Great Trip to Miami

Wow, the past few days in Miami have been so great. I arrived on Wednesday afternoon and quickly found a shuttle to my hotel, which cost more per night than I spent per month in Brasil and more than I make in a week. It was a beautiful hotel and I saw a Lamborghini and a Ferrari in the parking lot as the super shuttle pulled in to drop me off. I quickly found my room, noticed the ocean view, took a shower, got changed and went downstairs for the reception for all of our Latin American and Caribbean guests as well as the Goodwill Board of Directors. The weeks conference was both a Goodwill Board of Directors Meeting and a Latin America and Caribbean Goodwill members summit. I was invited to the conference largely as the interpretor, I was expecting to interpret just a few things and perhaps to have someone else there to do the rest, but I ended up spending the whole conference pretty much just saying everything that was said in English in Spanish and vice versa. As the reception started I used soccer as small talk to get to know the people from two of the countries as I chatted with a couple from Costa Rica and two other people from Uruguay about the crucial World Cup qualifiers, it is amazing how often my love of soccer is useful in meeting new people and just starting conversations. I continued to meet everyone and then there was a dinner for all the parties involved. I ended up sitting with 2 board members, the President/CEO of Goodwill South Florida and a few other people. As the dinner started I first translated a little speech from the CEO and then another from the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The next day I spent the morning translating country presentations for the Board of Directors and the afternoon translating a variety of presentations on different opportunities for the Latin American participants. Throughout the conference I had a great time to get to know the Latin American and Caribbean affiliates of Goodwill as well as the CEO, COO and Chairman of the Board of Goodwill. It was truly an amazing experience for an intern that has been at the organization for about 6 weeks. They were all pretty impressed with my translating and just comfort in front of people and it gave me hope of possibly being able to stay on with a full time job that might let me telecommute for a time from Brasil. I even discussed with the person who would be my VP of that possibility and he didn't completely reject the idea. At one point, one of the Spanish speaking participants went on for about 2 minutes about a complicated diagram without allowing me to jump in with the English, I did my best to understand the diagram instead of remembering word for word what she was saying and upon finishing my explanation got a round of applause from the audience.

All that to say, I don't mean to boast or anything, but it is the first time that I have had any "career success" and I felt good about the experience. My CEO even said that I was "CEO material" for whatever that's worth. I continue to pray for guidance and to take steps of faith and know that God will work things out for me.
Some of the conference participants

the view from my room

Trip to Miami for my job

I am leaving in the morning to go to Miami for the Goodwill Board of Director's Meeting and Latin American and Caribbean Summit that is being held there. I have been working really hard for the past few weeks to prepare for the Summit, translating lots of documents between English and Spanish and preparing information packets for all of the participants. I will be working at the Summit/Meeting as the interpreter between the Latin American Goodwill leaders that are coming and the Goodwill Board of Directors. Definitely stuff that is way over my head, but will be a great opportunity. I will be staying in a really nice hotel in Miami Beach that costs more per night than I spent per month in Brasil. Should be quite an experience. I will update with photos and the like when I get back.

Job Update

Been a while, definitely taking me some time to adjust to a "normal" life. It has been a struggle getting used having an office job and the routine that entails. I am so used to kinda having a crazy random schedule and not spending the day in a cubicle, but I am starting to adjust. Definitely still tough to adjust to life back here in the US, it was nice on Sunday to go to a spanish speaking Bible study and just kinda be able to go back into the latino culture a bit. My job has been going really well, I have been able to do a lot of work in Spanish and even some in Portuguese and am helping Goodwill relaunch back into Latin America, they have some small organizations in several countries, but are now making it a strategic location for growth. My first day on the job I met with the CEO and have been able to take part in several meetings and such mainly as an emergency interpreter and cultural guide when we have conference calls with other countries or talk strategy. I am mainly preparing a variety of documents that will serve as a manual for starting a new Goodwill in Latin America as well as preparing a variety of briefings for our CEO and some vice presidents to prepare them for meetings with key leaders in Latin America.

In a few weeks I will get to take part in the Goodwill Board of Directors Meeting to which all the leaders of the existing Goodwill organizations in Latin America are invited. I will generally just serve as an aid there as well as fill in as an interpreter/translator. I really like what Goodwill is doing, mixing a business model with helping marginalized people. They use the profits from the stores to be able to run job training programs to help create jobs mostly for people with disabilities, but also for others with barriers to employment. Been an interesting first month on the job and I appreciate everyone's prayers as I continue to discern God's will for my future. It has now been over 6 months since I left Brasil and left my girlfriend there, definitely is tough to not be able to see her, but we continue getting to know each other through Skype and trust that God knows what He's doing. I am so grateful to God for this job and the opportunities that come with it and pray just that he would guide my steps.

Starting work tomorrow!!

It feels strange to be back in Maryland or even in the US, it has been two years since I have actually considered it home. I start work tomorrow as the Latin America Member Development Intern at Goodwill's International Headquarters in Rockville, MD. I am a little nervous as its my first "real" job although I'm only an intern. Seems funny to be nervous about starting an office job when I have now on several occasions arrived in foreign countries where I knew no one and have not only survived, but have thrived. Nonetheless my heart is beating a little fast as I prepare for work tomorrow. I think at this point I might be less nervous about arriving in some random South American country than I am about starting a new office job. Anyways, I have had a good time hanging out with my sister and cuñado (brother in law)and my family since I've been back, but definitely miss México and Brasil and just generally living in Latin America. Much love and God bless, got a new cell phone too, my number is 443-929-2985.

Re-entry to the US

Well, it's hard to believe all that has happened to me in the last 2 years living in Latin America and now for the first time I will be back in the US for a significant period of time. I will be working as the Latin America member Development Intern for Goodwill at their International Headquarters in Rockville, MD. It's definitely always a difficult adjustment to get used to your home culture. I have gotten used to being a foreigner in a foreign country, but now I have to start getting used to being a foreigner in my own country as many of my cultural values have changed after two years abroad. Previously normal things seem strange, drinking water out of the faucet seems unusual, flushing toilet paper seems unnatural as I search for a trash can to put the toilet paper in, no longer do I have to hold the flusher down for 20 seconds to make it flush. It's going to be an interesting few months in my life as I continue to sort out what's next and where God is taking me in my life. Thank you all for your continued love and support.

Latino Hospitality and Families

As I enter my last week in Latin America for a while I can't help but reflect on my past 2+ years here. There are so many stories to tell and things that I have learned. There are so many people that have entered into my life and been such a blessing to me, have become as close as family to me and its hard to say goodbye. I have lived with 10 or more families in the last 5 years in Latin America for at least one month each family, not many people can say they have that much family. Each one of those families adopting me as one of their own, took me to birthday parties of random relatives and to funerals of lost loved ones, we chatted about futbol or futebol, talked politics, life, girls, God, the church, economic development and just shared life together. So many people that have forever shaped me, so much that I have learned that makes me who I am today. I think of Mark 10:29,30

"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. "

I am on my way to 100 and have received so much from so many people. Just this weekend I went back to Puebla for a visit and just received so much love and hospitality from so many people. I wish I could write about every person and every event that has transformed me, but that would take years. Just to say that I have learned so much about what family is and how to open up your home to strangers and accept them as family. I would say I have over 30 houses across the Americas where I could show up at the door and spend a few months living there no questions asked. I'm learning to love people and to love God and have had many amazing teachers along the way.

Meu Irmãozinho André, my little brother André


My Brasilian Mexican Family

Another summer completed

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of so many things and I can't believe that the summer is already over. The summer program finished last week and all the summer team went home. I think Spearhead is a unique program because our goal is that people are missing their Mexican families and churches and not the other Americans on the trip. As we had our annual closing breakfast with families and pastors I was once again impressed with this aspect of spearhead the tearful goodbyes were with families and churches and not with fellow students. We will certainly miss each other, but the people that have most impacted us are the many Mexican people that have blessed our lives. I think one of the main flaws of short term cross cultural missions is that the close bonding from a new situation occurs generally with team members of the same culture and not with members of the entered culture. I think this is really what sets Spearhead apart.

As I said goodbye to spearheaders I prepared myself for many a goodbye with my friends and family here. I attended a plethora of birthday parties and goodbye parties and just enjoyed the company of friends and family. I have continually been challenged by the value placed on family here in Mexico and have learned so much about loving my own family and the kind of family I one day want to have from my Mexican families. Also, amidst the festivities the mother of a good friend passed away from cancer and I attended my first Mexican funeral. She passed away in the afternoon on a week day and that same day at 10pm about 70 people crowded into their small house and sang hymns, shared coffee, cookies and memories and spent much of the night grieving with the family. It made me think of the early church and ponder our own culture and how we deal with life and death. I was impressed at how quickly the community came together to mourn and grieve with the family. Two pastors of the church showed up as well as maybe 20 members, most of whom did not know the woman who had passed away very well but were fellow church members with the grieving son. It was an amazing picture for me of love and community.

Tomorrow I am hopefully going to Puebla for the weekend to say hi and goodbye to my Poblano friends, returning to Mexico City monday. I have a doctor's appt tuesday with my surgeon, lunch with a friend after that, dinner with another friend. Wednesday I will be having lunch with one of my families, then meeting a friend for an earlier lunch before the US soccer game. Thursday I will be visiting my Brasilian friends who came to Mexico in March about the same time I left Brasil and then going to Miami friday to spend a week with my brother there before returning up north to Maryland. Much love to everyone and God bless.

End of Summer Program

Hey all, all the summer students are now gone and I am now going to spend the next two weeks resting from a few busy weeks and also saying goodbyes to lots of friends in both Mexico City and Puebla as well as waiting for the Mexico vs. US soccer game. I write a longer blog later, but just wanted to post this video I made that was shown at our closing conference.

Spearhead Summer 2009 from Drew Bach on Vimeo.

Wedding, my back and time wrapping up

Hey all, sorry for such a long time since I wrote. I sit here getting ready to go to church this morning and reflecting on what a roller coaster ride this past year has been. This summer has been no different. I am now 5 weeks post surgery and starting to feel better, I certainly have a ways to go still, but am feeling better and able to be considerably more mobile. I have gotten back into the swing of things with ministry, have been making some church visits and visits to make sure the summer team is doing well. This week is the last week for the summer team, today they will say goodbye to their churches as they will depart Mexico on Friday. I can't believe how fast the time has past. I will be staying here until August 14th to say goodbye to friends and families as well as to be able to stay and go to the August 12th World Cup qualifier between Mexico and the US here in Mexico City. It's always been a dream of mine to see that game here in Mexico City, the US has never won. Please pray for continued recovery of my back, also pray for the summer team that they might finish well and transition back home successfully, not forgetting the things they learned this summer. Also, as a last note I have an internship lined up in Rockville to work as the Latin America intern for the Goodwill Membership Development department. I will be working at their International headquarters there in Rockville and look forward to the experience. It's a 3 month job and then I'm hoping in January to return to Brasil, God willing. Much love and God bless.

Recuperation and getting back to some work

Hey all, just wanted to give you all an update on my recovery. My incision is healing nicely and is no longer painful. I am slowly able to get back to my work of visiting churches and families as well as mentoring and sharing with US students and helping them to continue adjusting to México. Some days are better than others as far as the pain is concerned, but definitely way better than a few weeks ago. Again, I feel so blessed to have been able to have the surgery and have my insurance company pay for it (I think, I go with the Don't Ask Don't tell policy on that one, the hospital has my credit card number and hasn't charged it, so thats a good thing). I am in far less severe pain than before the surgery and slowly getting on my feet more. I still feel pain in my back and occasionally in my legs too. The later which scares me much more as I feel paranoid that the surgery didn't work. I would ask for prayer that I can get back to my work, that I can have peace of mind about my surgery and not be worried that it, didn't work. I would pray for the pain to continue to diminish and that my body would continue to heal. Also pray for wisdom in balancing my ministry and taking care of my body. Finally, I'd ask for prayer for my trip home on Thursday. I'm really excited to be able to come home for my sister's wedding and take part in such a special day, but a little nervous about the travel. Pray for safe travels and that my back holds up, I'll only be home for a few days, but I hope I can see some of you. Much love and God bless.

Spearhead Holistic Ministry Talk

Spearhead Holistic Ministry Talk from Drew Bach on Vimeo.

The Recovery Continues

Not a lot of exciting things to write about these days. I am still on 100% bed rest, I can only sit for a while and also go up and down the stairs once a day. I normally go down to eat with my host family and spend most of the day in bed. I have been reading a little, catching up on some US TV shows I hadn't seen in forever, watching some movies and trying to figure out what comes next. I have been doing some work with Spearhead, making some phone calls, working on some computer projects and the like. I was supposed to give a talk today on holistic ministry, but instead made a video, i'm trying to post it online as we speak, i'll put it here if it works. I see the doctor on Thursday to get my stitches out and see how I'm progressing. I am no longer taking any kind of strong medicine and feel like I am optimistic about things, but it will be a slow recovery. If all goes well I can start running in 6 months or so. Hope all is well, much love and God bless.

Back at my Mexican home recovering

Hey all, thanks for your prayers and support through all this time. I just wanted to let everyone know that I am back at my mexican home resting for the next few weeks in recovery from my back surgery. Still in a fair amount of pain, but my docor seemed pleased with the surgery, no screws involved which is good. At least two weeks of straight bed rest and then another 2 of pretty much bed rest, 6 months to running if all goes well. Thanks for your prayers, emails and messages, it means a lot to me to have friends and family all over the world who love and care for me.

nervous smile before i went to the operating room


some crazy looking device holding my back open

Surgery on Friday!!

Dear friends and family,
Wow, what a whirlwind of a last 5 months or so. It seems like a
lifetime ago that I first felt some minor pain in my lower back when I
picked up a little kid that I was helping during my Brasilian
community house’s reading week. I certainly had no idea where that
pain would take me and the journey it would lead me on. I would
eventually be forced to bed rest, hospital visits, pain killers and no
answers until I finally had an MRI in early March and was diagnosed
with a severely herniated disc in my lower back. I had tried some
therapy that didn’t seem to work and was told that I would need
surgery if I ever hoped to return to normalcy. I anguished in my last
two days in Brasil about having to leave and attempted to stay in
Brasil in order to have the surgery there, but wasn’t able to extend
my visa. Then I was left with several decisions; return to the US and
face the possibility of a $70,000 surgery without insurance, go
straight to Mexico earlier than planned, changing my ticket to not go
to Colombia and hoping to have the surgery cheaper in Mexico or the
plan I ultimately chose to risk that my back would hold up and go to
Colombia for two months, delaying the surgery and working with Dr.
David Befus (former LAM president) and a microfinance ministry in a
small town affected by the Colombian internal conflict. I had an
amazing two months in Colombia, learning a lot and really enjoying my
experience, I learned to trust God with the pain and much about
microfinancing. I enjoyed working closely with Sael, my Colombian
boss, visiting many small towns, giving out loans, assessing small
businesses and giving people basic business training while sharing
with them the good news of Jesus.
About a month ago I arrived in México to once again be a
leader for the LAM’s Spearhead short term program. I visited a doctor
within my first week in the city and was told I needed surgery
immediately, as soon as possible. I will know back track on a
parallel story relating to financing my surgery. In September of 2008
before leaving the US I had attempted to purchase traveler’s health
insurance, I had clicked the final button that said I had purchased
the insurance, but never received a confirmation email and didn’t
remember paying for it on my credit card bill. I thought I didn’t
have insurance and figured that I had tried, but it wasn’t meant to be
and so I’d just save the $350 and assume my good health would continue
and that I wouldn’t need the insurance. When my back problems started
in January I originally ignored them then finally after one day where
my legs both went numb when I was walking in a park and I literally
could not stand up anymore I realized I needed to go to the hospital.
I went to the hospital, got an anti-inflammatory shot that didn’t
really seem to work, got some x-rays and was told by the public (free)
hospital that I would be alright after a few weeks of rest. I took
them seriously and rested for 2 weeks and just got worse. Then, my
ministry partner Fabio, who was the guy in charge of the soccer
ministry I worked for set up an appointment with his chiropractor
friend. His friend named André agreed to see me for free and after
several visits and therapy decided that I needed an MRI. Thanks to a
friend I managed to get an MRI at a discounted price as if I were part
of their insurance plan and paid about $300 for the MRI, my first
expenses outside of medicine. I then traveled to Colombia not sure
what to do with the finances of the surgery when I got an email in the
middle of April telling me my insurance was about to expire in a month
and that I should renew it. I then went back and checked my credit
card bill to find that I had indeed paid for the insurance and called
to renew it for 3 more months.
Now, coming back to Mexico I saw the doctor and then filed
a report with my insurance company to try for a guarantee of payment.
Since I had paid less than $1/day for my insurance I wasn’t very
convinced they would pay for anything, but thought it was worth a try.
After dozens of phone calls, emails and faxes, to my doctor, hospital
and insurance company and 3 weeks of fighting for it I finally
received a call today from my doctor that my insurance had approved
the surgery and scheduled the surgery for Friday. At one point an
independent doctor from the insurance company reviewed my case, he
originally denied the surgery, but then after a rather strong email
from myself about my pain and severity of the situation gave me his
cell number, I called him and talked for about 10 minutes. He finally
agreed to the surgery after I described some of my more severe
symptoms and then mentioned that he too was a Christian and if I
needed something in the DC area when I got home that I could give him
a call. Two weeks later, more phone calls, faxes and emails I
received that call today scheduling the surgery. I still wasn’t clear
on the finances until I arrived home and saw an email from my
insurance company saying I would owe US$174.46 for the surgery. The
surgery will probably cost about $15,000 (compared to 5 or 6 times
that in the US), will be at the ABC Santa Fe (maybe the best and
newest hospital in Mexico City) with Dr. Javier Parroquin (a Christian
doctor, who has operated on several missionary friends, used to work
at the Mayo Clinic and the American Institute of Sports Medicine in
the US and is probably one of Mexico’s best surgeons) all for $174.46.
I prayed for a miracle, hoping for healing, but I think God has given
me a financial miracle instead and in the process is teaching me trust
in him. So many people, so many times God provided for me
emotionally, physically and financially with this back problem. I
just want to thank all of you.
What a mighty God we serve, I have been brought to tears so
many times throughout this whole ordeal. I recognize the surgery is
just the next step and there will be plenty of struggles to come, but
I feel like God has shown me so much. He has broken me time and time
again and shown himself faithful. I feel very much at peace as I
prepare for the surgery on Friday at 4pm (5pm EST) and would ask for
prayers from all of you. The doctor has two options for surgery
which he won’t decide between until he gets into my back, they both
involve removing the hernia, but one involves having to put screws in
my back. Please pray that this will not be necessary and for a quick
and healthy recovery. I am hoping to be in the US for a couple of
days in July for my sister's wedding and then back for a bit in mid to
late August and hope to catch up with you all. Thank you all for your
prayers and support!!
Love,
Andrew

long time, surgery and brasil

Sorry it’s been a really long time since I’ve last written, but my life has been rather hectic and I haven’t had a chance to sit down and type a blog entry. I am in my last stage of a long fight with my insurance company. I finally have all the paper in that they need and am now waiting what they called a “review” of my case. I am hoping it’s a formality, but I’ll believe it when I see it. About two weeks ago a team of 14 students came down for the summer, 11 girls and 3 guys, not bad considering the big flu scare. It is a good team and I’m looking forward to a great summer with them. I have spent the last few weeks visiting families and churches as we prepared for the Spearheaders to come and now am revisiting them to make sure all is going smoothly with their North American house guests. We also are teaching them about Mexican culture and history and taking Spanish classes as well. I am enjoying the summer program and the cross cultural mentoring I am doing, just frustrated by the pain and limitations of my back. I am hoping to have surgery by the end of this week, but I have been hoping that for a few weeks. This weekend I went to Puebla to visit my Brasilian missionary friend who is heading to Brasil for a few months and I wanted to see him before he left. I left for Puebla on Friday afternoon after our meetings and made it there in a few hours, stopped by to see my old neighbors who are crusade staff workers and just had a baby which was nice. As I arrived near Robson’s house I couldn’t remember which was his and called his son who came out of a different house and I was really happy to see Emmanuel and Rosanna who were one of my families in Puebla, she is pregnant and it was so good to see them. I walked into the house and it turned out everyone was speaking Portuguese as Robson has some Brasilian neighbors and it was really cool to walk in there and just speak to them in Portuguese and really feel welcomed by these people I had never met. Shortly after I arrived Emmanuel and Rosanna left and so did Robson’s son and I was left with a bunch of Brasilians I had never met before but were so warm. They brought me some dinner and we talked about Brasilian football as though we had known each other for a long time. Those kind of moments are just really sweet to me as I feel the warmth of the Latin American culture and just being accepted and becoming part of the family. I am praying that I can have surgery this week and begin my recovery. Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Things I'm thankful for...

Today was a pretty good day, but tonight I had two amazing conversations that made me realize how many things I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for:
-unconditional love and support from my parents and family
-the amazing experiences I have been able to have in my life, getting to be a part of so many people's life in so many different places
-a nice new camera that I got today courtesy of my parents credit card rewards (finally can put some more pictures online, thanks mom and dad)
-the fact that I am learning that people and relationships are way more important than money, jobs and sports, that I will be happy because of who is in my life and not what I do
-learning that being a supportive and encouraging support for my Mexican mamá is way more important that listening to the end of an NBA playoff game on internet radio (well done Cavs)
-pain that reminds me that this world isn't my own
-financial difficulties that remind me that God and people are way more important than money
-a good Doctor that is helping me fight with my insurance and will eventually perform my back surgery
-my extensive family throughout Latin America, my many brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, houses that I have (see Mark 10)
-the fact that with or without insurance I have the support system to have the surgery I need
-an awesome girlfriend, that we can talk about so many things and learn and challenge each other, even from a long ways away
-internet that lets me keep in touch with my doctor, insurance, family and girlfriend, what a blessing to have internet in my house and not have to visit an internet cafe
-the fact that I am slowly learning to trust God
-that I can truly say I go to bed tonight with peace, even though so few things in my life are certain and there is so much instability I am learning that my only real stability is in God
-the fact that I have the luxury of having a dilemma over what to do with my life, what a luxury that so few people in the history of the world have ever had
-mentors and leaders, for Pastor John in Brasil, for David Befus in Colombia, for Paul Johnson in Mexico, for so many people that have invested so much in my life and continue to be an inspiration to me
-amazing friends in the US, in Mexico, Colombia and Brasil too
-the fact that I don't need to fear anything if I fear God, that hope and faith in God sets me free to live and take risks and know that God has my back

I am so thankful for all of you and your continued prayers. I continue my fight with my insurance and am hoping to have surgery next week, but who knows. Love you all!

enjoying Mexico

Hey all, its been a while since I wrote, but it's been a long week, some good some bad. I have really enjoyed being back in Mexico City, it is definitely a home away from home and a place where I have a lot of history and close friends. I have enjoyed visiting pastors and families, making new friends and hanging out with old ones. It has really been fun, the only problem is my back continues to bug me and i'm still suffering from leg pain and the scarier lack of sensation in my legs. I am still fighting with my traveler's insurance who doesn't seem all that willing to pay for my surgery, i think i'm down to my last stand with them and i'd put my chances pretty low of them paying anything, but you never know. So i would ask for prayer for the insurance/money thing and also just for peace about my back and to be able to quickly schedule the surgery and recover well. I unfortunately saw a special about back surgery on cnn at a friends house that kinda scared me and has me uneasy about the how thing. I am just trying to trust God and know things will work themselves out. Much love to everyone and God bless, thanks for your prayers and support.

still waiting

hey all, still waiting for things to come together with my doctor and insurance company. My pain levels are the same as ever and I am enjoying being back in Mexico City and working with the Spearhead program again. Please pray that surgery will go well when it happens and that I will still be able to be involved with the summer program. Also pray that I will have the common sense to rest the necessary time I need to in order to heal properly, this will probably be a struggle for me. Again thanks for your prayers and support.

Surgery

hey all, just a quick update and a prayer request as I am preparing for surgery, possibly as soon as this week as my doctor says my herniated disc is pretty serious and needs an immediate operation, pray for wisdom for both the doctor and I as we make our decisions and for the financial side of it all too. Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Cartagena visit and then on to México

Saturday morning I began my journey to México by saying goodbye to Sincelejo and taking the 4 hour or so bus to Cartagena. The bus was stopped twice by the Colombian military, once requiring us all to get off the bus, doing a pat down of all the guys and searching through all our luggage. This is because the route from Sincelejo to Cartagena crosses some pretty active paramilitary and drug militia activity. Arriving to the Cartagena bus station I asked around, found a public bus and lugged my luggage on the bus to save about $5 and to have a bit of an adventure by taking a bus and hoping I could find where I was going and get on the right bus instead of the sure thing taxi. If there is one thing I have learned in my journeys in México and South America it is that asking questions is the key. I used to be shy about asking strangers, bus drivers and other people for directions or other needed information, but I have now learned to just ask away and not be proud about it, this has served me well and helped me to figure out many a transportation conundrum.
I arrived at a cheap hotel recommended by some Colombian friends and stayed in their $10/night room that is about the size of a bed and has a little bathroom. I can’t complain though as it is about a 3 minute walk to the beach and a minute from McDonald’s (ashamed to say I missed this in my time in Sincelejo, ate my first big Mac since I had one with Ariel in a bus station in Uruguay). Cartagena is a beautiful city, the beach is great, but truly impressive is the old historic center; it’s an old fort, surrounded by big walls and the ocean; it’s a huge area to be totally walled and is really pretty. I almost didn’t go as I sort of felt like I had seen all there was to see as far as Spanish cities, but really enjoyed Cartagena and think its one of the coolest places I’ve seen. It’s an interesting experience to see such a beautiful place without a camera or a traveling companion. It’s funny how we have this innate desire to share beauty with other people, it’s just not as enjoyable to see beauty and not be able to share it with anyone else. It made me miss my girlfriend, my friends and family (and my camera), but also reminded me of the grace of God to create woman and give man a life companion to share the beauty of creature with.
Tomorrow morning I will leave bright and early for the airport to fly to Miami, and then on to Mexico City, I’m hoping to visit the LAM office, hang out with my friend Jim who works there and maybe see my brother Pete there too. I have about 5 hours in Miami before my flight to Mexico City. I’m excited to get to Mexico, see old friends there, get started with Spearhead and hopefully to have some medical treatment on my back. I love you all and wish I could be sharing with you the beauty of the things I have seen and the people I have met and share in the beauty of your lives as well. I miss you all and hope all is well.

Mexico is a go!

just a quick update that Mexico Spearhead is on for the summer, now please pray that the participants won´t be scared away and that the 20 or so people that had signed up will be able to raise the funds and be able to come. Also pray for my back as I travel these next few days. I will be traveling to Cartagena on Saturday and then to Miami and on to Mexico City on monday. Pray that my back will hold up alright and that the pain will be controlable. Also pray for a doctor´s appointment in Mexico, for wisdom for myself and the doctors to know how to procede with the likely surgery and for the resources to be able to have the surgery. Thanks for your continued support!

Drug Rehab visit and México

I can say that my time here in Colombia has been an interesting one and although I am most definitely ready to leave have very much enjoyed my time here. I have learned to live with my back issues and hope that shortly they will be able to be resolved, but that has not really been the story of my time here and I am greatful for that. I came here with hesitation worried about my back and almost deciding not to come, but I praise God that I have been able to be here and despite being in pain be effective in my job and what I am doing. I continue to be very busy at work and enjoy the challenges and new opportunities that my job has presented me. I have most definitely learned a lot and am very grateful for the time I have spent here. I have had some great moments with clients and enjoy my work, but can say that my most enjoyable and rewarding moments have come in my two visits to my brothers at the drug rehab center. It has been amazing to be able ro relate to them as brothers and equals and just be able to share with them some of my experience and my journey of faith so far. Last night I shared with them from one of my favorite stories in Mark 2 about the friends who carried the paralytic to Jesus and just shared how as a church, as brothers, sometimes we are the paralytic and sometimes the friends and how we carry each other (not to steal a good U2 song). I really enjoyed the night and just being able to share life with them.

On the México front, I will find out today whats up with Spearhead. Please keep that in your prayers, that the leaders would have wisdom to make wise decisions. Its really a tough call. Thanks for all your continued prayers and support.

Simple joys and the swine flu…

My time here in Sincelejo, Colombia is almost up, but I am still not sure what awaits me next. My original plan was to go on to Mexico City for the summer spearhead program, but it appears a good possibility that the program will be cancelled (still awaiting word on that, please keep it in your prayers). I have been looking forward to getting back to Mexico and Spearhead for some time now and will be really bummed if the program gets cancelled, not to mention will be unsure what to do with myself. I need to get back surgery which can’t really happen in the US because of money so with no reason to go to Mexico right now I am left unsure what to do and my already up in the air life just added a new twist with this flu virus. Also, as an interesting note, being so far away from Mexico, my friends who work in a pharmacy, mentioned later, tell me that masks are sold out in all of Sincelejo and that every 2 minutes someone tries to buy some. They said before the flu stuff no one ever bought them. Just an interesting tidbit.
Anyways, this was not the point of my entry today; I was today reflecting upon my time here and the friends I have made. With each place I have visited people have made an impact on me. Here in Colombia to be honest I didn’t try to lay down deep roots, I knew I would be leaving soon and felt like my heart couldn’t deal with any more goodbyes. Even so I still have some tough goodbyes to say. There are the obvious ones of the people I live and work with, but after that my friends are somewhat few, but unique. There is my favorite mototaxi driver with whom I talk a lot about God, the church, my girlfriend and how he one day would like to be a missionary. I will miss seeing his smiling face every morning as he takes me the 15 minute motorcycle ride to work at 7:43 every morning. Then there is the guy from the internet café who also turned into the guy from church and the guy from the drug rehab center. I will miss him and all the guys from the drug rehab center (I’m going there tomorrow again to share a message). Then there is the motorcycle mechanics on my street that would always yell out “hey you, gringo!” and we’d have a short conversation and then this weekend as I was walking by, they invited me for a drink and we chatted about why I was here and about life In the US, México and Brasil. I will miss the motorcycle mechanic gang. Then there is the guy that sells candy outside the school where my office is. I will miss giving him the thumbs up and asking him how he is every time I come in and out of work. I will miss the gatekeeper at the school who looks up and says good morning and see ya later every day. Then there are my neighbors who live on my street, about 3 or 4 little kids and their parents who always say hi to me when I am on my way to work or the internet café. The one little kid must asking me 5 times a week “Como se dice Eduardo en ingles?” Always asking me how to say his name or someone else’s in English. I try to explain names don’t translate well and then give my best bet at whatever name he throws at me. As I walk down the street there are at least 4 or 5 people that yell out “Hey gringo! Como estás? How are?” I’ll miss that too. Last (can’t say this is an all inclusive list, but last for now), but not least are my friends at the pharmacy where I have occasionally bought pain medication, two guys my age who work there and always say hi when I’m passing by. I will miss having conversations about them about my adventures and them trying to figure out what the heck I am doing in Sincelejo and why I have done all my travels. Today we talked for probably 45 minutes and they treated me to a coffee. I will miss them. I will miss all my clients and friends at ADIN (my NGO), I will miss helping them in their small businesses and seeing certain ideas about accounting and basic business skills click in their heads and seeing their eyes light up as they start to believe that there is hope to leave the vicious cycle of poverty.
I will miss Colombia, I don’t know when or if I’ll be back, but I will miss it. I am glad to leave, excited for Mexico, a bit scared if Mexico doesn’t work out, but I continue on my crazy journey. I don’t really know what God is doing, but I am learning to trust that He does know. Pray for my back to hold up in my trip to Cartagena on Saturday and then my trip to Miami/Mexico City on Monday. There is a chance if spearhead is cancelled that I would stay with my bro for a while in Miami and try to figure out what I am doing with my life now. Please pray for faith to keep on going forward when my life seems to be all over the place and trusting God is hard. Pray for Mexico and that if there is a chance that Spearhead might be able to happen. Thanks so much for all your prayers and support, I love and miss you all.

Interesting motorcycles and México

So today I saw two things I have never seen on a motorcycle (and I have seen lots of strange things). First I saw a motorcycle that had 6 people on, yes 6! There was an adult male and 5 girls maybe age 8-14 all on the same motorcycle, quite crazy. Then I saw what is apparently normal here which is for the moto passenger to use an umbrella. Good times. Today I went to Tolú, a nearby beach town to do a few training sessions (and then take a quick dip in the ocean). Tomorrow is Labor Day and so I have no work. I only have a week left in Colombia which is crazy! There is a chance that Spearhead (my summer program in México) will be canceled. I'm not sure what I would do in such a case, more than likely go to Mexico anyway to have my surgery as I can't afford it in the US, but we shall see. Please keep Spearhead and Mexico in your prayers. Much love everyone and god bless

The art of the double meal

The art of the double meal is one of many things I have learned in my time traveling. Sometimes because of circumstances I go without a meal just because of schedules and my body has learned to deal with it. I have learned to eat when there is food and not to complain when there isn’t. An interesting situation arises though when one has already eaten and is a guest that is served a full meal after eating and has to gain the will power and courage to eat twice. I managed to practice that skill again yesterday on my visit to the later mentioned drug rehab house.
It seems like I am always writing that I can’t believe only so many weeks are left before I leave some place. In the past three years I have lived in four countries, 6 cities, 8 or 9 houses and never seem to stay in one place for too long. I have been blessed with friends and ‘family’ in all these places and in each place I know that a mark has been left on my heart. I know that from each country and city I have learned about God, myself and humanity and I hope that in each country I have left my mark as well. I know I can’t keep up this pace of changing countries and nor do I want to, but I praise God for the opportunities I have had. I know that for all the people and places I have gotten to know I can never be the same person again. This time in Colombia has been very different from my other experiences. Since my first summers in Mexico it was the shortest time I have ever stayed in one place. This was a very different experience because in previous short stays there was so much time to get adjusted to a new language and culture, but this time I arrived and quickly felt acclimated to the culture and adjusted to the language. I have thoroughly enjoyed my job and enjoyed being useful to the ministry and on the way learning a lot too. I have also enjoyed having another mentor of sorts in Dr. Befus, who was the LAM president and now works as a missionary/consultant and has a unique take on the world and serving the poor. I have enjoyed and gained so much from working alongside him and from being able to bounce ideas off of someone who also has a desire to love God and love people and use economic development as part of both. I have struggled at times with the small town feel but as my time comes to an end, feel like I have gotten to know a few of my neighbors and see that if I had to I could find a way to live here and be satisfied with life. I leave Colombia with more questions than answers, but perhaps that is a good thing.
On a side note from the microfinance I have a neat story to tell. I normally go to one of two internet cafes near my house every week night to talk to Rubia (my girlfriend) and/or friends and family back home. I can’t imagine the world without internet and skype, I don’t know how people kept in touch before them. I feel like I have actually grown much closer to my family having spent the greater part of two years out of the country; learning to appreciate and cherish my relationships with them and talking to them more now than when I lived in the country. But anyways, the reason I tell this story is that one day I was talking to Rubia (in Portuguese) about the book of Mark. We went through the book of Romans together and now Mark, the guy who lived at the house where they have the internet café noticed that I was talking about the Bible frequently and asked if we could chat. He told me how he had started a drug rehab ministry where 11 guys live in a house together, have two times a day chapel and have a small business making and selling cookies to be able to support the house. He invited me to come speak to the guys and spend the evening at the house. I said I’d be thrilled to and also shared with him about ADIN (my microfinance organization) and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to give him a loan to help grow both the business and ministry. It is really a perfect example of what I think is so necessary, to have a holistic approach to ministry.
I went to the house last night and shared from Hebrews 11,12 about how we are all foreigners in this world. I talked about how most of the examples of the faith screwed up royally in their life at some point, but God used them because they were screw-ups who knew they needed God and knew that they couldn’t do it on their own. It was cool to be able to share my testimony and a bit of my story with them and hopefully share with the hope that I am learning and living for. Hope that really only comes from placing our complete trust in Jesus. I think that its so easy to talk a big game but in practice not really trust God. I am learning to do this. I also shared from Luke 12 (I think) about how we shouldn’t worry because God takes care of the lilies and the birds and how he’ll take care of us if we will only seek first the kingdom of God. I really enjoyed my time with the guys and hope to return at least one more time before I leave. I only wish I had found the ministry earlier in my time. I thank you for all your prayers and support. I will be leaving Sincelejo on Saturday the 9th to go to Cartagena and then leaving Cartagena on Monday the 11th, spending two days to relax and debrief my time before I head off to México. Please pray for México with the flu problem, a recent earthquake, the drug war and the economic crisis it is going through hard times. Pray that Spearhead would be able to happen as scheduled and that the students that come might be a blessing to Mexico City and leave changed. Pray too that I will be able to travel there safely in a little less than two weeks, that the back will hold up and that they won’t shut down the borders or anything crazy like that. Much love to everyone and God bless. (Sorry for no pictures from Colombia, but my camera broke, thanks to my generous parents I should have one in Mexico, my flight connects in Miami and I’m gonna stop by the LAM offices and hopefully see my brother and my friend Jim in my 7 hour layover there.)

Great day! only two weeks left...

Today was definitely my favorite day of my entire time here, it was sort of the culmination of the learning I have learned and done so far in my time in Latin America. As I have mentioned previously, my timing to come here to Colombia couldn’t have been more perfect. I literally arrived the week that ADIN (Spanish acronym for the Association for Holistic Development) lost their second employee and thus stepped right into a position where the organization was in need of another worker. Often I have felt in my ministries over the past two years that I wasn’t really needed and often to be honest I wasn’t. I have been happy to be a learner, to be a fly on the wall, to submit to local leadership and to understand that I was a short term guest and here to learn and serve, if that meant just watching I would watch, if that meant helping I would help. Here in Colombia I have been fortunate to be able to fulfill a job and a need. Often when foreigners come, especially for a short term there isn’t a certainty as to where to put the person or how to keep them busy. At times I have felt like I was a third wheel and while my learning was useful for me I often felt like I had minimal tangible help for the ministry other than another body.
Here in Colombia I have actually filled an important need for an organization and been able to jump in rather quickly to become a “field worker” (loan counselor, loan assessor, teacher). It has felt good to feel needed and to be able to do something that at least is related to what I studied in college. I think too I can see all the progress I have made in my Spanish and in my cultural understanding of Latin America. Four years ago I set out on a journey to Mexico for what at the time seemed like an infinitely long two months, scared to death of a new language and people. Very much stuck in my middle class US bubble, nervous and excited to shatter the bubble and learn about the world. Four years later I have certainly done some serious damage to the bubble, I have in many ways become very Latino, or better said bicultural. I will never stop being a North American, I will always have my college degree and passport that open doors for me, but I have also become very Latin American. I take bucket baths here in Colombia without a second thought; I flush my toilet by throwing a bucket of water in it and find that to be normal. I eat brains, liver, heart or any other body part with a smile (at least on the outside), I comfortably ride all sorts of public transportation in various places and most importantly have learned how to relate to people of all backgrounds and social classes.
I can go into an internet café and speak to a few of the other customers in Spanish, call my girlfriend and speak Portuguese and then switch back to Spanish with some people before speaking in English to someone in my family. I say all this not to sound like I’m such a great person or anything, but I’m excited that I feel like I am finally not a baby in my cultural understanding, now that I’m four years old I’m starting to say some words and get the hang of how this life thing works.
To get back to how today was my favorite day in Colombia this afternoon I went to this little town called Los Palmitos about a 45 minutes less than a dollar bus ride away from the town I live in. I could buy a house there for like $2000 or rent one for about $35/month. I have spent a lot of time there recently working with our various groups there and had to go there today to collect money and to give a few training sessions. The first group I taught a few things about how to put together a basic financial report and stressed the importance of accounting and budgeting and was excited to hear about people’s small businesses and to actually be able to help them with some basic business knowledge. The second training session was with a group that just started with us and is so excited to have a loan from us that they can’t get the smiles off their faces. They are so conscientious about their payments and about showing up and so eager to learn. Today we talked about the vicious cycle of poverty and how we hoped that ADIN’s combination of a loan, training sessions and business appraisal/ consulting would help them break the chains of the cycle and be able to sustain their families better. Many of these people have been affected by the civil war and to hear them talk about the poverty cycle was moving. At one point I asked them if they understood the diagram about how the vicious cycle of poverty worked and then realized the foolishness of the question and my own ignorance. It was they who understood and I who stood to learn from listening to them talk about their experiences. Talk about failed government and other intervention efforts (among them the USAID, the US international development organization) that didn’t have any lasting affect and didn’t seem to care about them as individuals. I shared with them my passion for God and how God has a passion and love for his people and doesn’t want to see them starve and wants to provide for them. We finished the lesson and after answering some business questions two of the guys from the bank maybe in their late 30’s walked me to the highway to wait for my bus and we talked about Brasil (and my girlfriend), my time in Mexico and Colombia and what I wanted with my future. I realized what a gift it was to be able to share with them my life and my experiences and knowledge and for them to be able to share those very same things with me. Although we come from very different backgrounds and experiences I think we both learned from each other today and left better for it and closer to God too. I thank God for moments like today. Simple joys, simple joys of seeing a twinkle in someone’s eye that there is hope for them to have a job and support themselves and that there is a God who loves them and wants to take care of them.
I realized during our meeting as they chatted about their own stories, struggles and triumphs I was so privileged to listen to that conversation, to have their confianza (trust). I still don’t know what I want to do with my life, but I know that God wants us, that Jesus led us by example to be incarnational, to live with and among our brothers and sisters. I have had an interest in economic development for a while, in using business to help people, but always felt like it didn’t work right because most international aid is to make the rich country donors feel good about themselves, to give away money and feel good that they helped some poor person. I didn’t feel that way today, I felt like I had the privilege to get to know the people I work with, I don’t see them as some poor person, but as a friend and a brother. I still don’t know how God will use me, I know that I have been blessed in so many ways and given so much. I recognize how privileged I am and often struggle with that, but I pray that God might use me to show his love to people, to be salt and light, to reflect the hope that Jesus brings and to be able to work for holistic development of the body, mind and soul.
As the bus approached we wrapped up our conversation and they told me to keep in touch so maybe one day they could visit me in México, Brasil or the US. As I got on the bus, my stomach dropped and a tear welled up in my eye to know that I would most likely never see them again, but to know that I carry their story in my heart and that they aren’t just some poor people that make $4/day but they are people I care about and know. I praise God for the little that he has allowed me to do here in Colombia to serve people and at the same time learn from them. Thank you all for helping make that possible.

Half way through my time in Colombia

My how time flies, I can't believe I've already been in Colombia for a month. It has been an enlightening time here so far and I am really glad I decided to gut out the back pain and spend two months here in Colombia. I can't say that the ministry is particularly amazing or that I feel that I am making a big difference, but I am certainly learning a lot and am continually challenged in my thinking processes and contemplating my future. I have read a whole bunch of books about business and missions and find bits and pieces of them to be applicable to my situation and am continuing to put together the puzzle pieces of my call and where I feel like God is leading me. A typical day (if there is such a thing) I will spend either the morning or the afternoon in the office doing paper work, filing, collecting money or a variety of other tasks and the other part of the day I visit one of our community banks to either give a business/ethics training class, collect money or evaluate businesses to determine if we should give another loan. I feel like I am helping the ministry and the people while at the same time learning a lot. I am working on my own now in these dinky little towns around the dinky big town I live in. Definitely a unique experience. I am looking forward to getting to Mexico, but happy with my time here. I miss you all and appreciate your prayers and support. Let me know if you want to support me in Mexico and I can tell you how. Much love and God bless.

Support Letter

Dear friends and family,
I want to start by thanking you all for your incredible support over the past few years as I learn to love God, love people and serve them both in Latin America. My journey in Latin America began innocently enough with two months in Mexico City with the Spearhead program that lead to 3 more summers, then a year in Puebla, México teaching English and working with college student ministry. I was continuously challenged by my own cultural shortcomings and limitations and as I continued to stretch further out of my comfort zone forced to place more and more trust in God and less in myself. With the skills and experience I learned in my times in Mexico and a heart for loving marginalized people wherever they might be I set foot on a plane 7 months ago for Brasil. I was filled with anxiety as I knew no one there, wasn’t confident in my Portuguese and was unsure of how I would survive the 6 month journey. I knew that God had looked over me when I went to Mexico City for the first time, then again when I branched out to another Mexican city, but nonetheless butterflies filled my stomach as our pilot announced the plane was landing in Brasil. I sat there on the runway wishing that we still had some more time in the air, feeling that I was not prepared for what was ahead of me. I quickly found myself loving Brasil, São Paulo and the people that surrounded me in my ministry. I lived in a community house/church (Casa Esperança, the house of hope) in a favela (squatter community) called Buraco Quente (more or less translates to hell hole). I lived and ministered with a girl from Switzerland and four Brasilian young people.
My neighborhood is infamous for drug trafficking and being a difficult place for ministry or a church. I entered for the first time with fear and trepidation, but quickly found myself at home there as I walked through the maze of walkways to enter or exit the favela. I so cherish my time there in the favela. Things were not always as I wanted them to be and the idealism and romanticism quickly wore off for the reality of day to day life. Some days I came home feeling confident in my Portuguese and Brasilian cultural ability and that I was truly making a difference and other days frustrated with life and ministry and sure that God couldn’t possibly have called me to this life. I still as I look back on all my experiences am filled with doubt as to my future in missions, but I am certain that God has brought me to all the places he has taken me for a reason and that in each place I have left a changed person and hopefully having planted seeds of God’s love there as well.
My first day in the favela I walked out of the entrance where the drug dealers are with a bit of fear that someone would try to talk to me. Just when I thought I had successfully escaped without having to talk to someone I hear a voice that I realize is directed towards me. “Hey, you, are you a gringo? Are you a missionary?” My first thought is to pretend I didn’t hear or understand him, I assume he wants to give me a hard time. I do my best to ignore, but he repeats the questions. I finally turn and say in my best Portuguese that I am both of those things and I prepare myself for his reaction. He makes a fist in his right hand raises it in the air towards me and hits his chest, “you have a good heart, I want a heart like you” he says in his deep raspy voice. I was caught quite off guard and wasn’t sure how to react. This conversation was the first of many, often with the same theme, sometimes he was drunk sometimes sober, but always working the drug trafficking. His name is Claudio; I discover that he spent most of his life in an infamous Brasilian prison (Carandiro, there is a movie made about it) for killing a police officer at a young age. I spent my six months talking with him and sharing with him that there is another way and that another life is possible. On one of my last days there he asked me for a pair of shorts and I gave them to him and saw that he was wearing my way to big shorts and bragging to all the other drug dealers about his North American shorts. I keep him in my prayers still.
I spent most of my time in Brasil working with kids and young people from my neighborhood, teaching at a futsal school (sort of indoor soccer), tutoring kids and mainly just being an older brother. I leave so many little brothers in my neighborhood. I love each and every one of them like a brother. They along with Claudio and so many other people I have met over the last two years have left indelible marks on my heart. While in Brasil I also had the chance to make a dream trip through Brasil, Argentina and Uruguay with my college roommate, managing to cover many thousands of miles and about 100 hours in buses visiting Rio de Janeiro, Iguaçu waterfalls, Buenos Aires and Montevideo. It was a trip we dreamed about in college and was awesome to see happen. I also spent two weeks in Bahia (northern Brasil) taking part in a missions trip with my Brasilian missions agency and serving to my surprise as an effective translator for a group of students from a US seminary. On that trip I also met a beautiful girl from São Paulo named Rubia who is now my girlfriend. Unbelievably in six months I managed to leave Brasil speaking better Portuguese than Spanish and feeling very attached to my neighborhood and the country.
Currently I am living in Sincelejo, Colombia. It is a small town about 40 minutes from the Atlantic coast of Colombia that was severely effect by the Colombia guerilla forces. It is a part of the country that was forgotten in development and is full of refugees from other parts of Colombia. Just a few years ago it would not have been possible for me to be here and even today it is not recommended by the US embassy (sure they wouldn’t like Brasilian favelas either) to be here (I make the 3rd foreigner here, David and Connie Befus, whom I’m working with are LAM missionaries here). I work with a microfinancing organization that works among the poor and displaced people to help create jobs through small loans and business training. I arrived at an opportune time as one of their two full time workers just stepped down and so I stepped into his place while they search for a new employee. I have enjoyed giving business training classes, showing how God created work and that it is a good thing and seeing people’s faces light up when we tell them that their microbusiness could one day be a source of jobs in the community and freed from loan sharks how they can advance forward in their businesses.
I will be here in Colombia until May 11 when I travel to Mexico City to be a leader for the Spearhead summer program. I will serve as a guide, mentor and cultural go between for a team of North American young people who will be serving God in Mexico City this summer for two months. I will also be looking to have surgery on my herniated disc at some point after my arrival there. For those who don’t know I began to suffer with back pains in late January that progressively worsened even with doctor’s visits, rest and medicine. I finally got an MRI which revealed a several herniated disc in my back that requires surgery. As I am without health insurance or the money to have the surgery done in the US I am hoping to be able to have surgery in Mexico. I have been in pretty severe pain for the last few months that is only bearable with pain medication. God has spoken to me a lot in my pain and I have learned and matured much in my faith, but definitely have moments where I shout to God ¡Ya basta! (enough already) I’ve learned the lesson take away my pain. All this to say that I appreciate all your prayers and support; I know that if nothing else in the last two years God has changed my heart and my life. I am both anxious and excited to see where he takes me in the next few years. In México for the summer I will once again be working officially with the Latin American Mission. I will need to raise about $2,000 for the summer program. Donations can be made to the LAM with the attached paper, at this moment donations can’t be made online, but that could be a possibility (email me if you want to do that). For those not concerned with tax deduction you can mail a check made out to me to my parents’ house 4210 Home Dale Rd. Sykesville, MD 21784. As always I keep my blog at www.radicalordinario.blogspot.com and love to hear from you all. Much love and God bless.
Um abraço,
Andrew

Some quick pics

Hey all, definitely appreciate all the prayers and concerns, the back has been giving me a lot of problems in the past two days and definitely need wisdom to know what to do about that. Its quite hot here and the small town is starting to feel small, but things are well, here are a few pics from Brasil.

My friend Claudio

game night

some of my boys

my roommate fabio

my girlfriend Rubia

First Impressions of Colombia

I praise God that I survived the long day’s journey from São Paulo, Brasil to Sincelejo, Colombia. Such a switch would have definitely been some major culture shock if I hadn’t already been used to traveling in Latin America as I went from a massive globally powerful city speaking Portuguese to a small farming town speaking Spanish, but I feel like through all my experiences I have been prepared to pretty much live and deal with any circumstance effectively in any part of Latin America.
My journey started at about 5:30am when I got a ride from my girlfriend (a story to be told another day, but her name is Rubia (who-be-a), she’s 24, obviously a very special girl, met her on a missions trip, she’s lives in São Paulo, has a degree in Business Administration, works for a Brasilian bank and is up for the craziness and adventure that is a relationship with me) and her brother to the airport for my 9:30 flight. Luckily we got there early as I learned that my 9:30 flight left at 8:30. I was worried about my luggage weighing too much, but was impressed by the grace of the airline (Avianca, the official Colombian airline) to let me check three bags, and pass the weight limit without any fee. It was incredibly hard for me to say goodbye to my housemates and people from my neighborhood. I spent the whole day before visiting all my friends and people I worked with saying tearful goodbyes and not believing how quickly my time past. I can’t believe that 6 months ago I didn’t think I spoke Portuguese and was scared to live in a favela. It is so amazing to see how things change and how God really worked on me and was graceful to me in learning Portuguese so fast and adjusting to Brasilian culture. I think in a lot of ways I became more “Brasilian” in 6 months there than I ever became “Mexican” in my nearly year and a half there. I said a tearful goodbye to Rubia and to Brasil and with a bit of fear and trepidation went through customs praying that my back would hold up. I took my aisle seat (so I could get up and move around which sometimes helps my back). I definitely struggled through a fair amount of pain in my 6 hour flight to Bogota and was relieved to get there. I spent about an hour and a half in the airport in Bogota before an hour flight to Cartagena. There I was met by a 30 year old or so employee of my microcredit organization who met me in Cartagena to help me with my baggage and getting to Sincelejo. We took a taxi to the “bus station” which was a patch of dirt with a few buses waiting on it and there we took a shared taxi to Sincelejo, about a three hour trip, with a full taxi, including a crying baby before arriving at the house where I am staying. Thanks to a good exchange rate I pay about $190/month for my own room/bathroom, all my meals and daily laundry service. Additionally there is a cable TV I can watch and a fan in my room (which helps a lot as it is very hot here). There are two other young people staying here in this family’s home (a common practice to make some more money in various parts of Latin America) as there is a university near my house.
Now to the interesting part, I spent the last two days visiting various projects where our organization (ADIN, Asociación para el Desarrollo Integral, the Holistic Development Association) is helping various small businesses. I was impressed by a carpentry shop that started with a man and a saw and now with small loans over time has two electric saws and 6 employees making quality furniture that gets shipped to Cartagena and Bogota to be sold. I also visited a successful small bakery, a small family business that makes various kinds of jewelry and a beauty parlor. Last night I visited the missionary’s house who is acting as my host while I’m here. Their names are David and Connie Befus, formerly president of the LAM. Dr. Befus has written several books including one called “Where there are no jobs” that is a sometimes referenced book in economic development literature. He has an MBA from Michigan and a PhD from the University of Miami and I’m really excited to get some life and career advice from him. Today we visited a town about 40 minutes away (a $1.50 bus ride) from Sincelejo. It was a beautiful little beach town where with probably about $20,000 you could retire like a king and a live on a beautiful, peaceful beach for a good number of years. There we visited various projects, ranging from small convenience stores, a woman that makes and sell chocolate to fisherman that make a living off of catching shrimp and lobsters. So far it’s been a great experience here.
I think though my favorite part of this town is that for $0.40 you can ride a motorcycle taxi anywhere in the whole city. It’s an amazing system that allows for affordable travel all across the city. I could get used to the door to door service for a fraction of the price of even São Paulo public transportation. My back is holding up alright so far, I’m definitely in significant pain, but I stand by my decision to come to Colombia and think that it will be an incredible learning experience, as well as a restful time. I say restful because it seems like most days I’ll be done with work at 6, giving me some free time in the evening, which is something I am not used to. In Brasil I was pretty much on call 24/7 and had no where that was my own space. Here I have my own room and some free time which is much appreciated. I definitely still need your prayers for wisdom with my back as a $60,000 or so surgery in the US isn’t really in the cards and I need to see if I can do it more affordably in Mexico or if I will have to wait (6 months) to be able to go back to Brasil and attempt to have the surgery in their public health care system (i.e. free). I appreciate your prayers and will keep you updated on comings and goings in Colombia. Much love and God bless.

Herniated Disc

The art of the goodbye is a difficult one. In the last 2 years I have said goodbye to 3 countries and 5 cities (College Park, Eldersburg, Mexico City, Puebla, São Paulo) and am now on my way to my 4th city where I am arriving knowing few to no people and walking in faith that God will take care of me. However, these goodbyes have not been the only ones that God has been teaching me. God has been teaching me very difficult lessons in letting go of things I cherish. As most of you know I have been suffering for the past 6 weeks with severe back pains. After hospital visits, x-rays and several treatments from a chiropractor my pain continued to worsen and I went and got an MRI which diagnosed me with a very large hernia in my lower back. With each new hospital or doctor I hoped for an answer that wouldn’t be that, I prayed that somehow there might be some simpler answer and that I might be able to get back to my normal life. I have struggled to come to terms with the pain and why it is that this is happening to me at the age of 23. I kept reminding God that I was 23 and wasn’t supposed to have these sorts of problems.
I think in life there are always character and faith defining moments. In every good epic movie the characters are faced with trials early on in the film that prepare them, that give them the strength for more difficult tests in the future. I truly believe that God is using this back problem to prepare me to fulfill his will, to break me and teach me dependence on him. I look to James where it says that we should consider it pure joy when we suffer trials because they produce perseverance and perseverance produces maturity and the completion of our faith. I can say literally that this health problem has brought me to my knees (or to my bed, or should I say my mattress on the floor). It has been a very humbling experience to realize that I am a weak and fragile human being. Throughout my whole life I have been a passionate athlete, I never knew anything but to play at 100% intensity with no concern for my body. I never was the most skilled, but I played with heart and played for the love of the game. Now to be in pain just in sitting down for a few minutes or trying to walk a few meters is a humbling thing. It’s hard not to be out there playing ball with the boys. It puts to the test my belief that God works all things for the good of those that love him. I have been faced with saying goodbye, perhaps forever to my life as I knew it. My “normal” life (if you could call it that) might be gone forever, the days of pain free kicking around of a soccer ball or carrying heavy things for other people might be over. I have put my back on the altar and offered it to God, if it brings glory to him and is what I need than I am willing to spend the rest of my life with this pain. Each morning as I get up the pain reminds me that this world is not my home, as if the Portuguese and the different culture didn’t do it, now I am getting the message. It has also taught me to appreciate the small things, to truly be thankful to God for each new day, for each breath of air and for each time I am able to sit down and eat.
Since the pain started I have lost a lot of my mobility and have had to spend a fair amount of time with bed rest. I started to read the Bible from Genesis on and have been amazed by how captivating it has been for me. Not a single book failed to fascinate me and teach me about this God that I am learning to surrender my life to. I have been struck by his heart for his people, his love of justice and the simplicity of his call to us. Over and over again in the Old Testament he says that he wants his people to seek him and he will be found, to look to him, to seek his face, his will, to put all of our hope in him and to stand firm in his strength, seeking refuge in his strong and loving arms. I am reminded that so often in our comfortable American lives we don’t seek refuge in God because we don’t see the storm, we don’t feel the winds picking up and so we continue as if life is normal. I think to the people before the Tsunami hit who were playing on the beach, picking up the sea shells oblivious the incoming terror. I praise God that he has shown me the storm and that it is real, perhaps he needed to debilitate my back to make me see that I need to find my only refuge and shelter in him. It is so easy to take refuge in bank accounts, health insurance, money, abilities, jobs, degrees etc.
I think to how many times I have wrestled with the godliness of health insurance as I have always felt that it is hedging our bets if God doesn’t come through for us. I now am experiencing what it is like to have a health crisis without insurance and can say that God has been faithful, providing me with friends and “family” who have taken care of me. I recognize this would not be possible in the US (could write a lot of commentary on this but won’t) or at least difficult. After a visit to a public hospital I left with an X-ray that I didn’t pay for, managed to find a Chiropractor who treats me for free and then get an MRI for discounted rate (about $250 for MRI and some other exam I don’t know the name of in English where they inject some kind of dye in you and do another MRI). I have no reason to believe that God will not continue to care for me as I travel this coming week for Colombia. I would ask for prayers for the transition, which would be difficult under normal circumstances, but is even more daunting with the back problems. One thing though, that I can assure you all is that I am closer to God now than I was two months ago and for that I praise God for my herniated disc. Some days I cry because of the pain and some days thanking God for the gift of the pain to make me remember who he is and who I am.
I am sad to leave Brasil, to say goodbye to Claudio, my 50 year old drug dealer friend who is currently wearing my favorite pair of shorts as he stands in front of the favela selling drugs. He was the first person to talk to me on my first day in the favela. He said “hey you, gringo, are you a missionary?” and then told me I had a good heart and that he wanted to have a good one too. Today he asked me for a pair of shorts and after thinking about how I didn’t really have any to give him I was convicted by Jesus’ words and I went and grabbed a pair for him and told him that another world was possible, that there was hope outside of the traffic and that I would be praying for him. He told me that he knew that there was more to life and that he was looking for it too. I will be sad to say goodbye to him, to the little kids that come up to me shouting “Tio!, Tio!” and jump into my arms, I’ll miss the high school kids that have become like the little brothers I never had and I will miss my family here at Casa Esperança.
To conclude this letter (sorry for its length) I wanted to thank you all for your prayers, concerns and emails. I want you all to know that I praise God for all of you and count all my struggles and pains pure joy as I know they are helping me trust in God. I have always felt like God had big plans for my life if I would only let him in. I still don’t know what those plans are, but I know he brought me here to Brasil for a reason, I know that he has given me a herniated disc at the age of 23 for a reason and I know that if I continue to look towards him, to seek him and run the race with my eyes fixed on him that he will go with me and his mighty hand will be at my side. I leave on Tuesday, the 17th for two months in Sincelejo, Colombia to work with Dr. David Befus (former LAM president). He has a microenterprise development ministry and I am excited to learn from him. Pray for the day I travel for strength to survive the day, I will be leaving my house at 5:30 am, grab a bus to the airport, then a 6 hour flight to Colombia, a 2 hour layover, a 2 hour flight and then a 3 hour bus ride. Pray that God’s will would be done there and that God willing my back would not get in the way of the ministry. After that I will head back to Mexico City for yet another summer. Pray for healing and recovery as well as continued growth and patience for my back. Pray that I can find a doctor to treat me affordably in Colombia. Pray for all my brothers and sisters here in Buraco Quente (my favela), pray that God would use Casa Esperança to be a light and a hope in the community.

Mais perto quero estar meu Deus de ti

Mais perto quero estar, meu Deus de ti
Inda que seja a dor que me uma a ti
Sempre hei de suplicar
Mais perto quero estar
Mais perto quero estar meu Deus de ti

On Sunday morning I stood in pain as my church began to sing this song that I wasn’t familiar with. As we sang further I couldn’t help but to be brought to painful tears with each chorus. Closer I want to be, My God, closer to you, even if it be pain that unifies me to you, I will always ask to be closer, to be closer to you my God. These past 6 weeks of back pain have been a trying time, a time of much doubt and many questions, but also a time of growth. I have spent a fair amount of time frustrated, but for the most part God has given me the grace to have patience in the situation and wait on him. I have used the time mostly resting to read over half the Bible and dedicate more time to prayer. I still feel like I have so much to learn, but can say that these past few weeks have been the school of hard knocks, but as James said I count it all joy when we face trials, because trials produce perseverance that helps to bring us to maturity and completion. On Friday I went to the chiropractor hoping to put my vertebrae in its place and walk out more or less cured. Unfortunately vertebrae in place I was still with the same problems and after 48 hours of waiting and hoping it would heal knew that my fate would not be that easy.

On Friday I also stopped taking my pain medicine (over the counter here) as I didn’t think it was helping that much and didn’t like being dependent on it. On Saturday I had normal levels of pain and so figured that the pain killers hadn’t been helping too much. On Sunday night while sitting at church I found that was not the case. About 3 days after I took my last pill, a sharp pain shot up my leg in such a way that I have never experienced. The pain was so intense that I literally bit my hand and cause a wound to it. I got myself home after church and spent about 36 hours laying in bed, trying not to move, getting up once to go to the bathroom and mainly trying to lay still to minimize the pain. Finally on Tuesday morning I got my pain medication back and within an hour was back to my previous pain levels. On Tuesday I want to get an MRI and will get the results back tomorrow. Then I will have to take the test results to my chiropractor to diagnose my problem. I appreciate so much all your prayers and support. I want you to know that even though my physical ailment doesn’t seem to be getting better I praise God for your prayers and know that they are being answered. Through this time I have remained for the most part in good spirits and am learning to appreciate the little things. Learning to understand that everything I have comes from God. That every day the sun rises I should praise God, that ever breath I take I should praise God, that every meal I eat I should praise God. I am learning to trust in God more, in my pain I am learning to rely on him and not myself. I am still somewhat nervous for my move to Colombia in two weeks. Not only am I leaving a community, a people, a family, a house, a language and a culture I have learned to love, but I am going to a new place where I know almost no one and have health problems to boot. I give these worries to God and know that he has always taken care of me and there is no reason he won’t continue to do so. I am learning what it really means to cast all my cares on him and trust that he cares for me.

Sou pequeno demais, me da sua paz...

Today I was hoping that my visit to the chiropractor would result in more or less immediate results, but unfortunately they didn't. I know have 48 hours to hope and pray that my back gets better, which would mean my problems all stemmed from the now back in place vertebrae. If not I will have to get an MRI and figure out what my more serious problem is, please continue to pray for my back and just for patience and faith in this time of trial for me. Also, I'll be leaving Brasil for Colombia in less than two weeks and pray for the transition as well as that my back would be able to withstand the move. Thanks for all your concerns and prayers. I love you and miss you all.

Sou pequeno demais, me da sua paz...

Today I was hoping that my visit to the chiropractor would result in more or less immediate results, but unfortunately they didn't. I know have 48 hours to hope and pray that my back gets better, which would mean my problems all stemmed from the now back in place vertebrae. If not I will have to get an MRI and figure out what my more serious problem is, please continue to pray for my back and just for patience and faith in this time of trial for me. Also, I'll be leaving Brasil for Colombia in less than two weeks and pray for the transition as well as that my back would be able to withstand the move. Thanks for all your concerns and prayers. I love you and miss you all.

Survival Camp

Hey all, my time has been flying by here in Brasil and I can’t believe that I now have less than 3 weeks to be here and am starting to become sad when I think of having to leave my new friends and family here, but at the same time am excited for the opportunities I will have in Colombia as well as my return to Mexico City. I will be leaving for Colombia on March 17th and then off to Mexico the second week of May. This past weekend was carnaval here in Brasil, a most famous holiday, more famous in Rio than here in São Paulo, but nonetheless a big party. We took a group of 16 adolescents on a camping retreat a little outside of the city. We called it survival training, although it wasn’t that rustic. We did camp, build outside bathrooms and even make a shower and did some of our cooking in the fire. We spent the four days looking at the life of Joseph. We talked about how Joseph had a dream (literal dream) from God and how because of this dream and his faith in God to fulfill the dream he was able to survive and suffer all he did because his eyes were fixed on God and on the dream. We tried to encourage the kids to have dreams, not short term dreams of buying this or that, but long term dreams of where God might have them in 10 years. I felt challenged and continue to pray for God to reveal such a dream for me. I feel like in my life when I have put my mind to something I have almost always accomplished it and currently feel a bit frustrated by feeling like God hasn’t shown me a vision or a dream in the long term. I praise God for the dreams he has given me to this point and for allowing me to fulfill so many of them. I remember about 5 years ago setting forth some goals that I wanted to accomplish by the time I turned 25. I don’t remember all of them, but I know one of them was to be trilingual and to have served God in another country and I praise God for those two dreams being fulfilled. My prayer request for you would be that God would continue to mold and shape my dreams for the future and help me to see his plan/dream for my life. Getting back to the camp, the next day we talked about temptation with the story of Potiphar’s wife and I had the chance for the first time to share the main message of the day. I shared a bit about my testimony and ways I had overcome temptation in my life and challenged the group especially in the area of sexual purity imploring them to trust and wait for God’s plan for sex. We continued in Joseph’s story and talked about reconciliation, relating it to Joseph being reconciled to his brothers. His was an especially important theme as the kids all seemed on edge which exploded in a rather violent fight between one of the girls and one of the guys after the guy called the girl ugly and she started throwing punches. I think in the end though it was a good amp and helped them to realize that there is a world outside of the favela and continue to encourage them to dream and imagine the life God might have for them. I would ask for special prayers for Junior, one of the adolescents who shared at the closing campfire that God had really touched his heart at the camp and that he wants to continue knowing God more. I would also ask for prayer for Danilo, Wesley, Pedro and Afonso, these guys have really become like family for me, the little brothers I never had and I will miss them so much. Also pray for Vicente, I don’t remember if I mentioned him before but he just recently became a Christian, is 23 years old and single and perhaps the only guy his age in the whole favela outside of my house that would call themselves a Christian and have a positive testimony. It has been amazing to see the change in his life, to see the work that God has done in his heart and to see his hunger and thirst for righteousness and for God.
I continue to be frustrated in my lack of mobility as my back continues to bother me significantly. Some days I can barely get out of bed, others I feel a little better, but it has been over a month now with significant back pains and I am definitely ready to not have them. I am going for a second visit to a sort of chiropractor who says that he will be able to put my dislocated vertebrae back in place tomorrow. He says it will hurt quite a bit and that I’ll be in a lot of pain, but that after a week or so of recovery I should be back to normal. I pray for that, I am ready to run again, to kick a soccer ball around, and return to my regular ministry schedule to take full advantage of my last weeks here.

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

Sorry for the long time since my last entry, but it’s really been a rough two weeks. I've never felt so weak and incapable of doing anything as I have in these past few weeks. Most of which has been spent in my bed laying down and constantly moving trying to find a position that will minimize my back and leg pains. It has really been a battle to maintain patience as day after day I wake up hoping the pain will go away and day after day it remains. I have really been humbled in all this time to realize how little power I really have in my life, just a simple thing as a little problem in one disc in my back can essentially bring my life to a screeching halt. It’s a humbling realization of my own smallness and fragility, I always felt like I was young and active, ate pretty healthily, worked out and that I could pretty much do anything to my body and not get sick or hurt. How quickly that idea has ended and now I count it a victory if I can sit in a chair for five minutes without pain or find a position to sleep in that allows me to be without pain. I am currently taking anti-inflammatory pain killers (which are readily available without a prescription at the pharmacy) that were recommended by the doctor at the hospital. I have gained some more mobility as I can now get up and walk around a bit, but still with pretty strong pain from time to time. I have started to do some stretches recommended by various friends and hope that I am getting stronger and will one day soon return to full mobility. In the meantime it’s been a frustrating but growing time. I managed to read in these past two weeks Genesis through Esther in the Bible and found myself enthralled with each age in a way that the Old Testament especially has never been alive to me. I only started reading it because I didn’t have any other book in English and got bored of just laying in bed, but once I started I couldn’t stop, I was captivated by the God’s love story with his people. To be able to read so much in a short time I was able to see a larger picture of God’s workings here on earth and how he continues to work to make his name great. I even found Leviticus and Deuteronomy interesting, fascinated by the law and just the direct way God worked and communicated with his people. It is amazing to see God’s provision for his people and how so many times he rescues them from certain defeat. I also was struck by how much he controls everything, how he promises financial and physical prosperity if the nation of Israel will only follow his law and how he promises disease and hardship if they will not. I was struck too again by God’s heart for the poor as seen by various Old Testament laws including Jubilee. I like how God commanded Israel to let the fields rest every 7 years and before they even had time to complain promised that if they followed his laws and precepts that he would bless them and make their crops grow so abundantly in the 6th year that it would give them enough food for 3 years. I was also enthralled by the books of history (Samuels, Kings, Chronicles) and fascinated by all the kings, prophets and history and God’s continual faithfulness. I even found what now might be my favorite verse in 1 Chronicles 16:8-12 “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.” I am trying to learn to do that, to give thanks, to call on his name, to make his name known, to sing to him, to tell others of his wonderful acts, to glory in his name, to rejoice, look to him, seek his face and remember all the wonderful things he has done. I am still in a fair amount of pain in both my upper legs and back, but encouraged and trying to figure out where God is taking me next and for the mean time enjoying the ride. Thanks for all your prayers and continued support. While in bed I have also been encouraged by lots of the young people from my neighborhood coming by for visits and just sitting and talking with them for hours at a time has been great. I miss you all, much love and God bless.