Cards for Mama

We had some more visitors from the States for the first weekend of December. They brought a bunch of presents and decorations from their church to have a big Christmas party.

While Paulina and I were playing in Cali, the children were preparing their gifts for "Mama" Gabriela...

Each child was instructed to create a special card for Gabriela.

Marcos, hard at work.

Emilio & Luis Miguel

Esteban just liked to play with the stickers.

The plan is: The children will give their cards along with a flower to Gabriela, one at a time, at the party. A big THANK YOU to their special Mama!

My Second Trip To Cali

I really did not "play" the whole trip, but Paulina and I couldn't resist a day in Cali with our new friend Leonor.

This sign reads: "No more stars on the road." A star like the one on the sign is painted anywhere an accident occurred along the highway (and in the city too). Basicly it's a shout out for careful driving.

Leonor, Paulina, and I after a morning of shopping at the Chipichapi Mall.

This isn't the best picture, but it was too cool to not show it. If you look very closely, you will see what looks like a cross on top of the mountain (just to the right of the tree). This is a very tall statue of Jesus with His arms outstretched over the city. Unfortunately, we didn't get any closer than this. If you click on the picture, it will enlarge the image.

Since a good chunk of South America is Catholic there is some holiday where they celebrate Mary. There are a lot of vendors who sell "Marys" like the ones shown below, and on that evening, they light a candle and display them in the streets. I believe this was December 5th.

The three of us stopped for some dessert with Marcy, another English-speaking friend. Marcy and her husband Randy MacMillan are founders of the ministry Mission South America and also senior pastors of Iglesia Communidad Cristiana de Fe (Christian Community of Faith Church) in Cali.

There were a lot of Christmas decorations set up all over the city as soon as Thanksgiving was over. The Cali River was full of life-size figures, including Joseph and Mary making there trek on the donkey.

Sugarcane field...

...complete with its own cane truck...

...and field workers.

Apparently this is the "in" part of the city for young people.

A reminder of our great time.

We Have A Hero In Our Midst

This picture was taken to commemorate a very special day for 16-year-old Brayan.


Brayan was getting into some trouble at school and had to stay behind at the home to work, while the other children went to school. That day, a group of young children from a local Catholic school came to El Camino for a day of fun and pool time. As Brayan was doing some painting near the pool, he heard someone yelling for help. He thought the girl was just playing until he actually saw her going under and swallowing water. She had jumped into the pool at a point where it was too deep for her. Without thinking, Brayan scrambled off the ladder, threw off his shirt, and jumped into the pool.

Eugenio, Paulina, Orlando, and I were having a meeting with his principal later that day, and we made sure to make a big deal out of what he did. Brayan had thought nothing of it, but Eugenio wanted him to know that he was a hero.

Ladies & Gentlemen, May I Present to You...

... OUR NEW BAKERY!!!






Here are some more pictures of Orlando and Efrain painting... Colombian style. The roof they are standing on is simply some sheets of metal on top of bamboo rods. Not exactly the safest thing to be standing on, but it sure was funny listening to the two of them sqeeling as they worked!!! :)

Fun Times in the City (Palmira)

Downtown Palmira

One of the many Catholic churches - very pretty!

Playing around in the mall...

I think Orlando makes a beautiful princess! haha!

We took a wonderful horse & buggy ride around the city one evening.


Give me a steak with a side of fried plantain! Oh, and don't forget the rice!!!

We had a little music with our meal too. At first, Orlando sent them away, telling the men that the Americans don't understand Spanish, but we scolded him and told him to bring the men back! :)

Gabriela and Paulina love to get their hair done, so a trip to Sandra's salon is always planned.

One day, Grandma and I went to Sandra's alone, so I had to do all of the translating. I was a little scared when she started cutting and coloring my hair!!!

The end result

My Children...

I wanted to share some pictures of some special moments with the children. Just click on the collage to enlarge the image.

Charlie Brown Christmas

Though the tree looks perfect now because one of the women fixed it, I think the work of the children was much cuter... so I had to share it with all of you!!!

Teamwork is the way to get it done!


Cristian was in charge of the lower half.

Fabian did a great job of keeping the younger kids in control as they tackled this project.

There have to be SOME lights that work!

"All it needs is a little love."

A Glimpse Into the Churches

I thought it was about time I got some more pictures in of the different church services. In order to make the collage of pictures larger, click on the image and it should open in a new box.

Enjoy!



We´ve been to many different churches of various sizes, house meetings included, but the common denominator is the awesome way God touches the lives of the people.


Of course, we have some great times on Sundays with the children. I know the kids really enjoy it when they have special speakers like their American friends.

Consequences...

When one or more are naughty, it sometimes has an affect on the whole group. In this case with the children at the Foundation, the decisions of a few caused punishment for all.

Gabriela is amazing with these children! Imagine being mom to 23 children! Seriously, think about it.

Because the children were naughty, Gabriela had them spend the whole afternoon taking care of their home, the Foundation...

Luis Alfredo, taking out a piece of palm tree.

Big and small, all had a job to do.

Esteban, doing his part.

Ana Maria, scooping up the rotten fruit.

Thanksgiving in Cali

On Thanksgiving Day, the children took off for school as usual, which completely confused me, because I forgot that Thanksgiving Day has nothing to do with South America. The U.S. is the one with the Pilgrim story.

The good news is that my grandparents, Gene and Pauline, are now in Colombia with me, so we were able to celebrate the U.S. holiday together.

We had met a family that lived in Cali, and they all spoke English! The mother, Leonor, grew up in the U.S., so she knew the importance of Thanksgiving and made us a special lunch. She even made mashed potatoes!!! No turkey... that is too expensive here. But we did have a wonderful pumpkin bread.

After our time with the family, we did some sight-seeing around the city. (This was my first time in Cali.)

I am standing on the hillside with Cali, Colombia spread out behind me.

Cali, Colombia

This was the first train to come through Colombia, and it stopped in Cali. Now it is simply a tourist attraction and the train station is a mall.

Christmas in Colombia is celebrated for about 2+ months. The decorations are crazy!

One of the many Catholic cathedrals you find in Colombia.

A man organizing his roses before he hit the streets again to sell them.


Happy Thanksgiving, to everyone back home in the States!!!