It’s been almost 2 weeks now since my team and I have been in Bogota Colombia and it’s been pretty full on.
We are working/ living with an after school program ministry that has opened their door for kids to come and eat, learn, be loved on and cared for. I don’t know a majority of what is being said, but the way our hosts, teachers and people who work here serve the kids, its evident they are forming lives little by little.
We got here on a Wednesday night. Thursday was a slow morning of orientation then we went to town, bought food, cleaned and played with some of the kids who come everyday from around 9-5.
Little did we know about the extravagant weekend we were about to walk into.
All day Friday, Saturday and half a day Sunday was dedicated to teaching the kids about the Fathers love through activities, songs and lessons.
The saying “It takes a village” rings true here. The staff, after school teachers, social workers and volunteers spent their weekend serving the kids from sun up to way after sundown. Food was constantly being prepare for around 60 people- breakfast lunch and dinner. We peeled potatoes and tomatoes, chopped up beans then peeled more potatoes until our hands were sore. We swept and mopped a few times a day and then got to sing and dance and play with the little ones.
Some of the kids come from really hard backgrounds so they were split up into little families with a makeshift mom and dad. They ate together, prayed together and learned together. It was really cool to see the importance and emphasis they have on family.
Later in the day on Saturday, there was an extreme obstacle course that was set up. The kids were led down a steep path blindfolded by their “parents” to the basketball courts where they play everyday. Different stations were set up and scripture was being proclaimed over the kids as they made their way through the obstacles. The kids had to repeat the scripture over and over as they were balancing on a beam, monkey climbing on a rope, army crawling through thick black mud, climbing up the side of a hill and eventually getting hosed down to cleanse themselves from the mud.
The comparison of crawling through the mud was a physical representation of sin and getting hosed down was the representation of how Jesus wipes away sin and makes you clean.
The extent and effort of making it all happen and the very thought out details to hopefully stick with them was amazing to see and be a part of.
Later on that night all the girls and boys were gathered upstairs to watch a put together video of their real parents speaking to them. Some parents said how special, loved and intelligent their child was, some parents apologized for hurts they caused, some said they were trying the best they could to be a good mom or dad.
By the end of it, all the kids were crying. It was a sobering moment to see a brief reality of the pain that was harbored in each one of them.
It’s easy to say pain is relatable to everyone whether its harbored or free and I hope to give away the love I’ve received through simple acts like hugs and smiles and laughs.
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