Friends and family,

I just want to thank you for keeping up with us this last week while in Bogotá and for your prayers.  They were felt!  At the start of the week, the group was reminded that we were there to serve and not to be served, and they took this message and lived it out.  Although they were tired and the work was sometimes hard in a variety of ways, this group rose to the occasion and did not complain once.  Here are a few ways in which they served and blessed others in our group and in the ministries we visited:

Sophie Thompson- Sophie is incredibly creative and used this gift to serve others and God this week. She designed our team tee shirts for the trip and came up fun crafts that the children loved.

Brooke Wadsworth- Brooke is an incredible servant.  If she hears of a need, she is there to help without a second thought.  From helping to make last-minute purchases for the trip to helping cook for our guests, she is always there with a smile on her face.  She has a special way of knowing and remembering the children with whom she interacts, and loves others well.

Shannon Baden- What a heart Shannon has for connecting with people from other cultures.  Each morning, she would bring our bus driver something to eat and leave a note for him if he wasn't there.  She is eager to use her Spanish to relate to and love the people of Colombia.

Kaitie McCollum- Having lived in Bogotá for five years, Kaitie was invaluable to our mission.  She easily led the others in service and maintained an upbeat attitude even when it was hard.  Kaitie helped us prepare our hearts for the most difficult ministries, and she truly sets an example for others as a godly young woman.

Rachel Solsman- Rachel continually led the children in music excitement and a smile on her face.  Her love of music was contagious, and the children with whom we worked responded to her with joy.

Stephanie Druid- Stephanie was a steady friend to all on our team.  Her sweet and gentle nature was a blessing to the children we served, and we will miss the hugs she greeted us with each morning.  Stephanie's trust in God is to be admired.

Melissa McCollum- The child whisperer.  Melissa has a great gift of dealing with children, especially some of the more "enthusiastic" children.  Her knowledge of Bogotá combined with her passion and ease in connecting with children made her an invaluable part of our team.

Jeremy Solsman- No task (or suitcase) too large for Jeremy.  Lugging large suitcases back and forth to ministries and up and down narrow staircases is no small feat, and Jeremy was ready and willing to help always.  He was a huge blessing to our team and the children with whom we worked responded always to his warm smile and peaceful nature.

Samuel Woody- As the youngest on the team this year and the least familiar with Spanish, Samuel bravely reached out to the children we served and the older kids on the team.  He even picked up some key phrases, and when he couldn't remember the words he needed, he would amusingly say the words in English with a Spanish accent.

Cal Anderson- Cal probably moved the most of anyone on the team as he was constantly running with children.  Perhaps most impressively, while visiting Bogotá's Gold museum, he saw one of the children with his hand on the fire alarm and sprinted across a large room, swooping up the would-be  "alarmist" just in the nick of time.

Michael Dix- It was as if the children would just come to Michael.  They were fascinated by his 6'4 stature and his gentle nature.  One favorite moment of the trip was in the special needs orphanage we visited.  Michael was holding a baby who was so disfigured, it was hard to look at him.  With a smile on his face, Michael gazed at the baby and said, "He is so beautiful".  Seeing a child through the eyes of God. Incredible.

Taylor Thiessen- Taylor loves children and has an easy way with them.  He literally carried a small girl for what must have been hours as we roamed a mountain top, picnicked in a nearby park and visited two museums.  He loves the Lord and is truly a joy to serve with.

Sarah Nissly- Seeing needs and attending to them is Sarah's wonderful gift to our ministry.  She was a quiet servant who never once complained, and I am so thankful for her steady faithfulness throughout the week.  An incredible young lady.

Pat & Ken Kuehne- What an amazing couple.  Pat and Ken naturally loved each child with whom they interacted with God's love.  With her encouraging words and hugs, Pat can brighten your day in an instant.  Ken was like our father for the week with his easy laugh, his protection over the group and his willingness to help wherever needed.  The Kuehne's set such an amazing example for each of us, and love unconditionally.  We are so very thankful for them.

Finally, I would like to thank our Lord and savior Jesus Christ for allowing us this incredible opportunity to serve in His name.  His presence and protection were felt at every moment.

Thank you again for your support and prayers.  Until the next trip- ¡Que el señor les bendiga!

-Chelsea Woody

Today was our last day of the trip, but I believe that it was one of the most impactful for everyone on the team.  Due to a very busy week, we all were very tired at the beginning of the day, but no one let that affect the way they acted today.

We started out the day at a special needs orphanage that was founded by a woman who still at the foundation with her adopted, blind daughter. During our time at the orphanage we visited three different rooms with all different age groups of children with different disabilities.  In the first room we were able to interact with children that had mental and developmental disabilities.  This room impacted all of us deeply due to the severity of the disabilities and even brought some of us to tears.  In the second room we were able to look at babies, but due to the lack of sanitation we were only able to look at them through glass.  Although we were unable to interact with them, this room impacted us due to how young and helpless the babies seemed.  As we were leaving this room, Sophie commented that the babies were very peaceful.  This comment really impacted me by reminding me that although they may have been suffering from disabilities, they were being very well cared for in this facility. In the third room, there were children of many ages and with a variety of disabilities and I believe that this room had the greatest impact on everyone in the group.  During the entirety of the time we were in this room I felt the Lord continually reminding me that all of these children were created in His image and were absolutely perfect in His sight. This ended up being my greatest take-away from the orphanage: the children were created in the image of God and because of this they deserve to be loved despite their disabilities.

We continued the day at a children's ministry called La Buena Semilla (The Good Seed).  This ministry is located in a very poor neighborhood but is respected and protected by the members of the neighborhood due to the impact it has on their children. Due to the lack of discipline, these children are usually quite difficult to work with, as we experienced on last year's trip, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that the children were a lot more well-behaved than last year.  I was also delighted to see a few kids who were also there last year.  One boy in particular was the most misbehaved last year but it was amazing to see that this boy was very respectful this year.  This drastic change in character says a lot about the impact the ministry has on the children and the neighborhood.

After doing sessions with two groups of kids at La Buena Semilla, we went to La Plaza Bolivar and to a market to finish off our pesos.  To end our day, we went to Tramonti, a very nice restaurant, for dinner.  While at dinner we were all able to share our personal reflections of the trip and share thanks to all of those who have helped us during the course of our trip.  This time resulted in many joyful tears shed and a lot of beautiful encouragements given, which I think was an amazing way to end a great week. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time this past week, whether I was engaging with the Colombian people or getting to know my team better. As a result of this trip, I am coming home with new and stronger relationships and amazing life experiences that I wouldn't trade for the world.

- Brooke Wadsworth

     June 24

                  Today our team went to a special needs orphanage.  We met and comforted children and others who were into their 20s and even older.  The people there had a large variety of disabilities.  When we first walked into one of the rooms,  I was a bit shocked at how drastic some of the disabilities were.  We had the amazing opportunity of talking to some of these people, and just comforting others.  I realized when I saw these children and older people that I sometimes forget about the lives that disabled people live.  Most of these people are stuck 24/7 at that care center, constantly needing medical attention.  I realized how important it is to minister to those people.  They are not able to constantly interact with others.  Most of them are able to do very little outside of their home at the care center.  Going back to the U.S., I have a better heart for the disabled.  Now I strive to seek them out more and care for them.

     The second ministry that we went to was called Buena Semilla, or "The Good Seed".  It was in a poor neighborhood highly influenced by gangs.  It is a place for kids to go when they are not in school.  They can go there when there parents cannot watch over them or when they need a meal.  This place allows kids to do things like PE and Art, and most importantly the kids learn about God and His Word.  The goal of this ministry is to spread God's Word through the surrounding neighborhood, and to help the kids be in Jesus and live godly lives, even though they have grown up with evil surrounding them.  Some of the kids have seen one of their parents get killed by gangs.  Others have seen their parents kill people.  Many of the kids have parents that are alcoholics and drug-addicts.  When I went to this ministry, I was amazed that God's Word was shining right in the middle of a dark place of violence and gangs.  God can work in awesome ways, right in the middle of  darkness.  There were many awesome people at this ministry who are bringing God to these kids who live in corrupted situations.  It was awesome to see that these kids respond to God's Word at this ministry.  Even though they live in a bad area, this place gives them hope.

-Cal Anderson

Tuesday, June 23

     Today was yet another beautiful day in Bogota, where you always have a full view of the mountains and sky, no matter where you stand(trust me, it never gets old). We had a later start this morning, with breakfast at 7:30, which was fine by me. We have the most amazing chef cooking for us here in the guest house(honestly, thank God for her and her culinary skills. Don't worry, parents, we're not starving down here!). This morning, she came in with her daughter and granddaughter, which was pretty cool. But I digress.

     So, today, the missions group served at La Fundacion la Luz del Mundo, a ministry in a nearby neighborhood. To be completely honest with you, I wasn't exactly ecstatic to be working with a group of kids yet again (I know, I know, shame on me). The previous day hadn't been...how do I say it... easy.

     You probably have already read about yesterday from the other bloggers, so I'll just quickly share my experience(it contributes to the message, I promise).Yesterday, we each were responsible for a single child of a ministry called Hogar de Paz. We visited several tourist sites with these kids, and as much as it was my first time seeing some of the sights Bogota had to offer, it was the majority of the Hogar de Paz kids' first time as well. Keeping this- as well as the fact that many of these kids don't have good, healthy examples in the home- in the front of my mind was probably one of the only things that kept me sane that day, and for good reason, too. I spent the day chasing this kid around a mountain, a garden, and a museum, as well as stopping him from launching himself down flights of stairs, looping my finger through his backpack strap so that he wouldn't roll down a mountain, pulling him from the edges of rooftops, and pulling him down from high places (please know that this wasn't fun for me, as I'm 5'3) after he performed an amazing feat of parkour with some of the other ministry kids(think, "My friend is offering me a boost with his hands in jumping up to this ledge where I most definitely should not be... I'm gonna do it, just because"). "Breathe," I kept telling myself as I'm sprinting after this child. "Breathe". Alas, at the very end of the day, when we had to say goodbye, Señora Woody encouraged my kid to give me a hug and say goodbye. At first, he kind of gave me a half hug and then sprinted off to look at something, but then he returned to give me a real hug. With his head. (Think battering ram splintering wooden doors). All jokes aside, we embraced(after he found the use of his arms) and said goodbye, looking at me with those George Clooney eyes(thanks, Señora Woody, for that reference). It was in this moment that the solid walls of my pride came crashing down, and I realized that all of this wasn't for my sake, but for his. The team was sent here, by God Himself, to serve, and not be served. To care, and not be cared for(though we most definitely are cared for, quite well). (Okay, that may have been a longer "summary" than originally planned, but I really think it needed to be heard, or at least the last few sentences.)

     Anyways, at the ministry today, I led a craft group with Sarah Nissly, in which we constructed sheep out of marshmallows and pretzels. As I mentioned before, I was less that mentally prepared to deal with another group of kids. But, boy, was I surprised. The kids that came through our group were absolutely amazing. To add to that, I was introduced by Señora Woody to a girl who shared my name. "Me gusta su nombre" ("I like your name"), I said with a smile, and the hug she gave me nearly brought tears to my eyes(not exactly sure why, but it was pretty great). As we went through the day, my overall mood got better and better. When one group was leaving our section in rotation, a little girl told me goodbye, and she held my hand, only letting go when her little arm could no longer stretch so that her hand met mine (again, waterworks). Also, one little boy asked to take a picture with me, with me(honestly, that had only been desired from other people like Michael or Taylor, but never me). As you all probably guessed, I was pretty darn exited to take one picture with one kid. I didn't cry that time, which was weird. My smile in that picture was probably overdone, but it was genuine. Believe that.

     For me, today was the absolute best day of this missions trip thus far(for obvious reasons, at least to me). I'm thankful to God for allowing me to serve in Colombia with these wonderful people, and I can't wait to see what the next few days have in store.

Much Love,
Stephanie Druid

p.s.: The picture is of my kid, the professional sprinter, at one of the tourist sites. He's okay, I promise. He's only posing.


   

   

Thursday, June 23 -- La Fundacion la Luz del Mundo

    Today was one of our more relaxed days. Breakfast was at 7:30, so of course we all woke up at 7:27. We left the guest house at 8:15 for "La Fundacion la Luz del Mundo" (The Light of the World Foundation). At the ministry, we divided around 50 kids into 6 groups, and rotated them through 6 stations (music, story, crafts, games, etc.). All of the stations had activities centered around the parable of the lost sheep. At this point in the week, after 3 days and countless hours spent with kids. I was less then excited to spend another 3 hours with more kids. I was exhausted after spending the whole day yesterday chasing a five year old who loved piggy-back rides around 3 tourist attractions, and who apparently got car-sick easily. But I was wrong, these kids were wonderful. It may be hard to believe, but they were obedient, attentive, and excited about the activities.
    I was the leader of one of the craft stations, where we made sheep out of marshmallows and pretzels.  When Sra. Woody first suggested that we change the Oreo, frosting, chocolate, and mini marshmallow craft to a jumbo marshmallow and some pretzels sticks, I was a little skeptical. I looked at the example picture (you can google it), and the first word that popped into my head wasn't "sheep" it was "creepy." But inexpensive and easy always trumps cute, and as alway's, Sra. Woody was right. The kids loved those creepy pretzel-headed sheep. They kept "accidentally" breaking the pretzel legs and heads, and then they would look at me and say "esta roto" (it's broken), and I would just smile and hand them another pretzel. I saw all kinds of sheep, we had double-headed, 5-legged, sideways, and I saw some kid just break all his pretzels and stick them into the marshmallow wherever he wanted. After they ate their "sheep," we had coloring pages to take up the remaining time before the rotation. The coloring pages we had for this lesson were sheep themed, but none of the kids took those ones, they all wanted the American themed coloring pages left over from our D.C. day at El Camino Academy. I really didn't understand how coloring the White House or Capitol building was more interesting then coloring shepherds and their sheep (who don't necessarily have to be white).
    I was really surprised at the level of maturity and kindness in these kids. They always shared without a thought. One time a little girl asked me if she could have another marshmallow, and I had to say no because I didn't know if their would be enough for the remaining groups. But the little boy next to her just handed over his half-chewed marshmallow, which was adorable but also kinda gross, and returned to coloring. Also, if they didn't want their pretzels they would always ask if anybody else wanted them before throwing them away. I got a whole new perspective on kids, and had a great time. I loved that we got the opportunity to love on these kids, and teach them more about God's word.

--Sarah Nissly

Today was another great day in Bogotá, though Colombia is currently behind 2-0 at the half of the Copa América semifinal game.  It has been so much fun for me to be back "home" at least for a week.  One of the things that I have missed the most about Colombia is service.  At El Camino Academy (ECA), the school that I used to go to here, there is a huge emphasis on service.  Each grade at the school has their own ministry for the school year that they work with throughout the year, building relationships with the people at that ministry.  That is why today was so special to me. Today, instead of spending an hour or two with the children at the ministries and then leaving probably never to see them again, we were able to build real relationships with the children from Hogar de Paz in Lijaca.  Spending the whole day riding the bus for hours and touring downtown Bogotá with the kids allowed us to spend a lot of time with them and really get to know them on a much deeper level.

I actually got to get to know two different kids today.  The first kid's name was Heiden, a feisty and energetic boy who wanted to run everywhere and have me spin him around.  While it was exhausting chasing a 7-year-old at 10,500 feet above sea level for an hour and a half, he was actually a very sweet kid who loved playing with slinkies in the shops at the top of the mountain.  It was also very cool because as we were walking up from the tram on the mountain, we passed the stations of the cross that are along the path to the top.  I asked if he knew the story of Jesus' crucifixion and he said no, so as we passed each of the stations I was able to share the gospel with him.  Later on in the day, Cal and I switched partners to give both of us a break, so I spent the rest of the day with a girl named Jessica.  We had a blast eating lunch, doing piggyback rides, and running through the garden at Simón Bolivar's house.  It was so much fun getting to spend time with her, but it made it extremely hard to say goodbye, especially because she came back 10 different times saying that this was the last hug and that we could leave now.

Getting to build relationships with these kids really reminded me of the importance of investing in service and ministry.  While short-term mission trips are good, I was really challenged to invest in a ministry long-term when I get home, just like we used to at ECA because investing in relationships is one of the most powerful ways to share God's love with someone.

- Kaitlyn McCollum

I'm writing this on my phone while on the bus, in traffic, on the way back from doing some shopping. There's a decent amount of traffic here everyday which seems like a bad thing at first, but, we've had some seriously fun games of Mafia, Contact and Ghost (you'll probably get an explanation of those at the end of the week). At the market we were just shopping at, I got some weird stretchy pants, this super awesome belt, and some magnets for my brothers. Things like that aren't super expensive here which has been really fun so far. 

Today we did some touristy things with the kids of Hogar de Paz- one of the ministries we worked with yesterday- like visiting Monserrat, the house of Simon Bolivar, and a gold museum. At the beginning of the day, we each picked a random kid from the ministry and it was our job to look out for them throughout the day. The little boy I was with was named Juan Camilo. On the bus ride he barely spoke and ended up falling asleep in my lap before we even got to the first site. I thought, "wow this is gonna be really easy", and "he's so peaceful and calm". I was so wrong. I think I ran like 7 miles today trying to keep up with this kid, whether he was running to get somewhere or just running to run from me. My patience was really tested. There were points when I got frustrated and wanted to either yell at him or just give him to Michael- because just about every kid here is in love with him. But every time I caught up to him, he would walk up to me, grab my hand and start walking again and it was impossible to be mad at him at all. 

At the end of the day when the kids were leaving, there weren't tears, but it was definitely a little sad. Taylor- who really bonded with the little girl he was with- said, "Wow this is what it must feel like to send a kid off to college." Even though that's probably not accurate at all, we can all agree that we had seriously grown to love these kids in the short time we were with them. 

I was not too optimistic when today started and by the end of it, it felt like I was sending a kid I met less than 24 hours ago off to college (sort of). God never ceases to amaze me in the ways he works through people, whether it's a high schooler on a missions trip or an 8 year old running around a mountain. I've grown closer to everyone from AACS on this trip so far and everyone we've met here and I can't wait to see what the next three days have in store :) 

-Sophie Thompson

The past few days I have been overjoyed watching the interactions between the AACS community and the people here in Colombia. The guys on the trip have been a complete blessing to me the way they interact with and show love to the children. It brings a smile to my face every time the McCollum sisters see an old friend here in Colombia and light up. The way that the Kuehnes do not speak fluent Spanish but still portray the hands and feet of Jesus by their actions towards others. I felt overjoyed watching all this happen around me, but I did not yet feel like a part of it. I knew it would happen, and last night I was encouraged by Brooke and Mrs. Woody telling me that "God works in mysterious ways" and "He gives you a great moment when you least expect it." I knew this was true so I was not disheartened even though I had not yet had my "moment".

Today started out with breakfast and celebrating Melissa's quincenera (her 15th birthday). We sang happy birthday, we had a card, two "Happy Birthday" banners, confetti poppers, and a pink button with ribbon that said "Birthday Girl" on it. It was a fun morning for all and it was awesome to share this experience with the others on the trip.

Soon after, we loaded onto the bus and headed to Hogar de Paz, a ministry that works with young children (mostly elementary school kids). Once there, we had rotations that had to do with the parable of the lost sheep. We told them the lesson, made a craft, a snack, had games. I was having a pretty good time. Afterwards, we had lots of time to kill so we took the kids across the street to the playground and hung out with them there. This is when I had the "moment" I had been looking for.

Earlier, while we were doing the rotations, I had a girl in my group named Laura. She was 11 years old and super sweet. I liked her immediately because she obeyed the rules and did what she was told. What's not to love about that, right? But once we went to the playground her and I bonded. We all stayed at the playground for over an hour and during that time Laura and I jumped rope, had sack races, played on the jungle gym, talked about life, took selfies, and I even taught her some English. It meant so much to me to be with her and talk with her. Even though I was the one teaching her English, I feel like she helped me to improve my Spanish. Obviously I did not understand every single word she said, but I understood a lot. And even when I didn't, the smile on her face would say it all. She was having a great time - and so was I! It was truly fantastic to have the Spirit moving that quick. Less than 24 hours before, I was slightly disheartened because I had not had my "moment," and just like that He gave it to me.

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. So the AACS kids went back into Hogar de Paz and had lunch. Laura had not yet been picked up, but a few minutes into eating she was getting ready to leave so I stood up and gave her a hug. I thought that she had left, but once I sat down, she ran and gave me a kiss on the cheek before heading out the door. That definitely made my day.

After lunch we went to a different Hogar de Paz. From what I understand, "Hogar de Paz" is a common name for ministries here. We did a very similar thing here, which consisted of games, crafts, and a story. However, we only stayed for an hour and a half or so at this ministry.

Once we left the second Hogar de Paz, we travelled to "Catedral de Sal," which translates to "the Salt Cathedral." This place is exactly what it sounds like; it is an underground salt mine that has been carved to be a Cathedral. It has over a dozen crosses cut out of the rocks, each one representing a station of the cross from Catholic tradition. It was somewhat like Lurray Caverns, except salt. Plus, we were allowed to lick the walls if we wanted!

Aside from Catedral de Sal, the final thing to end this lovely Tuesday was to go out to dinner for Melissa's birthday. We went to Crepes and Waffles to celebrate. Here we had great food and team bonding, just getting a chance to relax and talk about the day. Today was truly a great day and tomorrow we get to see the children from the first Hogar de Paz again. I hope to see Laura tomorrow and I can't wait to see what the Lord continues to do with this group of AACS students throughout the week.

~ Shannon Baden

June 20, 2016-- El Camino Academy and Host Dinner

In all honesty I was completely unsure of how this trip would pan out. Whether we would be staying in a stranger's home or if I would get lost in Bogotá, I had no idea. My biggest expectation (and something of a prejudice) was that all of the ministries would be impoverished and dangerous, although what I have seen so far have been a testament to how incredibly blessed I am at home. Regardless, the welcoming environment that I've experienced here has developed a foundation into the way I'll view the world from hence on.

Today was spent at El Camino Academy (ECA), where our group had some familiarity thanks to the McCollum's. Although I never found an issue with interacting with children, I felt today there was a special connection I had with them, which I believe can be accredited to God and prayer. Anyways, there were two specific girls today, Karen and Sharon, who were probably the sweetest Kindergarteners I've met. And the best part was that we didn't even speak the same language, which probably furthered our relationship. 

When I say that these girls were attached at my hips, that's far from a figure of speech. Their excitement in playing House with me and constructively criticizing my Spanish was such an encouraging moment for me and something I think will be a cornerstone in the way I view the rest of this trip. It broke my heart when I saw them crying outside my bus window, waving as we slowly became only a cloud of dust down the road. 

To end the day Taylor and I got to spend an evening with a local family with ECA alumni to have dinner. That was intimidating, especially since I had no idea whether or not I'd be making dinner conversation with someone who's language I hardly knew. I couldn't have been more wrong with that idea. The Gomez family was extremely welcoming and it probably didn't hurt that they were fluent in English either. We learned tons about Colombian culture, especially the emphasis on relationships.

I hope my path will cross with that of Karen and Sharon, or the Gomez's further down the road of this trip, but whether they do or not I speak with no hesitance when I say that today completely changed the way I not only view missions work, but the world itself. Thanks for reading my piece, and your continuous prayers help in magnificent ways.

-- Michael Dix

June 20, 2016 - Monday

We had an early start today, waking up at 6 for breakfast at 6:15. We all rushed to the kitchen, eager to eat the great food and hot chocolate that Berta (an amazing woman that cooks breakfast for us) had prepared for us. Afterwards, we all got everything together and headed out on the bus to ECA (El Camino Academy).

On the bus to ECA, we all played the game "Contact" and laughed our way all the way to the Academy. We were part of an English Immersion Day for the ECA Summer School/Camp, and we taught the kids all about Washington D.C. and Abraham Lincoln. There were about 30 kids there ranging from 1st grade to 8th. There were three separate stations for the kids to go to in rotations, an information session about D.C. and Lincoln, a crafts station where the kids were able to show a little creativity about D.C. and a game station where the kids could have a break from the rest of the stations and blow off a little steam.

For the information session, Shannon put on a tophat and a beard and pretended to be Abraham Lincoln. While being Abe, she educated the kids about the different monuments in Washington D.C. such as the Lincoln Monument, the Washington Monument and many more. Shannon also educated the kids about the presidency of Abraham Lincoln and how he fought for civil rights and equality through things like the Gettysburg Address.

For the crafts station, the kids sketched and cut out bald eagles for their own personal craft. They also made some tasty little cookies in the shape of presidential faces out of vanilla wafers and some icing. The kids had a great time and enjoyed eating their cookies, even though one kid said "Wait... So we have to eat the presidents??" The kids were great in the crafts station and had a lot of fun being creative.

In the game station, kids had a ton of fun playing with each other and trying to get each other out. For the groups of younger kids, we played Four Corners and Heads Up 7-Up. The kids enjoyed Heads Up 7-Up so much that when we asked them if they were bored of the game and if they wanted to play another, they all screamed "No! No! We like this game!" For the older kids, we started off playing Death Hack, which is an American game where kids stand in a circle and juggle a ball (usually a soccer ball) using anything but your hands, and if the ball is hit by two people without hitting the ground, the ball can be caught and thrown at people in the circle to get them out. The older kids loved that game, but after a while, they were getting a little bored so we decided to play Capture the Flag. The kids ran around, screaming with pleasure as they raced to get the flag back to their base without getting tagged by the other team.

We also worshipped with the kids, both before and after the stations. We taught them some different VBS (Vacation Bible School) songs with hand motions and some other songs that were a bit less energetic. The kids loved doing motions with us, especially when we all got up front and started doing the motions where all of them could see us.

After the day was over and the kids left, all of us leaders decided to have a little fun and play the game of "Toss Up." The goal of the game is to roll colored die until you get a hundred, cashing in and stopping when you want to or risking it all for more points. Stephanie got in 1st with 103 points, Sam got in 2nd with 102 points and I got in 3rd with exactly 100 points. After the game was over, we all cleaned up our separate areas, bid everyone goodbye and got on the bus.

We traveled to a location where our host families picked us up and took us to their homes. My group of me, Stephanie and Sarah walked around Colombia, going through the mall and over a bridge in order to get to our host family's home. At the home, we were served a dish of homemade spaghetti and we played "Bibleopoly." The game is basically Monopoly but with a Bible spin on it, the cities all being cities from the Bible. I ended up winning the game just in the nick of time before we left. In the car, Sarah, Stephanie and I had a little jam session and sang our hearts out until we got back to the guest house. All in all, it was a great day with lots of fun for everyone.

--Jeremy Solsman

Sunday, June 19-----Nuevo Nacimiento

After church and lunch on top of a mountain, we had originally planned to go to a ministry called JUCUM la calera.  However, this organization had to cancel last minute and we could not go to help them.  Instead, we felt as if God was guiding us to go to Nuevo Nacimiento, a ministry that helps young, single mothers in Bogotá.

The young women who the ministry helps are from ages 11-18 with children 3 and under.  In the poorer communities in the city, many young women even resort to prostitution in order to survive.  As a result, Nuevo Nacimiento hosts women who are preparing to have a child or already have young children who also do not have the financial means or emotional and mental strength to care for their children on their own.  Nuevo Nacimiento currently hosts about 40 women, and is planning to take on 20 more soon.  The organization gives the young girls support and community when they need help to be mothers.

Although we had not originally planned to actually visit Nuevo Nacimiento, we had brought items to donate to the organization such as baby clothing and diapers.  We had not discussed the organization much, so all I really knew was that the women were roughly our age, and they were not used to respectful treatment from men.  In fact, the leaders even recommended that the boys play with the babies instead of talking to the young mothers.  As a 16-year-old boy, I was particularly apprehensive about visiting Nuevo Nacimiento because of this fact.  When we arrived, I was extremely uncomfortable and I felt very unwelcome to be there.  I felt as if the mothers would not want to talk to a boy or have a boy hold their child.  We had barely been there ten minutes, and I already wanted to leave.

As I awkwardly stood in a corner, unsure how to approach the situation, Mrs. Woody walked up and handed me a two-month-old baby named Lisa.  As a brother of 3 younger sisters, holding young babies was familiar territory for me.  Immediately, all of my nervousness and apprehensive feelings subconsciously vanished.  I did not try to suppress these feelings; they passively left me.  I completely forgot that I was even uncomfortable in the first place.  All I could think about was caring for this child and giving her mother a break to relax.  I held Lisa the entirety of our time at Nuevo Nacimiento.  Also, because I was so focused on the baby, I did not even know who her mother was until she retrieved her child from me when we were preparing to leave.

This experience at Nuevo Nacimiento showed me that when we step out of our comfort zone and put others first, God able to truly work through us.  It was his plan for us to visit these mothers, even if it was not our plan or if it was uncomfortable for us.  When we put our own desires aside, we can then see His plans for us.  When I put Lisa and her mother's needs before my own, I was truly serving.  I hope that shining our lights witnessed to these mothers, showing that they do not have to truly raise their children alone, as God is always with them.

---Taylor Thiessen

Saturday ---- June 18, 2016/Getting Underway to Bogota

"And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.  go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And, behold I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28: 18-20

It's the long awaited day ...... 13 awesome students and three adults .....disciples making disciples and discipling each other on this AWESOME mission trip to Bogota, Colombia!!

Pre-Departure ....
~ EXCITEMENT!
~ Undeasiness
~ Sleepy
~ Suitcases galore
~ Checking and double-checking - does everyone have everything????
~ REASSURANCE  and p[eace from Mr. Solsman's send-of prayer --- we're ready!!!

Departure ...
~ WAITING (patiently) for the school bus (The Cheese) --- it wouldn't start and needed fuel!
~ Bus finally arrived
~ HEAVY suitcases to load through the HIGH back window since only a few would fit in the compartments under the bus.
~ Elena and Juliana (Woody) accompanied by Mrs. Baden ran alongside the bus --- almost beat us out to Burns Crossing Road.
~ Great bus driver (Ms. Marga) worried that we might be late to Dulles.
~ Lunch and snacks (along with delicious and HEALTY muffins from Mrs. Solsman)
~ Smooth sailing until 495 in Virginia ...bumper to bumper due to accident ahead.
~ TWO HOUR bus ride, but arrived safely ....THEN unloading all those suitcases..... ugh!
~ AVIANCA check-in ...long lines.
~ TSA check-in even longer lines ...but, we managed to stay together!
~ Arrived at Gate B48 with 15 minutes to spare ..... time for Chipotle carry-out for some.

Flight ...
~ AVIANCA 247
~ FULL FLIGHT, but we are pretty much all in the same area.
~ Taylor made sure Sam didn't have to sit next to the flight Attendant in the back of the plane.
~ Great flight ..... 5 hours of movies, sleep, eating.
~ Flew over Cuba ..... Jeremy said, "I hope we don't get shot down!"

Arrival ...
~  No problems in Colombian Immigration
~  Long wait for ALL the luggage.
~  ECA rep met us and we were loaded onto one bus and luggage on the other.
~  Arrived at the Guest House around midnight.
~  Settled into rooms and got familiar with all the nuances..... light switches, toilets, water.
~  Lights out around 1 AM .......

We're on our way to proclaim the Gospel and although we won't be baptizing anyone, we TRUST and PRAY that the GLORY and LOVE of OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST will be reflected in (and from) what we do on this mission trip!!!

Greetings AACS Family & Friends!  We have set up this blog so we can keep you all in the loop about God's work through us in Bogotá this next week.  The students have been working hard to prepare for the week ahead, and in just over 24 hours, we will be on our way.  Thanks to each of you who has contributed time and items to our mission, and thank you for praying for us.  We feel the prayers and ask that they would continue!

En servicio al Señor Jesucristo,

AACS Colombia Missions Team 2016