Vision

Not Exactly a Building Project

It was the winter of my senior year in college when I first heard about coming to Colombia. The idea of starting an orphanage excited me and I envisioned myself raising money for a house, playing with the kids, and being like a big brother to the children in the orphanage. After the first month of being in Colombia I realized there was a lot (understatement) that needs to happen before the fun of playing with kids is an option. I wasn't completely ignorant of the hard work it would take before I came; however, I think I came in with a short term mission mentality (the same mentality that one might have as they go to build a house in Tijuana, Mexico). It's not necessarily a bad mindset, and if your goal is to construct a building in a week, it’s the right mentality to have. However, starting an orphanage is hardly a building project or even a soup kitchen. What hit me first was the amount of money that one needs to start and operate an orphanage. The first couple months were sort of depressing when I would look at the excel spreadsheet of costs. I felt like a little kid again, shaking my piggy bank to guess how much was inside. However, this time it’s not the cap gun I had my eye on, its more like the brand new Porsche 911 with insurance and licensing that I would need to pay for. Shake, shake....yeah just a little shy of $100,000.

The other thing that hit me was the responsibility I was taking on. It wasn't like I was showing up and putting on a vacation bible school, playing soccer with some kids and then taking a lot of pictures of them. I am involved in building an institution, a home where kids will come and live, expecting and needing food, love, and care. In January, when Henry Bedford showed up with his friend Phil, I started to get a taste of the influence this ministry could have. Being a 23 year old, I don’t have a tendency to think 15 or 20 years into the future, in fact it’s really hard to think that far ahead. However, Henry has had experience with things similar to this and was able to project what the orphanage could be in 15 years and how it will go beyond just providing food and shelter. Thus began the thought process of what this might be some day and how it would impact lives.

Future, Near and Far

During the past few days God has really been showing me the extent of the orphanage through the process of developing a website. In a short while, we will have a website that will be linked to the church’s website, that will describe in detail the process a child will go through, starting in the drop off center and then in the orphanage. Half way through a meeting with Aida and Elsa (the child psychologist who is helping lead this) I was amazed an the enormity of the project. However, unlike previous feelings of being overwhelmed, I was amazed at the potential of the ripple effect this will have on generations to come. When I told Aida that it was difficult for me to think 20 years down the road, she replied "Jacob, this isn't some little two year project that we are doing, we are answering Christ's call to be light to those who don't know him, and just a little candle won't work". She said it as only Aida could, passionate and with clear resolve in her voice. She went on to say that the Church around the world is used to doing one or two year projects. However, to make a real difference we need to establish projects that don’t have end dates, ministries that don’t stop but are passed down to following generations, sustained by nationals, supported by volunteers and businessmen alike, and driven by Christ's love for those in need.

Like I said earlier, we have been working on a website where people can directly find out everything that’s happening with the orphanage (in English and Spanish). This site will hopefully link more people to our orphanage, giving them an idea of the great need there is here, as well as providing them an opportunity to get involved (by donating and volunteering). Other than that, two weeks ago a house came on the market that is just 2 houses down from the church. The house needs a little bit of work done to it, but on the whole, would serve our needs more than the other house we were interested in. It’s also $25,000 less than the other house (for $115,000) and bigger. The owner is selling it so cheap because he just wants to get his money and get out, so there are several interested people in the house. We have some funds but are still waiting and praying that God would lead some serious donors to help us buy this house. As for the drop off center, we just received our corrected application from Bienstar (the social arm of the gov't) and with a few modifications we should have our license to open the drop off center in 15-20 days. Please be praying for a good spot we could rent for the drop off center.

Thanks for reading this and taking time out of your day to learn about how God is working around the world. It’s easy to discount this as just another program that has needs in a world full of needs, but there are plenty of money and resources to meet these needs, especially when well applied. I pray that each one of you reads this and is moved to act in any way to simplify your life so that you might be able to help share and greatly impact another life. I am always ready to help and hear how you are doing, so please contact me at grady.jacob@gmail.com .

Jacob

Semana Santa

Dearest family and friends I have neglected to write for close to a month now. Life has been busy at times and slow at other times. I have been waiting for several things to happen before writing but there is always something to wait for. So here is a short up date on life and what is happening with the orphanage. As always this blog is a salad bar of thoughts and events so pull up a chair and enjoy.

Waiting

If there were several words that would epitomize Latin America, "waiting" would be one. Whether it’s for an appointment, a line at the market, or in our case the government, waiting is a way of life like drinking coffee in the morning. Governments generally aren't known for their efficiency and even less so in Latin America. We have to apply to Bienstar (the social work arm of the gov't) for a license to open up our drop off center (phase one of our orphanage project). There is a long list of qualifications that one has to meet and when one finally does meet them, it could mean 3 weeks to a month before the Government even gets back to you to say that you have everything in line for them to start to process. Once the process of authorization has begun who knows how long it will take. The best possible outcome is that we call in a month to find that it’s been authorized and they just forgot to tell us. The worst is we don’t have everything exactly right and they take the application fee and reject us. In case of rejection, we will tweak the problem and then re-apply. In any case, we are waiting to hear from the government and could use prayer for a good and quick response.

My Role

Just as the orphanage project has changed and been modified to meet the needs here, so my role in working with the project has changed as well. Like I explained in the previous blog about the orphanage, I have moved out of policy making for the orphanage and focused on connecting people who have the heart and means to help our project. Elsa, the child physiologist, has just finished the technical and theoretical plan of how we will conduct our social work and has turned it into the government. Pastor Libni has been working with a Lawyer to get our plan polished for the government, as well as working with the other legal paperwork that goes along with starting such a project (including formalizing the paperwork of our foundation).I also have begun to focus more on starting businesses that would be used to support the orphanage. There are days that I look at the cost it takes to maintain an orphanage and I am overwhelmed by the need. However, I find comfort in learning about others who have raised much more than we need for causes far less worthy than investing in a child's life. I find strength in the fact that Christ showed special interest in the children of his time and that God cares for not only his creation but especially for his young children.

Surface Repair and Hot Chocolate

I am working on two business ideas right now. The first one is a surface repair business that is actually a working business in Spokane, Washington. "Detailed Difference" is the name of the company and the owners, some family friends, have had great success with it in Spokane and are looking to franchise the business in other parts of the US. It has been quite a blessing because we both have the same vision and passion for business and missions. The idea is that we would open a franchise in Bogotá (8 million pop.) and use the business as a means to employ several people in the church as well as help cover operational costs of the orphanage. The repair business can repair practically any surface damage on any surface (wood, marble, carpet, tile...etc). My friend Aida, and I have been doing research with what hotel's repair needs are in Bogotá, as well as finding out what we need to do to open a franchise in Colombia. This is a slow process, but we both believe it will prove to be a great resource for helping operational costs of the orphanage.

The second business idea we have been looking into for the past month is exporting a traditional hot chocolate, which is commonly drank in the countryside of Colombia. Hot chocolate is a very common drink here, and whoever started that tradition, may God bless their soul a hundred times over (it is sooo delicious). We aren't talking about that swissmiss junk. The typical hot chocolate we drink here comes in bars of raw chocolate (mixed with sugar and some preservatives, but not many). However, the hot chocolate that we are interested in is quite different. Chucula, is what it is called, and it is completely all natural with no preservatives. It is made by grinding and mixing toasted corn, wheat, a few types of nuts, cinnamon, cloves and cacao (raw chocolate beans). The end product is in powdered form and when added to boiling water and milk (optional) and some sugar, the drink has a semi-sweet chocolaty taste with a slight taste of roasted grain. Not only does it taste great (and it really does), but the nutritional value of one cup is far greater than any slim fast shake or power bar. We are investigating what it takes to export and import a food product to the US as well as getting connected to a cacao dealer down here. Despite the newness and huge amount we have yet to learn with this new idea, I am really excited about this product and believe it could be very successful in Whole Food styled stores. If you are familiar or know someone who is familiar with importing food rules for the US, please contact me at grady.jacob@gmail.com . If you have any input about any of these ideas, or just want to offer another idea please contact me and I will be sure to get back to you.

Semana Santa Salad

Well its Holy Week here which means several things: a race to consume large amounts of alcohol before Thursday, millions of plastic figurines of Jesus on the cross, shocking displays of penitence and lots of family time. Colombia, being a dominantly Catholic country, really goes all out for Holy Week, maybe even more than Christmas. Shrines of Mary and Jesus on the cross are sold by hordes of venders in downtown Bogotá. People pack their local bars and dance in their houses and streets enjoying their vacation time before they have to start fasting from meat and thinking about penitence, starting this upcoming Thursday. Speaking of penitence, there is a famous cathedral (Monserrate) that sits on top of the mountain range that overlooks the east side of Bogotá city. This cathedral has a long rocky and steep stair path that leads up to it. During Holy Week thousands of people will walk up these rocky stairs and fight through the gauntlet of shrine vendors to go to mass. Some of these people will climb the rugged steep one mile trail on their knees and some will carry a cross or heavy weight to pay their penitence for their sins. All I can say is "thank you God for grace". If I go, I will probably take the grace gondola to get to the top. I don’t know what the family plans are for me, but many people go to the parks and spend time playing with their families.Well, a very blessed Passover and Easter to you all. I hope you enjoy time with friends and family over this holiday and that you take some time to reflect on its meaning and its call on your life. My prayer is that you all would be filled with joy and moved to act in love because of God's grace.

Jacob