Church and Public Transportation

Dear friends and family,

            Deepest apologies for the delay, however, I think you all would prefer me to do well at my actual job first. SO many things have happened!

           I will start with the most recent. . . I can’t remember how much has been said about the public transportation here, but it’s wonderful. Unfortunately, we all know that with good usually comes a bit of bad. No pain no gain right? Well, in respect to riding the bus in Colombia, I take that phrase quite literally.              

Sunday:

 I thought that all of my vertebrae were smashed into smithereens. This was due to a pot hole the size of Yemen, just big enough to have you life flash before your eyes. Really, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced (that might be a slight exaggeration).

Today (Tuesday):

We decided to take a bus that you only had to pay 500 Pesos for. This comes at some costs.

1.      You have to walk farther to reach it.

2.      Then, a man practically pulls you onto the bus, screaming in your ear….all this while the bus hardly stops.

3.      Finally, you get packed (standing room only) into a bus full of people wearing entirely too much cologne. .

All in all, it is totally worth it for about $.25. Beats having your own car any day.

CHURCH – As promised.

First Sunday –

            I had just arrived the night before, very late. I cannot remember the name. The message was good, and I understood a surprisingly large amount (due to PowerPoint). To be honest, I was a bit comatose.

 Second Sunday –

            I visited church with Nancy Clark, a lady who works a ECA. She is also Plymouth Brethren (and yes, Mr. Rush, I know that calling myself that defeat itself in general, but for the sake of the blog). She has been doing what she can to help out the church for the past couple of years. I am not positive, but I think that the Flemings were involved in planting this church. It was wonderful. Of course, everything is I Spanish. That week they had the regular services, pot luck, and then a meeting to help define the mission of that particular assembly. It was VERY interesting to watch the culture, and how Colombians handle hard topics.

Last Sunday –

            This church was further up the mountain, in what seemed like a nice neighborhood. This was the first assembly started in Bogota by Brian Killings, there are about 20 now. There was a band….and I mean drums, guitars, keys, and vocals. Talk about shaking things up a bit. I attended with a high school student from ECA. She was gracious enough to interpret for me. We got a few ‘looks.’ The general friendliness was a bit different. It seemed as though me being there was a general annoyance.  

            In generally, church has been a challenge. It is interesting to see the differences and similarities of church culture in Colombian culture. It will gradually get easier with the more Spanish that I learn. It is encouraging meeting with believers to worship the Lord together.

Culture tidbit:

-Directions are always up or down in relation to the mountain, not east/west/north/south.

-I don’t know if this counts, but I have yet to see a Colombian put on chap stick.

-Everyone dances . . . it’s a favorite pastime.