Colombia Fall 2014 Day 2

We had a wonderful devotion and prayer time this morning after breakfast and then headed out to Soacha. We stopped and saw the wonderful progress that is happening at the Christian International Center in Soacha. They are building board by board and brick by brick a church, TV station, skate park, and school in the heart of the slum totally on faith. It is breathtakingly inspiring each time we come to see what God has done with Pastor Jordan and his team in this barrio.

We climbed and climbed up the mountain (at one point the van couldn’t make it with all of us so we got out and walked) and finally reach Altus de Cazuca. This neighborhood started from squatters fleeing the civil war. It is a collection of ramshackle buildings, huts, etc. They only have running water for one hour per week and so must collect all the water they will need for that week in that hour. 10 years ago a lady and her husband started a hot lunch kitchen to try and help the street children of Cazuca. Today she is known all over the mountain as Granny (Abuelita) and she feeds a hot lunch to 70 children a day. For most of these children this is the only hot meal they get each day. We arrived just before lunch and soon the place was swarming with activity. After letting them eat we broke out the coloring books, crayons, frisbees, and a couple of soccer balls and the fun was on. It never ceases to amaze me how love tears down all barriers. Despite the language and cultural barriers soon everyone was laughing and talking and hugging and snapping “muchas fotos”

We played and talked and loved for hours with these precious kids. They were so excited about us being there and asked us hundreds of questions. One little girl named Valentina probably 5 years old stole my heart immediately. She is the daughter of a teenage mom and it was obvious to me that she has no dad. She was climbing up the rocks and jumping off and I complimented her on her bravery. She smiled and giggled and ran down the rocks and jumped into my arms. I swung her around with a whoop and it was on! We played that game again and again until I couldn’t stand up anymore and we sat down and got her interested in coloring. Nic was the star of the frisbee time in the trail that passes for a street. It was so cute to hear all the little boys yelling Nicolas! Nicolas! And when the frisbee went on the roof the Bullen girls came through with circus style acrobatics to get it down! Later the ladies broke out the string and Brooke taught everyone how to make manillas (friendship bracelets) and the weaving, twisting, tying, and cutting was on. How precious these little lambs are. The places where they live we wouldn’t store our firewood in but God knows each of them and loves them with a furious love. There were tears and hugs and kisses when we had to say goodbye but we will be back and we will love on them again. Over dinner we shared what God is doing in us and our vision for the future. God is AWESOME!