Motorcyles, Sequence, and Why We Love Colombia

Next time you hear a heavily accented comment at the meeting, take a minute to appreciate the preparation, prayer, and hutzpa it took for the person to give it!
Jessica and I are proud to have successfully (more or less) commented at every meeting so far. Despite the fact that our hearts nearly stop, it is a fairly painless experience, and everyone is very encouraging afterward. We think the only reason they understand us somtimes is holy spirit.
Also, I gave my first presentation at the door! It was not pretty, but that is why we have two people at the door-the second person is there to explain to the householder what you actually meant.
It is hard to pick a good experience to share because things that would constitute a great day in service for us in the states are so common in this territory. There is a Bible discussion at every door. Laura started three new bible studies on the Direct Approach Day, making her total (if these new ones study) 19. When we start having our own experiences (that is, when we start taking doors by ourselves), we will share them with you.





Going in service on a motorcycle :) :)









Playing Sequence (thank goodness it comes with directions in Spanish!)
We had one game with 10 people on two teams. You can't avoid table talk with 10 people.

Here is a hastily-made video entitled "Ode to Colombia":

Armenia with Philip & Gladys

Philip and Gladys (uncle + aunt) took us to Armenia Tuesday and Wednesday. It's more in the mountains, and there are beautiful views everywhere you turn.

They took us to a research/education center for guadua. Guada is a type of bamboo and is used for construction. It's flexible and can be used for making furniture, cups, toys, instruments, etc. Interestly, guadua houses used to be only for the poor, but then when an earthquake hit, and the guadua houses were the ones left standing, more people took an interest in them.

They can retain 10 to 15 liters of water a day in their stalks, and when the river start drying up in the dry season or drought, theygive back that water to keep the water level at the status quo.

They grow super fast (21 cm per day, 25 meters in 6 months). You can't use for the construction until they are 6 years old.

Interestly, these plants are excellent evidence of creation. It seems they were made to be used. If left untouched, they shrivel and die. They actually thrive and get stronger (they grow back thicker) when cut down (similar to when you cut your dead ends to make your hair grow faster). Philip asked the young man who giving us the tour, and after a reluctant pause (maybe he was wondering what motive Philip had in asking that), he said that with plants like this, you have to believe in creation.

Anyway, it was very interesting. Don't quote us exactly on the facts, because the tour was in Spanish, and we only got the translated version from Philip.

And yes, Steph is hugging a giant tree in that picture :) They say that if you hug it, it will take away your negative energies. Steph says it takes away your negative energies, not because of any natural remedy, but because you are hugging a tree, and you have to be happy when you hug a tree.

Tips from the Cat Whisperer

Petting a Random Cat on the Side of a Mountain

1. Get low to the ground and initiate communication (the cat must think it is his idea to make contact)- squat, don't sit, in an unassuming position and extend your hand. Palm up= "I'm going to feed you", palm down= "You may smell me." If your chosen method does not envoke the desired reaction, switch methods immediately, before the cat loses interest.

2. Slowly and gently begin to pet the cat behind the ears- this communicates that you have something to offer and he will begin to trust you.

3. Pick up the cat (this MUST be done in a swift motion so as to catch the cat by surprise)- hold it tight in a cradle position and vigorously scratch it behind the ears until it is forced into submission. He likes it, you just have to convince him of it. (Caution: If fighting persists for an extended period of time, use discretion. It may be wise to abort the mission here.)

4. Voila! The cat is tame and you have successfully cat whispered.

** Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed. The Cat Whisperer is NOT liable for any damages caused to your person while attempting to cat whisper.**

2 weeks down...

There's a lot of walking in service. You walk the whole territory. Imagine walking to a Riverhills territory, and then doing the whole (or most of) the territory. (Or for Bradenton people, imagine driving to Myakka, then walking from house to house instead of driving to each gate-it's a similar amount of walking). The street we are walking down in the picture didn't have many houses, but we had to walk all the way down in it. We actually ended up in another territory and then Jesus picked us up in the car. As we were walking down that street though, we could look to our left and see this:

These are my shoes (I had to buy leather ones that could take the walking on rocky roads). The first pic is when i bought them on Tuesday. The second pic is today after only a few days wear from service. You can see why we would need slightly more durable shoes than our little Florida flats.

Friday we went to a pool. Of course, the one day we go to the pool, it was overcast in the afternoon. But it was fun anyway. And again, right next to where we were swimming, you can look one way and see the mountains. Ages 15-20 are represented in this picture (Angela, 18, Jessica, 20, Steph, 19, Daniela, 15, Lady, 17, Kelly, 25, Laura, 16). All the people in this picture are pioneering (the 15 yr old is auxilary and the rest are regular).

Kelly is funny- shes older than all of us, but also shorter, so she stands on her tiptoes in pictures.

Jessica

Life so far...

So, today we brought a cow to someone and I took a shower with a frog. Which one is an expression and which one literally happened? I will tell you at the end of this post.

Now that we are settled and know the routine I can describe everything a little better, so here is our new life so far:

The Family:

Jesus, Kelly, and Laura. Jesus is an elder and all three are pioneers. We could not have asked for a better family to stay with. They are warm and inviting and include us in everything they do. Kelly is teaching us to cook and clean and do all the wifely duties in which she is so skilled. They are learning English at a British school which makes communication a little easier. They have learned to piece together our broken Spanish and understand what we are trying to say. They all have a great sense of humor so we are always laughing. We feel very much at home.

The Place:

The beautiful house (as you have seen in pictures) is in a town called Tienda Nueva which is right outside Palmira which is about 30 min from Cali. Cali is a city like Tampa and Tienda Nueva is more in the country. Every time we go out in service I am amazed at the view. Sugarcane fields to the left and mountains to the right. Most of the houses are more on the “rustic” side but many are very nice with big gardens. In this town, you say hello to everyone you pass in the street. It is generally safe but you do have to be cautious of going into certain areas, like into the mountains. The weather is florida-esque in temperature but minus the humidity. Overall, a BEAUTIFUL place to live.

The Routine:

Monday- house cleaning day.

Tuesday- Service in morning, lunch/siesta at noon, studies in afternoon, meeting in evening

Wednesday- Service, lunch/siesta, studies, family study

Thursday- Service, lunch/siesta, studies

Friday- Service, lunch/siesta, studies

Saturday- Service, lunch/siesta, meeting, Plan B family study

Sunday- Service, lunch/siesta, studies

Of course this is the general plan which can be altered if we want to sleep in or go somewhere, but as you can see, life revolves around service. I am sure it is no surprise that I slipped into this lifestyle pretty smoothly..especially the lunch/siesta part:)

We are loving every minute so far and are learning a lot. We will keep you posted on exciting events and good experiences.

Oh and if you guessed bringing a cow to someone as the expression..you were right. It means everyone chips in for one person.

I took a shower in the outside bathroom and a frog croaked on the wall next to my head the whole time because I was too afraid to move it...it did not seem to have nearly as much fear as I did.

Estefania

Dad gave the talk at the Tienda Nueva congregation (the one we will be in) on Saturday, and then again at 8am and 9am Sunday.

Also, I have now proved that I can actually make platanos (fried plantains) without burning down the kitchen. I hope you are proud Linda :)

They have chickens for the eatin' in the back yard so we ate some [very] fresh chicken. It's interesting to wake up and see chickens hanging upside down in the yard (to be bled).



The hot dogs here (perro caliente..lol its literally the spanish words for hot [caliente] and dog [perro]) are amazing. They are loaded up with chips and sauce and cheese. Contrary to what Steph's face looks like it is feeling in the picture, she actually thought they were delicioso!