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.