Outside Bogota
Wow what an amazing day!! It seems like we have been running nonstop since day one here in Bogota, to different schools, churches, the rehab center, and the prison. This was our second to last day to be together as a team.
Pastor Carlos invited us to go outside of Bogota today to visit an orphanage! After stopping to pick up a few extra members for the team, we settled in for the 3 hour bus ride through the mountains! It was so beautiful! Our bus driver Juan, grew up in the area to which we were going. As always, he did an amazing job with the sharp turns, passing semi trucks, and going places I would only dare to drive a car. The mountains disappeared into the fog that collects throughout the morning before pushing it's way over into Bogota to rain in the afternoon. There were lots of little shops, restaurants, houses, and gardens spaced out along the road. The air was pretty different from the feeling in Bogota, it was much more humid and hot. (The air in Bogota is thin and cool.)
Finally we made it to the orphanage. All of the orphans are in school until 12:00 so the directors gave us a tour around to the different buildings. Since we still had quite a bit of time before the orphans were going to be there, Juan took us to an overlook to take pictures of the mountains. While we were there we met up with his brother and sister-in-law, who invited us to come and see their mango farm! It was a very cool place. They have all kinds of fruits which they take into town to sell. They also had chickens, a pool, and a turkey... don't ask me were it came from, but it didn't look American. After eating lots of fruit, while relaxing by the pool, we had to head back to the orphanage to meet the kids!
There are about 60 orphans living there. As soon as we came in each of us had five, if not more, children crowded around us asking us how to say their name in English. They were so cute and craved lots of attention. We had lunch with the staff, then got ready for the program. Again we did the Gimme Hands skit... which we are now getting quite good at putting together in a hurry! In the skit we played hide and go seek... I always hide in with the kids, and ask them to hide me. They were more then happy to and piled on top of me. - It was VERY hot under all the bodies.
To finish up our time with them we spent about an hour just handing out candy, taking pictures, and making balloon dogs, swords, flowers, and crowns. After saying good-bye we loaded up for the long ride back to Bogota.By the time we started back most of the fog had lifted painting an amazing sunset through the mountains. With the moon coming up across Bogota most of us caught up on some much needed sleep.
We stopped by the hotel to clean up some and went to dinner, ending the night with a few very well placed rubber band shots, a round of father Abraham in the bus - which the leaders were too mature to join in on - and new plans for tomorrow.
Rose, for the team
With Juan's brother and sister-in-law. They were very gracious hosts and treated us to their homegrown mangoes, which we learned should be eaten with salt.
It wasn't hard to make friends with the kids at the orphanage.
All the kids were so eager to talk. The only problem was understanding a dozen little voices all shouting in Spanish at the same time. Daniel was doing a pretty good job of it! His Spanish vocabulary is growing!
One of our great photographers finally gets in a picture!
Amy was having a great time talking with these girls. They were teaching her Spanish and she was teaching them English.
So many little kids in need of love.
Our dear Colombian friend Oscar. He and his wife, Monica, were such a help to the team. They oversee the children's ministry at the church where we put on the kids' program. It was a pleasure working with them and getting to know them.
Another one of our Colombian friends! Pastor Carlos gave so much of his time to work with the team. We would have been very lost without him.
Adorable little faces!
We are all going to leave a piece of our hearts behind in Colombia.