Colombia

Not to sure really how to start this blog… I don’t know if I start with the good news first or the bad news first… I guess since I always like to end on a good note, let’s start with the bad news. I did e-mail some of you to pray, so this is now old news to you but I guess I can update you on the situation.   One of my girls, I think I referred to her as Esperanza in other blogs.   But she is the one whose mom has always been really sick and in and out of hospital, for what seems like forever.   Esperanza is the one who has wanted to drop out of school in the past and start working just incase her mom passed away she would be able to support herself.   Well September 18 her mom did pass away from a heart attack.   My immediate concern was that she would drop out of school with only a couple months left and where would she live as it was just her and her mom, and of course for her heart.   I offered her to come and stay with me for a few d...

Only 39 more days till the last Camp Gozo of the year.   It’s CRAZY how fast this year has flown by and I know, with my growing list of things to do before camp, that those 39 days will be here before I know it. I did want to share however a little bit about what I do with my time when I am not eating, sleeping breathing camp (which I love to do by the way.) Well some (most) of you know that for the past almost four years (again crazy how fast time flies) I have been disciplining teen girls.   This has challenged me and grown me and pushed me so far beyond what I thought possible.   It has been incredibly hard at times, there have been many times that I have been ready to pack up and move back to Canada, not wanting to face another day.   It has been also heart breaking, better said, heart wrenching and also so incredibly filled with joy, laughter and amazing memories.   Through different circumstances (this is where the heart wrenching ...

So it has taken me awhile to write for a few reasons.  At first it was mostly because how was I ever going to sum up five camps.  How was I going to condense all the memories, all the laughter and everything God had done in the lives of these kids.  And then it was because I was feeling a little discouraged.  Thursday night a couple of guys on a motorbike popped the hood of my truck and stole three parts, right out of the hood.  And right then and there it was like my joy was stolen.  And when I got to thinking if of it more, that is just what the enemy wants to do is steal our joy.  And he has been at it from even before camps started.  With lost and stolen cell phones and the discouragement of truck shopping (until we found one).  During the camp with broken and shattered bathroom sinks during a game of mission impossible (still not to sure how that happened), to having to get my overheated truck towed back to Bogota and th...

So buying a truck in Colombia is just a little bit stressful, when I say a little bit I mean loosing sleep, crying a little bit stressful.  You have to be so careful because people change the kilometers so they are lower then they actually are, people like to cheat you.  When we went to look at trucks I wasn’t allowed to talk so people didn’t hear my accent.  Just little things like that.  Oh and transferring the money from Canada to here was also a little stressful, which involved tears and me telling the manager at the bank that it was unacceptable to not have a working scanner.  And all the little steps that are involved to get the truck in your name and I was a little worried that they were going to take my money and run.  Once you find a truck that you’re a little bit interested in you have to take it to a mechanic just to make sure it’s in good shape.  I am however thankful for a good and honest mechanic (his name is Jorge for fu...

Just thought I would give you all a quick update as camp is coming closer (just over a month now) and I also realized that dates have changed as well. We have a place rented, the buses are booked, we have all the speakers and other then a couple male staff, we are all ready to go.   However there may be one little kink.   The teachers here were on strike for two weeks and have just gone back to work, because of this there is talk of talking away the kids vacation in June and July, which just happens to be camp time.   They are talking of a couple way of making up for lost time, and this is just one of the ideas and nothing is certain yet so please be praying that this wouldn’t happen.   I think the most miraculous part of this whole ordeal is that I am not freaking out.   This comes as quiet a shock to me and I know that if this happened last year, I would have had a minor heart attack.   But I am completely calm and trust in my Father ...

So if I am being honest I am a little frustrated.   Camp is coming upon us and we still don’t have a place to have it.   The place we have used in the past we can’t use this year (because of what happened at the boys camp and kind of being cheated of food and not getting what we were promised or what we paid for), this unfortunately is quiet common.   Also the other places we looked at, normally just have one big room, three bunk beds high where you shove everyone into one room. This really takes away from the relationship part of the camp, which is huge and such an important part of Camp Gozo.   Building relationships in cabins is something that I place such a huge emphasis on and I am scared having all 30 kids in one room, will take away from that aspect.   I also really want to encourage the kids to make new friendships (that is why friends are split up) and this will be more difficult with everyone in one room.   Also some places don’t ...

When it’s been so long between blogs I always struggle with what to say, or what to share.   Sometimes it feels like so much has happened that I don’t even know where to start and sometime if feels like nothing has happened at all… I guess I will start with the boys camp that we had in November, which was forever ago I know, but I obviously procrastinated and haven’t shared how it went and when I was in Canada over Christmas a lot of you asked me about it. Well it was an adventure.   We only had about 12 boys, which  was a nice small group.   I was really tired and worn out by the time November rolled around, so it was perfect and a more relaxed camp, well for the most part…. I went ahead with three other staff, well that was the plan anyways, but the car we were in kept over heating and we kept having to pull over and wait on the side of the road for it to cool down.   So we got there a few hours after everyone else arrived.   I was ...