deepest apologies. i keep thinking i'll get better and i never do. seems like jordi got all of the self-discipline in the family and left none for me.
things have really been great lately. well, until kelly and peter's wedding, that is. but i'll get to that later.
over a month ago now, marissa arrived in cartagena airport and i was delighted to welcome her. she somehow managed to get through security with two quarts of fresh blueberries and i was almost as excited to see them as i was her. well, not quite. marissa was around for almost two weeks and it was a lovely visit. i actually took no vacation time, but made her adjust to my work schedule. thank Godde for friends who can speak spanish and are chill enough to hang out in whatever circumstances, and actually help out with work! :) for a whole week we were in mampuján, translating for the editor and media guy of MCC's A Common Place, while they did articles on Mampuján for the upcoming October issue. check it out and you'll get a glimpse into a wonderful community, a place that i visit often, a people that have stolen my heart.
marissa did get to see zambrano a few days, at least, and helped my cheer up my life with a little splash of paint on some of my walls. rumors in zambrano were actually saying that this new gringa in town was a painter come in to paint my house. HA. the laughs were great. and my house is full of color, now, bringing lots of joy to my days there.
the day marissa left, my parents arrived. the beauty of it was i didn't have to feel sad to see marissa leave. :) really, if it weren't for that, i would have been sad, because untrue to what my grandma says, that guests are like fish: they get old after three days, my guest and more importantly, my friend marissa, was NOT old, not even after 13 days. thank Godde for friends.
mom and dad were here for two weeks. the first 5 days we were alone and had a wonderful short week cooking together, sharing stories, and meeting my life here. it was like taking a deep breath to have them here and have them finally meet all the people i know and love here.
after those days of just hanging out and chilling with my parents, a group from church arrived as well (after a few long and complicated flights, and for ten days we did a learning tour with mcc. you'd have to speak to the other participants to know hear about their experience personally, but it was a really incredible week. we started on the coast, spent two days in zambrano, and a day in mampuján before we headed out to cartagena for a non-complicated (finally) flight to bogota, where we stayed another 5 days, getting to know mcc's work in and around the big city. for the group, the experience was challenging and brought new undersatndings and ideas, left footprints on minds and hearts, and i hope/believe inspired a reflection on what it means to be followers of Jesus in a world torn with injustice and violence.
i spent an extra week in bogota, mostlly in meetings and visits, organizing details for REseed as i'm calling it. :) its exciting to get into looking at applications and placements, although i feel it pulling me away from work on the coast, which is frustrating as it already seems like too little time left to get done all that we have hoped for.
after a month of visitors and travelling, i was exceptionally satisfied to return to my little house. its been raining a lot and hasn't even been that hot in zambrano lately, which has been awesome. :) tomorrow i head out again to choco for our last seed reunion/traning before we END in november. UNBELIEVABLE. i'm very excited to finally see choco and hang out with alejo and leady/check out what they're doing ther,e although i really hate to be leaving right now. sembrandopaz got grant money to begin the project in zambrano, so FINALLY we are starting and i'm swamped with stuff to do. but..i do not complain. i'm so excited about the project and am determined to work my tail off for 4 months so that there is a secure foundation left when i take off in december.
i'm loving you all and missing you lots. it was really hard to be in colombia on august 7 and not be present for the marriage of two close friends, kelly and peter, and a celebration that was had with friends from childhood through college years. my thoughts were with them and i send them my love from here far away. can't wait to see you all in FOUR MONTHS!!!!!! much love.
and, to the pictures...
(i actually have a whole bunch of pictures i was going to upload, but they won´t upload right now, so i´ll work on that in a few days.)
eating breakfast in my house...
visiting sembrandopaz offices
at the market in sincelejo
first night´s stay: doda´s house (another seeder) in sincelejo
yay! arriving at the aiport. mom and i are in all the pictures becuase dad took the pictures. i´ll post more when i get back to zambrano with my computer. love to all..
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