Medical missions – colombiatotheworld

Wednesday, April 4th in 2 de Mayo

For pictures from 2 de Mayo and the river village, you can go to:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151471705950215.840641.741380214&type=3&l=6671fd9562

Waking up this morning, my first thought was the girls on the porch. I hoped that they hadn’t gotten wet in the storm that lasted all night. Sure enough, they were completely dry! The plastic that Neil hung up just before the storm came completely protected them!

As we were all waking up, we had a great conversation with Neil. I asked if he led family devotions every night, or if it was just because of the movie. He smiled and said that they’ve done it every night for the past year. With a huge grin, he started telling us this story:

“You see, I used to say I was a Christian. I went to church, prayed, sang the songs, did everything I was supposed to, but I also had my other life. I would drink with my friends, and even stay away from home sometimes. Last year, a woman at the church had a word from the Lord, saying that He wants His church to be pure and spotless… that He wanted us to turn away from our wicked ways and give all of our lives to Him. This word also came with a warning: that if we didn’t turn away, He would bring judgment on us. My friends and I didn’t believe this, so we continued doing what we had been doing before. After 2 weeks, all three of our families got sick. We all knew at that moment that the word was true, and that we needed to really give our lives over to the Lord.”

“We went in front of the church and confessed our sins, and then truly turned away from our wicked ways. We’ve seen the Lord’s blessing and protection ever since! We have even started going to other villages to tell them about Jesus!”

He excitedly went on about his passion for the other villages to know the power of believing in Jesus, and we listened to every word. It was amazing!

Last year, we found out that Neil and some of the other men, aside from making money from their hand-made crafts, were also growing coca (the plant that eventually gets turned into cocaine). The houses and boats of these men were the finest in the village! When Neil said that he turned away from his “wicked” ways, he later explained that all the men stopped growing coca. That is a very bold step, because in these villages… if you’re not growing coca, you’re against it. The guerillas and other para-military groups depend on the villagers’ “willingness” to grow coca for their own financial needs, and in turn, the groups “protect” the villagers. Last night, when Neil was praying for protection for his family, he was praying against a very real threat since he has stopped growing coca. The love that we already had for Neil just kept growing deeper and deeper as we talked this morning!

We all had to get to the pastor’s house for breakfast, and it was tricky! Our morning routines were a little off, anyway. With the river being so high (and there being no latrines), we literally had to pee off the side of the house. For guys, this is pretty easy… for girls, however, not so much! I mean, it’s easy as long as you get over your need for privacy and realize that your butt is going to be hanging out for anyone to see! The problem with peeing in the river is that there are little fish that follow the flow of urine up into your body and then attach themselves with little hooks to your urethra…. not very pleasant to think about! But we were told that if we had our bathing suits on while we peed in the river, we’d be fine. So, with my bathing suit on, I sat on the submerged front step of Neil’s house and peed into the river. Not even 5 seconds later, there were fish all around me. SO GROSS!!!

Anyway, most of us ended up walking through the river to the pastor’s house for breakfast, and when we got to his house, we found out that the lower level got flooded during the night! The lower level is where the girls were camping, too! They told us that because they could already hear the water hitting the floorboards when they set up the tent, as soon as they heard the thunder they decided to move it… it was a crazy complicated process as they had to wake everyone up and re-arrange everything. But, at least they were dry!

Liz and Lauren said that a few of the days on the trip felt like we lived 3 days in one… and this day was no exception!!!

After breakfast, we loaded everything up in the boat and headed over to the school. We yelled out to everyone as we were going that we would be setting up the medical brigade and the kids’ ministry stuff… so everyone was welcome to join us. Ruben and Andrew pulled us over, and as soon as we got to the school, we realized that it was locked! As we were waiting for the schoolmaster to come with the keys, the kids slowly started showing up. They were really shy, and didn’t speak a lot of Spanish. They would just look at us, covering their smiles with their hands. Kylie found one of the sponge balls that we brought with us and started playing with them, throwing the ball back and forth in the little cement space outside the classrooms.

The boats kept coming, and the cement space quickly filled up! The schoolmaster came with the keys, and was able to unlock the room for the medical brigade, but the room for the kid’s ministry had some kind of lock on the inside. A kid climbed up the wall and reached through with a piece of wood and got the door open. All the kids entered the room at once, yelling and running in circles. They were SO happy!

And, this is where it started to get interesting. Literally, a few of the kids understood Spanish… but the rest… not so much!

I found one of Leo’s friends, Nehemias, and asked him to help translate for us. He was more than willing! We started out playing one of our favorite games, “come, little sheep, come!”. Daniel and Sara are amazing at this game!!! We then talked about how Jesus is the good shepherd, and how He protects us from all the evil around us. We taught the kids how to draw a little sheep head and the had a good time gluing cotton balls on their little sheep bodies.

As we continued with our childrens’ ministry, it got even harder to work with a translator. Personally, I LOVE that our students have to struggle with this! They are so used to BEING the translators for teams and preachers that come to visit, that the experience they have actually needing to be translated for is so valuable! My favorite part was when we were teaching the kids how to say John 3:16. Nehemias would say a part, and then the kids would repeat after him. They repeated everything… the words and his vocal inflection! The Tikuna language is so beautiful!

After all the children’s ministry was over, we made sure that everyone got their oatmeal and cookies. Then, Lili took a model of teeth and a giant toothbrush to show the kids how to properly brush their teeth. It was precious! She asked for volunteers to come up and model it as well, to show that they had learned. Then, it was chaos as we started handing out the toothbrushes and little gifts. We tried our hardest to have the kids form a line, but that didn’t work. Then, we had them go back into the room and sit down to wait, and that mostly worked, but as soon as we gave a gift to one kid who wasn’t sitting down, we were mobbed all over again.

The little girls got beautiful barrettes for their hair, and the boys got little toy animals that grow in the water. Some kids got little flute whistles that we could hear even late into the evening.

Once again, the students did a phenomenal job! Diana and Mafe decided to stay with the medical brigade and help Hector pull teeth. They were having such a fun time! Laura was helping bathe the babies with fevers, while Lili was painting all the womens’ fingernails. I was so impressed with each person on the team and how they found the place where they could serve the best!

All morning, we gave everything that we were to love the kids and teach them these valuable stories! We were ready for lunch when the time came!

Once again, Andrew helped pull us back to the pastor’s house so we could eat. Most of the people had already seen the doctors, and were just waiting in line for the dentist. So, we decided that it would be wise for us to try to go to another village to help them with medicine after lunch.

Monica knew of another village just down-river, so we loaded up whatever medicine we could fit and were on our way.

The river was so full! We passed house after house that the water had damaged or entered, and some of them seemed deserted. We also passed random houses with anywhere from 5-15 people.

On our way, we had to stop at a floating police station on the side of the river. Liz and I started sweating a little bit because we left all of our paperwork back in 2 de Mayo, and without proper documentation, they could’ve fined us! They just wanted to see who we were, and what we were doing. When we told them we could give them medicine on our return trip, they let us go, no problem. What a relief!

As we rounded the bend into what should’ve been the entrance to the village, our boat got stuck. Even though everything was flooded, the water there wasn’t deep enough for us to go farther into the village, and even though the water only came up to our waists, the current was really strong! So, John, Pravaas, Batman and Andrew all put on life jackets and floated down into the river to let the people know we were here. It was a really funny sight!

Slowly but surely, we were visited by different people. They would tie their little canoes to our boat, and then come on board. The doctors and some students were inside, running the program, while the rest of us were on the bow of the boat worshipping in Spanish and Tikuna. It was so much fun! We were “parked” right underneath a HUGE lemon tree… that is, the lemons themselves were gynormous!

The guys came walking back up from the village completely painted red! They found some achiote and covered themselves in it! They passed it around for all of us to try, and we painted ourselves silly. We had so much fun laughing and painting ourselves before the people started showing up. Andrew dunked himself in the water to see if it washed off, and it didn’t! We were all freaking out as we had silly symbols painted all over our faces. The “paint” was really oily as it turned out, and it took a little bit of effort, but we were able to get it all washed off eventually.

One of the young guys that was first to see the doctors and get medicine came back after about 45 minutes with a boat filled with women and children. I was so happy that he had done that! All the babies had fevers, and most of the kids had weird rashes all over their bodies. One little girl just fought and fought and didn’t want to take the medicine! Stefy had to try 3 different times while the little girl’s mom held her tight. That girl was a fighter!

I imagine that we were able to serve over 60 people from that village, and even though the village is only 20 minutes from 2 de Mayo, it was obvious that the people had no hope. There was such emptiness in their eyes. Monica kept praying and declaring victory over abuse and depression as they were coming through the “line”. We just worshiped and worshiped.

It was a beautiful boat-ride back to 2 de Mayo. We stopped back at the police station, and Leo became fast friends with the police officers. We even gave them a water-proof Bible, as one of them was a Christian. God is so good!

We got back just in time to get ready for the evening service. Leo went straight to the church to get the sound and movie ready (they stopped it last night about 20 minutes from the end), and the rest of us got a bite to eat… wading through the water of the pastor’s kitchen. I figured out a few days ago that the sole of my left boot was coming un-glued, so I was walking around bare-foot, hoping that the mosquitoes wouldn’t eat all of my feet… not that there was much left after all the ant bites during the day!

The church service was packed! After the movie finished, Pastor Burgos felt led to pray for different groups in the church body: it was the men’s turn first, and it was powerful! Pastor then invited the wives up, and Neil yelled “Amen!”. He loves to pray for his wife! 🙂 As Rocio, Kylie and I went around praying for the women, there was something beautiful happening. They were crying out to the Lord, drowning out our prayers. One woman started singing and dancing holding her baby tight to her. I had no idea what she was saying, so I went to one of the elders and asked if what she was singing was for all of us, or just a deep prayer from her to the Father. He said it was just a deep prayer and to keep praying for the other groups of people. So, we invited the youth up, and the team prayed for them. Afterwards, we had the children come up and their parents make a circle around them as we prayed. It was beautiful! Parents were crying out for their little ones to grow up in the ways of the Lord, and in purity. I still get chills when I think about it. It was such a beautiful picture of protection and covering!

After that, it was worship time! Sandra, Carolina and Paula all got their tamborines out and danced while the women sang. It went on and on, and we didn’t want it to stop! Then, the youth and children took turns singing. They were totally bold as they did so. They even sang my favorite song… ch-ta a ey… 🙂

After the worship time, Sandra asked that the villagers close their eyes and pray while she and her team dance over them and let the Holy Spirit minister to them. As a team, we went around and prayed for as many people as we could. Words really can’t describe the feelings of peace and battle that we had at the same time! Lili and I prayed for all the kids individually, and then I went over to Neil’s wife to pray for her. I have a feeling that the Lord is going to use her gift of music all over Tikuna land, and I prayed that He would give her new songs to declare His glory. It was powerful!

We went to bed that night exhausted again, but so grateful for everything the Lord was doing in 2 de Mayo! We keep praying that this village will bring many others to the saving knowledge of Jesus!

Tuesday, April 3rd in 2 de Mayo

Another un-eventful sleep, more bug-spray-filled air, more clunking boots on the wooden planks of our “house”, but this morning, we were packing up to move out.

The plan was to have everything packed up and ready to load into the boat before breakfast. The team was amazing! Slowly, the tents were emptied and taken down. The “checked” bags were put in one corner, and the “carry-ons” in another, so as to not get confused while we were loading up the boat. The kids gathered in the doorway, watching the show while Leo was outside talking with some of the elders.

Leo really connected with the men on this trip. The connections would either happen in church while he was praying with them, or on the sidewalk while they were passing by. This morning, however, he was in a deep conversation with one of the elders and his son.

The “medical brigade” that was happening when we arrived in Zaragoza wasn’t much of a medical brigade as it was a census where they handed out a few pills to help with the absolutely desperate situations. The census was because the Colombian government passed a law that said the indigenous families will receive more money with each child they have (not much unlike the welfare system in the States). The elder was talking with Leo about his frustration with his son because he doesn’t farm anymore, but just keeps having more and more children so he can rely on the government’s money. The son was frustrated because he didn’t feel like his dad respected him. So, here was Leo, helping a father and son communicate.

The son wanted to move away from the village so he could get a real job, helping with tourism. He is a Christian, but trusting God is something that he struggles with. He was just waiting for God to show him a “sign” about what to do next, as well as the approval of his own father. Leo spent over an hour helping him process what his skills are, and how he could take the first steps to actually doing what he wants to do. Leo encouraged him to not wait for approval from anyone, but to make his own way… trusting that God had given him the gifts and talents to provide for his own family. Both men were grateful for Leo’s time, and hopefully they will take his advice. They had a great time of prayer together before saying good-bye.

We ate breakfast, finished cleaning, and loaded up the boat. The mud was so thick that it was hard to really walk on the land next to the boat! We had to wash off our boots before even getting in the boat! Stefy and Luis Carlos were doing last-minute checks on the babies from yesterday, and all the fevers had gone down. The parents were so grateful!

Our 2-hour boat-ride to 2 de Mayo was filled with worship, prayer and laughter! We spent a lot of time sharing as a team what we felt the Lord had laid on our hearts for Zaragoza, and our individual experiences. The blessing of having such a diverse team is that we all connected with different people and had such different view-points of the village. Besides meal times, boat times between villages were the only times we were all together to share.

We arrived to 2 de Mayo and were absolutely shocked. The river had completely swallowed the village. The current was pretty strong as well! We arrived to the pastor’s house, and started figuring out where we were setting up “camp”. Our team was the largest we had ever brought, and we wouldn’t be able to fit everyone in the pastor’s house this year. We decided to split up into 4 houses… Leo and I took Kylie and the senior girls to Neil’s house. We were happy to be able to spend time with our dear friend! The doctors all set up camp in the pastor’s daughter’s house… “next-door”, and the boys were across the way in another church-members’ house. The Burgos’, Monica and the puerto-rican couple and the other girl tent all set up in the pastor’s house. It was cramped! I think the Pastor had another family living with them as well… and they all had beds this year instead of sleeping in hammocks.

Getting a team of 24 set up in 4 different houses that you have to get to by boat was a little tricky… and time-consuming!!! The kids all got in their little canoes to come greet us, and immediately started doing flips off the boat! Pravaas and some of the other guys got right in the river with the kids and started throwing them around. It was so fun to watch them!!! As the kids gathered around, I started calling them by name… Celita, Palermo, Ronaldinho… it was sooooo good to see their faces again!!! The majority of the team had their bathing suits in the “check-in” bag, but slowly we were able to get changed and finally enjoyed time in the river with the kids… and enjoyed cooling off!

We spent most of the afternoon just getting set-up in our different places. Leo and Neil were talking like old friends, and we were all just getting adjusted to life in the middle of a river. I started popping the pop-corn for the movie. The fire was so hot, and there were crazy mosquitoes almost in a cloud around me, even though I was in the smoke. I don’t know why they attacked me so much, but they did. It was frustrating!

I made about 10 batches of pop-corn, and Lauren and Liz helped fill the bags. We had a great system! We were a well-oiled machine, I tell you!

We found out that parking our big boat next to the church would be pretty much impossible because of the current, so the village let us borrow their metal boat. We loaded everything we needed for the evening into it, and the guys took turns walking us to the church. The paddles kinda worked, but because the current was so strong, they didn’t work as well as having someone personally walk us around. The guys really served us in that way! Most of the girls were on their periods and didn’t want to spend crazy amounts of time in the river… or wet, for that matter!

The first evening in the church, the people took turns singing. It was beautiful! Neil’s wife has an incredible indigenous voice, and she led the women. Then, it was the kids’ turn. We got up as a team and led some worship in Spanish as well. Then, we started the movie. The kids were hilarious watching and eating pop-corn. Pretty soon, the bags started getting thrown around in a big paper-bag fight, and the pastor’s wife had to step in and stop the kids from being so distracting. I just laughed.

Most of us were still exhausted, so we left the Burgos’ and Leo in the church to finish up while the rest of us went to bed. Again, it was tricky getting everyone where they needed to be, but everyone had such a great attitude! Even trying to step from wooden canoe to wooden canoe to get to our metal boat outside the church was hard!

Pretty much as soon as I got into our tent, I was asleep. Hearing the bugs and frogs outside, as well as the sounds of the movie in the distance was so relaxing! Eventually, the sounds of the movie stopped and I knew that Leo and Neil would be coming back soon. Kylie and the senior girls were sleeping on Neil’s “back-porch”, and as we could hear thunder in the distance, we knew we could be in for a long night. Neil hung up plastic on one side of the porch so that the girls wouldn’t get wet, and pretty much as soon as he was done with that, the storm came. Thunder, lightning, rain, splashing water… it was crazy.

Leo and I talked a little about the day, and could hear Neil in his room talking with the family. Listening in, we could hear him blessing his wife and children. He then started reading a Psalm and praying for us. He prayed protection over all of us, but especially the house, that the darkness would be kept out by God’s light. He prayed for what seemed like 20 minutes, and then the family all started singing together. The sounds of their family devotion pierced through the rainstorm. It was beautiful.

Monday, April 2nd in Zaragoza and Puerto Alegre

After another un-eventful nights’ sleep, we awoke early to a cloudy morning. The smell of our home-made bug spray quickly filled the air, and with boots and long-sleeved shirts on, we traipsed over to eat breakfast and talk about the day. Hector was going to return to Puerto Alegre and attend to the rest of the dental needs, while the rest of us set up for ministry and medical brigade in Zaragoza. The kids, as always, crowded around the house where we ate… peeking in the wooden slits and pushing through the doors. It continues to be hard for me to eat in front of them. I always wonder what they think about us… gluttons who “need” to eat 3 times a day. We always give them leftovers, but today it seems as though Monica made sure we cooked enough oatmeal for them to eat as well. She told them to go get their cups, and they were back in a flash, steaming oatmeal in their cups… smiles on their faces.

As we were walking back to the house to get our supplies for the day, it started to pour. With ponchos on, we started walking down the muddy slope to the sidewalk that led through the village. With so many kids around, we decided to let them walk with us, under our ponchos. I felt like a giant… my big rubber boots trying to not step on their tiny bare feet. I learned quickly that the best way to do it was not with my head poking through the hole blindly feeling the little ones next to me, but to put my head under the tarp with them. They were speaking in Tikuna (probably something about the giant with rubber boots), and I loved it! When we arrived to the end of the sidewalk, I told them that it would be better for them to run up the hill to the church instead of slipping and sliding with me up the muddy hill. They screamed and ran through the rain. So cute!

While getting set up, I took the kids aside and taught them “Open the eyes of my heart” in Spanish. The first story of the day was about blind Bartimaeus, and we were making masks to symbolize that before we know Jesus our eyes are closed to who God really is… but after we meet Him, He opens our eyes.

Masks are almost a taboo topic here, especially with the practice of the Pelazo, but we did this activity anyway. The kids had a blast!

While the little ones were working away, there was a group of older boys sitting in the corner. I had no idea how to get them involved with what we were doing, but I saw that they had a large string tied in a circle that they were doing tons of tricks with. I asked them to teach me one, and I think they taught me the easiest one. I went around to the different benches and showed the little ones, and they laughed. The older boys were just watching and smiling. Then, they tried to teach me one where you wrap the string around your neck and then pull but it comes loose. I couldn’t get that one at all! I think my head is a little bigger than theirs! Pravaas and Daniel came around and knew a few tricks of their own, so a connection was made (an answer to prayer for Pravaas). I left the boys to their tricks and walked around.

Our students were incredible! Lily was painting the nails of the older girls, Laura, Sara, Mafe, Andrew and Diana were helping the kids color, Zach was taking pictures… all of us were busy either helping or talking. The kids were SO into the craft! They were so funny as we tied the masks on, too. Their beautiful little eyes were poking out of the slits of the mask with the most hilarious faces!

While the first activity was wrapping up, Leider and some other boys sat next to me and we started talking about the Pelazo. Leider thinks it’s a fun tradition… even saying that his dad has made masks (which made me sick to think about) but the older boy shook his head to say “no” when I asked him if he liked it. I encouraged him to change the tradition when he’s older. I told him about other villages that don’t practice it anymore. He seemed surprised to hear that. I encouraged him again that change is possible. We’ll see.

After the mask activity, Sara got up to teach the kids John 3:16. They loved doing the hand motions with the verse! Kylie and I helped out, too. Then, Andrew got up and explained the colors for the salvation bracelets. With great eloquence and confidence, he did it in a way that I had never heard before. He started with the gold bead, explaining what Heaven is like… the beauty, the angels, etc. Then, he explained the dark bead that represents our sin and how that prohibits us from entering into Heaven. He went on and carefully explained every color and then we gathered the kids in groups of 10-12 to help them with the bracelets.

I had made the mistake of not making a sample bracelet with the stretchy nylon to see how well it worked. It was really hard. I could get it to work, but a lot of the students had a difficult time. But, by the end, all the kids had their gospel bracelets, and could tell the story.

Right around this time, someone came with the oatmeal and cookies for our refreshment. The kids loved it! They were so happy!

We got out the long balloons and pumps and started giving the balloons out to the kids. It was hard to make the animals we had learned because the humidity made everything sticky. But, the kids found fun things to do even with the popped balloons. They would take the rubber and make their own popping sounds. And, at the end of the activity, we had just enough for each kid to have their own balloon (praise the Lord!). They went home happy!

I was burning up hot and really wanted to cool off in the river. Batman, our boat driver, said that there was a spot on the sidewalk bridge leading to the school where there was a current making it safe to swim. I was so excited! After lunch, I told the kids that we were going to swim. They were so excited!!! I went to the river with about 30 of them, and we all jumped in together! Not wanting to get bit, I stayed in the water while they kept jumping in and out, flipping off of anything they could. I was amazed at how high the river had gotten! 2 years ago, we walked on the ground between the village and the school. This year, as I jumped off the newly-constructed sidewalk bridge, I couldn’t touch the bottom of the river.

We had a blast playing in the water! Leo came out just to take pictures and be with us. John, one of the missionaries, and Andrew also came out and just threw the kids into the river. They loved it!!! At first, Andrew was hesitant… but I told the kids to push him in, and about 10 kids surrounded him and he was completely defenseless!

As I was trying to keep submerged in the river, I felt a fish rub across my back, shocking me with little electric shocks. It freaked me out so much that I jumped straight out onto the sidewalk! So, since I was out, I thought it would be a good time to wash my hair. I had bought a HUGE shampoo bottle for the team, and it took about 5 seconds for all the kids to surround me, holding out their little brown hands for a dab of shampoo. They were hilarious!!! Some kids covered their entire bodies with the shampoo suds, sculpting their hair into horns or mohawks. They would jump and dance around on the sidewalk, making sure they had my attention, and then jump right into the river coming back to the surface squeaky clean. Amazing how much fun they have with something so simple!

Leo decided that it would also be a good time to have them wash their hair with the lice shampoo. We had to be very clear that it was poison so they wouldn’t get it in their eyes. Some older boys came up to ask for the lice shampoo, saying that they had a bad lice problem. As the kids were helping each other lather up, they started picking through each others’ heads, watching the lice die. They got in lines about 3-4 kids deep, all picking through the infected hair. It was really cute. Then, after waiting 5 minutes, they all jumped in together.

We had so much fun!

We cleaned up and then loaded up the boat for our time in Puerto Alegre. Zach and the medical team stayed behind to help with all the needs in the village. There were many babies with fevers and people who needed attention!

The pastoral couple in Puerto Alegre asked us to have our service with them at 3:00pm so that the people wouldn’t need to be out on the river when the mosquitoes were at their worst. So, we arrived and picked up Hector at the school. He told us he had a great day, and that the villagers had cooked him a HUGE fish for lunch. We went to the church, unloaded the generator and speakers and realized that we were missing a cable. So, Leo crossed back over to Zaragoza in the boat and took Hector with him so he could rest for the evening. While we were waiting for them to get back, the villagers slowly started arriving in their little canoes. There was no dry land to be seen, and the families were piled in together, dressed in their finest for the church service. The pastor’s wife even showed up!

The students made more jump-ropes and they came in handy! The kids had a blast playing the “limbo” and other games! Kylie even connected with 4 little ones doing a miming activity.

Leo got back, and we were ready to start! The church service went really well… the worship was beautiful, the drama and dance that the team did was well-received, and Pastor Burgos gave a great Word about love and respect in the family. I think that even the Pastor’s wife (who was a little put-off that we weren’t wearing skirts) was encouraged.

We left with full hearts and exhausted bodies! The women of the village, before we left, made sure that I had a gift of the local fruit, copoacu (that I love) and the dried yucca that they eat, farinya. I was so blessed that they would give those things to me! We really feel as though we have made friends in Puerto Alegre, and we can’t wait to go back!

We crossed the river as the sun was setting. It was beautiful! Again, we saw dolphins.

I could tell that most of the team was tired, so we made the decision to let them rest for the evening. We had dinner together, and then Lauren, Liz, Kylie and I took 30 or so kids to the main community house to play and sing. We had so much fun! We gave them jump-ropes, they taught us their games, and we had a good time together. After a little while, I got the guitar out and we sang and sang! Then, they asked me to tell them a story, and I told the story of David and Goliath. They had never heard that story before. I told them that they are going to face many things in their lives that seem impossible to conquer… but with God everything is possible, no matter how small they feel.

Then, we said good-night.

Sunday, April 1st in Zaragoza and Puerto Alegre

For pictures from our time in Puerto Alegre, go to:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151471677220215.840637.741380214&type=3&l=bad6b5f0cf

As we arrived in Zaragoza yesterday, we found out that the floating medical team sent out by the Colombian government was also in Zaragoza… actually, the 3 traveling doctors were the drunks outside our house last night. Good times!

So, we decided to go to Puerto Alegre with our medical brigade after breakfast.

Because a majority of the students were in the kitchen during the evening last night, I decided that I would cook breakfast… at least try! Andrew came with me, and we tried to get the fire started on wet wood… crazy hard! I used candle wax, plastic, anything I could to get the wood to catch, and it took at least an hour! We had to boil water to make coffee (we’re in Colombia, so coffee is a MUST), boil water to make hard-boiled eggs, and cook the sausage. Honestly, I was just fanning smoke and small flames hoping that it would work!

The kids came around and were just watching me, talking to each other in Tikuna. One kid decided to cut wood with a machete to help us out. Another helped me fan the flames. Slowly but surely, the team started waking up and coming over to help. So, I decided that I would just hang out with the kids. They wanted to sing, hear stories, play games, etc. I couldn’t believe how they absorbed EVERYTHING we had to say! It was so much fun to have a completely captive audience!

After breakfast, we loaded up and headed across the river to Puerto Alegre. Once again, arriving there was a complete shock. Last year, there was a huge field in front of the school where we played with the kids. We walked from hut to hut to invite people to the brigade. This year, everything was covered with 3 feet of water! The only way to get around safely was in the little wooden canoes.

There was a little girl in front of the school in her canoe, and we asked her to go tell people that we were here. Leo thought that he could get in the canoe with her, and he did a good job for a little while. I totally thought he would sink the canoe! Ha!

The school teacher lives in the school with her family, and was more than willing to have us set up in the classrooms! She even helped us invite people. As soon as we were set up, families were arriving in their little wooden canoes. One family arrived with a baby sloth that got passed around from one person to the next. It was absolutely adorable!

The parents registered their families and then waited outside the classrooms while our pastors, German and Rocio split up the women and men to share the gospel with them. We took the kids into a classroom and started playing games, telling Bible stories, and doing crafts. The students were incredible! They stepped up and lead with such confidence! Last year, it took us all day to get the kids to open up to us, and it seemed like this year they were open from the very first minute! What a blessing!

I went to the kitchen to cook the oatmeal for the kids, and someone brought a quarter of a cayman (Amazonian crocodile) to be heated up as well. I didn’t touch it! Leo gave me a little piece of it to taste, though… and it tasted like a mix of fish and chicken. Good times!

After handing out the oatmeal and cookies to the kids, I went into the boat to “rest” for a little bit. I was totally beat after not sleeping for 2 nights, but instead of taking a nap, I got in a great conversation with Betmen (Batman!) about malaria. He had malaria 2 years ago and also almost died from it! He has an incredible testimony, and I was all caught up talking to him and forgot how tired I was!

We spent the rest of the daylight hours there at Puerto Alegre… playing, singing, praying, talking, etc. They were SO open! I praise God for the diversity of our team. While some students were helping with the brigade, others were leading the children’s ministry. One of the moms on the team, Sandra, is a pastor’s wife, and she spent time counseling some of the young girls. Two girls went through the line of the brigade and shared that they had tried to commit suicide by eating rat poison. Sandra had a very special time of prayer with both the girls, and we pray that the things she shared with them from the Word will help them stay strong.

We also met a new pastor and wife that arrived to Puerto Alegre just a month ago. They were from a “different” denomination whose seemingly only doctrine is that women need to wear skirts. We were talking to them about the possibility of doing a service tomorrow, and the pastor’s wife was a little put-off by that idea. She spent over an hour talking with our pastors about her doctrine of “proper clothing”, and then finally let us invite people to our service tomorrow. We were also hoping to do a marriage ceremony, as there was at least 1 couple who wanted to get married… but she asked if we leave that stuff up to her and her husband.

While we were packing up to leave, one man asked us for a Bible. We were so happy to give him the first of the 18 waterproof Bibles that we brought with us! There was a crowd gathered around as we demonstrated that even dunking the Bible in the river wouldn’t harm it! Praise the Lord for Voice of the Martyrs and their donation of these very special Bibles!

As we crossed the river back to Zaragoza, the sun was setting in the most beautiful colors! We even saw the famous river dolphins! It was a refreshing, beautiful time together in the boat!

As soon as we got back, we had to get set up for our evenings’ session. The kids were waiting for us and were more than eager to help invite everyone again!

As I was walking and talking with some of the kids, I started asking them what they wanted to be when they grow up. One little one said that he wants to be a soldier; a little girl says she wants to be a health promoter; another said he wanted to be a policeman; then there were 2 responses that hit me: 2 little boys said they want to be pastors. Pastors! They know this at 8 years of age!

The crazy part is that the pastor in the village is a drunk, and the church is tired of him stealing the churchs’ money to drink. So, to know that these 2 little ones feel called to be pastors was amazing. They had been stuck to us the entire time we were ministering so far and absorbing everything. I could see a hunger in them for the things of the Lord. As we walked and invited people, I just prayed for them to continue to have hearts that are soft for the Lord! We passed the kitchen where Monica was getting the fire started for dinner, and I told her that the dream of those 2 little ones was to be a pastor. She looked at them, held their heads in her hands, knelt down and said: “O.K. then… you need to go where the drunks are and invite them to church tonight so they can be changed by Jesus”. They excitedly ran out in the direction of the bars.

Beautiful.

As we were playing with the kids in the church before the service, I saw the pastor, Humberto, sitting on one of the benches and I asked Leo to spend some time talking with him. As their conversation progressed, Leo’s arm went around Humberto’s shoulders and they cried together while they were praying. After German and Rocio preached and incredible sermon about repentance and forgiveness, Leo called Humberto up to the front so the church could pray for him. He confessed his sin to the congregation and they surrounded him in a circle of prayer.

Beautiful.

During the sermon, I heard the kids running and screaming around the church so I decided to go out and see if I could do something with them. As soon as I got out there, they surrounded me and asked me to tell them stories. So, we found a “dry” place on the hill outside the church, and I told them the story of the Prodigal Son. I asked them what they thought it meant, and they said that the Father’s love is big even when we sin a lot. I think they got the point!

Then, we played and played farther up the hill, away from the church. We had so much fun!

It was time for dinner and sleep. We were all praying for an un-eventful rest, and the Lord was so good to give that to us!

May 31st: Zaragoza

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To see pictures from this village, go to:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151471511235215.840611.741380214&type=3&l=0093e49b4b

The day started off great! We had a delicious breakfast of pancakes and syrup (!) at the base, and then split up again to go to the orphanage and shopping. Leo and I had a lot of last-minute things to get, and Hector (our dentist) needed boots. So, we walked down to the port to buy the various things we needed and couldn’t believe what we saw. There was about a foot of water covering the main road, and the people had built raised sidewalks with wood planks that we had to carefully walk on, especially if there was 2-way traffic! We watched as cars carefully drove through the water to get to the boats, hoping that our truck bringing all the luggage and supplies would also make it.

We got back to the base, and saw everyone. I guess Lucy at the orphanage was only expecting us yesterday, not today as well, and she already had other people visiting with different activities. So, everyone just walked back and rested while they were waiting for us.

The theme of a lot of group trips is “Hurry up… and wait”. This was no exception! As soon as the truck arrived, we were strategic in how we had to pack it so that it would be easier to unload at the dock. Then, it was time to put our boots on, lather ourselves with insect repellent, and walk the 5 blocks to the dock.

We got there a little before Monica did, so we thought we should wait for her… but the truck driver didn’t want to wait. So we found a dry spot to put the luggage and we waited. When Monica go there, we hurried to load the boat up with all the heavy stuff… and then the police came and gave us some problems so we had to wait again.

I’m always wary about the police… you can never really trust them here. Sometimes they make you wait for hours, expecting you to pay them a bribe. Luckily, we only waited about 1 hour for them to tell us that we could leave. Supposedly, they were worried about our boat being too heavy and over-packed. So, when we got on, we squished together, smiled and waved as we pulled out.

Besides some random stops along the way, we finally got out on the river… just in time for a HUGE rainstorm. Last year, the storm went completely around us and we didn’t get wet. This year, however, we weren’t that lucky. We went right through it, only able to see about 15 feet in front of the boat! Most of us forgot to pack our ponchos in an accessible place, so we just got wet… at least the people that were sitting on the side where the rain was coming in.

About halfway through the 3-hour trip, we got pulled over by the river police. As the boat had to turn around, the people on the other side got wet. Good times! J As it turns out, the police just wanted to let us know that they were there for us if we needed anything. They gave us their number and some pamphlets about dengue fever, and we were off!

As we pulled up to Zaragoza, those of us who had been there in years past were in shock. The village had become a lake! Everything was mud, and whereas in years past we’d stayed at the school on higher ground, we decided that it would be better to stay in the village this time to allow the villagers easier access to us and the medicine. Between the village and the school was an impassable lake. I’m so glad we made that decision!

We un-packed the boat and set up camp in a newly built building. It was right next to a Christian family’s house where some of the doctors were able to stay. We could use their rain water reserve to bathe, and they had a latrine as well. It was a really nice set-up!

The kids were waiting for us, excited that we were with them! A few of us went to the sidewalk in front of our “house” to sing with them and tell them Bible stories. They were little sponges, and they’d remembered everything we’d taught them from the other trips… even the songs that we’d written! That was so cool!

After a little while, it was time to set up the movie and start inviting people; so Zach, Andrew and I took the group of kids (each fighting over who could hold our hands… or just grasp a finger), and we invited everyone to the church for the movie. Two boys, Daivy Andres and Esteban were stuck to me like glue! They listened to everything I said, took me to the different houses, and helped me invite people. The sidewalks and paths we were walking on were crazy slippery and muddy, especially walking up and down the hills, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to safely go to the farthest part of the village (through some more hills) to invite people… so I sent the boys. They LOVED doing it! They ran up and down the hills with their little bare feet and stopped in every single house to invite people. It was great to watch them!

We got back to the church and played some games while people arrived and the movie got set up.

The church quickly filled up with kids! It was so good to see familiar faces! While we were worshiping together and getting the movie started, the students were in the kitchen struggling to light a fire to cook the popcorn. Everything was wet, and they had to use a machete to cut off the outer parts of the wood, hoping that the inner parts were dry enough to light. It was pretty much impossible! But, about halfway through the movie, the popcorn got delivered, and the kids loved it!

I made the mistake of under-estimating how much popcorn we would need in that particular village. I’d bought 10 bags, but only got 3 out of the bin. The students didn’t know that there was more popcorn, and one student in particular started to stress out a little. I was in the church and had no idea of the crisis the students thought we were in… but Leo was helping them. Daniel, and 11^th grader, was not happy about the situation and Leo told him to pray to see what the Lord would tell him. Daniel came back after about 5 minutes and said that he needed to get the candy he’d brought to give out. He didn’t want the people to watch the movie without eating something. Leo was really proud of him!

During the movie, I was able to sit on the floor in front of the girl’s section. In these churches, most of the boys/men sit on the right hand side, while the girls/women sit on the left. I sat right in front of 6 beautiful girls who were obsessed with the movie… and my hair! They played with my hair, braided it, twisted it, etc. during the entire movie. It was so much fun!

The movie we showed was “Courageous”, and it was absolutely captivating! You know the villagers are into a movie when they talk the entire time… and they were talking! The girls were asking me question after question… and talking amongst themselves.

Some of the boys figured out that sitting right next to my computer gave them a better view, so they crowded around it.

It was so fun to watch the villagers watch the movie. As babies would fall asleep, the mothers would lay them on the floor, fanning them with whatever piece of cloth they had. Kids were asleep on the benches, some even left because it was late. We ended the movie a little early because we could tell that people were tired. Usually, they go to bed around 6pm, and it was already 8:30pm!

When the service ended, we went back to our eating hut and had a delicious dinner. Most of the students stayed in the kitchen for a majority of the evening… helping with the wood or fire, or just enjoying each other’s company. I think being in the village was a shock for some of them and they just needed some time to adjust.

We all headed back to the main house to use the bathroom (peeing outside is one of my favorite things to do!), clean up (can you say baby wipes?), and rest. I was looking forward to getting some sleep, since I didn’t get much the night before. But, those plans were put on hold as soon as we started hearing people outside our house.

At first, I didn’t understand what was going on. I heard 2 men and a woman talking to each other. I woke Leo up, and we were just listening. They were obviously drunk. One man said something like “we’re here helping them, and they treat us like dogs. They won’t let us into their house. It’s not like we’re going to rob them or anything!”. I didn’t know who these people were, or if they wanted to get into OUR house… I was a little freaked out to say the least. I wanted Leo to get up and tell them to go away, but he had no desire to talk to a few drunk people, so we just waited and prayed.

Some of us were tempted to get out of our tents to actually see what was going on, but Leo kept whispering to us to not make any noise or draw attention to ourselves. The people eventually left… and then came back. 3 different times I woke up to hear drunk people swearing and talking about horrible things.

It didn’t help that off in the distance we could hear the drums of the witch doctor. Needless to say, we didn’t get much sleep that night!

Friday, May 30th: Leticia and Brazil

Leticia and Brazil: Friday, May 30^th

For pictures from this day, go to:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151471447135215.840603.741380214&type=3&l=1695c28162

We were planning to leave ECA at 10:00am, however, we heard news of horrible traffic and an accident on our route to the airport, not much unlike our trip last year. So, we got permission to leave at 9:30am. Praise the Lord!

We got to the airport just fine, no traffic, and check-in was a breeze! The people at COPA airlines were amazing; and even if our bags were a few pounds over, they didn’t make us pay. They even counted 2 smaller bags that totaled 45lbs as one bag so we didn’t have to pay for an extra check-in bag! I don’t know if this is normally what they do, or if they saw that we were a HUGE group with tons of medicine and donations, but we were SO grateful!!! I think we will fly with COPA whenever we can!

We got through our check-in and still had plenty of time to get some lunch before the flight. We also had time in the airport to meet our non-ECA team members.

Only one of our bins had to go through a separate inspection… the one with all the toothpaste! It was a great chance to talk to the COPA people about what we were going to be doing in the Amazon, and they were really intrigued. We never know who’s heart is fertile soil to plant seeds in, right?

We got to Leticia just fine, and got a discount on the tourist tax that we normally pay because we weren’t coming in as tourists, but as servants.

At the base, they already had lunch waiting for us! It was SO good to be back! Our cook from last year, Agusta, even came from Brazil to visit with us!

After lunch, I sent the team to the orphanage to play with the kids while Leo and I stayed behind to organize the medicine with the doctors. There was so much to organize! (there’s that word again!)

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They got back just in time for dinner, and then we all headed out to find 24 motorcycles to take us to Brazil. It was so much fun! This year, Diana took us to an amazing ice-cream place “Los Gordos”. They had delicious copoacu ice cream and everything! I got peanut and brownie ice cream.

After only about half the people had gotten their yummy treats, the power went out in the whole town. So, Kylie went back to the counter with her head-lamp and helped them see what they were doing so that the rest of us could get ours. We had a blast laughing and taking pictures! The flash from the camera was the only way we could see each other! It was so much fun!

We took another motorcycle ride back, and some of us had a nice swim in the pool at the base. It was a little dirty, but in comparison to the water I knew we’d be swimming in the rest of the week, I took advantage of it! 🙂

We had a great time of worship and prayer together, and then the team headed off to bed.

Leo and I stayed up for a long time talking with the different missionaries at the base. Monica looked really tired, and when I asked her if she had slept, she just laughed. After her 2-week trip to Peru, she hadn’t gotten a single day off. I don’t know how she does it! All the missionaries at the base are incredible, with amazing stories of living by faith! They inspire us with their passion for the Lord and their willingness to serve Him, no matter the cost. I wanted to keep listening, but I was honestly falling asleep. Ha!

I got back to the girls’ room really late, and there weren’t any beds left. At least there was a small mattress and a space on the floor. It was going pretty well until Lili had to get up to use the bathroom and almost stepped on my head! Good times! J

I praise God for the team we have… doctors, teachers, pastors, students… I pray that we work together in unity for the purpose of the villages growing in their knowledge of Christ.

Drowning in Details

I am a person who can’t see the trees for the forest; so organizing a trip for 24 people is a little overwhelming… let alone the fact that 14 of the people on the trip couldn’t pay for the majority of the costs. On top of the individual trip costs, we had to raise money for the medicine, supplies, and toilet project… a total of $4000 additional. I’m also not good at coming up with crazy ideas for fundraising, especially here in Colombia, where missions and mission trips are a relatively “new” idea to most churches.

We had our annual “Celebrate Colombia” day at school, and I was able to tell all the parents about the upcoming Amazon trip and ask for their prayers and financial support. I like talking about the trip and getting people excited about what the Lord is doing in the Amazon; but what put me out of my comfort zone was walking up to the parents after the main celebration and asking them to donate towards the trip. I had an offering bag, and just walked up to everyone. It made me feel so uncomfortable, but I knew that if I didn’t ask, they wouldn’t give. We raised enough money that day to pay for 1 ½ trips! So, it was worth it… but it was hard for me!

That same day, I was talking to a mother about putting together a worship event/fundraiser for the trip. I think I looked at her with a blank stare, wondering how in the world it could happen. I knew we would be able to use my church, but I didn’t have time to work on getting a whole concert together! The mom told me that if I organized it all, she would get her dance team together to help out. There was that word again…. Organize. As if I didn’t already have enough to organize!

But, we did it! The following weekend, my middle-school worship team put together a great bi-lingual worship concert, and we had an amazing time of prayer for the Amazon, Bogota, Colombia, South America and the Nations. The community also surrounded the team and prayed specifically for us and what the Lord had for us in the Amazon. We felt so empowered!!! The dance team was also a great addition to everything, as they danced while we worshiped with song! I can honestly say that the entire evening was one of the coolest things I’ve been a part of for a very long time! And, we raised enough money for 3 more people’s trips!

During the months of planning and preparing, the Lord was so faithful in my weaknesses! He would continually bring people alongside to help me, as well as allow me to push myself to get better. However, I don’t know if planning and organizing is something I should keep pushing myself to get better at, or if I should find one person who thrives on details and organization to be a part of our team. This is my struggle now. I can honestly say that I drown in details. I am so much more of a big-picture person that I get lost in the tiniest of details, and it really affects me. The tricky part is finding a person who is going to stay around for a while. Most of the teachers at ECA stay 1-2 years… if they stay for 3, that’s a blessing! So, I am praying that I find a Colombian who will come alongside me and commit to these trips as much as Leo and I have… for the long-haul!

Amazon update! :)

Hello friends,

I am so sorry that I haven’t communicated very well the last few months.

I was doing a good job with our blog until around November, and if you’re interested in what was going on during the fall, you can check it out here:

We had a GREAT Christmas break! We went on a week-long vacation with Leo’s family, and I got to experience Christmas eve in a whole new way… dancing and celebrating all night. It was a change from my family’s yearly (more somber) Christmas concert and candle-light service!

The most important part of our break was that it was really a break! I had a lot of work to do at the school, but Leo forbade me from going in (in a loving way, of course!). So, we had 3 weeks of rest and relaxation. It was the first time in a year that we weren’t leading a trip or traveling during our vacation time.

This semester has started off well! We took the 8th grade girls on an extreme overnight camping trip, and had a blast! One of my girls even proudly exclaimed “Mrs. Morales!!! I just peed in the wilderness for the first time!”. Hilarious! I’m so blessed to be able to mentor and disciple this group of girls this year. They were my 5th grade class just a few years back, and it’s been a joy to watch them grow into incredible young women as the years have passed!

You can see pictures from our trip here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151234670150215.809103.741380214&type=3&l=ffedfc725b

Last weekend, we were able to take some of our kids from Ciudad Bolivar on an overnight retreat out of the city. These are the kids we’ve been working with the last 4 years, and when we started with them they were 9-13 years old, and there were thirteen of them. Now the youngest is 13, the oldest is 16, and there are only 7 of them that have continued coming to the ministry. It was the first time some of them had ever left the city, and they loved it! One of the kids had never even been in a pool before! We had great conversations about what it is for us to live out our faith daily, and how to trust the Lord in all circumstances. If you’ve been following the blog where I mention these kids from time to time, you know that they are all on our hearts, and it was great to just bless them and spend quality time together! We loved it!

You can see pictures from our time together here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151283012775215.814510.741380214&type=3&l=c2a9a486db

And, it’s time for us to head back to the Amazon! We have just a little over a month and a half before we set out for our 3rd time to partner with YWAM in the work that they are doing in various villages along the river.

We have some financial and physical needs for this year’s trip, if you are interested in helping out. 🙂
1) We will be taking 4 doctors, and 4 dentists with us to do a medical brigade, and we need an additional portable dental chair. We can buy one here in Colombia for about $1,200.

2) Out of 8 members of my ministry team, 5 need some serious financial help. 2 of our doctors also need some help with the trip cost. The total cost of the trip, per person, is $400.

3) We are partnering with a middle-school group out in Portland, Oregon to help raise the funds for putting in latrine toilets in one of the villages, Puerto Alegre. Last year, when we got to this village, 4 babies had died in 2 weeks because of lack of sanitation and fresh water. We are involving another village that is a lot better off to come help put in the latrines and share the Gospel with this tribe… in their own language. We are really excited about this portion of our trip! We are paying for the gas for the boats of the visiting village, and the gas for the chainsaws to cut down the wood for the latrines, in addition to the purchase of around 40 latrine toilets. The total for this project is around $1,000. We are hoping that the group from Portland can raise this for us!

4) We will be taking much-needed medicine and toothbrushes and toothpaste with us as well. Last year, we bought around $1,000 worth of medicines here in Colombia and were able to serve around 800 families… most of which had around 4-5 kids at least. It was amazing! We had anti-parasite meds, children’s tylenol for their fevers, vitamins, anti-fungal cream, eye-drops, cough medicine, and a whole host of other medicines that are specific to the needs there in the jungle. We are still in need of donations for the purchase of medicine and toothbrushes and toothpaste this year.

4) Leo will be going to the States in March to collect donations and buy whatever else we need that we can’t get here in Colombia. We are looking for people who would be willing to donate boxes of Clif bars, crystal light, insect repellent and powdered gatorade. We also need Nalgene bottles and old or used long-sleeve button-down shirts to layer over our tank-tops to help keep the bugs off of us! 🙂

5) PRAY! Last year, I had 8 seniors graduate off of my ministry team, and this year my team is basically new. They are amazing students, but it is definitely a growing year. Please pray for team unity and for their continued trust in the Lord while we are planning and preparing.

Pray for the families to be blessed. This year, we are taking 2 pastoral couples with us who will be doing marriage and family seminars. There are many issues in the family dynamic in the Jungle, and we are praying that these seminars will be a step in encouraging the families to truly love each other. Obviously, true love can’t be found unless Jesus is Lord of their hearts, so we are praying that He will be known by the families.

Pray for the people from the village that will be coming with us, as they will be on their first mission trip! We are so excited to come alongside them as they learn what it is to serve the Lord and love their fellow tribe members. This village can be a huge example on the river, as they’ve basically outlawed the sexual abuse practices that are so prevalent in their culture, and they are raising a generation of children who will arrive to their wedding day untouched. The pastor is doing a great job discipling his people, and we hope that they will pass on a little of what they’ve learned to bless the villages around them!

Pray for wisdom for the doctors and dentists as they meet a variety of needs. 2 of our doctors were with us last year, and they have been looking forward to returning!

Pray for Leo and I as we are leading this team. In the past we’ve had a great team of leaders take charge of different areas, and this year, it’s all us. Pray for our unity as a couple, common vision, and patience with each other.

If you would like to partner with this trip financially, you can send donations to:
First Love International
PO Box 15836
Loves Park, IL 61132

You can also donate on-line at www.firstloveinternational.org
Please make sure you put Morales- Amazon in the donation line.

We need to have the full amount of money in by March 5th, which only gives us a few weeks. So, we’re praying for miracles! 🙂

If you would like to donate any physical things, you can send them to:
Leo Morales
C/O Randall Hicks
2222 Enterprise Drive
Westchester, IL 60154

If you are sending donations, they need to arrive by March 14th so Leo can bring them back down with him.

Thanks for continuing to love and encourage us! We know we are not alone in the work here!

Continuing the journey,

Lilia (and Leo)