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Sunday, January 13th
Our niece, Addie, is being christened today in Smithfield!!! We wish we were there...we are thinking about you and praying for y'all!!
Mauricio y Juliana left this morning. We saw them off since the rest of the crew was still asleep. We talked to Yenny and met her daughter, Alba, while we were waiting for the rest of the group to wake up. Then we had breakfast together.
We all went our separate ways after breakfast. The two couples who were left--Gigio & Daniela and Kike & Mariana went to the beach. Chris and I walked back to Capurganá. It's about an hour hike up and down a mountain, so it's good exercise for us. We haven't walked in the last 7 weeks...islands and boats don't leave a lot of room for that!!! ha, ha, ha!
At the top of the mountain, we climbed up on a rock and had church together. God was really speaking to us about trusting His timing and revealing a little more for the future. I know that I've probably said this a million times...but God amazes me with the way He refreshes His children!!
We hiked on down to Capurganá. We looked for a few things that we needed. We also stopped by to say "hey" to Hermana Mercedes at her restaurant. Then we started our hike back to Sapzurro. On our way out of town, we ran into Carlos, a chef from Colombia who is on his way to Panama to work. We were able to tell him about the trail and some places that he could stay along the way. We also shared with him that God has a plan for his life...we advised him to seek God's will and follow His leading.
Tonight we had supper with the small group that was left...Gigio & Daniela and Kike & Mariana. They started sharing about what life was like for them as they grew up. It was moving...and it explains a lot of their actions now. The guerrilla initially formed to change the government. They had ideals and the only people they took hostage were political prisoners. What they were doing was costly and time consuming. As changes began to take place in Colombia, the original guerrilla began to turn in their weapons. Others continued, but they began to force poor farming communities to produce coca in order to make cocaine. By selling drugs, they could make tons of money and so the guerrillas continued their craziness. This is how the paramilitaries got involved. Communities began binding together to fight the guerrillas turned drug lords. But the paramilitaries eventually couldn't finance the war against the guerrillas, so they too turned to producing and selling drugs as well. It's been a huge mess for more than 20 years.
What this crew from Medellín experienced as teenagers was the Pablo Escobar Cartel. The first drug cartel in Colombia, and it was based out of Medellín. Between this cartel and the guerrillas/paramilitaries, they saw family members kidnapped and held for ransom. Many of their families fled to the US for protection. They saw friends killed right in front of their eyes by hired gunmen. Kike was standing in line to go to the movies one night and a motorcycle pulled up and killed the guy who was in line right in front of him. It was horrible. Eventually people were afraid to go out in the streets...nightlife virtually died in Medellín. Escobar was supposedly killed in the early 90s...but legend has it that he's still alive. He was so powerful and so wealthy that he offered to pay off Colombia's foreign debt (if they would let him have free reign to run his drugs.) He was also well loved by the poor because he built tons and tons of houses and gave them away to people who couldn't afford to have a house.
Thankfully, the current president, Urribe, has gotten the violence under control on the roads. Cities are safe to live in and it's even okay to go out at night. Now Medellín free of the problems that plagued them in the 80s and 90s is renowned for its nightlife. They've swung to the opposite extreme which is somewhat understandable. So we have continued to see the effects that the violence has had on this country...among the middle class and among the upper class. I'm sure we aren't finished hearing the stories...It has really touched us. The people of Colombia as a whole (I'm not talking about individuals.) are the absolutely kindest that we have met on this journey in any country, yet they have lived through some of the most horrible experiences that I've ever heard. There's a lesson to be learned in this!
Monday, January 14th
Today was pretty low key...we washed some clothes, packed, and did some writing. The group went to La Miel to enjoy one more day at the beach and we met them in the afternoon there.
We had to tell Yenny goodbye tonight...really sad because she's a sweetie! Hopefully, we'll see her again one day!
Tuesday, January 15th--HAPPY 36th BIRTHDAY, CHRIS!!
What adventures does God have planned for today??!! Well, we to start with, we left with Gigio, Daniela, Kike, and Mariana in a panga (a fiberglass boat with a 75 horse-powered engine). We were moving to say the least!!! Chris enjoyed that...plus the scenery was gorgeous! It's virtually virgin jungle and rugged cliffs and mountains!!
We arrived in San Francisco late this morning...Kike and another friend have a cabin there, so they invited us to stay a few days there. Blanco, a friend from Medellín, lives in the house and takes care of it. Blanco was a reporter in Medellín, but he got tired of the hustle and bustle. He decided to take 2 years off "to find himself." Several of his friends--Diana, Sarah, Carolina, and Jorge--were there also. A very interesting set up to say the least. We continue not to know why we are here or when we are supposed to leave, etc. We are praying a ton, but there's tons of spiritual warfare.
We decided to walk around this small village to have Chris's birthday lunch which also gave us more time to pray. The owner of the little restaurant was really sweet and talked with us for a while after we finished eating. We went back to the house to see what everyone was up to, and we learned that Blanco was going to play soccer. So God gave Chris another gift on his birthday...he was able to play soccer!! This gave me time to make a card and to tell everyone that it was Chris's birthday!
Gigio and Kike decided that they would make a bonfire in honor of Chris's birthday. So we all gathered around and sang "Happy Birthday" to Chris. We didn't have cake, but we did have some very tasty bread. Plus, Gigio and Daniela had some little gummy candy in the shape of a hamburger, fries, and a coke!! So they gave them to Chris, so that he could have a little taste of home! ha, ha, ha! While we were around the bonfire, God also sent a brilliant comet shooting through the sky. It looked like a huge ball of green fire--the exclamation point on a great day!
Wednesday, January 16th
Today was less eventful than yesterday...we're still struggling to be able to have our quiet time in the morning. We keep praying...
Gigio, Daniela, Kike, and Mariana wanted to go to the beach one last time because they are heading back to Medellín tomorrow. So we went with them to hang out for the day...the scenery was beautiful!!!! Chris and I found another big rock, so we climbed on top and spent some more time with the Lord...just crying out for discernment.
Tonight we just hung out with Gigio and Daniela...really uneventful day. As we go to bed tonight, we still don't have a clue what to do. There's no way to get to Turbo except by boat. We still have the money that the Ultralights gave us to use for transportation, but it costs WAY more than that to take a boat to Turbo. Kike told us that we could stay at the house as long as we wanted...but we've not really had an open door to talk to Blanco or his friends. Tomorrow will be an interesting day! We’ll be in touch again soon to let you know what happens. God bless you and protect you! We love you a ton!
Sunday, January 13th
Our niece, Addie, is being christened today in Smithfield!!! We wish we were there...we are thinking about you and praying for y'all!!
Mauricio y Juliana left this morning. We saw them off since the rest of the crew was still asleep. We talked to Yenny and met her daughter, Alba, while we were waiting for the rest of the group to wake up. Then we had breakfast together.
We all went our separate ways after breakfast. The two couples who were left--Gigio & Daniela and Kike & Mariana went to the beach. Chris and I walked back to Capurganá. It's about an hour hike up and down a mountain, so it's good exercise for us. We haven't walked in the last 7 weeks...islands and boats don't leave a lot of room for that!!! ha, ha, ha!
At the top of the mountain, we climbed up on a rock and had church together. God was really speaking to us about trusting His timing and revealing a little more for the future. I know that I've probably said this a million times...but God amazes me with the way He refreshes His children!!
We hiked on down to Capurganá. We looked for a few things that we needed. We also stopped by to say "hey" to Hermana Mercedes at her restaurant. Then we started our hike back to Sapzurro. On our way out of town, we ran into Carlos, a chef from Colombia who is on his way to Panama to work. We were able to tell him about the trail and some places that he could stay along the way. We also shared with him that God has a plan for his life...we advised him to seek God's will and follow His leading.
Tonight we had supper with the small group that was left...Gigio & Daniela and Kike & Mariana. They started sharing about what life was like for them as they grew up. It was moving...and it explains a lot of their actions now. The guerrilla initially formed to change the government. They had ideals and the only people they took hostage were political prisoners. What they were doing was costly and time consuming. As changes began to take place in Colombia, the original guerrilla began to turn in their weapons. Others continued, but they began to force poor farming communities to produce coca in order to make cocaine. By selling drugs, they could make tons of money and so the guerrillas continued their craziness. This is how the paramilitaries got involved. Communities began binding together to fight the guerrillas turned drug lords. But the paramilitaries eventually couldn't finance the war against the guerrillas, so they too turned to producing and selling drugs as well. It's been a huge mess for more than 20 years.
What this crew from Medellín experienced as teenagers was the Pablo Escobar Cartel. The first drug cartel in Colombia, and it was based out of Medellín. Between this cartel and the guerrillas/paramilitaries, they saw family members kidnapped and held for ransom. Many of their families fled to the US for protection. They saw friends killed right in front of their eyes by hired gunmen. Kike was standing in line to go to the movies one night and a motorcycle pulled up and killed the guy who was in line right in front of him. It was horrible. Eventually people were afraid to go out in the streets...nightlife virtually died in Medellín. Escobar was supposedly killed in the early 90s...but legend has it that he's still alive. He was so powerful and so wealthy that he offered to pay off Colombia's foreign debt (if they would let him have free reign to run his drugs.) He was also well loved by the poor because he built tons and tons of houses and gave them away to people who couldn't afford to have a house.
Thankfully, the current president, Urribe, has gotten the violence under control on the roads. Cities are safe to live in and it's even okay to go out at night. Now Medellín free of the problems that plagued them in the 80s and 90s is renowned for its nightlife. They've swung to the opposite extreme which is somewhat understandable. So we have continued to see the effects that the violence has had on this country...among the middle class and among the upper class. I'm sure we aren't finished hearing the stories...It has really touched us. The people of Colombia as a whole (I'm not talking about individuals.) are the absolutely kindest that we have met on this journey in any country, yet they have lived through some of the most horrible experiences that I've ever heard. There's a lesson to be learned in this!
Monday, January 14th
Today was pretty low key...we washed some clothes, packed, and did some writing. The group went to La Miel to enjoy one more day at the beach and we met them in the afternoon there.
We had to tell Yenny goodbye tonight...really sad because she's a sweetie! Hopefully, we'll see her again one day!
Tuesday, January 15th--HAPPY 36th BIRTHDAY, CHRIS!!
What adventures does God have planned for today??!! Well, we to start with, we left with Gigio, Daniela, Kike, and Mariana in a panga (a fiberglass boat with a 75 horse-powered engine). We were moving to say the least!!! Chris enjoyed that...plus the scenery was gorgeous! It's virtually virgin jungle and rugged cliffs and mountains!!
We arrived in San Francisco late this morning...Kike and another friend have a cabin there, so they invited us to stay a few days there. Blanco, a friend from Medellín, lives in the house and takes care of it. Blanco was a reporter in Medellín, but he got tired of the hustle and bustle. He decided to take 2 years off "to find himself." Several of his friends--Diana, Sarah, Carolina, and Jorge--were there also. A very interesting set up to say the least. We continue not to know why we are here or when we are supposed to leave, etc. We are praying a ton, but there's tons of spiritual warfare.
We decided to walk around this small village to have Chris's birthday lunch which also gave us more time to pray. The owner of the little restaurant was really sweet and talked with us for a while after we finished eating. We went back to the house to see what everyone was up to, and we learned that Blanco was going to play soccer. So God gave Chris another gift on his birthday...he was able to play soccer!! This gave me time to make a card and to tell everyone that it was Chris's birthday!
Gigio and Kike decided that they would make a bonfire in honor of Chris's birthday. So we all gathered around and sang "Happy Birthday" to Chris. We didn't have cake, but we did have some very tasty bread. Plus, Gigio and Daniela had some little gummy candy in the shape of a hamburger, fries, and a coke!! So they gave them to Chris, so that he could have a little taste of home! ha, ha, ha! While we were around the bonfire, God also sent a brilliant comet shooting through the sky. It looked like a huge ball of green fire--the exclamation point on a great day!
Wednesday, January 16th
Today was less eventful than yesterday...we're still struggling to be able to have our quiet time in the morning. We keep praying...
Gigio, Daniela, Kike, and Mariana wanted to go to the beach one last time because they are heading back to Medellín tomorrow. So we went with them to hang out for the day...the scenery was beautiful!!!! Chris and I found another big rock, so we climbed on top and spent some more time with the Lord...just crying out for discernment.
Tonight we just hung out with Gigio and Daniela...really uneventful day. As we go to bed tonight, we still don't have a clue what to do. There's no way to get to Turbo except by boat. We still have the money that the Ultralights gave us to use for transportation, but it costs WAY more than that to take a boat to Turbo. Kike told us that we could stay at the house as long as we wanted...but we've not really had an open door to talk to Blanco or his friends. Tomorrow will be an interesting day! We’ll be in touch again soon to let you know what happens. God bless you and protect you! We love you a ton!
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