With Colombia being our fourth South American country, it was one that I easily overlooked. After enjoying Ecuador so much and having debrief in Quito,, it felt as if it was time for the culture to change. I was already looking ahead to Asia before I even entered Colombia.
F squad was the first squad of from the World Race to go the Colombia. When we got there we stayed the night in Bogota to drop off 5 team before my team at the time (Team Tonka) and another team continued another 26 hour bus ride to Cartagena. On our first bus ride, two squad mates had things stolen. Then we arrived to Cartagena which meant the beach! My favorite place! We walked off the bus, and it felt like a fog of hot steam rolled over us. It was so humid and hot. We met up with our host Alex Rocha and took taxis to the foundation. When we got there, we all crammed into a two room cement building where we would be living for the month. The fifteen of us became close…fast. We later found out that we had littler fury friends when Amy screamed in the middle of the night because a mouse ran around her face.
We went straight into ministry when we got there. We played soccer and kickball with the children in the neighborhood,helped with English classes, prayed for healing, and did construction. A few days after arriving, we were walking in the neighborhood and my teammate Susan had her necklace ripped off her neck. We were also told about how the kids start getting into drugs at a young age (12-14). We met two young boys who were nine and ten that were already buying drug for older boys in the neighborhood. On the corner where we lived was a hot spot for the young boys to rob people walking by. While we were there we saw several gang related fights that were broken up by law enforcement. There were five people shot due to gangs in the month we were there. Teenage pregnancy, violent, and alcohol are all problems in Colombia.
I am not saying all this to make Colombia sound bad. I am agreeing that it’s a dangerous place. That’s how people on the outside see it, but that’s all they see. They see all the problems with Colombia, but I saw something else. I saw many people coming to English class, because they want something better for their family…a better, a better life. I saw children with beautiful smiles on their faces. I met a community that was unlike any that I had encountered before. It’s not just somewhere you live where you drive and halfheartedly greet your neighbor. In this community, you neighbor is your family. They look out for each other. They live such a hard life of violence but that’s the only life they know, and they are grateful for it and are genuinely happy. I also saw a family (Rochas) that are making a difference for Christ in the neighborhood. I see people asking questions about God and wanting to know more about Him. There is something so beautiful in Colombia. God is there, and He is working. Yes, Colombia is a mess, but it’s a beautiful mess. I have fallen in love with that beautiful mess. You always hear fun music playing. You see kids playing soccer in the streets. A country that I was ready to dismiss and forget about, has become the very country that has stolen my heart.
