Tonight I got to ride a bike. It's my day off, and J is up at the farm while I'm in the city. It hasn't been a very restful day, because I've been running errands and keeping appointments all over the city, but it's still nice to have time to do something different.
At my church there was a presentation by the group who went to Asuncion, Paraguay for the World Mennonite Conference. Many of them went by bus from Bogota to Asuncion, and a bit further, to Buenos Aires. Check out a map to see the distance covered -- it's impressive! I really enjoyed seeing their pictures and hearing a bit about the trip and the conference, especially when they showed photos from Peru, where I've been. I also (knowingly) made the bad decision to drink a little cup of coffee, so I hope I can still get to sleep early!
So, I'm going to this mennonite church, which doesn't mean amish or anything like that. It means that they're supporters of equality in the church, between gender, age, education, wealth; that they're against violence; and in the case of this congregation at least, that they're very involved in social justice and community work. Mennonites are Anabaptists, which I recently learned comes from the time of the reformation, when they "re-baptised" each other (having been baptised as children the first time).
I like the church. It is smallish, has a family feel, has things I can help with (if and when I have time), is involved in the community and cares deeply for social justice in Colombia and globally. In fact, often in the past I've felt more on the pushing-edge in this regard, but this congregation challenges and pushes me more: in other words, I have room to grow in my part of "ushering in the Kingdom of God", and this church can help me in that growth.
But I wish I could fit into a category of some sort. I grew up Baptist, went to a non-denominational church for a while, then a Presbyterian church, and now a Mennonite church. There are things I like about all of the churches I've been a part of, and things I've questioned as well. It would be a lot easier to be able to say that I am 100% on board with everything; in other words, to fit in. (Or what seems to me to be fitting in.)
I know that it doesn't really matter and that, in fact, I don't LIKE labels that completely identify a person, but I sometimes feel like I have a big secret in not being mennonite, or in not knowing my stance on non-violence.
Anyways, those are just some thoughts, but the ride home on a bike borrowed from a friend was nice.

Things are going really well at the farm, even though it's still hard to get up so early on days we have to come down to the city with the ministry bus, and it's cold, and the hot water heater is broken in Kiwi House (where we are currently).

country living

J. and I are up at the farm for the month, living in Kiwi house while Bibiana is in Venezuela on vacation. It's really nice to be out in the country and the last two days have been really pretty and we've enjoyed having a yard and other kids to play with. Today we walked down to the highway to catch the bus into the city and go to church. It was a long day, but for me it was worth it to see some friends and get into the city for a few hours.
Now the little ones in the house are asleep (finally, after all of them decided to cry and scream for about a half hour) and we older girls are about to play cards, while eating popcorn and candy from the States (that Jessica brought back) and watching a movie. Good times :)
The only thing about being up here is that we'll have to get up really really early on the week days to get ready and go down to the city... ugh. Anyways, tomorrow we don't have to so we'll enjoy another peaceful day here, hopefully!

An update from the situation a week ago:
Things are better.
I had a couple of rough evenings, but Monday I got to go to the area meeting for those of us in 24-hour care, and that was really good to be around other people who have made similar mistakes and with whom we can share struggles and hear advice and experiences and encouragement.
Also, God has been good in reminding me that he loves me, he loves J., and miracle of miracles, he wants to use us to work in each others' lives.
I also had to repent of the fact that I'd been complaining a lot lately, so this week has been happier since I'm trying to lighten up on griping to God. :)

Yesterday I got to be a nerd (how fun!) because a lady from church who teaches French and is about to start teaching Spanish invited me to a talk at a local university. It was about methodology and ideas for teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (what I did in Greensboro for a year and a half). It was fun to be at a university again and listening to something that interests me. I've had a few different people ask me for English classes, and I'm probably going to start giving a group class once a week, so the speaker's ideas were helpful.

Okay, I'm going to go run a couple of errands and then have my Spanish lesson for the week (to see how good or bad I did my homework, hehehe)
Blessings to my readers, the world over.