Coffee! When one things of Colombia usually two things come to mind: the drug trade and coffee! I enjoy the latter. On almost any street corner in the morning you can find a lady selling a fresh cup of tinto (brewed coffee). Or in this case, a bike-stand coffee shop! Drink up!
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This is part of a series. To see the rest click here.
Street vendor- All over the city you can find people selling things out of the backs of trucks (or cars, or bicycles). Don’t want the hassle of a store front, just fill up your pick up truck and drive to a high-foot traffic area. Here a man is selling mandarin oranges- but I have seen almost everything thing from fruits and vegetables to baked goods to eggs and meat to textbooks.
This is part of a series. To check out the rest click here.
Parks- There are literally 6 parks within a 2 block radius of our apartment. Most have a small playground, a basketball/soccer court, and of course, lots of green grass and plants.
This is part of a series highlighting common sights in Bogota. To see them all click here.
Cell phones. Here is a station where you pay for the use of a cell phone (about 10 cents/minute). Notice they are all chained to the umbrella so they are not stolen. Also almost every person in the city has a cell phone- and many more than one.
This is part of a series highlighting common sights in Bogota. Click the links below to see others:
Traffic. Traffic. Traffic. This is just a normal morning on the way to school.
Contentment is such an interesting thing. It’s really a state of mind that reveals my focus.
Today on facebook I was flooded with pictures of delicious berries and the beginnings of garden harvests. It’s summer (well, almost) back in Oregon and days are filled with picnics, beach trips, camping adventures, and spending a lot of time outside. Growing up I remember summer fondly with lots of time outside, playing with neighbors, and swimming lessons.
In Bogota is it summer by school calendar only. The interesting thing about living in Bogota is because of it’s closeness to the equator, the weather is more or less the same year-round. Because of the altitude it is more or less a spring-like climate. The weather varies from the 50s to the 70s on most days, and usually there is one hour of rain. So although months pass, the weather doesn’t really change.
Anyway- back to contentment. While I was browsing facebook, I was overcome with jealousy for garden-fresh, delicious produce. There is nothing more delightful than a strawberry straight from the plant or fresh cherries. While I was drooling over these pictures and longing for home, I forgot one key fact. There are fresh strawberries available year-round here. And fresh berries. And tomatoes, cherries, pears, peppers, watermelons and well almost any fruit or vegetable imaginable. Year-round spring means year-round harvest. My envy was in no way justified.
Once I realized my displaced envy I started to think about why it was so overwhelming. I was looking at the grass on the other side of the fence (well, more like continent) and forgetting to look at the grass beneath my feet. I was discontent about where I am because I was envious of others. My focus was out of focus.
Many times over the past few years, I have caught myself distracted. Distracted from where God has placed me. Distracted from the life he has given me. Distracted because I wonder “what if…”
I have been reading the Psalms for the past few months and over and over I find that the writer cries out to God because he too has been distracted. He got focused on the things of this earth- the trails, the heartache, and the discontentment that he hits rock bottom, then finally looks up. I have been working on memorizing Psalm 147 (ESV) because it is a reminder of where our focus should be-
1 Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;his understanding is beyond measure.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
God is worthy of our praise. He is worthy of our focus. No matter the physical location, the people around us, and the circumstances he places us in, we are to find our contentment in him. When we look for greener grass, we are saying to God- you are not enough. When we envy the lives of others, we are telling God others are more worthy of praise than He is.
This is just another reminder to myself that God is in control of my life. God has placed me where He wants me and I am to take joy in that. When I am feeling afraid, lonely, or missing home, I need to remember who has called me to this life I am living and who I am to sing my praises towards: the Lord almighty- for He is worthy of our praise.
Those green things are guanabana (sour sop in English)! It’s a white creamy fruit on the inside and super delicious!
Last week when I was putting together the highlights of summer camp I realized how I was portraying this event. For the most part it is “oh look, a bunch of kids having fun!” You, as most of the readers, dont know the kids and it looks like life in Colombia is “super awesome” from the smiling faces, sunny skies and fun activities.
Well, here is where I am honest: this is not the complete picture. Sure, we did a lot of fun things at camp with some great smiley children, but there were many other layers- cultural clashes and inner struggles that happen when mixing North American and Colombian cultures. I was thrown into a mix of students, parents, an co-workers with different world-views and understandings of life.
I am not complaining- this is the life I have chosen to live! But I do have to be careful how I write. Very careful. The internet is not a private place. In fact anyone can see what is written and that can cause trouble for everyone involved. As much as I would like to rant about the challenges, my frustrations with culture and conflicts with people, it can’t happen publically without certain people being targeted in an offensive way. And that’s not right or fair.
Culture Stress
I am in the early stages of understanding the culture of Bogota. I have lived here less than a year. I may be able to speak the language and develop good friendships, but I am in no way able to navigate the cultural differences with wisdom or understanding. Bringing my “honest” rants in a public forum is not healthy or a good idea.
As I learn more, I understand more. As I understand more, the frustrations no longer seem important or necessary. If I were to publish these observations and frustrations pre-maturely, I would be hurting more than helping- which is contrary to why God has placed me here to do.
Real People
As everyone knows, people are not perfect. They have strengths and they have weaknesses. In my public writing it is important for me to build relationships with others, not tear others down. I am called to love others as Jesus loved us. That means I cannot let my sin get in the way of what He is doing. I choose to work on relationships in private with those it affects rather than write it for the world to see.
So for now I remain publically silent of the deeper issues of living in Bogota. I talk with my husband and co-workers. I write emails to close friends. But these inner struggles don’t come out in the public because they are not mature enough to be safe.
I look at the purpose of this blog: to communicate our ministry with supporters, friends and family. This is not a place to rant and rave. This is not a place to uglify or objectify. This is the shallow side. Unfortunately this means that missionary-ese is spoken and some of the real stories stay publically hidden. If you want to see more, to understand more, to dig deeper, please just email me privately. I am happy to be real with you on a one-to-one basis!
The truth is I long for a ministry of complete transparency, however, because broken people like myself are involved. It cant be here in a blog. I am still working on coming to terms with this. I know that as I mature and grow and seek more of the Lord,He will guide my writings, my postings and my ministry.
This past week Ed and I were able to travel outside of Bogota to the plains of Colombia with 32 middle school students (and 7 other adults) for a 4 day English Camp. It was a stretching, yet exciting time to spend with the kids learning about the plains and what it’s like to be a cowboy. Here are some highlights:
Middle school=junk food, right? 
Teaching the milk song! (just give me some milk… moo moo moo moo!)
The first day we took a ride on the “buggy cerrero” around the camp to look at all the animals!
Oh, Give me a home…. 
…Where the iguana’s all roam 
Monkeys!!! 
Our campsite. God’s creation is so beautiful! 
Worship and Devotions in the morning 
Learning to rope and milk a cow…not at the same time though! 
Pool time! 
We did a night-time photo scavenger hunt… I think the boys were having fun!
They found a frog in the pool 
Worship and devotions on the last day 
Yes, we female teachers made it to the last day… kind of :) 
Yes, you read that right. Jaime Duque (pronounced hi-may do-kay) is a theme park located about 15 miles north of Bogota and, in my opinion, is one of the most randomly planned theme parks possible. At one end is a zoo with a plethora of animals and creatures to look at, while at the other end is a variety of rides. In the middle are exhibits including 2 ships in a make-shift lake, the 7 wonders of the world, a GIANT Taj Mahal, and a room with a to-scale relief map of Colombia.
Now, this park is mostly geared for children and with that in mind, we took our pre-kinder and kinder students on the second-to-last day of school for a fun outing. My kids thoroughly enjoyed wandering around and seeing the sights, as well as riding on some of the rides.
Not only did my pre-kinder friends get to go, but on the same day we ventured out, the 5th and 6th graders took the pre-kinder students from the ministry they partner with to the park as well. Imagine taking a group of poor children to Disney land for a day. That’s about the enthusiasm for this place. It gave the 5th and 6th graders an awesome opportunity to play with and share Christ’s love in a practical engaging activity.
