Saying Goobye to Colombia

I can't believe it is almost over.This is our final day in Colombia as a team. I sense an urgency to make every second count. I know for me I have a sadness knowing that our time here is just about up. We have to make the most of it.Today we went to the Catedral del Sal. It is a really cool place! Deep in the heart of a mountain is a salt mine. As you descend into the bowls of this seemingly normal mountain you come to realize that it is permeated with salt deposits. Inside the huge chambers chisled away by the miners are many intersting symbols representing the life of Christ. They are Catholic monuments but no less stunning. Numerous crosses chisled into and out of the salt rock are very impressive to see. Some of them are very large. Inside this active salt mine is even a large sanctuary chamber where they have services on a regular basis (mass). There is even baptismal where there is naturally occuring water that they use to sprinkle the people. The most impressive of all the structures carved out of the cavern walls are four pillars. These pillars are immense. I don't know the exact dimensions but they must be by my estimation around 30 ft. in diameter and 60 ft. tall. All in all the Catedral del Sal was a worthwhile place to go see.We were unable to meet up with the committee the previous day so we went for a late lunch today instead. What a lunch it was. I don't recall the name of the place but it was a very rustic looking and the food was amazing. The restaurant specialized in steak and it was "Muy delicioso!"  The committee was so very kind to invite us out to lunch. We are very grateful for all the hard work that they put into making all the ministry opportunities possible for us. We shall forever remember them and their Christian love that they demonstrated as they worked alongside of us and made it possible for us to do all the things that we were able to accomplish on this trip.Well up to this point we really hadn't been able to do much shopping. So we went to a mall called "Centro Chia."  We all were able to find some nice things for ourselves and gifts to others. One of our translators named Rosa had invited us to go to her apartment to have coffee and cake. We had a great time of fellowship. They sang some Christian songs to us in Spanish. A couple of the songs were American and we sang along with them in English. At this time it is getting sad because we know in a matter of hours we will be boarding our planes and going back to the States. We fellowshipped for a while and said our goodbyes, echanged email addresses and parted ways.We had one final goodbye to say and that was to our dear friend Carolina. We had such pleasure getting to know her as she would show us places to go eat and would help us out some when she was not at work. We went to her parents' apartment  said our goodbyes, had our pictures taken with her and left, but not before she gave us all some glorious 100% Columbian  El Gualilo Cafe. God bless her soul! Our other good friend Pablo who had been with us all day had to go too. He has been excellent as a translator and had even helped me with my Spanish too. We said farewell to him and to our bus driver Juan.Okay, now I hadn't even left yet and I'm already wanting to come back. What a place! God has been so good to us as He has ministered through us in Bogota. I pray that the seeds that have been sown may grow into much good fruit and that the friends that we have met may cause us to pray for the Christians in Bogota and all of Colombia. May Christ shine through them as they minister to their own people and proclaim the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Viva Jesucristo!Steven, for the teamThe entrance to the Catedral de Sal.Contemplating the depths of the salt mines. :)Wow, Amber! Amazing picture!The underground cathedral. There's just no way to adequately express the enormity of these underground caverns.The underground team.Saying goodbye to Pablo. We're going to miss him!Goodbye to our incredible bus driver, Juan!