different park, same problem

I’m thinking we should find a place to play that is at least 100 yards from the nearest “ball trap,” but that is harder than you might think around here. Until we can, we’ll just continue to rely on teamwork and creativity…

How to get your ball out of a canal:

1. Assess the situation

2. Determine who has slightly longer legs

3. Help a brother out


The smiles of victory when the ball is safely back in our hands is worth every minute it takes to get it out!

maybe

One day a week, I teach a short English class to the kids at La Fundacion. This week, there were 35 little ninos anxiously waiting when I got there, and I walked into the room to a whole lot of “Hi teeesshherr!” greetings. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, some of the kids go to school and others don’t—so in this class there are all levels of development and ability. So, we started with greetings, learned “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” counted to one hundred, practiced pointing out the colors around us, and we are taking a shot at memorizing Philippians 4:13 in English: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. In between all of that, there were quite a few interruptions from curious kids asking, “Teeesshherr, como se dice en Ingles… Teacher, how do you say in English…” So needless to say, it is a fun two hours, and hopefully the kids are learning something, too!

As I watched everyone copy down the words on the board, I noticed tiny little Steven, who was sitting on the floor in the front. Steven was doing his best to mimic the shape of the letters on the board, but while most kids had finished writing a sentence Steven was still on the third or fourth letter. Sometimes he would just give up and not write anything, other times he would really try and when I would ask if everyone was ready, he would look at me with a little panic in his eyes and shake his head no.

Steven is one of the kids who does not get to go to school, for reasons I do not fully know or understand. As I watched him struggle to copy what he saw, and at the same time try to hide the shame he felt, my heart just broke for this little guy. What will life be like for him next year? What will it be like in five or six years when he is a teenager? What will happen if Steven never learns to write, never learns to read, never truly understands the life and world he is living in.

The purpose of this short little English class is to teach the kids a few words in English, have a good time laughing, and together remember that God is the same God in Colombia and in California. But I think I learned more in those two hours than I taught: I learned that I can ignore the pain an inequality in the world but it will still be very real. I learned that kids like Steven want something more but have no idea how to get it. And I learned that while the problems are way bigger than the solutions are, that does not give us an excuse to give up. Because maybe in the next six weeks Steven will learn to write the alphabet, then in the months that follow he starts to understand what certain words are and eventually finds a book he can read. Maybe that leads to picking up newspapers and magazines and harder books. Maybe he’ll get to go school someday, maybe even high school, maybe even college. Maybe he will understand the life and world he is living in, and even be able to make it better for him and his family…

That’s what I think about when I see his face. And I also think that if everyone thought a little more “maybes” than the world could have more “probably.” My best friend, Kristin, reminded me a few weeks ago that there is so much we can do if we decide to not put our own mental and physical limits on God. Maybe God can and will do a whole lot more if we think He probably will.

the heart behind it

Que-li. One of the girls here drew me a picture and wrote my name on it. Que-li—because in Spanish “Que” is pronounced like “Kay” and “li” is pronounced like “lee.” So since Katie is too difficult to pronounce, much less spell, I am now just Que-li. But the thing that makes me smile the most about this picture is the effort Katarina put into figuring out how to write my name on there. She used everything she knew and came up with her best attempt at giving me a picture with my name on it.

The more I think about it, this is a lot like our walk with God. Not only are we not really speaking the same language, but He has been studying a whole lot longer than we have. So when we come to him with our best efforts at religion, with all we know and all we can make sense of, with our closest attempt at living a life that honors him and models Jesus, I sometimes think it is about as close as Que-li is to Katie.

But I still love the picture, because her heart was in it. And how amazing to know that our Heavenly Father just wants our hearts, not the outcome of our best efforts.

It's raining

When it rains here, it really, really rains. And almost every afternoon you can pretty much set your watch to a good downpour. Today after English classes, some of the kids wanted to play volleyball in the park, so we looked outside at the sun and went for it. I guess it got a little cloudy, but we were having too much fun to notice. Then one quiet little girl says “esta lloviendo… it’s raining.” Looking at the pavement I could see drops but still I said, “Vamos a terminar este juego… let’s finish this game!”

That was my second mistake (my first was wearing haviana flip flops to the park). In about 20 seconds the drops came harder, and then a little harder… and then we decided to run. Mistake number three- not grabbing the ball myself. Mateo, who personifies “little ball of energy” yells “Katie, la pelota!” and proceeds to kick it as hard as he can in my direction—except it wasn’t at all in my direction but wide right by a good 30 yards, right into the nearest canal. Four little ninos scream “NOOOOOO” and run toward it, because try telling a Colombian child to leave their ball behind—never going to happen! So, while the rain poured down Mateo, Jorge and I did our best to find long sticks to reach this ball, but none of us were tall enough so I held Jorge’s hand while he leaned way over the canal with the branch. I really did not want the kids to get in this water because it was the same color gray as the clouds raining on us, but I also knew we were going no where without the ball.

Well, we did get the ball out eventually, four soaking wet shoes later. And we ran the rest of the way home, me in flip flops, two boys in sopping wet shoes, and two girls just squealing to get out of the rain. I hope I didn’t lose supervisor privileges because of our day at the park!

Sonia

I think she might have one of the most important jobs in the world. Day in and day out, she visits the families hurting the most in this neighborhood. She shows them compassion and love, and never leaves without a powerful prayer of encouragement. Everyone knows Sonia, and everyone loves and trusts her. But, Sonia does not mess around either. She sets a high standard for the families she works with, encourages them to go to church, to get the kids to school, and to work hard. She believes in help but not handouts, sympathy but not apathy, strength and not surrender. Sonia is walking grace and truth. I've been spending at least part of the last few days with her, gone with her on home visits, and seen her interact with both parents and kids from la Fundacion. In my eyes, Sonia is a saint, and I am beyond blessed to be in the wake of this woman while I am here in Bogota.

sometimes pictures say more

a little of everything today

I know that poverty exists in every corner of the world. I know that it does not discriminate between gender, race, language, location or religion. I know that people are starving every day, that kids are dying because they cannot get simple medications, that the resources are plentiful but the distribution is unequal… I know all these things. But for the first time in my life I saw firsthand the pain that comes with extreme poverty, and even though I knew before that it existed, I think I actually felt it for a moment today.

We, la Pastora, Sonia (the social worker), another pastor and I, visited two homes in the neighborhood of la Fundacion— two families that are struggling to get by, living in homes the same size as my room. One family had 11 people living in the house, some with medical problems like blindness and hernias. The other family lives in, well, squalor is not too strong a word. What I write won’t really do justice to how difficult it is to see this all with your own eyes, and I know many of you have in various places around the world, so I know I’m not the only one who feels limited by language when describing this feeling. And still, as soon as we walk in their house they offer whatever they can, even if that is simply a plastic chair to sit on and a welcoming smile. I was not able to understand much of the conversations happening during the visits, but I know that Centro Cristiano and la Fundacion are doing what they can to help these families.

To totally switch gears, I taught the first English class at church today. This is going to be fun! Pronunciation is very difficult for English learners, so we spend a lot of time repeating words and asking questions. But, we successfully covered introductions and numbers today, and the class is memorizing Micah 6:8 in English, while I will memorize it in Spanish. They teach me a lot, too, so I know we’ll both be at least a little more proficient in foreign languages at the end of this experience!

So, at the end of the day I’m finding a lot of insufficiency—not enough money, not enough resources, not enough time, not enough energy, not enough… So I’m forced the go back to the only One who is more than enough, who can take over when everything we have to give is still insufficient. That is me in Colombia—all I can give, teach, pray and love will not be enough, but Jesus will be— He’ll be more than enough for me and more than enough for the people of the barrios of Bogota, and that is a great thing to rest on.

so many stories...

Today we spent most of the afternoon at la Fundacion, the center that Centro Cristiano and Cornerstone support. Every day, from 11:00-3:00, kids filter in from the barrio to la Fundacion for lunch, some coming before school and some coming after. A few of the kids come with one or two parents, some come with siblings and others with friends or by themselves. Today, la gringa (me, the girl from the United States) was there, and some of the kids were anxious to show off that they can count to 10 or say “My name is…” in English.

So many of the kids that come to la Fundacion have been through so much in their young lives… much more than they should have. And yet their spirits are so resilient, so kind, not yet hardened by a world that they have and will struggle in. I loved watching the women who run la Fundacion work with the kids—since they come every day these women have built great relationships with the them, and as each one comes in they grab hands and pray before they eat. I wish you could all watch as these kids sit at the table with their friends or siblings, and they tease one another, laugh, and smile like life could not get any better.

All of them have a story… from where they are from, what they will go home to, to what they wish for their lives. Grace Alejandra and Andrea are two sisters who lost their father to the guerillas, and now they live with their mom and seven siblings and struggle every day. Carlos is a little more fortunate and can go to school. Nicole is a six year old beauty who talks and talks and talks and wouldn’t stop smiling for anything. And then there’s Leydon, Paula, Oscar, Tanya, Steven, Pedro… all such sweet kids and all with something unique to share with the world.

Pray for these kids, that the Author of Life would write them a story that protects them and brings honor to Him!

Bogota

In the last three days, I have driven, walked, or rode a bike around a whole lot of Bogota! We went to El Norte section to watch some soccer games, then up to the mountains to the beautiful Iglesia, back downtown to the government buildings, and far to the south to El Parque Florida on bikes. I am starting to get the layout of the city down, and by now I know how to get back to my house if I am ever lost anywhere! Oh, and I have a new favorite sopa, se llama Ajiaco; honestly, the best soup I have ever tasted in my life!

We took some soccer jerseys and cleats to las canchas today, and the kids loved them! How easy it is to be generous and how thankful these kids were makes me wonder why I am not willing to give, and give generously, more often.

Bogota is a city that is juxtaposed with beauty and uncertainty. In one moment I am up in the mountains looking down at this beautiful city, and in the next I am surrounded by people that I can’t assume the best about. This is a really hard thing for me, as I want to smile and think that everyone is harmless. But, having to keep your guard up all the time is just another outcome of living in a world broken by sin. Living in this kind of environment for the last six days has taught me a lot about myself and even more about how much I need Jesus- and how cool it is that he comes with us no matter where we are!

Every day I learn something new here, whether it is a few Spanish words or something about the culture of Colombia, or even something about myself. And I get a little more comfortable every day, too! English classes will be starting this week, when Pastor Jorge and La Pastora return from a business trip to Panama, can’t wait to come back with stories from that!

lime in my coffee

After being in a new country for a few days, I definitely notice how many things I miss, mostly very trivial things like cell phones, time at Starbucks, the gym, two pillows on the bed, and other completely non-essential and primarily American comforts. But there are things about being in Colombia that I love, too! The food is pretty awesome, everyone literally dances to the worship music at church, people say “God Bless You” every time they say hello or goodbye, and I have been treated like family by everyone I’ve met.

The last two days I have been with Pastor Jorge and La Pastora, basically following them through their days and just trying to get used to schedules, languages, and the city of Bogota. Yesterday we spent most of the day at the Capital building, because Pastor Jorge is also a Colombian Senator so he works there every day. We sat in on some kind of congressional meeting, and while I could only figure out maybe 10% of what was going on it was a really cool experience!

Carla (12) and Jorge Andres (9) are the Trujillo’s kids, and they are both awesome! I know they speak more English than they are willing to try, but they help me practice Spanish and laugh with (or at) me a lot, too! In fact we have had a lot of fun learning new words so far, you wouldn’t believe how excited they all were to know what “cake” meant!

Every time I have been nervous or anxious about something, God has totally provided me with some kind of reminder that He is not far. Every time I have been out and maybe had to spend some time away from La Pastora, one of two women (whose names I cannot remember but I know their faces well) has kind of taken me under their wing and been so patient with my poor ability to talk to them! And they constantly ask “Como te sientes, Katie?” How do you feel? I think they know how badly I want to be able to talk to them, so they have done their best to break down conversations for me and make sure I am as included as I can be!

My first morning here, I was offered coffee and a little slice of lime with it. I looked at the woman and pointed to both the lime and the coffee and said, “aqui?” “Si, si, por el café!” She wanted me to put a squeeze of lime in my coffee! Ok, I’m in a new country so I better try it… so I did, and it is really good! How about it, lime in my coffee! It was not what I expected, but pretty awesome! And right now, that is a really good analogy for Colombia: it is beautiful and friendly and not what I think most people expect, but actually a whole lot better!

¡Estoy aqui!

Made it to Bogota! Although I have not even been here a full 24 hours yet I wanted to share a few things about Colombia that make me smile:

1. The big, scary, drug-sniffing dog that stands at the customs counter with an agent is a 15 pound beagle. And I pet him behind the agent´s back, very cute dog!

2. I don´t speak a lot of Spanish, and no on here speaks English, which means I pretty much just smile at people and say "no entiendo," and they laugh and smile back- proof that a smile works in any language.

3. There are no traffic laws in Colombia. Well, I´m sure they exist, but I couldn´t tell you what they are because it is pretty much every car for itself. It does make every ride a little more interesting for the backseat passengers though.

4. My name is really hard for Colombians to pronounce for some reason, it usually comes out like "kay-see" or "kay-lee" and sometimes just a long, drawn out "kay..." But to be honest, it makes me feel much better about my terrible Spanish accent.

So, when I have more stories I´ll be back to share them!

All my love,

Katie

almost here...

In just a few days I will be leaving for Bogota, Colombia. It's hard to believe that this trip is actually here! When I was 14 years old and taking my first Spanish class in high school, I read an article about Colombia and later that night had a journal entry about wanting to go there someday. And ten years later God has amazingly weaved together so many events and details that have paved the way for me to serve there!

I was able to visit Bogota for a short weekend this past February, and I wrote this on the way home:

"...I think I'm going back! I have no misconceptions that I am going to change the world, nor do I like the idea of the American coming in and saving the day- but the people in Colombia were so excited that I was there, so incredibly welcoming, and they really want something I have: the English language- the only thing I can conclude is that the American girl with the awful Spanish accent represents some sort of hope for these kids. Blanca introduced me to her mom, and she grabbed my hands and said por favor regrese... please come back..."

So, I am going back! For eight weeks I will live in Bogota with Pastor Jorge Trujillo, his incredible wife, Sulamita, and their two kids, and I'll be teaching a lot of people as much English as we can fit in to two months! But this amazing family will be giving me so much more than I can bring them, because I already know that Pastor Jorge and La Pastora serve and serve and serve some more, and on top of all that they give to their family, friends, and community, they are welcoming me into their lives. I am so excited to learn from them, to (hopefully) finally get the Spanish language down, and to let the Lord break my heart for what breaks His.

A lot of you have asked me how you can be praying, and I think the biggest things on my mind going in to the trip are:
- Building relationships with the Trujillo's
- Quick adjustments to a new culture and language
- Patience, discernment, and wisdom
- And of course, safety and health

Thank you for all of your love and support! I am so excited to bring you along with me to el hermoso país, the beautiful country of Colombia!

Con cariño,
Katie