The day started out with food and more food! After breakfast, we took a ride out of the city. When you get past the sea of apartment complexes, Colombia is even more beautiful! Here are some pics I took from the car as we were driving:
We drove past absolutely beautiful houses on the
mountainside, gorgeous! Beautiful farms and ranches. Lots of cows (made me miss
my husband).
We drove to the small town of Sopo and Ivan and Maru showed
me a Colombian amusement park. They had many famous sites from around the world
represented. Despite their resemblance, however, the depictions were distinctly
Colombian. My favorite was their version of the Statue of Liberty. Same pose,
but instead it was a naked man, not Lady Liberty. The park looked like so much
fun, and it was fun to find in the middle of a town.
From there, we went to La Cabana. It’s hard to describe, but
I’ll do my best. It is a Colombian founded dairy farm. They make cheeses and yogurts
and ice cream. Near their factory is a neat grocery store that only has dairy
products. We all got a post-breakfast snack. I decided to try something they
described as “distinctly Colombian.” It was some kind of cheese with a berry
puree and Colombian caramel. 
Quite
tasty, but very rich! Ivan had to finish mine for me. It was nice to sit in the sun and talk for a little while. I'm learning more everyday about Colombia. I was asked (again) if I had any kids; when I said that I'd only been married since June, Ivan adamantly responded, "At least 2 years. Wait at least 2 years." He quickly followed it up by telling me more about his family, his wife and 3 children. About his kids, he said, "They gave us our reason to live." I was really moved by his openness and kindness.
Our tour continued to an even smaller town, where we drove
around the town plaza with the church and town hall. We even stopped at a fruit
stand (where I got an incredible nectarine). As we continued, we drove past the reservoir that
supplies water to Bogota. It was absolutely beautiful!
I got out of the car to take a picture or two and Ivan put
the car in neutral and revved the engine like they were leaving. He just about
gave me a heart attack. I jumped and turned around and he and Maru were just rolling
with laughter.
We went on to visit one of the other Visionet team members,
Median, who is home sick. Her mother and daughter-in-law were also there so it
was nice to visit. The grandmother served us all tiny cups of very black
Colombian coffee. Not too bad! (I don’t think I’ll ever be able to drink coffee
when I come home since I’m being spoiled.) Most of the visit was in Spanish, so
I was able to pick up very little, but I knew Ivan was telling the story about
pretending to leave me at the reservoir when he pointed at me and laughed hysterically.
They thought they were so funny!
When we got back in the car, Ivan told me a little bit more
about Median. She is a professor and has an incredibly strong spirit. Despite
some health problems, she always meets her commitments above and beyond. She is
faithful, strong, and does great things to transform the community. So when she
says she’s sick, she’s really really sick. While we were there, she seemed to be in good spirits and really appreciated the visit.
Throughout the day, Maru shared with me that she received some excellent feedback about our session last night. I knew that God had truly intervened to make it a comfortable, safe place to share and grow, but the confirmation was great. She was very honest with me about some of the staff's reservations when they found out a young kid, just out of college would be coming, but that they were very happy with the session last night. All the glory to God!
Now I'm preparing for tonight and getting ready for God to show up again. Even with one successful night, He is the organizer and creator of all good things. He is in control and He has been from the beginning. I didn't bring myself here, He brought me here and so I will give him all the glory, honor and praise for any success that happens!
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