Election Day

Please keep Colombia in your prayers today. It is election day. It is not a year for presidential elections, but many other key leaders. The buildup to this day has been intense. The US Embassy reports that several candidates have been assassinated. There are many very passionate people determined to get their candidates elected. So please say a prayer today that the right people will be put into office and that the people will accept those decisions.
~Tona

Yay For Doctors!

You know, most times when we've had to deal with medical care our friends in the States have asked us if we're worried about going to the doctor here in Colombia. Yesterday I realized I would rather have a doctor in Colombia! Why? We've been to several doctors for varying reasons and every doctor I have met has given me his business card. Yeah, no big deal, I know...except each one of them has also given me a home phone number, a cell phone, a pager number, etc. Talking to one doctor yesterday he looked me in the eyes and said, "My number is on there so that you can call me anytime if you ever have any concerns or questions. If for some reason I don't return your call within 20 minutes - call me again!" I thought about our past weekend when I was desperately trying to get some Stateside advice about Alex's condition. Don't get me wrong, we adore our pediatrician in the States, but when I called I got patched through to a nurse's voicemail and she eventually called me back, but left a message, etc. It is impossible to actually speak to the doctor - the one who knows the patient best. I was frustrated that I could get textbook answers and suppositions, but I couldn't actually talk to the one that knew what kinds of things he had before and his medical tendencies. So I just wanted to give props to Colombian doctors for being accessible to their patients! By the way, after frustration with trying to get a hold of our pediatrician I picked up the phone and called a doctor here who was immediatly available to give me answers on a Saturday from his home!
~Tona

He Has What??? - UPDATED OCT. 22nd

Just last week Alex and Maggie were taking a government mandated one week fall break. Monday was a holiday, so Tuesday they were back in classes after a nice long rest. Today, just two short days later, I got a call from the school. Alex has German Measles. He has had all of his immunizations, but apparently just like the chicken pox vaccine (yes, he's also had chicken pox), you can still contract the disease. He's the sixth case in the school. So he gets another long break. He's not allowed back into school until October 29th. Please be in prayer for Alex to be comfortable and heal quickly and also for protection over the family and other students that this sickness will not continue spreading.

UPDATE: Over the weekend Maggie developed a couple of spots and we thought she had it, too. We went to the doctor this morning and fortunately Maggie got the all clear - for now. Apparently there is no name for this sickness because it has symptoms of German Measles as well as Chicken Pox. The doctor says this is some sort of hybrid or morphed version of one or both of those. It's all very strange and several more kids have been sent home today along with a few teachers. One mom has also been reported to have it. Please continue prayers. The good news is that other than the spots everyone seems to be feeling fine, but this is knocking several people out of school and definitely needs to be contained.
~Tona

Maggie is 10!

I can't believe my little girl is 10 years old! Time has gone by so fast - cliche, I know, but it's so true! I watched a little girl of about three years old playing yesterday who looked so much like Maggie, wondering how she grew up so fast because it seems like just yesterday she was that small. I thank God for the amazing girl he has given us. She is truly a blessing!
~Tona

Armenia

I took my first cross-country solo trip. I have to admit, I was extremely nervous before going. I love adventure, but I was feeling very worried about flying by myself to a city I had never been to and where I knew no one. However, as he always does, God took amazing care of me.

I flew to the LACC school in Armenia. The pastor and his wife were so kind. They picked me up at the airport and we got straight to work taking pictures of all of the kids in the schools and signing new kids up for the program. The children, of course, were sweet and fun! I loved taking time during their recess to just relax with them and get to know them a little bit. They always want to hear English and learn a couple of new words!

The day took a turn for the interesting, for lack of a better word, when a funeral took place in the afternoon. Fortunately it was closed casket, but during the funeral it began to downpour outside. Suddenly it began to downpour INSIDE! Water was pouring in all through the church. While this man's poor family was there mourning and pastor was trying to keep things going, people were trying to move the casket to a dry space, others were rushing the stage to salvage the musical instruments and the rest were just trying to find a seat where they wouldn't get wet. It was a very surreal experience.

Outside of that craziness I saw many incredible things - snow-capped mountains, a huge rainbow over rugged mountains, how beautiful this country is to fly over with ever-changing slopes and elevations.

I made it home safe and sound, exhausted from a productive day and so happy that my worries were all exchanged for memories of beautiful people in a beatiful part of this country.
~Tona

Fourth Anniversary

On Sunday we celebrated with La Gran Comisión their fourth anniversary of the children's church. Corey and I were honored to teach during the services. In a city of such poverty, violence and destruction it is amazing to see these children come Sunday after Sunday hungry for God's word. I've said this before, but the group of children's workers in this church is incredible, so dedicated to loving this children and changing a generation.

We taught on the faith of a mustard seed. It was Corey's first time teaching fully in Spanish! We got Alex and Maggie in on it, too, so it was a full family day of ministry. During the second service there was a wonderful move of God. Kids came forward to pray for their families and circumstances and full of passion they poured out their hearts to God.

I believe God has so much more in store for this church. They have only begun to see how they are impacting this community. Please keep them in your prayers as they begin a fifth year of reaching out to the children of Patio Bonito.
~Tona

Happy 4th of July!!

I completely forgot to blog this before, but as I was getting pictures off of my camera I found these and thought I'd share about our Fourth of July that we celebrated the first week of September! Huh? Yeah, that's what I thought, too, when we got the call to get tickets to go to the US Embassy for a 4th of July party. Apparently every year they host a fun bash for all American passport holding people in Colombia. It felt like going to the local neighborhood days because between Bible Study and the kid's school we know several American families. We paid for a ticket, but once you got in there was food from every American restaurant in Colombia - McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, KFC, TGIF, Hard Rock Cafe, etc. Corey worked hard at making sure he showed respect to every restaurant! You can see from the pictures there were fun things for the kids. Even Alex attempted the rock wall with his broken arm. One of the highlights was the Marine color guard and the American national anthem. There was something very refreshing about seeing and hearing something so patriotic. Another great part of the festivities was the prizes! Tons of prizes were given away. Maggie won a t-shirt. One of the other missionary families won some local artwork. Caitlyn, another missionary, won a great prize - a roundtrip ticket to the States. They gave away tons of prizes from tickets, to iPods, mugs, baskets of treats, etc. It ended up raining and that kind of shut things down, but the short time we were there was very much an "American experience." Happy Belated 4th of July!
~Tona