Life in Abundance: God's love through people

My last 9 days in Colombia were filled with family, family, and more family - Nathaly's family.  After returning on a Sunday night from the mission trip we boarded another bus to Chinnauta to attend her family reunion of the Quimbayos (her dad's side of the family).   Some say they originate from the tribe of the Quimbayas because of their last name, but Nathaly doesn't support the theory.  I had a good time getting to know all of her aunts, uncles, and cousins during the swim races (nothing like a little competition to bring out the best in everybody : ).  I was pulled out of the pool by her grandpa to answer a string of questions he had for me; I think I did alright because he offered to share his ice cream with me later on : ).  We also played tejo which is a very old game created by indigenous people from Colombia; the object of the game is to toss weighted disks at a slanted mud platform so that they stick and  earn points.  There are four arrows in a circle in the center of the board and if you hit the arrows they explode and it sounds like a gunshot.  The game is a bit messy because of the mud and it is noisy when the flechas explode as well as intense when the older men play as they are that tricky combination of fanatics and experts who do not want novices bumbling around: thus I did my best not to bumble.  To be honest I never figured out the scoring system, but I managed to stay out of the way of the experts/fanatics and I even scored some points (but I'm not sure how many).
On the ride home from the reunion, Nathaly and I rode with her uncle, aunt, ex-uncle, and two cousins.  Her cousin Jon is the most well versed person in Colombia's gastronomy that I have met; he kept asking me if I had tried different foods and when I replied in the negative he proceeded to chastise Nathaly for being a poor tour guide -- this went on for the better part of two hours as we were stuck in a traffic jam.  This robust discussion about Colombian delicacies inspired Nathaly's uncle to stop at El Vaca que Llora (the Crying Cow foodstand) to have me try the best arroz con leche, arrepas con queso (never mind that Nathaly's mother had already made these for me), and rellenos.  I asked Jon what was in the rellenos and he was evasive (never a good sign). I figured I can try just about everything once so I ate two out of the four.  After eating the first one Jon told me they were made out of rice and cow's blood - blah.

This was not my only opportunity to hang out with this side of Nathaly's family as I went along with her and her cousins the following weekend to plan the next family reunion and then I celebrated her aunt's graduation with them.  In fact I spent enough time with them to hear many of the ins and outs of their different family issues during the reunion and the family meetings.  It was a blessing to share time with this family and to see Nathaly's love for them; especially her cousins.  It is rare to be included so freely into a family so quickly and I really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know these lovely people, as well as the opportunity to see another side of Nathaly as she interacted with them. 
Not only did I meet most of the relatives on her dad's side, but also those on her mom's side who live nearby.   One family lives above Nathaly's parents and her uncle German's family lives a few blocks away.  German is quite a character, he exacts great pleasure out of teasing people and hanging around long enough to have lunch twice (he claims he only eats again at Nathaly's so as not to be impolite).  He also is a taxi driver who freely disperses his vast knowledge of Bogota and Colombia to anyone who will listen, and to those who do not. He and his sister Chia brought me to the airport for my flight to Bolivia and they walked  with me all the way through check in and to my terminal and they searched the airport cafes for tea to treat me to a snack before I left.  Tía Chia also had a dinner for me before I left and German is now promising to pick me up from the airport when I return to Bogota with a banner, a band, and a native costume -- we'll see if he produces ; ).
Among other events, Nathaly's cousin Paola gave Nathaly, Nathaly's sister Carolina, and I a tour of the historical part of Bogota, La Candelaria, complete with additional typical foods to try and a panoramic view of the city from the top of the tallest building in Bogota.  Tío Rodrigo and Nathaly's cousins Daniel, Alexandra, and Paola took me to climb the "mountain" (which is actually a dead volcano) Monserate outside of town, which was delightful. 
Beyond her extended family, I got to spend time with Nathaly's immediate family, her sister Carolina, brother Ericson, and her parents.   Her parents graciously let me stay with them at their house in Bogota. Carolina is loyal to her family and sweet, we had fun going to the gym and trying out the rumba classes.  Nathaly's brother, Ericson, is doing his internship for his medical studies in another town, but I got to see him a couple  of days and hear about his views on  Colombian politics, philosophy, and religion.   A highlight for the Quimbayo family during my stay was their soccer team (Santa Fe Independiente) winning the championship for the first time in 36 (?) years.  I was lucky enough to see a part of this historic event as we all went to the semifinal game.  I love Latin American soccer games!

The other family I saw during these two weeks in Colombia was my cousin Brian's spouse Elizabeth's, brother Alvaro and his family. That might be hard to follow, but in latino culture he is my family and therefore he picked me up one night to have dinner with his wife and two daughters at their home.  Alvaro and his wife Carole are both lawyers working for a French company in Colombia (she is French) so it was really interesting hearing about their international  work with all of its politics and intricacies.  Extended family is great!

One of my prayers before I left the US to embark on this sabbatical time was to be loved by God through others and to love God by loving others. I can definitively say that I have experienced God's love through those I have encountered along the way: Lisanne, So Raya, Andrea, Sister Muriel, Alex, Vivi, Nathaly, her family, Samuel, the waiter who gave me his cellphone to use last night, the Zabalas and Browns, and many others.  Even as I am writing this I was interrupted.a few minutes ago by an eccentric older man who had been watching me for 20 minutes as I typed and who was marveling over my many facial expressions.  He proceeded to give me a rundown of his credentials (PhD, vice president  of something, he followed an oil company for 10 years and brought them down for lying to the FCC, etc.)  He confirmed these facts by whipping out a newspaper article on himself that he keeps in a manila folder (always on hand?) -"two page spread, very generous of the newspaper." He asked me if I was Dutch and when I said I was American he said I looked European, specifically Scandinavian.  I admitted to having a Scandinavian background and with a triumphant look he exclaimed, "you're from Minnesota!"  (Minnesota is know for its Scandinavian heritage he explained).  He then proceeded to  critique my itinerary for Bolivia and insisted on dictating a list of books for me to read. He was disappointed to hear I liked theology, but was then consoled to find I was not strictly aligned with a particular denomination, because he too is judeo-christian interdenominational (although an atheist.)  He was glad to hear I had firm beliefs about faith, but he was sure that living in Cambodia with monks would cure me of my belief in absolute truth.  He preferred my smile to the serious look on my face when I explained why I believed in absolute truth, it frightened him, but he was happy to hear I was a serious person.  In all his travels working in 25 different countries and uncovering fraud he was a self proclaimed paranoid person and he does not let people get too close to him -- he is also sure my friends consider me  to be an eccentric person due to my expressive face and unique interests and intensity (what do you think friends, am I eccentric?).  Finally he was disappointed to learn I  wouldn't abort my travel plans for his suggested route, but he finds me very interesting and is convinced I will be successful, he only requests that I remember him in an acceptance speech in the future.  Thank you God for making people like Ramiro Paz who make life more interesting!

Well I have experienced God's love through others, I am not certain how I am doing at loving God by allowing God to love others through me.  I don't think I have done well.at this in the last month as I have had a hard time finding a rhythm to the days and haven't felt totally like myself. It is good to know Jesus' grace covers me in all attitudes at all times.  As I read Romans 6 last night and one of my favorite psalms, Psalm 16, I was reminded again that it is for freedom that Christ set me free and I am free to choose those things that are good, righteous, and just.  It may sound odd, but sometimes I need to be reminded that Jesus has paid the price of his life and has risen again to life in order that I may be free to choose to do the things that bring me life.  As I think of the lovely people God has surrounded me with at home and abroad and as I see the goodness of God as Christ faithfully walks with them I am filled with life - the abundant life Jesus talked about.  So let me take a moment to thank God for the little one my friends Ryan and Rosalita will have this Christmas season - congratulations you two!