Wow! I’ve made it to another country! Colombia contains possibly the most wonderfully intriguing landscapes I have ever seen. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would stand at the top of Monserate (pronounced like Mon-su-rah-tay) and take pictures of a beautifully enormous city down below. Bogota was amazing! I stayed in an apartment located in the IELCO office at the very top floor. To many this may sound like a pain having to trudge up six flights of stairs, but the view from my room made the climb well worth it.
Right below the sixth floor apartment lives the Bishop and his wife. I was welcomed into their home on various occasions to eat with his family. The food was very good! The bishop’s wife, Mary, put a lot of time and love into each meal. I didn’t feel like a visitor in their home, I felt like I belonged. The Bishop and his family have a way about them that makes them fun, friendly and inviting. His family and he are the embodiment of servitude. This special quality is what has made them such a special part of my journey.
While I was in Bogota I visited a beautiful botanical garden full of roses, road a llama (who will now and forever be referred to as Tina) and attended a beautiful worship service that would put any Baptist to shame (I’m from the South so I can say that :). I felt so much passion and compassion in that service that I was moved to tears. (Now, you guys know me well enough to know that I’m not really a crier, so this is a big deal.)
The sermon the Bishop gave was amazing and heartfelt. One could really tell that he meant every word he preached. (Yes, I did understand what he was saying, it just took me a little longer to translate than everyone else :) There was also an amazing youth group! I met a guy named Julio who played the guitar and sang. He was interested in knowing about some of the Christian bands that we have. (If you guys know of any please send me some names because I could only come up with a few.) This congregation was so warm and welcoming that once again I did not feel like the weird missionary from the US, I felt like I belonged.
During the service the pastor gave the members of the congregation the opportunity to say their prayers aloud. Even though I did not know many of the words they used, I could feel a passion and intensity in their voices that I don’t think that I have ever experienced. If anyone ever had any doubt about the presence of God before they entered, I’m certain their minds were changed because I could feel Him in the nave of that church.
But out of all these things that appear to make us different, the congregation at San Lucas is an inherently Lutheran Church. They have a well organized service just like us. They sing songs and read the gospel just like us. They commune just as we do. It was wonderful to feel like I belonged somewhere even though I am now currently thousands of miles away from home. This made me understand that no matter where I am in the world there will a place to worship and people who want to worship with me. This is an amazing feeling people! I hope that you see how our differences do not set us apart from one another and our goal, which is to be willing participants in God’s plan. It’s our differences that should bring us together. These differences should spark a curiosity about one another so we can help expand God’s perfect mission. I know that they sure were curious about you. Are you curious about them too?
I’m going to leave on that note so that you guys have something to chew on until my next post. I left out a lot of interesting stuff that you need to know. My stay in Bogota was so much more than I ever expected it to be. I’ll touch on that in my next post.
Thanks guys! Dios le bendiga!
Amanda
