Calle 5 #14-32
La Mesa, Colombia
aaronlaurak@gmail.com
Top 10 Things to Celebrate in Colombia Besides Aaron's Birthday
Dear friends and family,
We hope you are all doing well. Another week has passed, and though we are still not very busy, God continues to bring new experiences our way. With Aaron's 27th birthday on Friday, we decided to focus this week's message on all the things we can celebrate about being in Colombia. Again, if you want the short version, read the bold print.
10) We found baking powder. Which meant that Laura was able to make a birthday cake for Aaron! Baking doesn't seem to be very big here, evidenced by the fact that we can't buy measuring cups or spoons in La Mesa. On Friday we hunted down some "polvo para hornear" and Laura made a chocolate cake to share with Martin's family. They loved it, and it felt good to contribute something from our traditional Mennonite heritage. Hooray for luscious rich desserts!
9) We brought a flashlight. We added it as an afterthought to our luggage, and boy has it come in handy. The electricity cuts off some evenings, and we're plunged into darkness until we fumble for the trusty flashlight. Also, we haven't been able to find a lamp, so Aaron often reads by flashlight while Laura and Abby drift off to la-la land.
8) We almost have a puppy. We found a pet shop here, and after learning that they can get pure-bred Golden Retrievers from Bogotá for a good price, decided to get one, expecting it to arrive in time for Aaron's birthday. But the owners came back with a four-month-old, when we had asked for a 2-month-old. We did a little research and found that a lot of important development takes place before four months of age, so we felt it important to insist on getting a younger puppy. They agreed, and so in a few weeks we should have one. It'll be good to get one while we still have a bit of extra time on our hands. Laura's dreamed about having a Golden Retriever since she was little.
7) Several snow-capped peaks are visible on clear mornings. We continue to be astounded by the beauty of this country. The mountains are breath-taking, the flowers are gorgeous and ubiquitous, and the weather is extremely comfortable (between 60 and 85 all the time). We hope to visit the nearby Bogotá River waterfall sometime soon. It's one of the most polluted rivers in the world, but the sight is still supposed to be beautiful.
6) We have an internet connection in our home. After at least 9 calls to Telecom and a visit to the local office here in La Mesa, we got everything figured out and have been able to use the internet at home for the past number of days. It's a great connection, much faster than at Colegio Americano or the internet cafés around town. And it can be of service to others, too; the other day Aaron helped Martín write some emails in English here. The only temptation to avoid is spending too much time on it rather than interacting with people here.
5) We don't have dengue fever. But we do have excessive amounts of mosquitos, and dengue spreads by these annoying little insects. While not usually fatal, dengue has strong flu-like symptoms and occasionally hemorrhaging. It's worse for adults than for children. So, we've been soaking ourselves with bug spray, using our mosquito net at night, and we just bought some plug-in repellent that seems to work well. Definitely pray for our health, though, since it can be serious.
4) Friendships continue to deepen and be found just when we need them. This week we were feeling a bit more isolated, realizing the difficulty of making new friends. But then we had a wonderful afternoon with Ruth Daza, the bicultural-bilingual friend we wrote about last week, and her daughter and husband/boyfriend, Arturo (They're not officially married but most people consider them such, and they're working on the paperwork). And then two days later, again when we were feeling a little discouraged, we ran into two women from the church by chance (if you believe in chance). The one woman accompanied us on the bus to our destination, and the other invited us to lunch this coming week. We also continue to enjoy frequent contact with Martín, Elsy, and their children, Andrés, Ana María and Stephany.
3) La Mesa Mennonite Church is strengthening our faith. Sometimes mission workers find that the churches they worship in at their place of service are not as nurturing as their home congregations. While things are different here, we are finding it a very meaningful place to worship. The music, though a bit loud, is lively and inspiring. The preaching is quite good (when we're able to follow it!). There are lots of kids that love to play with Abby. And the midweek meetings are great places to meet people and be part of interesting Bible studies.
2) We continue to experience safety. Last week we saw a documentary on TV about Medellín, a Colombian city that has been plagued by guerillas and paramilitary fighters the last number of years. Apparently about five years ago, there was an outbreak of violence here in La Mesa for a time, too. But we have felt nothing but safe our whole time here. On Thursday Aaron accompanied Martín to a small group meeting in Anapoima, a nearby town. They went by motorcycle, but Martín assured Laura that he'd bring Aaron back "sano y salvo," (safe & sound). He did, but not without some moments of doubt! Here's Aaron's first-hand account:
After a good meeting in which Martín asked me to tell my testimony (in Spanish, of course), I was tired and ready to get home. But, on our way back we got a flat tire about 7 miles from La Mesa, at like 9:30 at night on a dark section of the road. We stopped at a random house to ask for help but they didn't have a telephone. So we had to wait for the last bus which was supposed to pass at like 10:00. After seeing the documentary on Sunday, I wasn't real excited about being stranded there, even if we do live in a safe zone. But really it worked out fine. We got a little wet in the rain, but we eventually did get the bus and went back to Anapoima, where we got another person's motorcycle to ride back to La Mesa. We got in around 11:00, tired, wet, and joking about having to suffer like the Apostle Paul, but sano y salvo nonetheless. It was quite an introduction to "traveling ministry."
1) We're beginning to get a clearer picture of ways we can contribute. Earlier this week when we got together with Ruth and Arturo, she mentioned that the 11th graders who would be graduating this year (they only go up to 11th grade here) were complaining that they wouldn't get the new English teacher. So Aaron suggested that maybe in November, during their last month of school, after they've already taken their final state exams, he could work with Ruth in her class a bit. She thought it was a great idea, so that's the plan, though we still need to run it by the principal, Guillermo. Another growing possibility will be offering English classes during the vacation months of December and January at the church. We're thinking of doing it for maybe six weeks, two days a week for kids and two for adults. Pastor Martín is excited about this idea, especially because we want to focus on conversational English. A final idea that excites us is the possibility of teaching a course on World Religions to the Bible Institute students who study on Saturdays. The dates are not set at all for this, but it would probably be sometime next year. So it's exciting to have things on the horizon. You probably have noticed, however, that none of these ideas involve health work. There are a few ideas floating around, but nothing concrete yet. Please keep that in your prayers.
Thanks for being faithful in prayer. We enjoy receiving emails from everyone who writes us. It's great to know what is happening in your lives. Till next time.
Love,
Laura, Aaron & Abigail