I am in a coffee shop in Old City Cartagena, Colombia, researching travel plans for Ecuador for logistics, and I really don’t want to leave. The country, I mean.
If you’ve ever heard of Cartagena, you probably think of beaches and old colonial architecture. Which exists and is beautiful, in the Old City. That’s the rich area. Shakira, Mel Gibson, Danny Glover – some big names visit and own property there. But once you cross over the bridge into where we stay, it’s like you flip a switch. There you see the poverty, neglect, and the scars of aggression. Many people never see this part.
Where I stay, kids are very neglected. For the first half of the month, they were so excited about the “gringas” coming that they would bang on our door at all ours and even stand on each other’s shoulders to look in the windows. They needed someone to acknowledge their existence, to love and hug on them. And although we have not been “doing” as many tangibly specific ministry projects like building houses or whatnot this month, I have felt the most needed that I ever have on the race. Because we are bringing the kingdom of God simply by loving as Jesus loved, letting the little children come to us. It’s fabulous.
As you might guess, it’s not the safest place in the world. No surprise there. We have had to stay indoors a lot for our safety. But we have been growing with our contacts, and making new friends. I even made another new brother.
I don’t know, I loved the other countries and people in the other countries. Honduras was my favorite. This might supersede it. Not that it has been the easiest month – claro que no! (of course not), but for the first time in six months, I honest-to-goodness do not want to leave. I still have to process – I don’t know if I can put how I feel into words. My team leader said the other day that our backgrounds are so different from where we are serving. We shouldn’t feel like we belong here. But I do. I guess my heart has gotten bigger. It is so easy on mission trips to make people, places, and ministry sites only “projects.” But some of the people here – I want to adopt them. I am leaving part of my heart here. It’s fabulous – and miserable – but if it gets me closer to God’s heart, so be it. I needed to try again after I shut myself off in Panama. And it may be a mix of I have become more available to the Spirit’s work and He has shown me how to live life with people so similar and different from me.
Does that make any sense? I feel like I’m rambling. I will have more thoughts on this later.
P.S. – My final deadline is July 1st and I still need more funding; if you would prayerfully consider clicking on the Support Me button and donating, I would be very grateful.
Thank you!
#yesiamnowgoingtobuychocolatecakedownstairs,
Brenna
P.P.S. Costal Caribbean Spanish – very hard to understand, but I’m starting to, and I like it. -B
