i do understand that i've fallen off the face of the earth, and i appologize for my lack of communication in the past...two months. please know that this is not becuase i do not think of you all and miss you all frequently.
my life in the past month or so:
steph arrived on oct. 2. we spent a few days at the beach and visiting around a bit before we headed to zambrano. it was wonderful to have her in zambrano. visiting and meeting people in their physical reality is so different than trying to understand over emails and phone chats. so it was lovely to have my life here be known in a deeper way.
her second week here, we headed up to the mountains of santa marta, met up with three close friends from the seed group (jordan, alejo, and leady) and took on a 6-day hike to the "lost city", an ancient ruins of the tyrona indiginous. the trip was beautiful in all aspects - a physical challenge, something i never get in zambrano, a time of deep conversation, never-ending laughter, and a separation from the rest of life. i did get sick one day, and i was less than pleased during the 7-hour trek that day, but overall, it was a grand experience.
steph left exactly two weeks after arriving, and it was sad to see her go. i remained after her departure, feeling torn between two worlds, having been re-conscientized to a life at home that i know and love deeply, yet at the same time feeling passionate about my life here as well and wondering what that all means.
the following week was spent in cartagena with semilla, doing a three-day workshop on development, as well as group reflexion time. workshop on development was really interesting and raised many wonderful conversations and questions. left me wondering if we're actually even doing any development work here in zambrano. haha.
since we were in the coast, we also visited the communities of torin and i, which was great. the group actually stayed the night in zambrano, which gave us extended time in my community and it was very special to be able to share more deeply what i do and where i am with the group who is acompanying me in this process. also always an interesting experience to have visitors and groups come to zambrano, becuase it shows a different perspective...the community that is projected when "delegations" are here perhaps does not always feel like the community i live in daily. goes to show how we can always present whatever face we want. and its not false, but perhaps in a few days visit we're not able to see the whole truth of a place? it was definitely a visit that encouraged me, though, as far as the possibilities here and what can be done.
i returned to zambrano after a week in cartagena with jordan, which was also phenomenal. having her here, able to participate in the spaces i work and live in incredibly deepens her understanding of what my life is like here. now i wait for my opportunity to participate in that with her community.
the day she left, last sunday, i woke up at 3am feeling very sick and had a day of pretty serious vomit and diahrrea...not fun. after taking more medicine than i would have liked, and a few days of rest, all was well again, though.
the past week was the busiest of my life thus far in zambrano. the youth/young adult group planned a two-day youth revival service of some kind and since i'm in charge of the youth, i'm in charge of the event. it was definitely a new experience for me, being in charge of church and doing it in a way that i don't choose to do church naturally, but all went well. saturday was all day, beginning with 300 kids, with whom we played games, had snacks, and by way of puppets, taught the evils of halloween. me being in charge, was able to delegate those parts that i felt uncomfortable doing myself. the youth, then, stayed together the rest of the day...ate together, played some games, and we had a workshop on responsibility, since its something we're a bit short of in the group. and and night, we returned to our second evening of culto.
it was an exhausting week, and i was grateful to spend all day sunday in the house of ricardo esquivia, chatting with him about his vision, the broad picture, the possibilities, and our ways of understanding the beliefs and practices of the church in zambran (and those around the coast). so i was in sincelejo two days, relaxing and having deep and meaninful conversations about what all this is that we're experiencing - how this church culture can be seen as a cultural trauma reaction, and what that means for trauma healing. spending time with other mccers is always an energizer, and i returned to zambrano this morning, ready to be back.
so much travel lately has been a serious challenge because i've been away so much. my community in zambrano is not happy about how much time i'm away, and i am constantly wondering how much it affects what i am able to do here. however, the retreats, workshops, etc, are all reasons that i was drawn to this program specifically, so its a balancing act figuring out how to walk a very thin line.
really didn't go into detail much with much of anything but id love to have continued conversations with any and all of you. thanks for your patience with limited time and internet lately, and please know that i love you and think of you all often...and all the communication i recieve from you is always welcomed and loved. on to the pictures... these are in no order.




seated on the cheif's chair in the lost city


sacred place of worship

hiking...


crossing the river...done many times


up up up

crossing again...



down to the river to bathe after a day of hiking...



taking a breather


after breakfast, psyching up for another day's hike



attempting to dry everything we owned...which never worked and we carried wet, smelly towels and clothes all week long.


to the river to bathe...


more hiking...


the top of the first day hike. happy to be going down...


we were SO sweaty


at the very end...saying goodbye to our guides.


lots of stairs in the lost city


formations where houses were located


on the way to the mountain...


ready to go


fun creaters along the way...


our sleeping quarters


stretching...getting ready



steph and i in the cienega swimming!...my favorite pasttime of zambrano

after the swim...




norvy and i...


steph helping finish her hammock...a birthday gift for her.

mom's spiffy tye dye skirts

at the beach...


the walker-wilsons...some of my favorite people. mccers in sincelejo...a lifeline and breath of fresh air.