Pressing On

Well Isabella is a month and half old and Jessie and I have been living in Colombia for more than two months now - pretty remarkable! Life here in Bogotá is carrying on a a pretty quick clip and our family is working hard to keep up the pace. On January 15th I began a six week intensive Spanish course for foreigners at the University of Javeriana. Following an interview and a two hour test, I placed in the third level of the five they offer (all my muddled conversations with the CDA drivers and staff payed off!). So until February 27th, every day Monday to Friday 9 am till 12:30 pm I'm in class. And I've got to say that it is pretty strange to be back in a little plastic chair behind a desk instead standing up front and writing on the white board! My afternoons are spent at the office (which is a 15 minute walk away) or at home working on the computer as well as doing homework (yep - I still hate it).

My biggest responsibility at work right now is coordinating the next two short-term missions trips, both of which will be here for about two weeks each. On February 10th a group from Canada arrives and then later in March a team from the US. I'm arranging all the details from picking them up at the airport, organizing the construction schedule, and coordinating Vacation Bible School activities with the Girls' Home in Tenjo, and arranging for translation (which often means me). Additionally I'm answering a million questions they have, setting up meals, shopping trips and visits to the various projects. It is exciting and rewarding to serve as an ambassador both for the organization and for the country as I help create the lasting impressions that the teams will take back home with them. Coordinating the details is also interesting because I have to do almost all of it in Spanish since the drivers, security, project staff and teachers do not speak English.

During the last visit by the New Zealand team in January, there was one particular incident that stands out as an example of our ongoing commitment to flexibility. I'll let Jessie tell it since she was less directly involved than I was.

On Saturday night we found out that we were supposed to go to church out at Tenjo with the girls and the Kiwi team (the New Zealanders) so we woke up early (despite a very long night up with the baby) and were all ready to be picked up at 6:30 am the next morning by the CDA bus as we had been instructed. We were also expecting that after church we could come home and take a much needed nap. Well, 6:30 came and went and finally, more than an hour late, the driver showed up.

After about an hour of driving we picked up the Kiwis and headed for church. After we finally got there, I took my seat and just as the service was starting the pastor walked up to Jim and told him that he was going to translate everything from Spanish into English since the special visitors from New Zealand were there. Well, that sure made for an exciting hour-long sermon! Poor Jim, he did a wonderful job all things considered, but he was nervous, embarrassed and absolutely exhausted when he finished. Our "just go to church with team and come home" trip turned into a "go to church with the team to translate and then spend the next several hours driving into Bogotá for lunch" trip.

Before Jess and I moved here, we were reading a book to help prepare us for some of the challenges involved in moving to a foreign country. The book clearly extolled the importance of two virtues for all those about to embark on such a journey regardless of their reason for going: flexibility and a sense of humor. Now that we've been here for a bit, I must say that we agree whole-heartedly. Please continue to pray for us as we adjust to the myriad of changes we are facing: a new baby, a new language, a new job, new relationships, a new city, and a new appreciation for all the hard work our parents did :)

From February 4

Here's a picture of some of the girl's mobbing the van at our arrival - as long as I'm holding the baby, I always feel like a celebrity here! Oh, and we've got a few new pictures up - check out the link to the right.