Fun in Colombia

By: Jaci

Age: 13

2:30 a.m. comes fast! Before we knew it we were bound for Miami and deliriously happy! We ended up getting to the Air Port 4 hours early, oops. We boarded the plane, everyone but dad not knowing what to expect and in my case kinda freaking out! It was a long day, we landed in the Air Port of Cartegena, Colombia but unfortunately didn’t get to leave the plane and see the sight. Within the hour we were back in the air, bound for Pereira! We landed in a small un-air-conditioned airport about 1 hour’s drive from the children’s home. Within 30 minutes we collected our luggage and some of the directors’ friends were there to pick us up. The driving was CRAZY! I would have thought I would have been afraid but I had complete peace! Me and Kayla sat, looking out the window, fascinated by how different it was from North America. We kept pinching each other to make sure we weren’t dreaming! The winding mountain roads seemed endless until we finally arrived at the Embraced by Jesus compound. One of the teenage boys helped unload our luggage and we were greeted with the directors’ smiling faces and a GIANT meal! When we arrived I was a little freaked out; it was pouring rain and the compound was really dark! I thought, “I just need some sleep.” I was right! 

I woke up at 4:00 a.m. to much commotion.  Kayla and I were eager to meet the kids and explore. We hurriedly got ready and zoomed out of our room (which we shared with 12 other girls from the home!) The place was AWESOME! We met some of the kids during breakfast, but most of them left for school by 6:00 a.m., except for some of the teens that went to school on Friday and Saturday. The compound was beautiful and soooo mountainous! Everything was uneven. I was so tired but happy. We went to Dad’s and Galen’s cabin to pray the first day and Dad told us that a YWAM team from New Castle, Australia, was going to arrive that morning. Well, the YWAM team was awesome. They were so nice and fun and cool. 

One night, we went to a women’s meeting where Kayla did a dance. Another night, we went to a youth meeting that was amazing and the whole church was just great! We also taught the kids a drama. It was so fun and later they performed it at an outreach. 

I would take up a zillion pages if I wrote down every awesome thing that happened on the trip but I had to keep it short. I loved how easy-to-make-friends-with the kids were. I loved the food. The place was beautiful. My relationship with God grew to a new level and my view on things has definitely changed for the better. I can’t wait till God brings me back!