Three weeks have come and gone. I’m finding it easier to understand Spanish and I’ve settled into a fairly regular morning routine. All is well.
Now that life in Colombia has become a new normal, I thought I would share with you what I have been up to this month and give you a glimpse into how the ministry we are partnering with operates.
Formavida is the nonprofit ministry we have been serving with this month. In English, this translates to “forming lives” and I can absolutely see God’s hand in doing that here. Formavida is nestled on top of a mountain in the capital city of Colombia. From where I’m sitting, you can see the entire city and it is absolutely breathtaking (of course the altitude might have something to do with it). From taxi to collectivo, the diversity of Bogota can easily be seen as you bump along in a crowded vehicle from the city center to our mountaintop ministry. If only words and pictures could do it justice.
In the mornings, Formavida has a program called OASIS that is basically child care for families in the community. Many of the children in the program only have one living parent and the lunch that we provide for them is often the only meal that they will have that day. Despite their circumstances, these children love and hug and smile and laugh as if the Lord’s favor is resting on them each and every day; and it is. These children have the opportunity to hear the gospel and learn more about our Father while they are here at Formavida. In the afternoon, the ministry has an education/after school program where students receive homework help and learn English. We get to learn words en Español as we teach them words en ingles, and I love how eager many of them are to learn.
This month we have also been serving in manual labor, something that our mighty team of 6 women didn’t anticipate doing but have loved every minute of. Formavida recently purchased a piece of land behind their building, the hope and prayer being that a school and activity center would eventually be built there. Our ministry hosts, Lucy and Ricardo, have been praying for the Lord to send people to help with this project, and here we are to help with the beginning stages. As truckloads of cement blocks are being donated to the ministry, we have had the opportunity to serve as bricklayers; having our hearts transformed through the physical difficulty of moving 10-pound cement blocks all day on this mountain (don’t worry Safety Seth, we are tossing them gently…)
As I reflect on the past few weeks, I can’t help but to view this month as a beautiful testament to God’s perfect timing and His unwavering provision. Each time Formavida has had a need, the Lord has met it tenfold! The testimony of Lucy and Ricardo will leave your heart broken in all the right places, putting into perspective the height, width and depth of Jesus’ love. It is a reminder that we are not the main characters in this story. That we are here to be obedient disciples of a God who beckons us to walk on water, who commands us to pick up our cross and not just to know the Truth, but to live it. I will forever thank the Lord for leading us into partnership with this hope-giving ministry. I can’t believe that our time with them is coming to an end.
And there it is, the reality I’m not prepared for.
Recently, there was a team from New York who came to spend a week with us here at Formavida. During that time, we helped build a road in front of the church and Formavida hosted a women’s retreat for the women of Santa Cecilia. It was beautiful.
I hadn’t formed strong relationships with the people on their team, but saying goodbye to them was surprisingly difficult. It seemed so final, and I felt my heart become heavy. In that confusing moment, I had a revelation and it wasn’t easy. I realized that I’m not ready for my heart to break into 11 different pieces. I’m not ready to say “Ciao” to my Colombian brothers and sisters who I’ve grown to love and love to laugh with. I’m not ready for farewells to become a necessary reality on my Race; somehow, I forgot how much I dread “goodbyes” yet I answered “yes” to a call that requires ELEVEN of them. Yikes.
It’s a good thing the story doesn’t end here though. I’m reminded of a quote from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Thanks for that one, Winnie. The Lord is revealing to me that while there is a beginning and an end to most everything, the ending can be sweet if His will is at the center of the journey.
Besides, these goodbyes aren’t final anyway. I’d like to think of them more as a “see you later,” a “catch ya on the flip side,” a “ta ta for now” as Tigger would say.
And so my story continues. Your story continues. Their story continues.
God’s story will weave them back together again when the Timing is just right; and oh, won’t that be a glorious Day!
