Well, the first quarter is over with and report cards have been sent out! Right now we're on our break. Colombia requires a week off of school and so this so happens to be the week. The past three days have been professional development for the teachers at school and now I have today, tomorrow, and Monday off. I'm ready for this time to step back and take a breath and refresh.
So much has happend so I'll try to keep it to a limit. I'll just breifly explain everything that has happend and then go into more detail below.
Blessings from first quarter:
Teaching of course! The 5th and 6th graders are a really fun group to work with!
Going to Tierra Fertil with the 5th graders and seeing them share their heart and love for Jesus by playing with the toddlers there.
Spirit week!
Amor y Amistad fiesta with the 5th graders families
The Orphanage
Finding a church with a great Young Adults group.
Going to a Colombian sleepover.
Being asked to play on my first fútbol team! (The church I go to has a intramural soccer league every year in the fall)
Being in a Spanish Christian Rock music video!
Tierra Fertil
Each class is connected with a ministry site in Bogotá. The fifth grade's is called Tierra Fertil. This is a Christian after school program for kids who's parents work on the streets. During the day it's more of a daycare so my students were working with 4 years old and under. I was so proud of them! It made my heart happy to see them take leadership in leading games, crafts, music, & skits for these kids. It was so awesome seeing them gently care for these little kids. The love of Christ was definitely shining through them.
Here's a video of us playing musical chairs:
Spirit Week
Every year there's a Spirit week that the student council puts on. The first day was superhero day. My students were SUPER that day. This picture definitely shows their personalities. :)
Miss Mitchell's class of superheroes!
Amor y Amistad
In Colombia, there's a whole month dedicated to love and friendship! It's the month of September. The 5th grade parents put on a fun party with "secret friends" gifts. It was time for prayer and fellowship. After the prayer (this was ALL in Spanish by the way) the parents asked me if I had anything I wanted to say to them and if I needed translation. With I smile and confidence I said yes & no translation. :D So I tried my hardest talking to them about their kids and how much love I have for them all in Spanish. It took a while but I got the message acrossed! Afterwards some parents came up to me and said, "hablas bien!" (You speak well!) This was a very encouragement night for me and my Spanish. I feel like I'm actually improving on my Spanish! :D
Special Needs Orphanage
Hanging out with some of the kids
One of the high school's ministry sites is a special needs oraphanage and I had the opportunity to go. For some reason it's always been hard for me serve people with special needs (I know that sounds AWFUL...but it has been) I was a little apprehensive in going wondering how am I able to show love to these people who sometimes aren't even cognatively there? I prayed that God would change my heart and view them the way He does. I was in the room of the adults who were all sitting in their chairs looking so helpless. The type where all they can do is move their head and moan. It smelled really bad too. I sat down in front of three of them and started talking and holding their hands. Then I took out my mandolin. I started playing some chords and one of them started moving their head to the beat. Then, I started playing the song "How He Loves" and in the middle of it I looked up and all three of them had giant smiles on their faces and were moving their hands as if they were dancing. I started bawling...I could hardly sing. It was one of the most beautiful sites I had ever seen! It was so cool seeing that the music that is worshiping and bringing Glory to the God Almighty brought joy into their lives. Praise the Lord!
Karaoke!
Grupo de los Jóvenes!
I found a church that I'm able to call home. :) It has been one of the BIGGEST blessings in Bogotá! The age range is from like 16-25ish. I can say I already have some Colombian Friends! We meet Saturday afternoons and then have Sunday School on Sundays before church. It's FANTASTIC.
Pijimada! (Colombian Sleepover)
From the Jóvenes group a group of girls invited my roommate Megan and I over for a sleepover! It was FABULOUS and SO MUCH FUN. It consisted of puppy chow (from the gringas..aka us americans), karaoke, dancing, ajiaco (a Colombian soup dish) and lots of laughter!
Bailamos!
Nuestras Amigas Colombianas!
I love playing soccer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My beautiful team: BRASIL!!!!!
I never thought those words would come out of my mouth but es la verdad! (it's the truth!) I guess that's what I get for moving to a South American country where soccer is the biggest sport around. Stephanie Montoya, one of the girls form the church, asked me to go to one of their soccer practices so I figured why not. I've got nothing to lose! I ended up LOVING it! To me, it's like basketball only without using your hands and you only use your feet! At the end of practiced they asked me what I was doing Sunday nights and asked if I wanted to be on their team! I immediately responded yes!!!!!!!!! So for the past month my weekends have been consumed of soccer, church, hanging out with Colombians, and more soccer! On Sundays after church I usually go over to the Montoya's house. They feed me and show WONDERFUL hospitality and then we hang out, trying to communicate with my broken Spanish until it's time for the game. Thankfully the youngest sister Mayra knows English so when I get stuck she helps me out. What a blessing that family has been to me! Also, our teams name is Brazil and so before the games we pray for missionaries in Brazil and the government and such. In my second game of fútbol I scored a goal with my head! It was epic. So far we are 1-2. We need to win our next game in order to make it to the championship game!
Not so flattering picture of myself.. :)
Colombian Christian Rock Music Video! .....what?!?!?
Everyone that was involved with the video
The most recent thing that has happend was last weekend I was in a music video! Haha. My friend Jonathan Montoya (Stephanie's brother) who also goes to Jóvenes is a photographer and videographer. The worship band at church is a Christian rock band outside of church. They recorded a music video before for the song called "Que tu luz" click here to check it out! So, they decided to make another one. It's called "Resistencia" translated as Resistance. The song is based on Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." It's about resisting things of this world.
Again, this first quarter has been filled with many blessings AND I've been able to practice my Spanish A LOT by being immursed in Spanish every weekend.
You can check out my prayer requests by clicking here.
One last thing I love about being here is the Spanish music! I've heard & sang "The Wonderful Cross" so many times but when you sing it in a different language it gives a different perspective on it and brings new light to it. So here's the song I've been listening to a lot lately called "Glorisa Cruz":
