Bogotá is a beautiful city in the mountains of Colombia, just a little bit north of the center of the country. Because of the high elevation (8661 feet above sea level), the climate is very mild - cloudy and in the 60's all year long. Stefan described the city as quite similar to a big city in the United States, but without the tall skyscrapers. They have some buildings that are several stories tall, but nothing like the Chicago skyline.
As the capital city, it is the center for business and wealth in the country. Compared to the rest of the country, it is quite prosperous. But they are certainly not used to the extravagance and luxuries we have here in the United States. According to one article I read, unless you are an expert in your field, it is very hard to earn more than $1000 a month in Bogotá. That means a vast majority of people in even the most prosperous city in the country are living well below what is considered the poverty level in the United States.
Bogotá is subdivided into 20 localities, including Suba, which is located in the northern part of the Capital District and borders the Bogotá River.
The reflection of the sky in the river's waters makes it look clear and inviting, but in reality, the water is brown and extremely polluted - "disgusting," as Stefan put it.
One of the southwestern neighborhoods of Suba is Bilbao, and this is where the team spent the majority of their time serving.
In Bilbao, the poverty is much more pronounced than it is within the city limits. On the left in this photo is a house. On the right, the smaller structure in the front is the community center, and the red brick structure behind it is another house. Notice there are no windows. Stefan said these types of homes are quite typical, and there will most likely be 4-5 families living there. Few homes have indoor plumbing, so the children are very happy for the running water and plumbing in the community center.
Yet, as Stefan expressed so beautifully in a Facebook post, "Even in the most impoverished places, God's majestic creation still exists."
And then there are the children. There are no seasons in Bogotá, so the children go to school year-round. Half of them go in the morning, and the other half in the afternoon. Most of them have parents who have gone into the city to work, so when they're not at school, they're left alone. Our team had an opportunity to work with the two different groups each day. Because they were Americans, the children were instantly enthralled with them. Hopefully that worked to their advantage and made the children more open to the things they were teaching. The Bible lessons centered around the story of Zacchaeus, and Jesus' forgiveness and acceptance of him even though he wasn't well liked by the people in his community. Stefan said they were very receptive.
Colombia is a prime country for the spreading of the Gospel. Catholicism was the official state religion until 1991, when the Colombian Constitution allowed for freedom of worship. 71% of Colombians still consider themselves Catholics, but the number of evangelicals in Colombia is now 17% and rising. Now is the perfect time to teach the next generation who Jesus is, why they need Him as their Savior, and that salvation is a free gift of God's grace, not earned by good works!
They played games with the kids - and, of course, soccer!
And they taught the children some basic English words, including colors and action words. Our team (six students and two youth leaders) worked with a team of young adults from a local church there in Bogotá, so the Colombian team was able to translate for our students who didn't speak Spanish fluently. Stefan was surprised by how well he could understand the children with his limited vocabulary from two years of high school Spanish.
And sometimes it's just a matter of spending time with them and showing them you care about the things they care about. One little girl even brought her puppies one day!
Stefan described the atmosphere in Colombia as being much more "chill" than it is here. He stayed with a wonderful host couple from the church in Bogotá, and we actually had a chance to meet them over Skype before Stefan came home. He said the food was wonderful and the coffee made our coffee seem bland. The climate was perfect, and because of the elevation there were no mosquitoes (no Zika virus)! One thing that took some getting used to was the road system - apparently other than stoplights, road rules are just "suggestions" there, and it's like big city traffic but with the cars much closer together.
As for what God taught him... it began the evening he arrived, when he walked into the home of his host couple and met them for the first time. They had only been married for a month and didn't even have all their rooms furnished, and yet they were opening their home to a stranger from America. When he commented on it, their response was, "This is God's house." Stefan said it reminded him of the verse we have on our wall: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." It made quite an impression on him.
Another thing God impressed upon his heart was the fact that, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all family, even though we live in different countries. He formed lifelong friendships with the people he served with, both from Trinity and from the church in Bogotá, as well as his host couple. He said, "It's amazing how close you can get in such a short time period."
I have a feeling this won't be his only trip there.
