How it all started.

I think I’ll post a blog every couple days or week while I’m here so y’all can stay up to date. Hope you enjoy and thanks so much for the support and prayers!

So as some of you know, I was supposed to take a bus from Atlanta to Miami. I got to the station an hour early, well before I was supposed to. I sat in line the whole time and right before I got my ticket the bus left. So... I tried to find another bus that would get me to the airport in time. I assumed my flight was leaving around 1 or so since I knew I was getting to Barranquilla around 5:30. I forgot about the time zone change. Anyways! None of the tickets got me there before noon or one, so I decided I needed to fly. I hopped in a taxi which we all know isn’t cheap, and then head out to the airport. When I get to the airport I start praying. Praying for a cheap ticket... but that must have not been God’s plan. The plane left at 5 AM the next morning, I got to the airport around 8 PM. I spend the night dozing off and on in some couches they have there. Get up in the morning, get checked in and wait for the plane. Knowing the airport food isn’t cheap I eat the few snacks I brought, a bag of blueberry bagels and some granola bars. I hop on the plane and head to Miami. When I get to Miami I have to get my bags and wait a few more hours before I can check in, then wait a few more hours before I fly out. This is still Monday. I was able to catch parts of the Brazil game, and part of the Japan game in the FIFA World Cup. I was in the international wing of the airport so people were really getting excited and cheering, it was definitely fun! I get on the plane around 4, and arrived in Barranquilla about 5:30 PM because of the time change. Jesús is waiting for me on the other side of customs. He was the translator on all 9 mission trips I did in Mexico, but it’s been 5 years since I’ve seen him! We head out after a while and waited for Genith (a GMI missionary in Colombia) to pick us up. Once she arrived, we headed straight to the bus station hoping to catch a bus that night to Valledupar. Unfortunately, they were booked till 4 am the next morning (Tuesday). So we set up camp and sleep on bags and benches off and on all night till 3:30 AM when we prepared for our 4 o’clock departure. Jesús grabbed some food and I just kept eating my bagels. We get on the bus at 4 and head out. When we arrive in Valledupar we pull out some money and get a taxi to La Jagua. Eventually we arrive in La Jagua and Javier meets us with one of the church sisters, Omaira. Jesús gets more food and I eat my last bagels. I got a chip for my phone so I could contact Rich Sutton, a supporter who taught both me and Jesús how to do these churches in Mexico. I figure if we have any problems he’d be one to talk to and help us. We finally get to the house, I eat real food for the first time in almost 48 hours, and then we headed out to the site. Once we got to the site we heard that there are coal mines surrounding Las Palmitas and explosions are going off every day. This means we have to change our construction plan, which means more money. God still has a plan, and I’ll continue to have faith! When we “moved into the house” I live with chickens in the house. It made me laugh, cause in Bolivia it was tarántulas and bats, in Belize it’s lizards all over the house, and here it’s little baby chicks and cats, both of which, I’ll be honest, I’m scared of.

On Tuesday we were setting up the outline for where to dig the foundation, while the Colombia England FIFA game was happening. When Colombia scored their goal, I cannot even express the feeling! The entire town was quiet, not even a dog, then when the goal was scored everyone was yelling and screaming, people ran out to their semi trucks and blew the air horns. It was crazy! We went to some random persons house and asked if we could watch the very end and it was so tense! During the game the streets were totally empty, everything was quiet and closed, the only thing you could hear throughout town was TVs until Colombia scored. It’s sad, though, because in the end they lost. It’s Tuesday night now. A lot has happened, and a lot has changed but thankfully we are continuing forward! At worship Cenira said that she was thankful that we are an answer to prayer. This group of members have been praying for a while for an actual church. So often I hear, “we are thankful you're here” but it was cool to see that God was listening to their prayers, and He sent us as the answer. It wasn’t a stroke of luck, or our plan, but His that brought us all together to build Him a house. That got me a little excited. Because of the changes in the environment and how we have to now build the church, please pray for God to continue guiding us, and that the funds will come together in His time. Thank you all for the prayers! Squirrel crossing??? Yeah, I just passed a sign for squirrel crossing? Why do they not have them in Michigan? Because the entire state is squirrel crossing. Today, Wednesday, we went to town for money and forgot our documents, which apparently is important here cause they have a lot of check points... but when we went to the checkpoint the policeman was busy on his phone. We went back later and he was looking the other way, and when we crossed the third time, they waved us through. Prayers work, let me tell you!