Hello everyone !
Here am I again with some news of my journey ! I'm writing you from a bus, we are on our way to Peru ! We are driving from Bogota to Chiclayo, a trip of more or less 50 hour !
We left Colombia after 40 days in the country, one of our longest stay ! But luckily we were not just in the same ministry place every time... We stayed a bit in Bogota, then Cartagena, Santa Marta and Fusagasuga ! Let me resume each stay separately :
Bogota and Cartagena :
We arrived on the 20th of July in Bogota. There, we had more or less a week of holiday, some South African and Canadian parent came for a week with us, we had a really good time ! We travelled with them from Bogota to Cartagena (more or less 1000km) to give them and idea of how we live and organize ourself on the trip. Then, once in Cartagena we stayed in a backpackers where we had some evening planned were we shared our experiences, and the parent shared as well. It help us to gain some outside perspective on what we are doing, realizing how much we've all grew and changed ! It gave us a glimpse of what is waiting for us when we'll all go back to our homes ! I can already tell you something: I've change so much ! But all in a very good way, realizing that just by myself I can do nothing and I'm trusting more and more in our Lord and Savior for everything in my life !
Santa Marta :
When the parents left, our leader announce us an exciting new ! They were going to give us 150 000 Colombian Peso (50 US$) pro person. With this money, we had to travel from Cartagena to Santa Marta with a small group of 2-3 person and then meet again with the team 7 days later. It was such a good time of adventure ! I decided to go with 2 other guys, we prayed and thought that we could trust God that we will not have to spend any money on traveling... We started to hitchhike then, and we had the opportunity to go on the back of a truck, with a spanish tourist for more than 100km, and then it was night so we just slept with our tents on a beach ! The next morning, around 1 o clock and after a few other lifts, we arrived in Santa Marta... Even there, God was still so good to us ! We stayed in a backpackers with 25% discount ! It was just what we needed to be able to pass the 5 day left and wait for the rest of the team, everything in the limit of our budget !
Then, when we met again with the rest of the team, we stayed with Jon and his family, they are american missionary in Colombia. With them, we visited a university campus, did a drama there and then shared some testimony with the student... We also gave some english lessons to high-school student, very interesting experiences !
Fusagasuga :
Our last stay in Colombia was in one of the school of an organization called new tribes mission. They have around 20 student that receive theological teaching, as well as "mission teaching" (how to learn a tribes language, share the gospel in an understandable way for the tribes people, etc...).
We had one of our most practical week with them: We joined the maintenance team of the base and we helped in different projects: digging tranches, painting walls, wood-work, welding work... I was responsible for the production of 148 noise reducing frames ! Basically it was a wooden frame with a square of foam in between, everything covert by a black sheet of material... They are going to hang them on the wall of a sport-hall to attenuate the echo in it... It sound really easy, but when you have to cut every piece of wood, and manage 2 to 3 people for the assembling of it, it become a bit more tricky ! It was basically the job for the all week... But I enjoyed to use my skills again !
Our next stop will be in Peru, we stay in the country for the all month of september, and on the 28th, we will have the privilege to go to Maccu Piccu !!
Thank you to pray for us for safety in travel, for strength and endurance for the 10 last weeks of the trip and for us to be sensitive to what God wants us to share in every place were we go !
Thank you for your support,
Nicolas