The trip home

We left for the airport at 4 am this morning and landed in Jacksonville at 7:40 pm. Our bags were searched extinsively by the Colombian police. We were sent cheese and bollitas from people in the church to bring to families in the states. They poked holes in everything. We had a 3 hour layover in Bogota. We thought we would have plenty of time to eat and rest...that didn't happen. We waited an hour in the immigration line. It seemed that they kept placing people in line by the color of their skin. Light skin was not at the front of the line. It was incredible. Lines lines and more lines. After we go through the two checkpoints to get to the gates, we waited at the appropriate gate. The gate # changed. Jimmy and I were waiting with the bags while the others went out and ate. We went to the new gate and guess what, another check complete with scanner and metal detector. Needless to say, Jimmy and I didn't eat. My stomach was feeling a little queasy and since I've had the Montesuma's revenge once before, I was a little nervous.

Off to Miami. What a circus MIA is. You couldn't tell that you were in America. We still needed a translator. We had to get our bags and go throught customs and them go to the American Airline counter to get our boarding pass. Finding the correct American counter was almost impossible. We were successful. We made it to Jacksonville and really felt like we were home.

Once home we spent time pulling out the souviners and talking about our respective weeks. It is really good to be back in my comfort zone.

Melody

Monday-Wednesday in Cartegena

After I posted on Monday we went to Pie de la Popa. It is a catholic church at the top of a mountain. You can see the whole city. We got some very good photos. You also realize how much they need the Lord when you see the effects of Catholicism. Just look at all the gold in the walls. How much the people could have used the money spent on that to buy the necessities of life. The houses leading up to this church are so poor. This always amazes me.

Lemuel had his eye surgery on Tuesday and we have been helping him recuperate since then.

Wednesday night Rafa preached in church. Que Bendicione. That is our new phrase we are bringing home. Jimmy scratches the roof of his mouth and when he does, Pablito says "que bendicione" The sound system at the church always screeches. When Pablilto was teaching and it did it, he said "que bendicione" Last night Rafa must have said it a dozen times. Hence our new phrase. I can add it to "Caramba" which means "oh my word".

This has been a great trip. We have all gotten closer knit.

Que Bendicione
Melody

Cartegena Sat-Monday

The hotel we are staying in does have WiFi. They use a linksys router for the whole hotel. It wasn’t working Saturday and Sunday so as I sit and drink my café con leche,I will try to fill you in on the happenings of those days. It may be difficult because it seems like so long ago.

Saturday the ladies took Brittany and I shopping at Bovodos. It is a tourist area. The ladies wanted to buy us something. Brittany found a really nice purse. I wanted coasters so I found some. They also wanted to buy me a dress that looked Colombian. I found a nice one but the girls will probably have many comments to make about it. Lemuel is having eye surgery while we are here so he had an eye appointment, or at least he thought. He actually had no appointment. The guys sat at the doctors office, in the AC and worked on rewriting Jimmy’s sermon. He had it written in pencil and the lighting is bad on the pulpit and he knew he wouldn’t be able to see it. Fortunately the sermon for Thursday was written in ink. That sermon was also in a composition book which helped for all of them because the pulpit is small as well and the loose pages wouldn’t fly everywhere.

The messages have gone very well. I am really surprised at how much he has been able to communicate to the church. As usual Nicholas repeated the whole sermon back to him each night. He isn’t the only one that does this. There are guys that still talk about what he preached in 2003. The people here are really a blessing.

All the ladies of course ask about my children. I didn’t bring any pictures except for the ones I have in my computer. I showed them those. In those pictures is one of David at Briana’s graduation. Marta and Orlando (parents) got to see it. In Jimmy’s sermon, he mentioned that Briana was now in Argentina. He told the story of our trip to the airport and everyone crying. She came up to me after the service and told me she hadn’t seen David in 6 months and Harold is in Ivague which is 20 hours away. She cried as she told me. It was difficult for me not to cry as well.

Sunday morning, Lemuel preached at Vista Hermosa. Juan Rodriquez is the pastor there. They had 50 in attendance and he said they all went to the altar. Jimmy said revival broke out. Pablito taught the Sunday school class. He said it would only be 10 minutes, he taught an hour. He gave his testimony. There wasn’t many people there yet. They seem to drag in for 45 minutes. If that happened at Trinity, they wouldn’t make the sermon. Jimmy preached that evening. I think everyone had a singing group from their church that sang. One young man and girl sang “Who am I “ in English for Bro. Tyson.
At the end of the service we gave Tomas a motorcycle. It is a Suzuki and only had 2 km on it. People at the church gave money. He was so excited. That was a blessing.

I will close.
Melody

Friday in Cartegena

Friday in Cartegena

I was awake early again this morning. I got my internet password and made all my contacts. I ate breakfast and then waited, waited and waited. After much confusion, our plan was ironed out. We went to the centro (downtown). There was shopping available but we took many pictures. We were with Bairo from the Iglesia. He witnessed to two vendors we bought things from. These men got saved. A group of girls sat down and listened. Pablito started talking to them and with Bairo’s help, they prayed and accepted Christ. They talked to us for a while. They were from Baranquilla. It was quite enjoyable.

The service this evening was great. There were 266 in attendance. Jimmy preached well and the Spanish people said they could understand what he was saying. There were several that were saved. We ordained a pastor and a deacon. It was wonderful to get together with people we have met through the years.

It was a blessed day

Melody

Colombia day 2

Today is our second day in Colombia. I woke up at 6 am. As tired as I was I couldn’t sleep any longer. To begin with 6 is 7 Jacksonville time and this close to the equator, the son doesn’t gradually rise, it pops up. One minute it is dark and the next it is as bright as noon. It really wasn’t much different due to the light from the marquee shining through our window.

Jimmy and I went looking for a grocery store to buy water. I also needed a pair of sunglasses. We had 2200 pesos ( that sounds like more than it actually is ). I found a pair that I liked from a street vendor, but he didn’t have change. The guy next to him didn’t have change. One of the hotel employees took our 2000 peso and went to find change. He was gone 10 minutes and still didn’t have change. Finally the manager just handed us a 1000 peso. Jimmy is refusing to change money because the rate is 1800 to one dollar. Fortunately we have been able to use credit where we have needed to spend money, except for the sunglasses of course.

We spent the day (well into the night ) at Tulio’s house. He and his wife picked us up and cooked a great dinner for us. Actually several of the ladies in the church helped. It was a great time. I listened to a lot of Spanish. I don’t know if mine improved any but at least I am hearing it spoken.

Having a wonderful time in South America
Melody

We are safely in Colombia

It was nasty weather when we left Jacksonville. The flight was delayed a little but we left Miami on time and arrived in Cartegena on time. I am still shocked at the lack of problems we have had on this trip. It makes me a little nervous. Cartegena is the almost the same as I remember except it appears they are cleaning it up a little, there is a good bit of construction and there are more people.

We settled in and was picked up in our taxis. There are more taxis, they call them shoes because they look like shoes. To me they look like Dr. Seuss cars. I will post a picture so you can see what I mean. One of the icons of Cartegena has been the buses. They each are decorated uniquely. They ride around hollering out the window where they are going. Well, they are phasing out the buses, by 2009 there will be no more. Consequently, there are many more small cars on the road and more traffic. We went to church during rush hour and I a still surprised that I am alive.

It was wonderful to see our Christian friends at church last night. I love Cartegena.
Melody

I Think I am Finally Ready

The maletas are packed (that's suitcases for the gringos). My list for distributing the kids is written. Medical releases are signed. The girls have been instructed to act grown up and be very helpful, in other words, don't act like I'm here. Krista isn't quite where I wanted her in school. Today the science lesson was genetics and cloning. Math was graphing and coordinate planes. There was no was I could do either of those justice with everything I had to do and there was no way she was getting that on her own. She just have to be behind pace and catch up when I get back. She is at least a week ahead in two classes and she is not behind in science and math. We will survive.

We will be at the airport about 6:20 and will land in Miami 10ish. As I said before, I will relax when I get on the plane....maybe

Melody