Glen Ellyn Bible Church 2010 Missions Trip to Bogotá

The Journey Ends... or Does it?

Gary Larson's granddaughter in Colómbia

The Coopers

Hey Folks,

It's late at night and we are making ready to return to Chicago. We are grateful to have supported our GEBC missionaries in their work in Bogota in some small way.

Someone in need of Hope...

We ate some terrific food, saw some beautiful sights, but even on our last day were blown away by our opportunity to minister to teenage moms some barley more than 13 years of age. You will notice a picture taken near the district where prostitution is legalized. Amidst the 8+ million people in this city, amidst the traffic, the bustle, and the lostness, God is building his church and raising up a strong generation of believers. What a great celebration we will have in heaven one day. Any further words will not do justice to what we saw and experienced.

Police and prostitutes on the same street

Thank you to the Coopers who serve at the ECA teaching English, teaching Bible, and most of all, teaching and loving students
Thank you to the Larsons who serve at ECA in the library, teaching photography, computers, and loving students. We look forward to their coming to Illinois for the birth of their second child.
Thank you to Beth and Rafa Afanador. They lined up people and places to serve from morning to evening. They were good hosts and are challenging examples of lives dedicated to the furtherance of God's kingdom.

Having said that, we couldn't resist a picture of Rafa trying to get us into the inauguration celebration for Colómbia's new presidente!

Come on Rafa you can
do it...maybe with
just one more phone call

Sunday will be spent in debrief and travel. This will take our team more than 15 hours. Compared to the over 30 hours we spent in vans while here, this is nothing! Besides, it was for the ONLY cause worth an investment of this nature.

We are grateful for the time we had here and for your prayerful support. Thanks for having a part of reaching the least and the lost for Jesus.

Team Bogota minus Gino - cho who got home yesterday

Snapshots from Bogota

Just a walker....

I have been demoted from teacher to walker (though Dave might call this a promotion).  Instead of teaching ESL sessions, I walk with the El Camino Academy kindergarteners as they travel through their English classes. As a team, we decided that this is the best use of my 24 years of teaching experience (don't let those angelic faces fool you! ). The kids and I have learned together this week.  Yesterday I taught them how to say "Listen, walk, and wait your turn".  They in turn taught me how to say these phrases in Spanish. We have also discovered that Buzz Lightyear, Spiderman, and Duck-Duck-Goose transcend cultural boundaries.  I have listened in amazement as these little ones explain, in their mixture of Spanish and English how Jesus has washed away their sins, and sing songs of praise.  It has been a good week. (Carolyn)

Dave prepares to enter the pit of despair.

Easily the most memorable soccer event of the week has been the game we've deemed the mudbowl -- played in the Suba district of Bogota.  Our outreach in this area was to Suba a church and community center that provides before- and after-school care and feeds hundreds of kids each day.  The soccer game took place on a field the likes of which I'd never seen -- ankle-deep mud holes that threatened to suck our shoes off our feet, small ponds over which passes needed to be played and amazing mud slicks which made it feel as if we were running on ice covered in a thin layer of grease.  The field didn't seem to bother the kids we were playing in the least -- they were fully warmed up by the time we'd determined that no dry ground existed anywhere in the park.  Our opponents, ranging in age from barely double digits to about 16, enjoyed knocking the ball around us as we struggled to stay vertical.  There's really no need to report a final score, because as we all know, it's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game... :-)

We returned to the community center and after scrubbing up, spent a few hours getting to know the awesome staff at this center, serving lunch to the kids and helping them practice their English.  What an amazing place of hope this center is in the midst of brutal poverty.  They feed over 500 meals daily and provide academic support and love to kids whose parents are often gone from early morning to late at night.  What an incredible privilege to serve those kids for just a short time.  The handshakes, fist bumps, high fives and hugs from those we've met as "futbolistas" and English teachers won't soon be forgotten.  Gracias, Bogota! (Dave)
for the whole team,
Carolyn and Dave K

A Tale of Two Groups

Hola GEBC!  It's me, Mateo R., not to be confused with Matt Granger, astronomer extraordinaire.  I thought it would be opportune to fill in our faithful readers as to what sort of work our two groups are doing this week.  The first are the 'maestros,' or teachers.  The group is made up of Carolyn, Mary, Jennifer, Gino, and Matt G. and they are heading up an English camp at ECA for about 40 students.  The school year starts next Monday so many families are using this week as an opportunity for their kids to brush up on their English since many speak only Spanish at home.  Each day of camp has a theme, and kids recieve English instruction in such activities as music, writing, crafts, and gym.  As a general rule, the older kids (4th and 5th grade) are well behaved while the younger kids (Kand 1st) are a bit more antsy!  But everybody seems to be enjoying themselves and its been a big help to Beth and the children's families as they prepare for next Monday.  In addition to teaching, the maestros are also handling some of the teacher training for the staff at ECA.  We have a lot of experienced teachers in this group, and they've been able to pass on some knowledge to a mostly young staff at ECA. 

School children at Colegio Semilla de Vida

The other group, the 'futbolistas,' are the soccer coaches. Dave K., Hailey P, and myself (with an occasional guest appearance by Matt G.) head out in the morning to a different 'colegio' (high school) each day to do some soccer training with the school, no matter how big or small. Some days, when the weather fails to cooperate, we visit classrooms and share our testimony with students of all different grade levels. Flexibility, and thinking on our feet, has been the key with this ministry. Soccer, like you might guess, is a pretty big deal here, and it's been so fun to break down the language and cultural barrier with the sport. We've been in a lot of different schools with a variety of ages represented, but perhaps my favorite group was the 20 5-6 year olds we played with yesterday that attend Rafa's Hogar de Paz (House of Peace). If any of you have seen a Park District soccer game, you can imagine what it was like playing with them. Like a school of fish, they all ran wherever the ball happened to go, giggling the whole time.

Our drivers: Raul and Jairo

Another highlight has been listening to one of our drivers, Jairo, praise his favorite Colombian soccer team, Los Millonarios.  He has made it his personal mission to convert us all into fans by the end of the trip.  He even drove us to their official store to see all their apparel (which I admit was pretty sweet) and bought all of us official 'Millonarios'  coasters.  He's relentless, to say the least. 

So both groups are doing great work and it's been a real privledge to represent the Afanadors and ECA as we minister to the students and in the community.  Bueno, gracias por leer lo que les he escrito y espero que esten bien! Hasto luego!

The Good, The Bad and The Priceless

Not having clear expectations prior to coming to Bogota, Colombia, it´s been quite a journey so far.  Always wanting to be in control of where I am, what I´m doing and what the end result will be...this trip has brought me way out of my comfort zone.  Days are filled with many emotions.  Never really knowing what time or even what day it is.  Relying on trust, faith and prayer to guide our days.  Flexibility, patience, managing expectations.  Bonding with the team in a special, long lasting way.  Difficult to articulate everything right now, so I thought I´d share some thoughts in a bad, good and priceless fashion

BAD
Overpowering diesel smell; rainy, cloudy days; traffic and driving worse than LA; so much trash; never ending construction; roads with crater sized potholes; chicken feet in my soup; my feet are wet; where´s the hot water; we have to wake up at what time?

GOOD
A stranger brings a homeless person coffee and bread; 5 year olds with great soccer skills; sunny skies; beautiful mountain views; professional soccer game; awesome guacamole

PRICELESS
English worship songs sung in Spanish; a child´s smile when they say an English word; a hug and kiss on the cheek;  little, dirty faces that brighten the whole day with a smile...

---Gino Tomaro

Two Incredible Days Of Ministry

"Recycler" kids

We went to a professional soccer game on Saturday. Those of you that know me (Matt Granger) might think that that would be a highlight of these days. It was a fun game. But the people we met who lead these incredible ministries, and the kids that are served were the most incredible thing that happened these days.

We've been to a daycare in a poor and rough neighborhood where Beth wouldn't let us go up before the director got there to escort us. These kids come here after school for a snack, activities, school help, and just plain love. The kids loved playing soccer in a walled area barely bigger than my deck at home. Others learned a little English with Mr. Potato Head. And some sang songs and praised the Lord with Mary and Jennifer. Gino is the man with his iPhone app that has an animal that speaks what the kids speak into the phone. John and I got to help make the snack for them.

In many neighborhoods in Bogota, people called "Recyclers" build a compound in an open area. They put up corrugated aluminum walls and barbed wire.They build shacks for each family.They go to the garbage dumps along the streets and pull out anything that they can recycle and sell. That is their only means of income. We went and played soccer and took pictures of the kids of these families. Jennifer had a great mini photo printer that we plugged into a power inverter in the van and printed out their pictures. The kids decorated foam frames with foam letters and other shapes, and we taped their pictures in the frames. It was so sad to see the hopelessness in some of their little eyes.

Later we went to a special needs orphanage. After playing Twister, Mr. Potato Head, Bingo, soccer, and some other crazy game John came up with we left. We talked on the way home with Beth and she said that some of these kids' disabilities was only that they had some emotional or social disabilities. They had trouble in school, and their parents gave them up. As a teacher, I started thinking about the kids I've had over the years that would have "qualified" for this "special needs" orphanage. These kids are labeled "special needs" and are not adoptable any more because of it. Some of them have mental or physical disabilities that will keep them there for life.I caught this picture as I was sitting in the van to leave. For me, it told he whole story of hopelessness for some of these kids.

On Sunday morning we went to two church services. In the first, Mary played her flute to the delight of the crowd and to God's glory. It was awesome. The church was meeting in a space that used to be a bar next to their part of the building. They would place their hands on the wall and pray for the influence of the bar to diminish. Now they are in the space!

At the second church Mary played again. Matt Ravenscraft spoke and gave a mini sermon in Spanish. He rocked the house, as far as we know since we don't speak Spanish.Then we helped them with a soccer tournament that they organized. Each team consisted of a few people from the church and a few non-believers that they invited. It was raining, but there was a good crowd for the games. There were a few teams of kids, older girls, and older boys. Matt, Dave, Hailey, Gino, and I played one game. It became USA vs. Colombia. It was a great game. We lost 3-2, which thrilled the crowd. We could have won, but their goalie made some great saves on Matt R. and me to keep them ahead.

Mi amigo, Lucas

Then we went up the mountain to a YWAM (Youth With a Mission) youth house. The director told us the story of how they got started working with street kids 25 years ago. This house is a residential house for kids that have been through three or four other levels of the program. She and her husband believe that having a residential home for a small number is better because they learn to live in a family structure, which will prepare them to have a family someday. The kids there range from toddlers to high school aged kids. It was so hard to leave after plaiyng with a few of the little kids. Though it was easier to leave them because they live in a loving environment preparing them for their future, as opposed to a place like the special needs orphanage where some of them will be for life.

What's great about all of the ministries we go to is that Beth and Rafa have ongoing relationships with them. It's not a one time thing where we come in and do something for them and they never get any kind of support. We aren't the heroes. We are just stepping into ongoing programs that many of the students at ECA (El Camino Academy) are already involved in. In other words, it isn't about us, it's about the work God is already doing here. And He is at work here in Bogota!

We post as often as we can, but we leave early in the morning and don't return until late many times. Stay tuned.

Matt Granger

Sometimes ministry requires one to cut the cheese

Adventures in Bogota

Hey Friends and Family ( oops, I meant to say)
HOLA AMIGOS,

In case you were wondering, Team Bogota arrived safe and sound in Colombia. We are thrilled to be here and begin our work. Unfortunately, our internet connection has been non existent until this evening. Here's a brief update of our work so far:

1.Long 12 hours of travel down to South America. But because we were so diligent in leaving early, we still arrived by 3 in the afternoon on Thursday. We found some unusual traffic on local roads.

Team Time at Monserrate... 9,500 feet above sea level

2. We have delivered more than 650 pounds of books and goods to the Afanadors and El Camino Academy. In addition to that, we have consumed 650 pounds of the worlds best Carne Asada! Bogota will grow us in many ways...

3.All of our team members are doing well and enjoying the beautiful people, scenery, fellow team members, and ministry opportunities.

We have already taught English, presented the gospel, unpacked books for the El Camino Library, and loved on the people and children that God has been sending our way. In addition to going to two schools, we headed into a very rough neighborhood to bring the love of Jesus to the children in that community

Tomorrow we will reach out to the poor and needy in the "recylers" community. More time for ministry and more time getting to know or fellow team members while we travel!

Thank you for your support and for your prayer. We hope to write more in a couple of days. Dios te bendiga ... God bless!
For the Whole Team,

John

PS This was an 11 passenger van, right?