Home Again!

I arrived home safely on Wednesday, after leaving Bogota on Tuesday. But let me back up a few days...
We got the school as finished as we could, and early Saturday we got to cleaning it for the dedication and open house. My morning was spent holding baby Angie, who was sent home from the hospital, but still needs lots of care. They asked the team to help with her, so they could get the other children ready for the dedication. I volunteered to help from 6-9 am, and then somebody else came over.
The dedication ceremony was wonderful. They had several of the kids tell what the school meant to them, and Ann, and Richard, and Jeanene all spoke. There was a husband and wife who were special guests, that also spoke. These people had donated much of the funds for building the school.
Then we had a big parade from the old school, to the new. With their little marching band leading the way, and the kids all walking by class. We sang the national anthems of Colombia, America, and England. And then they cut the ribbon, and people were invited in to tour the school.
Afterwards the team was invited to continue the celebration by going out for supper at a fancy restaurant. That was fun.
After church on Sunday we went to the Emerld store, and some of the people bought jewelry. I decided to wait until the next time I go to get anything.
On Monday we waited all morning for the call that the container had arrived. It was being kept at the shipping company, they had gotten it to Bogota, but weren't letting it come to CVII. So Jeanene had gone there, and finally they sent it to us, but divided out into 5 smaller trucks. When it arrived we all pitched in to get the boxes to their places. I was helping in the upper level of the garage, where the clothes, and shoes, and toys, and bedding, etc all go. The whole project took about 4 hours.
We celebrated Jeanene's birthday by making pizza for the kids. And somebody arranged for a Maranachi band to come play too. That was interesting, but of course all in spanish.
And we left on Tuesday morning. I flew in to Chicago, and then my aunt picked me up, and I spent the night with them. And flew into Rochester the next day, wit Mommy and the kids picking me up there. And I was so thankful to get to come to church that night.

Faith is the Victory, that Overcomes the World!!!

And that has been the theme of my day, and in fact the entire time here! We have talked about faith everyday during devotions in some way or another.
The container was finally approved totally, and was shipped out by truck yesterday. And will arrive on Monday. That is an answer to our prayers, because if it arrived on Saturday the school´s dedication would be all messed up. So Monday will be our unload day.
The school will have the dedication tomorrow, but they won´t get to start school until later, because its not getting finished. ;( We are all a little upset, but Richard is the most upset, cause he really wanted it done. But we´ll still do the dedication ceremony and open house. Later this evening our team will go over and do a major cleaning for it to be ready.
We had some rain today, and so now the air is fresh and clean. It even hailed for a few minutes.
Please pray for baby Angie, I can´t remember if I told you about her. She has pneumonia and is in the hospital. They are really worried about her.
Also pray for the dedication tomorrow. We´ll be busy I´m sure.

Exhaustion

I have never been as exhausted as today. We worked ALL day long in the back courtyard area of the school, moving heavy stuff from a storage room that actually is the library, into a newly built storage room. We had lots of people working on it, in an assembly line, but it was long and hot work. The day was very hot and sunny, so some of us are a little red. No, some of us are REALLY red. Ha! I´m already on my way to my first tan of the year!

We ended the afternoon with 2 of us girls scooping dirt into buckets, and another hauling it all the way to the front of the school to dump it. And for a little while she had to carry sand back to where we were, so it was heavy both ways.

There was another issue with the container today. The inspectors decided they needed to open and look through everything. So when we heard that we all prayed they would stop, and wouldn´t take anything. Later they told us that it was approved, and we don´t know if they took anything. But Jeanene had to get 68 signatures and notary seals for it to be released. (there are that many different merchandice catagories in the container) I don´t know if she was able to get them all or not. So pray for Jeanene, that she will be encouraged and able to accomplish everything they require of her.

A world away.....

Well there is finally a break in everything for me to write.
Yesterday I walked to a store with 3 of the team, to get groceries and other supplies. IT was a long and tiring walk. I think it was over 2 miles, one way. And that store is like a Colombian Walmart, it has Everything.
The work has come a LONG way since I got here on the school. They poured the cement for the back patio yesterday, and last night we moved the stuff onto the 4th floor. Then today we moved on the 3rd floor stuff. That was a lot of hard work, and we all are tired and sore. The older kids were there to help, and the boys carried the heavier things.
The smocks are almost finished. We have quite a few that are ready for the wrist elastic, and then they are done. And the others are all mostly done.
Tonight we are expecting another team to arrive. They are from Grand Rapids, and are mostly adults I think. So, since 3 of us girls had been using bottom bunks, we moved to top ones, so they wouldn´t have to climb.

The container has been released, and is going to arrive Saturday I think. Jeanene had flown to the port city to talk to the captain, and everything was approved. But then the computer wasn´t accepting the paperwork, and they were then able to override it. So we have been praising and thanking the Lord for that.

; )

Hola from Bogota!

Well I have been in Bogota for 4 days, and I have been SOOOO busy! We are working hard to get the school done. The dedication and grand opening is on Saturday, and right now it looks like it´ll never be done. But the work is going fast. They waxed the 2nd floor today, and the 3rd and 4th a few days ago. Now its just the first floor and all the stuff needs moving in.
Today we fitted all the kids for their uniforms. The boys have pants, that needed hemming to be the right length. And the girls get pleated skirts or jumpers. And some of these needed hemming too, cause they were to skinny for their length.
We have also been sewing smocks for the little kids, for crafts and other things. They need about 40 of them, and we have all cut out, and in various stages of sewing.
The 3 houses, Bethel house, and the school are all in the same area, so its not far to go from one to the other. The Numbers house, where the girls are is the farthest, and is 2 blocks straight down from Bethel. It seems to get longer and longer each time you walk it.
I had brought with me a craft to do with the girls. It was to make decorated compostion notebooks, using scrapbooking stuff. Yesterday wasn´t as busy, so I was able to do it then. They were so cute, making them. Each one was different, and unique. I was so glad to be able to bring it for them.
The team that I am here with are from Albert Lea, MN and Bangor, WI (areas). There are a total of 13 of us in Bethel. Oh, theres also a gentleman from Ireland who is here until March. They are all really nice. And I learned today that the 2 gals who are younger than me, are homeschooled. So its been nice to have young people to talk too. There is also a gal who is about 22, who reminds me of Melissa. ( :) ) She is so full of life, and is so animated and loves to play with the kids. They are all really sweet.
Well, I should be wrapping this up, I need to get back to Bethel.
Oh, please be in prayer for their container. It was supposed to arrive on Tuesday. And it has a lot of clothes and shoes and school supplies that they need. But its been confiscated by the port because they didn´t file the papers correctly. (the shippers, not CVII) so pray that they can figure it out and get it here on time.

:)

2 Days!!!

Well it is only 2 days until I fly down to Bogota! ! ! ! ! And I am already gone from home. The weather is forecasted to really bad for travelling today and Monday, so to be sure I could actually get to the airport I had to leave yesterday. :( But I get to stay with my cousins for 3 days, so its not all bad. Haven't gotten to see them recently. :)
I will be flying out of the airport in Rochester, MN on Tuesday morning. Early. The flight will leave at 7:15 am, and I'll go to Chicago, then Miami and land in Bogota at 8:40 pm.
As the time to leave is coming closer and closer I am getting a little scared and nervous. I've never been away from home for more than a week, nor have I been this far from home. Or even to a foreign country! So I am excited and scared all at the same time. But I know it will all work out, God will take care of me. :)
There is an internet cafe' not to far from Children's Vision, that if I get the opportunity to go to I will make sure I write something here for you all. :)
I missed seeing and being able to say good bye to all my church family, but God had a purpose for me leaving earlier than planned. And who am I to argue?
Please be in prayer for me while I am at Children's Vision that God will use me for His glory. And that I will be a blessing to the children and staff.

Not Giving Up

Kind of a strange name for this post, but its what I am doing at this very moment. I am not giving up. On what? This new little baby lamb who was born yesterday and somehow got milk replacer down in his lungs. Mom woke me up this morning asking Daddy why the lamb was kicking all over the box. And Daddy said he had swallowed some milk wrong last night, and then again when he was fed at 3 am. Well, I am sick and tired of losing lambs, so I jumped out of bed and began willing this guy to live. I've been thumping his poor ribs, trying to get the milk out, and holding his head down, hoping he can breath. There are moments when I think he's almost dead, and then I really get moving. I do not want this guy to suffer, but I also don't want him to die. I care about my lambs to much for that.
This year we thought we wouldn't get any lambs, because the time between when we bred them and when they should have lambed was over and done with. May to January is just a little long of a gestation cycle. But then on Sunday we were surprised to have 2 lambs out at the farm. They looked good, but the next day the one had died, and the other we brought to town, cause he needed some help stating to nurse. He is back with his mom, and looking really good.
And yesterday there was another little ram born, and he looks Big! And again last evening Daddy discovered triplets! 2 rams and 1 ewe! The mother claimed them all, but was only letting one ram nurse. So we had the 2 others in town overnight. Daddy is trying to see if the mother will take the ewe back. And you already know about the other ram.
When Daddy had told me the sheep weren't going to lamb this time around, I just looked at them and said 'No way, their to fat not to lamb'. And though it looked very unlikely we'd have any this winter, just look at them now! I've got 5 lambs, and more on their way in the very near future! I am not giving up!

8 Days! ! !

Okay my dear friends the countdown is in full swing. I am only 8 days away from flying down to Bogota, Colombia. And if you could see how excited I am, you'd deny even knowing me. I could literally bounce off the walls, ceiling or moon if I tried. ! ! ! ! ! !

I am SO thankful to God for giving me this opportunity to serve him. Children's Vision has been on my heart for a long time, and to actually get to go there is so incredible.

Thank you to all the people who gave towards my trip, be it money or donations or prayers.


THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! :)