Elisa

"And I went to South Africa..."

I smiled and decided to go with it, "No way! How'd you get there?!?"


"Walking. And then I didn't know where to go, so my Papa told me to get a bus. So we took a bus," three-year old Elisa stated very matter-of-factly. This time, I couldn't hold it in and I just started laughing. My laughter egged her on and she continued telling me about her crazy adventures in South Africa... when she walked there.


This last weekend we went to Prado (again). My family tends to go there quite often, and sometimes, the trips begin to blur together. However, this trip will stand out in my memory quite distinctively because we had little Elisa along. She was quite the bundle of joy and energy. She had us laughing most of the time with her exciting stories and energetic activities. Every time she laughed, my heart swelled. I loved tubing with her... yes, that's right. We rode the tube together and I held on to her and the tube for dear life :). I loved listening to her talk and ask questions. Dani Ochoa and I spent plenty of time simply being with Elisa. It was fabulous.

The way she adored her Daddy was precious. Seriously, there was no one who could top her Daddy... because he was "sooo tall... to the sky!" and he was "sooo strong" and "soooo funny." She shrieked with joy when he tickled her and she was thrilled to have him play "tiger" (or tag) with her. "Papa" were the first words out of her mouth when she was excited about something. Ah, it was so beautiful.


Though I absolutely love kids (love, love, love, love them) I've always been a little hesitant when it comes to thinking of having my own. Yes, I know I'm definitely not ready to have kids. But, in high school most of my friends were always like, "Ah, I can't wait to have my own kids!" and I never seemed to identify with that. I mean, yes, I want to be a mom eventually and I want to have a family... but that desire for my OWN (definitely want to adopt) kids has never been too strong.


But I will say this... for some reason, being around Elisa and watching her interact with her Papa, got me a teensy-bit more excited for that stage of life in the future.


Anywayyy... as always, Prado was extremely relaxing and beautiful. It provided me with plenty of time to sit and think,
surrounded by God's majesty, secluded from "the real world." I
was blessed to have Dani Ochoa along this time :) and LOVED spending time talking with her about life and what not... Perhaps one of the most memorable conversations-- simply memorable because of the circumstances-- took place under the most amazing stars... where we stayed up talking until we hear the rooster crow!


PS- If you get my blog by email and would like to KEEP getting it by email, please reply and let me know. If not, I'll remove you from the list as to not fill your inbox with junk :)

Teams, Teams, Teams :)

It's been about twenty four hours since the GEBC team left. Though I absolutely loved having them here, I kind of let out a sigh of relief. Teams are always exciting... and always exhausting. Though I wasn't with them 24/7, I still thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and partner with them at a variety of ministries.

It's been a while since I've felt connected to Glen Ellyn Bible Church. Spending one semester in the Wheaton area four years ago, is hardly enough to maintain that connection. The majority of the friends I made four years ago are no longer at GEBC, and I need to remind myself that GEBC is still my family's home church even if it doesn't always feel like home.

However, getting to know this team of sixteen gave me more connections at church than I've had in a while. It was nice to see Fletch and Mama Jane and several other students again and it was great to meet so many other fabulous people. I look forward to seeing them around on my infrequent visits to GEBC during the semester.

During these last two weeks I was asked, "Does it feel weird to only be 19 and already be translating and leading teams?" I hesitated, but had to reply 'no.' Due to my parents' jobs I've found myself in many translating positions in the past. Though I've never actually led a team before, I was pretty involved with helping out with the logistics of the ministries we visited with the GEBC team. I absolutely LOVE being part of mission trips that come to Colombia. I LOVE watching the members experience Colombia for the first time. I LOVE knowing that for some, it isn't the first time, but fell in love with it on a previous trip.

My heart flutters when I see others gain a love for the Colombian people... for the country I love so deeply. I'm always encouraged to see North American teenagers give of themselves, selflessly serving people in need. I was impressed with this year's GEBC team-- their maturity and heart for God was evident. They had various obstacles in just two weeks-- being mugged, several health issues, etc-- and yet, they still were on fire, ready to serve God.

They were willing to be the seed that must die before it can bear much fruit.

A Piece of Colombia

Incredible how fast three weeks can fly... and how much can happen in just twenty four days.

Carina and Deepika left on Saturday night after having spent just over three weeks in Colombia. I was so blessed by their company and loved every single day. Their visit provided me with joy and fun in the middle of an odd transition back into life in Colombia. Conversations with them were full of encouragement and I consistently was pointed back to Jesus. I enjoyed seeing Colombia through their eyes-- having wonder and awe sparked within me once again. I loved introducing them to my precious friends in Colombia, sharing with them a piece of me. And I loved having them get to know my parents, allowing them to understand me a bit more.

And quite honestly, I loved getting to know them better.

Because it would take an extremely long post to go over everything we did, I'll save you guys the novel and just give some snapshots instead.

Service

When we arrived in Colombia, the fourth grade teacher at ECA had to leave, so Carina and Deepika were able to help fill in some of the holes left behind. They put together Carina's education background and Deepika's math major and taught fourth grade math several times. Though ECA is definitely not a "needy" school, they were able to bless the teachers and administration by taking a couple classes off every one else's plate.

We were able to go to my dad's foundation (www.fimcol.org) on two different occasions. The first, we simply played with kids and then led them in a crafts project... making bookmarks. I think it'd be fair to say that the kids' favorite part was the stickers-- by far. They were thoroughly enjoying looking through stick er books and pasting them all over a 2in x 5in piece of paper. The second time we showed up unexpectedly because our plans for the day were rained on, but it turned out to be a big blessing to the foundation because they were overwhelmed and were struggling to keep the kids busy that day. We were able to play with them, teach a Bible lesson and get them ready for lunch.

In addition to this, we joined ECA high school students (grades 9 and 10) on some of

their service days. We went with the ninth graders to the Recycler's ministry (the one my class was involved with for three years) and helped at a drop in center. Though there weren't many kids there at first, it was a lot of fun just running around and playing tag. Later we were able to help kids with their homework. On the right you can see a picture of Deepika, me and

a six-year old named Claudia Camila. I've known her since she was three :)

The next day we went with the sophomores to a special needs orphanage in Bogota. I had never been to this one before, so I was quite excited. It took almost two hours to get there, but it was definitely worth the drive. The three of us worked upstairs with kids who had severe special needs and we simply fed them and held them. It was marvelous.

Later on in the trip we visited another special needs orphanage about an hour away from Bogota. The kids were older here and we worked with kids who were able to run around and talk, so they were less disabled than the previous orphanage. We played Jenga, Uno, Twister, Candyland and made crafts. Deepika had to fend off young boys who were begging her to be their girlfriend.

Trips

We took two main trips while Carina and Deepika were here in Colombia. The first was to Prado, a lake about five hours away from Bogota. Since its elevation is significantly lower than Bogota's, the weather is HOT. There we were able to read, talk, sleep, swim, ski and wakeboard. We were surrounded by beautiful scenery and amazed by God's majesty surrounding us. We had an adventure Saturday night (see previous post), but were able to see God's amazing peace working throughout the whole ordeal.

Our second trip was about two hours out of Bogota. We went to La Vega and Tobia. We spent some time at the Peñuelas finca and then we headed down to Tobia for some white-water rafting and zip-lining. Deepika was extremely scared, but was able to do it anyway. I think our rafting guide sensed her fear and tried to make her side of the boat rock more. Anyway, after lunch we zip-lined between two mountains... it was about 1200 meters long and 200 meters high, and we reached a speed of about 70 km/hour. Great stuff :) Below is a picture of our zip-lining group, minus Machi who was taking the picture :)

Tourism

I hate feeling like a tourist, but we did some of that anyway!

Firstly, we went to Chicaque, a natural park a little bit out of Bogota. This definitely isn't typical tourism... but I'll include it here anyway. We went hiking for about five hours in a cloud forest. It was definitely beautiful!! But by the end of the day, Deepika and I were about to die and Carina was just dancing up the mountains.

We went to Monserrate, a famous tourist destination in Bogota. We took a cable car up the mountain and then walked around this famous Catholic Cathedral. I'm always reminded of religion's power to enslave when I walk around Monserrate. I whispered a prayer, thanking Jesus for my freedom through his work on the cross. Monserrate is also a great place to go, because you can see the a HUGE part of Bogota from the top of a mountain. It's beautifulllllll :)

Ahh... I love it when friends visit Colombia. I love sharing this corner of the world with anyone who is willing to love it in return :)

Thanks for coming, my dear friends!

Search Party

"We contacted the Minister of Defense and a helicopter was about to take off from Ibague to start searching for you. We had two marine boats and one police boat, two canoes and our boat looking. We were whistling and yelling... now I want to hear your side of the story," my mom approached us and stood watching us with her hands on her hips.

I was shocked. The Minister of Defense? Really? Marines? What?

The shock produced laughter in me. I looked at Carina and Deepika and just started giggling. There was a real, actual search party... searching for... me and Deepika.

So, I took a deep breath and launched into "my side" of the story...

While in Prado, Deepika and I were sitting in the lake around dusk, watching Carina ski. She got up on the third try and as we cheered wildly for her, we finally lost sight of her and kept talking. If you've ever been to Prado, you know how easy it is to get lost in conversations while floating in the lake surrounded by glorious scenery. However, it soon began to get darker... and darker... and darker until Deepika nervously asked me if we were ever going to get picked up. I figured something happened to the boat and suggested we start swimming back toward the island. So we started swimming... and as we continued talking we witnessed the first stars appear in the black canvas above us. The water reflected the glimmering lights and the slight waves were relaxing.

But all this wasn't enough to loosen the knot growing in my stomach... Why hadn't my dad picked us up yet? If a boat came straight toward us, we'd have no way of swimming out of the way fast enough... I began feeling more nervous and I could sense Deepika's panic quickening. We decided to pause and pray for peace and protection. The sense of relief was almost immediate. We figured we might as well keep swimming toward the island.

For the next hour and a half, Deepika and I continued swimming and talking about everything and anything. The quiet night was only interrupted by our voices and frequent giggles. Then, we were shocked when we heard a small boat motor approaching and turned to see a spotlight blinding us.

My memory is a little blurry about what happened next, but I heard Deepika frantically saying, "Vivi, oh my gosh. Vivi. Oh my gosh. Vivi..." and then her voice began to quiet as her gripped on my arm tightened. I was laughing. I was laughing because I was so scared. I tried swimming out of the way of the boat, but felt my legs as heavy as lead. I wondered if my arms had turned into spaghetti... and I imagined what it would feel like to be run over by a boat. And I couldn't help laughing... it was laughter triggered by frantic nervousness.

Somewhere along the way, I managed to find my voice and began shouting, "Ojo! Estamos aqui!!" (Watch out! We're here!). And the motor stopped. And we could hear voices... They were murmuring to one another. I picked up something like, "There they are! We found them."

We were asked to climb into a dug out canoe with these strangers who claimed they had been looking for us everywhere. I obeyed as quickly as I could, struggling to climb into this canoe without tipping it. Once Deepika and I were safely in the boat they began telling us about how worried my parents were...

But it wasn't until I got back to the island that I realized just how worried they had been.

The Minister of Defense?
Marines?
Policemen?
Stopping every car leaving Prado to make sure we weren't stuffed in the trunk?
A helicopter?

For the next hour I was answering phone calls from worried friends making sure we had been found. Apparently our pastor's wife had sent out an email asking for prayer.

Deepika and I tried to think back about our night swim, when we were so oblivious to the panic consuming everyone else. We really had been surrounded by God's peace through all these prayers.

What a day!

Ready or not... Here we goooo :)

I head to Colombia tomorrow.

Tomorrow... for three months.

Three months is just enough time for me to feel like I'm living there, not just visiting. Strange... because I've never actually spent a summer in Colombia. Ever. When I tell people that, they usually look really shocked and ask me to explain. You see, I've spent most summers of my life traveling around North America with my family, visiting supporters. We're normally in the Chicago area for a couple of weeks at a time and then we go off on random adventures to different corners of the United States. In high school, I've spent at least a month in Canada at Camp Medeba. Between my junior and senior year, I was in Uganda. And last summer I was at Medeba the whole summer.

So now, I finally get to spend a summer in Colombia. I'm so excited... and yet, I feel an unexpected nostalgia.

I won't get to experience long, summer evenings. Or lightning bugs at dusk. Or warm, sunny days and then the comforting lull of a summer night. Why these things keep popping into my head, I do not know. It'll be different spending a summer in a place where the sun sets at 6:00 pm and where the weather is always betwen 65 and 75 degrees F (18 and 23 C).

It'll be odd spending a summer working full time.
As of now, I will be working at an English Insitute as an ESL teacher for companies who want their employees to improve their English. This should only be 3-5 hours a day and then in the afternoons, I hope to work with World Vision in some kind of internship. When I'm not doing either of those, I will be helping my dad with the foundation. I'll probably be working on translating the website, so they can have an English version up as well.

It feels unreal that I'll be back in Colombia for enough time to unpack my clothes, settle in and try to feel at home again.

Well, goodbye America. I'll see you on August 12.

Two Months

"The cure for anything is saltwater: tears, sweat or the sea." -Isak Dinesen

I've always loved the oceans. The endless stretch of beaches. The repeated lull of the waves hitting the sand. The wind. The endless blue. I love it-- I love it all.

Spring Break 2011. Pensacola, Florida.

I've had a marvelous time relaxing with my grandparents this week. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous. Sunshine actually warms my skin again and its FABULOUS. I've taken naps when I'm tired and gone running when I'm energetic. I've played card games and finished applications. I've taken long walks on the beach and had long phone conversations.

And as the week slowly creeps to a close, I'm partially dreading going back to school. Though I know the next eight weeks will fly by, I'm already recoiling at the routine I know I will inevitably sink back into. And then... then it will be over. My freshman year of university.

Finished.

Has it really been ten months since graduation? Why does that number seem too small and at the same time, too large? At times I felt that it was only yesterday and at other times, I wonder why it seems so long ago. In less than three months I'll be sitting at an ECA graduation once again. This time, it won't be me. I'll watch some of my closest friends walk down the aisle, dressed in their caps and gowns. And in the blink of an eye, they too, will be alumni.

Time really does fly dreadfully fast. And yet, it creeps by... day by day.

Two months. Two months before summer. Two months before Colombia :) Two months until the end of this chapter that seems to have only begun yesterday.