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
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