Tis the Season...

Thanksgiving: My students had a wonderful time experiencing the American holiday of Thanksgiving.  Each class presented about a topic they had been studying.  My 3rd Grade class presented on the May Flower Compact and how the Pilgrims lived together in community together.  One of my favorite quotes from our presentation is, "We can learn a lot from the Pilgrims.  They had great faith in God to provide for them that First Thanksgiving, even though life was very hard.  God calls us to be thankful in all circumstances.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, " give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Christmas:
There were a few things that God laid on my heart to do that would make it feel more like home here in Colombia during the holidays.  My roommates and I went out and got a small tree with some lights.  We also made a snowman out of old kleenex boxes and cut out snowflakes to put on our windows.

 Three of my students stayed after school one day to help me decorate our room for Christmas.  We are reading through the Christmas story (Luke 2:1-20) and are praising God for the birth of his son.

Last weekend, Brittney and I hosted some of the Colombian staff at ECA for a small Christmas party.  I decided to try and bake for my first time!  After having to lite the oven with a match (scary!) and realizing that my cookies were burning because our oven is in Celsius (not Fahrenheit), I successfully made a batch of my Aunt Carol's Melting Moments.  These are my favorite Christmas cookie and it was such a blessing to share these with my Colombian friends. 

This past week, we had the opportunity to buy gifts for the children in our ministries.  My 3rd Graders brought in money to buy gifts for their friends from Hogar de Paz Foundation.  We spent some time shopping at the Giving Place and had a wonderful time picking out gifts for our friends.  What a wonderful way to get into the Christmas Spirit!

 

In the Beginning...Jesus
This past Friday, we had our ECA Christmas Program.  Our students presented a play that was written by an ECA teacher.  It presents the gospel message from the Old Testament to the New Testament.  The message is so powerful and it brought me to tears as I watched the story unfold from creation to Jesus's death on the cross, making a way for sinners to come to him.  At the end when Adam and Eve (played by two adorable 1st graders) are reaching for God and Christ comes and joins them together - so Adam and Eve can run into God's arms - was so moving.

The play ended with 1st through 6th grade singing "Joy to the World."  Enjoy our time of worship to our Savior in this video below.

Prayers/Praises:
Please continue to pray for how the Lord wants me to use my special needs experience at ECA.  
 
Praise for the generosity of a friend who let me borrow his full keyboard (piano) for a few weeks.  What a blessing it has been to be able to play the piano, just like at home.

For Mike and Justin, and perhaps two Daniels, who are considering serving at ECA second semester to fill in some needed holes in High School Science and History!

Praise for a group from my home church, the Orchard, who is coming down to serve at ECA in January/February 2013.    Thank you for coming down to help with installing an alarm system, flooring, and sound and video equipment, replacing roof tiles and landscaping.  Please pray as the Lord brings this group together and as they prepare for service here in Bogota.

Safe travels as I come back to the States on Friday, December 21st.  I am really looking forward to seeing family and friends!

Merry Christmas!
Carrie

Mission Colombia!

Mission Colombia! - God laid on my heart (late on Saturday night) to spend some time praying and reading his Word.  My heart has been divided lately between wanting to be home and my work here at ECA.  While one can expect to miss family when a new baby enters the world, I started to feel like the reason I was feeling sad was because I felt like being home was more valuable and important than my life here.  The moments that I was missing out on back home would make me sad if I thought about it too much.  However, God's Word is alive and challenged me and also comforted me.  I was reminded of these verses in Phillipians 3:7-9.   

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of knowing Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."  

As I thought about these verse, the challenge extended before me was - which was more important to me?  It wasn't that these things that I was missing were not good or profitable (which family definitely is!), but I was considering them to be more important than seeking Christ!  God convicted me of where my heart was and where it should be.  Later on in the week, I spent some time reflecting on my time here in Colombia these past four months.  Here is a video I made of my time at ECA so far.  I hope you enjoy it! 

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100347380888022&notif_t=video_processed

 

Current Demographics of ECA students - ECA still remains a supporter of poor Colombian Pastors and Missionary Kids.  Out of our 188 families, 13% are Foreign Missionary Families, 16 % are Pastors, 24% are Christian Workers (* over 1/2 have at least one parent in full time ministry), 2% diplomatic, and 45% Business (but still active in church).  Here at ECA, we serve over 26 Missionary Missions including Wi-Wam, a deaf ministry, and the Jungle.  For the 2012-2013 school year, we are educating 301 students from Pre-K through 12th grade - 70% are Colombian, 14% are Latin and North American, 4% are Latin American, 3% are United States, 1% Korean, and 1% other. 


Training for Life - Teaching here in Colombia is very different than back in the States.  Working at an International Christian School, I can take the time to pray with my students, to eat lunch and play with them, to visit with their families on the weekends, and to love on them not only with academics but with life and heart issues as well.  I love El Camino's life verse - 

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."
(Deuteronomy 6:5-7) 


I have had the privilege of spending time with three families outside of school.  Being able to see my kids with their families has given me a wonderful and deeper relationship with them.  God had laid on my heart to connect more with one student, and he provided an opportunity to spend the weekend with her family.  I was able to go with them to their ministry for kids that they lead on Saturday mornings called Club Junior.  To see my student interacting and telling other little kids the gospel was absolutely amazing.  While I was with this family, my nephew was born.  Being able to share this special family event with my student allowed us to connect even more!  Praise the Lord for the seeds he is planting in my heart and in the hearts of my students!  Below are a few picture of the times I have spent with my students and their families :-)

Connections with supporters - Mission work could not be done without the love, support, and prayers of my Prayer supporters back home.  I have been truly blessed these past few weeks by e-mails and phone calls from supporters.  Thank you for your encouraging words to me and for your continued support of my ministry and the work God is doing here in Colombia!  I enjoy hearing from you!  

Here is a letter I received from the Orchard - Barrington Awana Sparkies!  What an encouragement this sweet letter was to me :-)  Thank you Megan for thinking of me and for praying for my students here in Colombia!


Prayers/Praises -
Possibility of mentoring someone (or at least encouraging an 11th grade girl who has just moved back to Colombia from a year in the States.)

Pray for my role in special education at ECA - I met a family a few months ago who wanted their daughter with Down Syndrome to go to our school.  Knowing how wonderful it would be to have these kids at ECA, I am praying about how I could help start up programs to allow these kids to come (they are looking for a consistant teacher who would be here a while to invest in these kids, among other things...)

Love and hugs!
Carrie 

Colombia: so thankful for you!

"You're the God of this city!  You're the Lord of this Nation!  You're the King of these people! You Are!  Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city!"

Top ten reasons why I am thankful for Colombia:
 "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thes. 5:18

1.  For the men, women, and children who believe in Christ, seek to follow him everyday, and are a light in the darkness for many who live in this country by serving in ministries that glorify and proclaim Christ as Savior!

2. For the wonderful creation that God has made and that this nation gets to see each and everyday - beautiful mountains and nature!

3. The joy of getting to teach 22 wonderful 3rd graders - what a privilege the Lord has given me!  I am truly blessed each and every day to get to love them with Christ's love :-)

4. How warm and welcoming Colombians are!  It's so wonderful to be greeted by everyone with a hug!

5. Colombian dancing!!!

6. Arequipe (caramel) - YUM!!!

7. Worship here in Colombia - absolutely LOVE they way the praise the name of Jesus here (Jumping, singing, dancing - flowing from a heart filled with joy because Christ is their Savior!)

8. Colombians value people over time - what a wonderful and important model this is for me who is very task-oriented :-)

9. For wonderful churches that proclaim the gospel of Christ - and getting to see 5 people get baptized!!

10. Colombian food that is delicious and made with such love (because so many are invited to share the meal together!)

Happy Thanksgiving!!! 
Praise the LORD that there is so much to be thankful for :-)
Love,
Carrie

Joys and Trials of Life

Introducing Sammy!!!!

My nephew, Samuel Edward Russell, was born on Saturday, October 27th at 10:22 a.m.  He is such a cutie and I LOVE him already :-)  Joshie loves being a big brother and even made up a song about it.

"Big Brother, Big Brother, doo doo doo doo ..."

I am so thankful for skype so that I could see Sammy on the day he was born.  The other night, I was able to hear Joshua giggle and laugh while running around his house and my sister put the phone up to Sammy's mouth so I could hear his sweet little baby noises.  I miss these two precious boys and my family so much, and I cannot wait to give them hugs at Christmas.  Precious Sammy will finally get to be held my his Aunt Carrie :-)  And Joshua will get to sing with and say "Hi, Aunt Terry!!"  in person :-)

 

 

Halloween - October 31, 2012:

In Colombia, Halloween is celebrated is a very scary way. Children are not safe, are prone to being kidnapped and have often times been sacrificed on Halloween. Please pray for Colombia and that God would protect all of the innocent lives here in this country (not only on Halloween, but everyday!)  This day is dreaded by many Colombians. As I listened to my students talk about October 31st, I saw an enormous amount of fear as they told me to lock my door and stay in my apartment for the night.  One even told me that a girl in her neighborhood was murdered last year.  I had the opportunity to go back to the Jungle and minister to the kids who live on the street in a very scary neighborhood called Barrio Santa Fe. The Jungle is a ministry that pulls kids who have been badly abused and who have prostitutes as parents off of the streets and share with them the love of Jesus. This is a very unsafe part of Bogota and we were able to create a safe place for about 200 kids on a very scary night!

"For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms."   Ephesians 6:12

My prayer is that each kid heard the message that Jesus is LIGHT and is KING over all the dark places in this world.  Thank you for those who prayed for me and my colleagues.  May God's glory be shone in the dark places of Colombia today and always :-)   Praise God that all of these precious lives were protected!!  Please continue to pray that Satan would have no power over this neighborhood and that the name of Jesus would be proclaimed.

Trip to Monserrate - Sanctuario de Senor Caido

Colombia celebrated All Saints Day on Monday, November 5th, so my friends and I took the opportunity to hike up a mountain :-)  We climbed 2.750 meters to see the beautiful sights of Monserrate.  There is a beautiful cathedral at the top with a gorgeous view of the entire city of Bogota.  The cathedral is called Sanctuario de Senor Caido.  It was little cloudy and rainy, but we had a lot of fun!  It's amazing to be up there and see God's wonderful creation.  Here are some pics of our adventure:

 

Prayers/Praises:
That the Lord would help me with being away from my family right now - that I would lean on Jesus in those moments of sadness, trusting Him to be with me and fill me when I really want to HOLD little Sammy :-)

My personal quiet time - I am so overwhelmed with ministry sometimes that it is causing me to stay up late (grading and lesson planning) which makes me unable to focus when I wake up early to spend time with my Jesus.  Pray that I would find rest in Jesus, like he promises us in Matthew 11:28-30.

In Him,
Carrie

Singing Praises and Exploring God's Wonderful Creation!

Exploring God's Wonderful Creation
1. Visit to Parque Nacional Chicaque with the McCollum's - Colombia requires a mandatory break from school each semester.  So, I took this time to go visit a beautiful national park here in Bogota called Chicaque.  I spent the day hiking up and down the Andes Mountains with Bob, Vicki, Kaitie, and Melissa McCollum.  Another family from ECA also joined us and I was able to learn all about the indigenous trails we were walking on from the father.  It was neat to be out in God's creation and think about the people who used these trails to escape to the nearby town back in the 1600's.  I felt like I was walking in the Rainforest, especially when it started to downpour on us.  My legs felt like jello as we were hiking back up to the car - and it felt so good to collapse next to Kaitie and Melissa as I reached the top of the steps.  Praise God for being able to explore and see his beautiful creation!

2. Camping with CDC - Camping...in Colombia???  My Colombian friends from church decided to go camping for one night.  We left right after church and it immediately started raining!  Anyone who knows my family knows that whenever we go camping - it is 100% guaranteed to rain :-)  We hiked to our camping place (which is not easy to do when you live in the mountains!!)  The rain let up and I had a wonderful time getting to know my Colombian friends more.  Having to talk Spanish for two days was actually really fun!  I also got to teach my new friends an American jump rope game called "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear".

Here is a picture of my lovely tent-roomies for the night!  My teaching friends, Megan and Allie, and I were joined by two of our Colombian friends, Paula and her sister.  We had so much fun snuggling up at night to fit all of our sleeping bags.  To keep the rain out, we put an extra blue tarp over the top of our tent :-)  

Always ready with our umbrellas!!!  This is my friend Mayra and I as we finished setting up the tents.  What a sweetheart she is!!  We all had a lot of fun playing, dancing, and singing in the rain :-)

"Let the word of Christ ¹ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace ² in your hearts to God".  Colossians 3:16

Singing Praises
1. Leading Worship for Elementary Chapel - Here is video of our Elementary Chapel Time.  I taught the 1st-4th graders a song about Integrity that I learned from my home church, the Orchard.  I LOVE that my students in Colombia and kids back home in Chicago are both singing the same praise songs to Jesus :-)  

                                                            God Looks on the Heart
                                              I will be real like Jesus!  I will be set apart! 
                                     While other looks on the outside, God looks on the Heart!

                               Where I live, the clothes I wear?  How I look, the color of my hair?  
                                                  All these things no longer matter most to me!

2. Surprise Praise Song - As I was reading my student's writing journals, I came across a sweet song that one of my students wrote to God.  My eyes were teary as I read this.  What a blessing  and opportunity God gave me to see the heart of one of my students.  How precious and sweet to see the Lord working in her heart!

"I feel like it was god praying for me and helping me. So, the God I have in my heart is SO BIG!!  Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him!!!!!!"



Prayers/Praises:
Please pray for me and the 3rd Grade families - we are having heart issues of how to be good friends and bullying.  May God give me guidance on how to minister to these hurting families and students.  I love them so much!!!

For growing relationships with all of my students - that I would be able to connect well to each and every one of them!  There is one that God has laid on my heart to connect with more :-)

Please pray that my heart would be guarded from attacks on my abilities in ministry - that the Lord would remind me of his promises and his purpose for me being here this week!!

Te quiero mucho!!!
Carrie

TIC

This is Colombia!! - We "Americano's" use a phrase when we learn something new about Colombia or for something that really uniquely describes Colombian culture.  For example - having to plan twice (or triple, even) the amount of times to do things - This is Colombia (TIC)!!!  One person being done eating when someone else at the table hasn't even gotten served - This Is Colombia (TIC)!!!!  I experienced playing hide and seek with one of my students and a few other kids from ECA this past Friday at our monthly Teacher Chill-Out.  I was quickly claimed to be "IT" after I caved to their puppy dogs eyes that were begging me to join them.  Sadly, I didn't tag anyone, however I had spotted all of them trying to hide from me as they made their way back to the base.  Little did I know, but I could have run back to base and called their names WITHOUT having to tag them - typical hide and seek rules here in Colombia.  Duh, Miss Bergmann!!!!  TIC :-)

Also, watch out for moving buses!!  A group of us were heading home that evening and had to catch a bus.  In Colombia, one person goes to the front entrance to pay for everyone and the rest can hop on the back.  Since it was raining, I was still closing my umbrella so I could enter the bus as it started to pull away.  I quickly had to hop on (which was scary) causing my computer to get stuck in the door!  This is not my first experience with a scary bus - even entering from the front can be difficult as they start moving when you are still on the steps waiting to pay.  TIC :-)

Taste of Fall:  The Lord has been gracious to me in allowing me to experience my favorite season that doesn't really happen here in Colombia.  This past Friday at Teacher Chill Out, Roberto and Cherie Green served us cooked pumpkin!!!!!  What a treat for me as I absolutely love anything with pumpkin in it.  Another surprise is that my apartment complex put up fall deocrations all around the Puerta (or Guard Entrance).  How fun it is to see all of the pumpkins and scarecrows around!  It's not exactly like home, but I am very grateful to get even a little taste of Fall here in Colombia :-0

"I will tell of the LORD’s unfailing love. I will praise the LORD for all he has done. I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel, which he has granted according to his mercy and love."  Isaiah 63:7

The Lord is faithful to provide even the smallest of things for his children - and they are worthy to be praised!!  So, I am praising the Lord and rejoicing today for pumpkin :-)

Hogar de Paz y Vida -
This past Saturday, October 6th, I had the joy of returning to the Special Needs Orphanage!  I am starting to recognize some children and are learning their names.  I spent some time with Sarita (a baby) as she was full of smiles while playing with a caterpillar. Then, Paula and Lily came and sat in my lap.  They were able to say a few things to me, so I started singing to them in Spanish.  They kept looking at me as I sang them "Jesus Love Me" and "Yo Tengo Un Amigo Que Me Ama" (I have a Friend who Loves Me).  I asked them (in Spanish - of course!) if they knew that Jesus loved them.  The smiled really big and nodded their heads, YES!!!   I kept singing, and encouraged them to sing with me.  They just smiled, but it was so sweet because they kept asking me to sing again :-)  Lastly, I spent some time with the more severely handicapped adults.  This young woman, Claudia, started smiling as I came near to her as she was being fed.  I said hello to her and she responded so energetically that the person who was feeding Claudia let me feed her :-)  Oh, how such small things can make a difference!

How blessed I was by taking time to serve these precious lives for the Lord today.  It reminded me of verses in my favorite book:

"Above all, love one another deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each one should use whatever gifts he has received to serve others, faithfully adminstering God's grace in it's various forms.  If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides so that in all things GOD may be praised through Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory and the power, forever and ever!" 1 Peter 4:8-11

I think, sometimes, we forget that really small acts of service and kindness are really God's grace being administered in such a variety of ways.  No gift we have to offer that comes from Jesus is ever too insignificant to truly impact another's life. 

"For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28.

Blessings,
Carrie

Mail, Earthquakes, and Youth on the March!!!

You've Got Mail - I received my first mail from the states!!!  A letter came from my friend Ashley Koniak the other day and it truly brought a smile to my heart.  Thanks Ashley :-)

Earthquake! - I experienced my first earthquake here in Colombia this past Sunday morning.  As I was sitting in church, the speakers for the worship band started shaking and I could feel a little movement on the ground.  Southwest Colombia got hit with a 7.1 earthquake (Bogota is in the center, so we weren't too close) - luckily they are reporting that no one was injured.  Praise the Lord!!  I knew there was reason that one wall in my classroom is labeled "Earthquake Wall"!

Teaching Integrity - Shepherding my student's hearts :-)

So, two months into the school year and the true hearts of my students are being revealled!  This week, I have had issues come up of how to be a good friend, being honest and taking responsibility for our actions, and taking things that are not ours.  How hard it is for 3rd Graders to understand their sinful hearts!  My heart was saddened at how hurt some of my students were. 

 

“The law of God is not easy for natural man. Its standard is high and cannot be achieved apart from God's supernatural grace. God's law teaches us our need of grace. When you fail to hold out God's standard, you rob your children of the mercy of the gospel.”  - Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp.

 

This week, my students definitely experienced how high God's standard is that he calls them to - and how their hearts are so inclined to follow their sinful desire to get what they want!  We have talked this week about how when they begin to see the sin in their hearts, they can learn to pray and ask Jesus in that moment to give them grace and help them act differently.  As we talked as a class about being better friends, I mentioned how Jesus responds to those who are mean to him - with no retaliation or means words back!  I asked my students how Jesus was able to do this and they responded by saying:

 

"Because he thought about others more than himself!  Miss Bergmann, it's just like our memory verse from Isaiah 53 when it talks about how Jesus was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and like a sheap before his shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth!" 

 

Oh, that my students would learn to respond to each other with grace, just like God does to each of us everyday :-) 

 

Youth On The March! - This past Tuesday night, I got to skype with the Awana kids from the Barrington Campus of the Orchard Evangelical Free Church!  What a blessing this was for me to see all of my precious children again :-)  They had such wonderful questions for me, such as:

 

Are there venemous snakes in Colombia?  (nope - not even any bugs!)

What are your apartments made out of?  (Stone and bricks - just like in the United States!)

What do you eat? (Rice, rice, rice, really big avocados, and ...cheese with caramel for dessert - Yum!)

  



God is so good to give me the support, encouragement, and prayers of some wonderful K-5th graders!!!!!!!!!   Thank you for being "Approved Workmen who Are Not Ashamed" to pray with me and join me in the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Colombia :-)

 

Blessing of friendship from supporters:  When ministry gets hard and makes you weary, nothing lifts you up like catching up with friends and family from home.  I love getting to hear about your lives.  It makes me feel like I am not missing out on so much!!  However hard this may be, Jesus is completely worth the sacrifice and I am grateful that the Lord has allowed me to have such great partners in ministry!

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this: that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. - Phil 1:3-11



The Lord brought these verses to mind and filled me with incredible gratitude toward your partnership in the gospel.  Thank you to all of you who are praying for me and just like Paul said - I hold you all in my heart and long for you with the affection of Christ Jesus!!  Thank you Mom, Dad, Kristin, Mike, Kendra, Margo, Wendi, Aunt Mary, Madeline, and Nicky!!  You make serving Christ in Bogota, Colombia so much easier.  By pouring into me, you are pouring into each and every one of my students! 



 Prayers/Praises:

• My nephew, Joshua, just had to get stitches after bumping his head on an ottoman.  Please pray for quicky healing of his precious forehead and peace for my sister and brother-in-law as they watch and comfort their little one through this traumatic experience!
• My sister, Kristin, as she has only 5 weeks left until the arrival of my new niece or nephew!!  Pray that she gets some rest these last few weeks of the pregnancy
• Guidance as I continue to shepherd the hearts of my 3rd Graders - pray that God would teach them how to be a friend to one another, even when it is hard!
• Please continue to pray for my ability to speak Spanish!
• Please pray for Nicky, the student I took care of the past two years, as he transitions to having new people around - that he would be loved and genuinely taken care of!

Because they haven't heard,
Carrie

Digging Roots - Making Colombia feel more like Home

Fun/Random Stories:
The Lord is continuing to teach me how to be flexible - no access to a copier/printer or the help of my aide last Friday and Monday!  In amongst the chaos and wondering how I am going to get through the day (without copies of worksheets or the daily routine of how my aide helps me), Jesus is teaching me to let go of control and that HE ALONE is truly dependable and trustworthy.

Brittney and I made our first fire in our fireplace at our apartment and enjoyed a really nice evening bonding/praying as roommates last Friday night :-)  Nothing like friends, hot chocolate and a fire!  What a blessing in ministry to have wonderful, godly people to encourage you (just like many of my supporters back home are doing as well - thank you to those who I've gotten to talk to and pray with since I've been here!!)  We also celebrated Mandy's birthday and had a fun time taking her out to a Mexican resturaunt last Sunday.  Praise the Lord for a great living situation for me here in Bogota! 

I got to dress up as a fireman and spray my students with water this past Friday!!! It was super fun to have a visit from the Colombian Fire Department - but not so fun when they made me wear the heavy gear and race another teacher to the fence and back!!!   This is not something that students in Colombia get to see very often, so it was a great experience for them.

Diggin Roots - Serving with my students and finding a church home here in Colombia

Hogar de Paz - Despite the fact that they arrived over an hour late (and we were hungry!), what a blessing it was to invite the students from Hogar de Paz to ECA.  My 3rd Graders enjoyed a nice lunch with their new friends - while I gently reminded my ECA kids to talk with their new friends and not just with each other (You can speak Spanish if you do!!)  It was wonderful to see them come out of their comfort zone and make new friends.  I led a worship station and taught the kids two worship songs so the kids from Hogar de Paz could practice English.  The kids had fun teaching them our Integrity Theme Song - God Looks on the Heart!!  We also taught them one of our favorite worship songs:

Cuan Grande es Dios by Chris Tomlin

El esplendor de un rey, vestido en majestad
la Tierra alegre esta, la tierra alegre esta!
Cubierto esta de luz, vencio la oscuridad
y tiembla a su voz, tiembla a su voz!

Cuan Grande es Dios!

Cantale, Cuan grande es Dios

y todos lo veran cuan grande es Dios!

Can you guess which song this is??  It's hard learning a new language!!  This song is "How Great is Our God" and it was a blessing to see my kids singing and teaching their friends songs to worship Jesus.  Please continue praying with us that the Hogar de Paz students will feel comfortable and welcomed by all of us at El Camino - some of them were really hard to get to know!  We were able to collect a donation of books to give to our new friends - which was hard for some of my students to give up their own books, but they did! 

Finding a church - I have been feeling like nomad, a Christian without a church community or home to be a part of (different church each week - invites from students to visit their churches)  The Lord answered my prayers this past Sunday and gave me clear vision with where he wants me to be here in Colombia - God is SO good, right!!  My desire is to immerse myself with the culture and get to know Colombians who are not apart of the ECA community.

I started off this past Sunday by listening to Pastor Colin's sermon from his series, "Beauty from Ashes".   Wow!  It felt wonderful to hear a teaching from God's Word that was challenging and uplifting - to define and apply what the "poor in spirit" means in Matthew 5:1.  He defines "poor" or humble in spirit as someone that knows his own standing/place before God, and ones who gives up the idea that God owes him anything.  He also taught that humility of spirit is birthed by grace, and pride is an indicator of being far from God because He can't be around/close to something of this nature.  It really opened my eyes to the difference between denying your abilities and being humble.  God gives all his children gifts, but it is the poor in spirit who recogize those gifts to be from God alone.  What a way to start my Sunday!!  This definitely helped as I have really been missing my church home lately, and helped me feel connected to them as they all gathered for worship last Sunday.

I decided to try out a church I had tried my first Sunday here in Bogota and had wanted to go back to ever since called Centro de Desarollo Christiano.  It is the Colombian church that Bob and Vicky McCollum attend - missionaries from the Orchard who are also here in Colombia.  I didn't want to choose a church based on where part of my Orchard family was going.  But, I wanted to give this church another look.  They have a young Adult Sunday School with very warm and welcoming people, wonderful praise and worship, and a great sermon (that I could partly understand...more that I have since I have been down here!).  The Lord showed me during the service how I could become involved and be a part of this church community.  God has already blessed me with the start of friendships with two young women (Stephanie and Myra).  Oh, did I mention that the power went out during the last praise song, and right before the sermon?  This happened at my home church once, and I have been blessed both times to see two different church communities come together to allow the worship of our Lord Jesus to continue :-)  I am so thankful that I finally have a place to worship with fellow believers here in Colombia!!!!!!! 

Lead me to the cross/Guíame a la cruz
 

Lead me to the cross (Guiame a la cruz)

Where your love poured out (Lléname de Amor)
Bring me to my knees (Sobre mis rodillas)
Lord, I lay me down (Me postro a tus pies)
Rid me of myself (Líbrame de mi)
I belong to You (Pertenezco a Ti)
Lead me (Mi Cristo),
Lead me to the cross (Guíame a la cruz)
 

Prayers/Praises:
Health and healing for some of my students.  Some have been out for almost a whole week with sore throats and fevers!
That God would draw me close as I am starting to really miss home and all that I am missing out on in the lives of many people I love :-)  Praise God, though, that I do get to talk with my family and that I even get to pray ocassionally with a precious friend from back home.
Please pray for the relationship between me and my classroom aide - that we would work together for the sake of the 3rd graders and that we would grow closer as a team :-)
Continued prayers for my Spanish abilities!!  I'm slowly getting better...
Ministry is tiring work, so please pray Matthew 11:28-30 for all who are engaged in work for God's kingdom, especially for me as report cards are due and there is so much I still need to learn as a teacher!!