Salad Bar
The rainy season is coming to an end and so is the eighth month of my time here. I can't believe how fast time has passed, and while there is much time left, I am starting to feel more of the rush to get things moving. This update will be a Golden Corral styled salad bar of updates, thoughts and observations (however, it's not all you can eat and there’s no band-aid in the casserole). So without waiting any longer let's get going.
A New Idea
I just wrote a long blog earlier this week that explained our new idea and progress on the orphanage, but it was conveniently erased by this blog site. Anyways, the new idea which has taken root is that instead of raising money to buy a house, which is costly due to rising land value, in addition to raising money for the church's third and fourth floor, we are combining the two projects. The idea came up in a conversation with my dad several weeks back and after further review it seemed like a very practical solution. The house we were considering to buy for the orphanage has jumped $10,000 in the past 4 months due to some new laws being passed in Bogotá. So, pastor Libni and I asked the state welfare department (the people who will assign kids to our orphanage and approve our project) if we could use the fourth floor for the orphanage. They said it would be unlikely that they would approve the girls sleeping there, but liked the idea otherwise. So here is the plan:
The church has been working on a building plan for almost a year now due to space shortage. The only classrooms/offices that we have (excluding the pastor's office, which is used for everything) are located in the kitchen, bathroom, and closet, all of which serve dual purposes or have been converted into work space. For instance, the upstairs office is a bathroom and while going to the bathroom and getting work done simultaneously is an efficient use of your time (I think that’s just a guy thing), the urinals sort of detract from the ambiance during prayer. The seminary and the children's and youth ministries badly need classroom space. Thus the standing idea is that the third floor will be used for classroom space and for a couple of offices. The neat thing is that I will be able to use the classroom space for my English classes, which currently are bringing in $400 a month, money that goes toward the orphanage.
The fourth floor, however, will be used as the main living area for the girls in the orphanage where they can return after school to take classes, do homework, attend counseling sessions, eat dinner, and hang out. We would use the income from the English classes to rent a floor of a house behind the church where the girls would sleep and eat breakfast. However, the majority of their time would be spent in the church. Not only is this $150,000 we don’t have to raise, but it’s a better way to integrate these girls into the church community. This said, we just received a generous $20,000 from Northgate, a church in NY, which will immensely help our building progress.
Latino Quirks
On a different note, I’ve been making some funny and interesting observations about Latinos. Three weeks ago I organized an obstacle course for the youth group and though there were several successes it turned out to be a good learning experience for me. I learned that if there are more than 3 or 4 instructions to an activity, they would quickly get antsy and bored while listening. Long instructions or anything that might take some strategy and explanation turned out to be a failure. I was sitting there confused by why they weren’t getting it when someone proposed the idea of tag and the whole room erupted in joy. People from 15 to 26 years old were running around like it was recess time back in elementary school. A week later I was hanging out with the youth leaders and proposed the idea of playing cards--specifically hearts--but then remembered the lesson I learned earlier and was eventually out-voted by Uno. We played that for the following hour and a half--with never a dull moment.
This is what I’ve learned: Latinos can be serious people but at the chance to play a game, they revert back to 3rd graders and love simple old-fashioned games. Another example is that practically every business (from car manufacturers to grocery stores) has a small soccer field or court set up for their employees. Unlike U.S. workers who generally go out to eat or pack a bag lunch and talk during their lunch break, Latinos grab the soccer ball and spend their break playing soccer. It’s like corporate recess. I look out my window during lunchtime and I always see all the nearby construction workers out playing in their boots and overalls. Screams and laughter are heard from the nearby mini soccer court as the workers (generally tough, macho guys) play as if they were little kids laughing and rolling on the ground. I was really moved; so much so that I almost ran out the door to get a ‘butts-up’ or a four-square game going, but I decided against it, realizing that ‘black magic’, ‘holdies’, and ‘cherry bombs’ might be hard concepts to translate…..maybe another time.
In other news, the Colombian senate voted yes 65 to 43 by way of a ‘heads-up-seven-up’ count for ratifying new labor laws.
Community
I have had several visitors these past two months and each one has been impressed with the quality of people that surround me. I don’t think I can say enough how thankful I am for the community I have, and I realize more now than ever that strong Christian community is priceless. Often in the U.S. we elevate independence and individualism as if it were a fruit of the spirit, or an honorable value. While I believe autonomy and being independent is good, it has it's place and it's limitations. We were created to be social beings and I can’t think of any better way to be in community than with others who share love for Christ and in turn love their neighbors. I have been blessed by my community here and I wish I could share it with all of you.
Well that’s the end of my random thoughts. I am currently working on several projects that deal with fundraising and orphanage development…..but I am never to busy to read your emails, so write me back. Take care and enjoy a game of freeze tag.
Jacob
A New Idea
I just wrote a long blog earlier this week that explained our new idea and progress on the orphanage, but it was conveniently erased by this blog site. Anyways, the new idea which has taken root is that instead of raising money to buy a house, which is costly due to rising land value, in addition to raising money for the church's third and fourth floor, we are combining the two projects. The idea came up in a conversation with my dad several weeks back and after further review it seemed like a very practical solution. The house we were considering to buy for the orphanage has jumped $10,000 in the past 4 months due to some new laws being passed in Bogotá. So, pastor Libni and I asked the state welfare department (the people who will assign kids to our orphanage and approve our project) if we could use the fourth floor for the orphanage. They said it would be unlikely that they would approve the girls sleeping there, but liked the idea otherwise. So here is the plan:
The church has been working on a building plan for almost a year now due to space shortage. The only classrooms/offices that we have (excluding the pastor's office, which is used for everything) are located in the kitchen, bathroom, and closet, all of which serve dual purposes or have been converted into work space. For instance, the upstairs office is a bathroom and while going to the bathroom and getting work done simultaneously is an efficient use of your time (I think that’s just a guy thing), the urinals sort of detract from the ambiance during prayer. The seminary and the children's and youth ministries badly need classroom space. Thus the standing idea is that the third floor will be used for classroom space and for a couple of offices. The neat thing is that I will be able to use the classroom space for my English classes, which currently are bringing in $400 a month, money that goes toward the orphanage.
The fourth floor, however, will be used as the main living area for the girls in the orphanage where they can return after school to take classes, do homework, attend counseling sessions, eat dinner, and hang out. We would use the income from the English classes to rent a floor of a house behind the church where the girls would sleep and eat breakfast. However, the majority of their time would be spent in the church. Not only is this $150,000 we don’t have to raise, but it’s a better way to integrate these girls into the church community. This said, we just received a generous $20,000 from Northgate, a church in NY, which will immensely help our building progress.
Latino Quirks
On a different note, I’ve been making some funny and interesting observations about Latinos. Three weeks ago I organized an obstacle course for the youth group and though there were several successes it turned out to be a good learning experience for me. I learned that if there are more than 3 or 4 instructions to an activity, they would quickly get antsy and bored while listening. Long instructions or anything that might take some strategy and explanation turned out to be a failure. I was sitting there confused by why they weren’t getting it when someone proposed the idea of tag and the whole room erupted in joy. People from 15 to 26 years old were running around like it was recess time back in elementary school. A week later I was hanging out with the youth leaders and proposed the idea of playing cards--specifically hearts--but then remembered the lesson I learned earlier and was eventually out-voted by Uno. We played that for the following hour and a half--with never a dull moment.
This is what I’ve learned: Latinos can be serious people but at the chance to play a game, they revert back to 3rd graders and love simple old-fashioned games. Another example is that practically every business (from car manufacturers to grocery stores) has a small soccer field or court set up for their employees. Unlike U.S. workers who generally go out to eat or pack a bag lunch and talk during their lunch break, Latinos grab the soccer ball and spend their break playing soccer. It’s like corporate recess. I look out my window during lunchtime and I always see all the nearby construction workers out playing in their boots and overalls. Screams and laughter are heard from the nearby mini soccer court as the workers (generally tough, macho guys) play as if they were little kids laughing and rolling on the ground. I was really moved; so much so that I almost ran out the door to get a ‘butts-up’ or a four-square game going, but I decided against it, realizing that ‘black magic’, ‘holdies’, and ‘cherry bombs’ might be hard concepts to translate…..maybe another time.
In other news, the Colombian senate voted yes 65 to 43 by way of a ‘heads-up-seven-up’ count for ratifying new labor laws.
Community
I have had several visitors these past two months and each one has been impressed with the quality of people that surround me. I don’t think I can say enough how thankful I am for the community I have, and I realize more now than ever that strong Christian community is priceless. Often in the U.S. we elevate independence and individualism as if it were a fruit of the spirit, or an honorable value. While I believe autonomy and being independent is good, it has it's place and it's limitations. We were created to be social beings and I can’t think of any better way to be in community than with others who share love for Christ and in turn love their neighbors. I have been blessed by my community here and I wish I could share it with all of you.
Well that’s the end of my random thoughts. I am currently working on several projects that deal with fundraising and orphanage development…..but I am never to busy to read your emails, so write me back. Take care and enjoy a game of freeze tag.
Jacob
posted by Jacob Grady | 9:44 AM
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