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.)