Bogota’, Colombia- Journal from April 2001

April 19,   5:15 pm EST
	We started out at 3am this morning, our time, on the way to the airport and the first leg of our journey.  Believe it or not we were more than 30 minutes early arriving in Miami!
	I was commenting to Margaret that in some ways if felt like we were stopping at home as we saw the LAM office from the runway.  We met up with Danny Levi easily enough, and broke bread together.  Well, Cinnabons to be exact.  We thought we were going to miss Marilyn as she was running around the airport looking for us.  Then God stepped in.  Our flight was delayed 20 minutes, providing enough time to go back and catch her before we left.
	It is such a blessing to be able to have friends, really almost family, waiting to meet you at the airport, even for a 2 hour layover.  And to see God provide a way for us all to get together- that’s a double blessing!
	But then God has been doing great things already.  Even for someone with little faith, like me.  Yesterday afternoon we did not even have the money for our exit taxes ($60 when we leave Bogota’- ed.)  The last night at Bible Study the church took up an offering for us- unasked- and God more than abundantly provided.
	I can’t wait to see what else He’s going to do on this trip.

10:30pm- Bogota’
	We arrived safely and made it through customs, but my heart is heavy.  We discovered that during the trip, Margaret’s bag had been unlocked and gone through.  2 envelopes with books for one of the teachers had been opened.  But it was Orlando’s envelope that disturbed us. 
	(Orlando is a native of Bogota’, attending our church in the states, while his family still lives in Colombia.  We were carrying a packet from him for them- ed.)
	It had also been opened, and obviously gone through.  And it appears that he had sent some money as a gift, and it is no longer there.  We don’t know how much or if it was the only one, but the only thing left was stickers for the kids and a couple of letters.
	Right now we’re not sure what to do, but we’ve both wept over it.  We’ll tell our host family in the morning and try to approach it then, when we’re not so exhausted.  God, please let this somehow work out for your glory, and let us somehow make up for this huge disappointment with William and Orlando.

4/19/01    9:25 pm
	After our first day in Bogota’, I can say that I would be happy to make a home here.  It would have a few hurdles caused by the language barrier, but nothing very difficult.
	We contacted the airlines about the lost money, but figure that is probably a lost cause.  We haven’t heard back from home yet as to how much it was, but hopefully not much.
	Much of the housing here has security- locked gates that a guard has to unlock so you can enter the street with the houses.  And there were policia on many of the street corners, often armed, for the traffic.  But it was very quiet.
	Traffic is interesting.  “Free flowing” doesn’t describe it well.  Imagine LA where no one pays attention to lanes, but makes their own and you have a good idea.

4/20/01  12:05pm

	Our second day here
	Where to begin?  So many experiences already.
	We ate dinner with Beth Afanador (El Camino Academy’s director- the school that we will be working at- ed.)  Before dinner we took a walk around her neighborhood.  They live in a beautiful, modern home- 4 BR, at least 3 bath, +2 extra rooms/ dens and pay $200/ month (US)!  She admitted that was a bargain, but we should be able to find something similar for under $300.  And maids are $1/ hour, so we are sure we’ll have a maid.
	I also went with Brian, her neighbor, to the public school where he teaches.  He is from Bend, OR and is here on a Fullbright scholarship- a US Government funded teacher exchange program.  Yes, the government sent a teacher to a place they warn against traveling to!
	The public school was built of brick (most buildings are brick or cement) and there are 3 separate school sessions.  One group attends from 8am- 12 noon, the next from 1pm to 5pm, and the last from 6pm to 10pm.  The teachers rotate classrooms each day and session, so to find someone requires a constantly changing chart.  Additionally it means the walls are bare and classes are more functional than attractive.  It also helps explain why many, many people send their children to private schools, whose busses fill the streets.
	Meals consist of a small breakfast, and a larger lunch and dinner.  Lots of fruits and vegetables, and meat is expected at the two main meals in some form.  Fruit juices abound, and the people look very healthy.  I have seen very very few that are overweight.
	Speaking of the people, they are beautiful!  Men and women alike.  Dark hair, fair features, fit builds, and big smiles.  I wish I looked ½ as good as the people I’ve seen. (later note- there are also many that have brown or blond hair- though not a large percentage, and green and blue eyes are not unusual either.  In fact our mannerisms and skin color a little are the main things that made Margaret and I look different from the population.)
	They also take great pride in their appearance, dressing nicely to go anywhere.  They will dress up to go to work, then change clothes there, work in their uniforms, then clean up and change again to go home.
	We took a taxi home last night.  A new car- spotless in appearance (many are on the inside).  Only 8000 pesos for a 15 minute trip- about $4.  And that was expensive since we had called it.
	El Camino itself is wonderful.  While not knowing some of the procedures, and rusty Spanish, are small hindrances, I have felt right at home.  I know that God is confirming that this is where we are supposed to be.  But more on that later- it’s about time to go teach again.

1:00pm during class

	As I write this, I’m supervising a high school ethics class as they work on their reports.  The kids that I’ve met so far have been great.  I’m impressed with their friendliness and kind spirits.  Several of them are working in the courtyard outside.
	The weather has been wonderful- fairly warm today, probably over 70.  And with the Andes rising up outside the school, it makes for a wonderful setting.

April 21, 2001     3:30pm

	Taking a break on a busy day so far.  We found out last night that only $10 was lost from the envelope: 2- $5 bills sent as souvenirs, and easy enough to replace.  So we have taken steps to get that delivered.
	We had a wonderful potluck dinner last night at Beth’s, with 11 adults and 10 kids in their house.  Yet somehow it didn’t seem that crowded.  Sloppy Joes for lunch and improvised taco salads for dinner.  And I thought we wouldn’t be having American food!
	We slept in a bit today, then went to visit the Colombian parents of one of the students at El Camino. They (the Panuela’s) minister in the down town area to the homeless and drug addicted on the streets, operating 3 homes for them.  After a wonderful visit, we traveled to the home where the families live, receiving us very warmly.  Up to 50 people can live in the 4 story home, but it looked to be about 30 right now.  Several of them told us their testimonies of street life and drug addiction, and how God and these ministers had helped them and their families.  It was truly inspiring.
	After that we took a drive up and over the mountain (la Calera), where we ate lunch at a wonderful little restaurant (Mazorko).  Our meal consisted of carne asado (grilled steak), roasted potatoes, roasted field corn (mazorko)- a tough, large corn eaten on the cob, and two different kinds of arepas.  The arepa mazorka was a little like a sandwich with pancakes made from corn flour as the bread and some cheese in the middle.  We also had another arepa that was more bread/ pastry like with more cheese inside.
	After eating, we visited the Bartel’s ministry.  They are YWAM missionaries that operate children’s homes in the hills outside the city.  They currently have about 20 children in the homes, almost all orphans, and off the streets of the city.   They also go down into the streets (in the red light district) and feed, entertain, and work with the kids that they find there.  We were very struck by their ministry and the kids, and both of us know that we would like to be able to help out there in some way.  I also have a feeling that I have an idea how our plans to adopt in the future may work out now.
	Let me relate some of our other experiences.  Yesterday we went to Exito, and today Carrfour.  Both are huge stores that in a lot of ways dwarf Wal-Mart.  They are full grocery stores carrying everything you can need at home- produce (tons of fruit), food (including peanut butter and Trix), and almost anything else you could want from the states, clothes, toys (including Barbie and Hot Wheels), sporting goods, etc.  Each had over 60 registers, small stores in the entry areas, a kids area with rides and slides, and a food court with burgers, pizza, sandwiches, coffees, etc.
	There seem to be play areas for kids everywhere.  Small parks, large parks, apartments, housing complexes, stores and restaurants and are places where you will find play areas with slides, ball pits, jungle gyms, and more.
	American fast food is easy to find, and so far we’ve seen McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and other burger places, Subway, and places serving tacos, pizza (Pizza Hut and Geno’s), and lots more.  Those poor people afraid of Colombian food will still eat very well here.
	After several discussions with other teachers and missionaries, we can expect our bills to be around the following: rent $200-300; electric, water, and gas about $40 each/month, phone $50/ month, security $40/ month- paying for the gate guards to watch entry into the housing complex and tend the grounds; and a maid 3 days a week or so for about $1/ hour.
	Lots of amusements parks to, and we’re about to head off to one, so time to go.  I’ll try to write more later.

April 22  9:40pm

	Had a great time at the park last night.  It’s supposedly Bogota’s biggest and best (Colombia’s also), but even so it’s still fairly small.  It had several carnival rides, a couple of fun-houses, go karts, lots of kiddie rides, and one roller coaster- an old Arrow Corkscrew that was apparently recently moved here.  But it’s obvious it’s old.  Still, for $6 American for unlimited rides, who’s complaining?  And it’s kind of nice to see some fun areas here that I was not sure existed when we left the states.
	Afterwards we went to one of the local malls (3 stories and very nice!) to eat burgers and shakes at Corral.  Good food, very close to US quality but expensive ($6 US for a small shake, burger, fries and small coke).  It was fun to go, though, and nice to see a completely modern mall.  It is also one of the medium size malls here (other larger ones are around to - ed.)
	This morning we went to a Brethren in Christ Church, that except for being exclusively in Spanish could have easily passed for our Assemblies of God church back home, it was so similar in service style.  Same songs, order of service, etc.  We thoroughly enjoyed it.  (later note- Pentecostalism is predominant in almost all of the churches in Latin America, including Colombia.  That means that worship is lively, with people standing, clapping hands, raising their hands, moving around a bit, and lots of activity during the service)
	Much as I want to write more, it’s almost 10 and we have to be up early tomorrow.  So I’ll end here for now.

April 23  10:10am

	More about yesterday:
	The church was very interesting.  Almost every song we sang were Spanish versions of English worship choruses (including Battle Belongs to the Lord, Lord We Lift Your Name on High, and others), though there were a couple of unique ones.  They had a modern sound system, with 2 guitars, a bass, drums, and a couple of other vocalists.  During prayer, those with requests stood and the elders went to them to pray.
	The building had a smooth polished stone floor with a large auditorium.  About 100-150 people sat in plastic, gray, stackable chairs after entering through a wide double door in the side of the hall.  Dress ranged from casual (jeans and collared shirts) to full dark suits (worn by anyone on the platform except the drummer and a few others).  The offering was taken in the baskets that were passed around, then covered and set by the pulpit.
	The pastor was very friendly, and taught more than preached, repeatedly referring back to Scripture then commenting on it.  Very easy to follow with my broken Spanish.
	After church we took the “long route” home, driving up on a hill that separates part of North (middle- upper class) Bogota from the southern, more typical lower income part of the city.  the contrast was interesting as we went through a stratus 2-3 part of the city, with older building and poorer people.  The streets were not as clean, but it still seemed cleaner than some of what I’ve seen in Tijuana and across the border driving through El Paso.
	Since I mentioned the stratus system, let me explain it more.  Bogota classifies each area of the city into a stratus, often on a block by block basis.  There are 6 stratuses based on the following scale:
Stratus 1: the poorest/ lowest rent areas- supposedly 3-5% of the population, 	
	though it’s suspected to be higher, maybe even 10-15%
Stratus 2 & 3: lower income to lower middle class- the largest groups, combined 
	they are about 60% of the population.
Stratus 4 & 5: Middle Class to upper middle class.  Most of the missionaries live in 	stratus 4 and 5 neighborhoods, though some live in 3’s.  
Stratus 6: The wealthiest and rich.  This is also about 3-5% of the population.
	Your stratus will not only affect your rent, but also your utility bills, with the higher stratuses paying more and subsidizing the lower stratuses on a sliding scale.  So if you live in a stratus 1 neighborhood you will pay almost nothing for your utilities, where in a 6 you’ll pay a fairly hefty amount.  But then again if you live in a 6 you can afford it.  It seemed to us to be a very fair system.

	Lunch on Sunday consisted of rice covered by beans and a little stew meat, fruit (banana or avocado with salt sprinkled on it) and some bread; a typical Colombian meal.
	After lunch we walked to CarrFour- a French company that operates a huge superstore similar to Exito, but with only 67 checkout lanes instead of 80.  It was crowded, like Wal-Mart on a busy day, but gave Margaret and I time to look around.  Towels, bedding, and many clothes are similar in price or cheaper than in the US (cheaper to buy here than bring down).  Many of our American foods are here, with notable exceptions being pickles, black olives, and cheddar cheese.  There is also a huge variety of fruits and vegetable, though peaches and apricots are imported and didn’t look all that appetizing. But the variety that you don’t get in the states was huge!
	Electronics are also readily available, with prices being very similar, maybe a tad higher, than the states.  And toys varied widely with some being very cheap, and others not so cheap.  As an example, Rumikub was $10-11 (usually 15-20 in the states) while Candyland was over $20 (6-10 in the US).  But there was a great variety.  Deb would be in shopper’s paradise!
	In the evening we had a great dinner with the Armets- fellow LAM missionaries- and their 6 kids ranging in age from 15 to 10 or 11 months.  They were able to help share some more detailed information about Bogota and mission life as well as much talk about the US since they are visiting Southern California in a week or two.
	We had another person with us for dinner also: Grace, a new LAM missionary whose parents also live in Bogota (I believe she is at least ½ Colombian).  She was one of the “lucky” 150 or so people taken captive off a plane by the ELN a couple of years ago.  She was held for 68 days and says that she was treated very well, including their housing and well fed.  They had to walk through the jungle from camp to camp, and were not able to have any communication with the outside, but she said they were able to tell the guerrillas did not want to physically harm them.  Still is was obviously a difficult time for her.
	She was able to fill us in on some other details about the guerrillas, their methods, and kidnappings also.  They function outside of the cities, mostly in areas a good bit removed from Bogota, and staying within an hour or two of the city is safe.  To go to other cities you fly in order to avoid the “checkpoints” that have been set up to take valuables from passengers.  Apparently for the most part they are no longer kidnapping Americans as almost all of the Americans left in the country are missionaries or social workers in some form- in other words not people that they are going to be able to get any ransom for.  Almost all of the business executives and Americans worth some money have left already.  And she said that they won’t have any interest as long as you don’t show an overt interest in one side or the other.