campout. Saturday afternoon he was able to go for a few hours to help lead an Anabaptist history treasure hunt called, The Menno Code. The youth had fun deciphering the clues and running all over the campground to find the treasure, which turned out to be bags of chocolates submerged in the swimming pool.
But it was disappointing to lose out on what we had put so much energy and prayer into. Thankfully, some other church members were able to step in for us, and the youth had a wonderful experience. And at least we weren’t the only ones losing sleep at night: games, water balloon fights, and late night talks seemed to take priority over sleep at the campout. The youth strengthened their relationships and identity as a group, and even made some personal commitments to make changes in their lives for Christ.
Exploring New Terrain: Projects at Colegio Americano Menno
School began again at the end of July and we found ourselves taking on a few more responsibilities. The seventh grade class expressed interest learning about choral singing, so we agreed to work with them once a week. We’ve been teaching them about pitch, posture and breathing and a few other basics because it’s all very new terrain for them. To begin to teach them harmony we have been working on canons, like Dona Nobis Pacem. We feel like we’ve seen a lot of progress in the few lessons we’ve had. We think their parents will be surprised when they get to hear them during Cultural Week in October.
Aaron offered to teach a class after school once a week to help prepare the seniors for their ICFES exam (kind of like the SAT or ACT in the US). A handful of students have been coming, even though it’s on Friday afternoons when no one (including Aaron) is very excited to be there. Last year our school had the highest average scores in the region, so all of the teachers are putting in extra hours to help this year’s senior class maintain that reputation.
Laura’s long-awaited presentation on sexuality finally became a reality in August. Together with the chemistry teacher, Lilian, she gave a two-hour lesson on dating, marriage, sex, contraceptives, and venereal diseases to 120 hormone-filled teenagers in grades 9-11. Laura covered topics like how to have a dating relationship without having sex, the purposes and benefits of marriage, and the different types of contraceptives, while emphasizing that the surest way to avoid unwanted pregnancies and diseases is to abstain until your wedding day. It was her first talk in Spanish, so she and Aaron carefully wrote out her notes the night before. Despite some nerves, Laura presented her information with poise, clarity and conviction, and the students applauded her when she finished, knowing that what she had done took a lot of courage. It was a very satisfying experience.
Visitors from South and North
It’s been a joy to host David and Ericka Gingerich during the past week. They arrived August 18th and will be here until September 4th. The first weekend they were able to visit their home congregation’s sister church, Anolaima Mennonite Church. Because of the poor road conditions, the 20-mile trip takes nearly an hour and a half. But the warm welcome we received made it quite worthwhile. After a lively and skillfully led time of music, the church gave us space to greet the congregation, and following the service we were invited to lunch at the pastor’s house. We were once again impressed by Colombian hospitality.
They spent the week with us in La Mesa, visiting classes, helping with a chapel service, and getting to know our friends and coworkers. Aaron’s students enjoyed interviewing them in English, asking as many questions as possible in order to put off the rest of the lesson. Ericka, an avid soccer fan, got to play with the ninth graders and even scored a goal! It was a fun week.
Also visiting La Mesa that week was Rich Mitchell, a member of Peace Mennonite Church (Denver, Colorado), which has adopted the Gingeriches and us as mission partners. Rich, a corporate mediation lawyer, has had interest in Colombia for years, and was hoping to explore connections with others doing mediation work, like the people at the Mennonite peace advocacy organization, Justapaz. He was also looking into the possibility of Peace Mennonite starting a sister-church relationship with a congregation in Colombia. We appreciated his energy, vision, and personal encouragement to us. He seems to have had a very successful trip, and we anticipate other visits from him and Peace Mennonite down the road.
Laughter and Lifelong Connections: A Retreat with MCC
We rarely get the chance to interact with North Americans, let alone folks who are also serving in Latin America. David and Ericka’s isolated work context has meant even less of that kind of support, so it was a treat to go to a Mennonite Central Committee retreat this past weekend with them. Twelve adults and five children gathered at a YMCA center for a weekend of sharing, games, good food, and prayer.
One highlight was the Newlyweds game we played to honor Janna and Jess Hunter-Bowman’s first anniversary. The husbands and wives were asked questions about each other, and if their answers did not correspond, they had to suffer a “penitencia.” These interesting, and usually embarrassing, consequences included singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” with a mouth full of peanut butter, trading outfits with your spouse, and holding hands while jumping into the frigid pool. We had not laughed that hard in months.
We’ve enjoyed the chance to catch up with David and Ericka and share our experiences over the past year. They attended orientation with us last year, and began their term a month before we did. Having also visited them in Ecuador in January, we feel a special connection with them. No matter where life takes us in the years to come, we know that we’ll always share a unique bond with David and Ericka, friends with whom we’ll reminisce about our first years serving in Latin America.
One other item of news is that we’ll be traveling home to Virginia and Pennsylvania for the Christmas season! Laura’s parents were planning to come, but because of the high tourist season prices, it seemed more feasible for us to fly home instead. An even better reason to go is the fact that Laura’s sister, Joanna, will be marrying Clay Showalter during the time that we are home! We know the 19 days between December 15 and January 2 will go all too quickly, but we hope we can see as many of you as possible. Thanks again for your prayers and support.
Blessings in Christ,
Aaron, Laura & Abigail