The Jungle

Hi there- Annie posting! I haven't posted in awhile. I'm back from Colombia for a few weeks to spend Christmas with my family.

I've been busy in Colombia, working at Luz y Vida, a school for at-risk kids in disadvantaged neighborhoods of Bogotá. Another thing I've been involved in is the Jungle. Twice a month we invite neighborhood children to our indoor play space. We've been averaging around 150 children lately. The neighborhood isn't pretty- homeless men sleep on the street, the sidewalks are littered with garbage and dog poop, the smell of pot wafts from open windows, prostitutes wait in doorways a few blocks away. Many families rent rooms by the day, an entire family living in a room smaller than a walk-in closet.

When kids come to the jungle, they have a safe space to play. They scale the climbing wall, slide down the slide into the ball pit, cross the swinging bridge, slide down the fireman's pole, play foosball, soccer, ping-pong, basketball, mini-golf; make-believe in our playhouse, swing in the hammocks. Some of them come with guarded faces, but before they have left they are laughing, unguarded, free to be kids for a few hours.

After a couple of hours, we gather the kids together. They sing, they watch a puppet show or skit, and they hear us share God's word with them. We divide them into small groups and work on a craft with them that reinforces the message for the day. Before they leave we give them a snack.

Just last month we started something new- in another building down the street we've invited mom's to attend a program while their kids are playing. The first week, 30 women showed up to share, pray for each other and hear God's word. We're partnering with a local church that has begun to meet in the Jungle building. They've seen new people coming to their church as we recommend them to families that are looking for a church.

We would love to reopen a smaller program several days a week to reach out to some of the most consistent children. To do that we need to pay off the Jungle and complete a remodeling job to create classroom and kitchen space and update our bathrooms. We need your help to do that! A company has offered us a $36,000 matching grant- for every dollar we raise, they will donate a dollar up to the $36,000. We're hoping to find 1000 donors who will give $36! For $72,000 we could completely pay off what we still owe on the buildings and complete the remodeling project in the jungle. Click the link to find out how to give a tax-deductible donation to our matching gift grant! Your gift will be a blessing to kids in Barrio Santa Fe in Bogotá, Colombia!

On Hellos, Goodbyes and Water Buffalo Meat

I visited Annie in Bogota, Colombia this month! It was wonderful to see her, meet the wonderful team of people she is working with, and get to know a bit more about the ministry first hand. My favorite activity was teaching in the first grade class room. What a riot! They were so cute, so rambunctious and so hard to keep focused. But I loved their enthusiasm and it was fun to see them actually learning to read!

Annie's house (behind the cars and sketchy guys)

At Oma, a cafe.

And some pictures about the city:

On the farm outside Bogota that the ministry owns. This is where they have a couple of houses that are used to help raise kids who have no parents or whose parents can't currently care for them. It was inspirational to see these homes where the kids were so well cared for and loved and instructed.

While I trotted about in Colombia Rebecca was kind enough to come home and stay with the kids. Great trade off for me! They had a great time.

Here are some great pictures she got:

I was worried after doing fun things like hiking and spending the day at the creek they might be sad to have me home. But they were all very excited.

However I've been left with a bit of a bittersweet ache in my heart. Being with Annie, helping in the school, realizing the stresses she is under and the sacrifices she's making, makes it all that much harder to be apart.

And having had Rebecca here for a week, and not being able to be here myself, was also a frustrating experience. Just before I left I'd bought all kinds of fabric to make medieval garb for the kids. This would have been something Rebecca and I could have enjoyed doing together--and she was here for a whole week!

It was really super nice when Rebecca made a short stop at home on Wednesday night on her way to the PAPA Festival. It was so good to be able to give her a hug and drink a cup of coffee together in the morning. She also left us with 2 pounds of water buffalo from the farm--an added bonus :-)

When my kids first left home I was happy for them and eager to see them on their way in life. I've enjoyed sharing their experience vicariously. But I think the coming and going of this month has made me realize more than ever that our old way of life is gone and "Together Forever" has taken on a slightly different meaning.

Anyway, we ate the water buffalo for dinner last night and it was chewy, but flavorful. A bit like life--the good mixed in with a lot of hard work!

MARANATHA!

Come quickly Lord Jesus!

This Sunday our pastor asked us what would change in our lives if we knew Jesus was coming soon--tomorrow, next month, in two years. . .

He made a list of what that would mean to him and asked us to think about what it would mean to us.

Here’s my list:

* my sadness for the ‘bad’ in this life would be over

*I would “dwell in the house of the Lord forever”

*those who are currently not ‘paying attention’ to the things of God would PAY ATTENTION.

*those unsaved would perish

But wait, I don’t want those I love, or even those I just know casually, or anyone for that matter, to perish. So I guess it is with those in mind I write this post.

If God created the earth, and if evil and sadness have come into that earth so it is no longer the paradise God intended and if God in his mercy has made a way out from under that evil and a way to restore all things and if Jesus is who he claimed to be, “the Way, the Truth and the Life”

Then. . .

NONE need to perish! :-)

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” --II Peter 3:8&9

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” --I John 1:9

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

--Romans 10:13

That is Good News! Maranatha, come quickly Lord Jesus.

HAPPY YEAR OF THE RABBIT!

We had fun yesterday celebrating Chinese New Year. First we made egg rolls:

Then we made bubble tea:

Then we had a party with friends and family!

"According to the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Rabbit assigns characteristics such as gracious, cautious, kind, elegant, reserved, soft-spoken, artistic, tender, self-assured, shy, sensitive, compassionate, flexible and lucky, but also opportunistic, superficial, moody, stubborn, self-indulgent and detached." (http://mansfield.patch.com/articles/uconn-celebrates-the-year-of-the-rabbit)

Daniel is the only rabbit in our extended family. Cautious, kind, artistic, tender, sensitive-yes, soft spoken-not so much. Those others-we'll leave unmentioned ;-)

Today we will go to the big Chinese Association New Year party and tomorrow we will celebrate at the Chinese church.