Now doesn't that look tasty!
Puye El Burro and Pass Me a Limonada de Coco
For PEF and Self-Reliance purposes, Colombia is currently divided into two areas, roughly along a north-south axis. Each side has a full-time employee of the Church administering the efforts of self-reliance in the stakes and districts that correspond to each (Edgar Gomez on our side). Cali, Medellin, and Barranquilla (to which we had already booked flights for a quick tour at mission's end) correspond to the “other” area. There is no Self-Reliance couple serving there, but Jorge Cadena, the administrator for that area, has done a fantastic job recruiting local members to volunteer for service missions to the Self-Reliance programs. Unlike our side, where some of the basic infrastructure existed, they basically had to start from scratch.
We had been hearing rumors for several weeks that we might be sent for a week or so before departing in order to hold training sessions with the new service missionaries in the other area. Well, we got the tickets and the plan, and prepared to spend most of the entire week of April 21-27 among the great saints of Medellin and Barranquilla. Our plan was to share what we had learned about the Self-Reliance program and discuss the future of this great effort. Medellin and Barranquilla are both cities of between 2 and 3 million people, but much different in climate, food, and ambiance. Since our itinerary home included a stop in Barranquilla, we thought it a great idea to pack up one of our biggest suitcases with things going home and store it at the chapel where the training would take place. This would enable us to drag one less suitcase from city to city just one week later. The plan was to collect the suitcase before flying to Cartegena, then home to the U.S.A.!
Medellin (Monday-Thursday)
We were up early on the morning of April 21, caught a taxi to the airport, and were landing in Medellin before we knew it, the flight being only an hour or so. Medellin sits in a very deep valley at about 5,000 feet, the climate being mild, like Bogota. It is considered (and we would agree) the most beautiful and modern city in Colombia. The infrastructure is in much better shape than in Bogota. The modern airport is located on a plateau high above the city. Jorge picked us up in his car and it took about an hour to get to our hotel, where we checked into our room and dropped our bags. The views of the city as we cleared the edge of the plateau and began to drop into Medellin proper were fantastic and the depth of the depression in which Medellin sits, as opposed to the surrounding mountains, is startling. In all our travels, I am not sure we have seen anything quite like it. After refreshing ourselves, we headed to one of the local chapels to meet the volunteers/missionaries. Beforehand, we tried to get Brother Cadena to define more specifically what he wanted us to discuss in our sessions, but he left it open for us to discuss what we thought was important. As a result, we prepared various outlines; the idea being to gauge the group and go where the need and the Spirit dictated. I did most of the teaching, while KR added enrichment and worked with individuals when it came to practicing techniques on the phone, etc. We met with two groups of people on Monday afternoon, two more on Tuesday, and one on Wednesday morning. The service missionaries were people of all ages and backgrounds, and had been assigned specific shifts during the week to work in the Self-Reliance Center, hence we did our training in small groups that more or less corresponded to their weekly shift times. I presented a general outline of issues and we had a wonderful time with these sweet and humble members of the Church discussing ways in which they could help the members of their stakes improve their temporal lives using the programs of the Church. We had such a great discussion during the first session, that we more or less followed the same structure the rest of the week. We received a sandwich between sessions and around 7:00 p.m., exhausted, we closed up the chapel and headed to the hotel in pouring rain to get some rest (the weather had changed while we were in the chapel). We were so tired we didn’t even venture from the hotel, having dinner in the on-site restaurant (very nice). The hotel itself was a wonderful, small boutique affair that I would use again anytime. Jorge picked us up and dropped us off at the hotel each morning (we had breakfast there). The weather stayed rainy and overcast for most of our stay, so it was hard to see the much of city. One interesting aspect that was very apparent, however, was the huge number of red-brick, high-rise apartment buildings, much like Bogota.
Pictures that follow: 1,2) Medellin nestled in a mountain basin, 3) Mike in discussion mode, 4) dinner banana chips, 5) Medellin at night, 6,7) the Self-Reliance office in Medellin, 8) KR doing phone training, 9) our Medellin hotel, 10) Mike getting ready for another session, and 11) our hotel dinner.
We spent Wednesday afternoon enjoying lunch with Brother and Sister Cadena before driving around the city a bit. Jorge is my kind of guy and we had a great time. We had a quiet dinner in the hotel then packed our bags for Barranquilla.
Barranquilla (Thursday-Saturday)
We were up early, had breakfast at the hotel, and Jorge was outside waiting for us. The three of us flew from Medellin to Barranquilla together. He frequently travels between the two cities in his work with the stakes and has the routine down. The following picture is KR and Jorge in the Medellin airport.
A car service picked us up at the airport and as we drove into the city we experienced culture shock. Medellin and Barranquilla are definitely different in almost every aspect. It felt like we were back in Honduras. Barranquilla is hot and humid, with a definite Caribbean flavor to its demeanor, food, language, and look. The locals are mad for futbol! Their city team had just won an important match about the time we were driving to our hotel and crowds of people filled the streets yelling, screaming and waving banners and flags. Most of Thursday and all of Friday was spent replaying our Medellin training with a new set of wonderful volunteers. Our Barranquilla hotel, The American Golf Hotel was definitely a step down from the previous night’s stay. We were confused by the name as it was NOT on a golf course. There were pictures of golf courses in the lobby, so maybe that was it. Barranquilla did not strike us as a golfing mecca. The sheets on the bed smelled like mildew and KR wasn’t enamored with the cleanliness factor, but at least there were no ants or other creatures lurking about. Mike discovered some new things during our stay - 1) dichos (sayings) that he can use and 2) limonada con coco (coconut lemonade). The people of Barranquilla use unique and interesting phrases to convey their thoughts such as, “puye el burro” – which means “speed up” (roughly “spur or jab the burro”). Such local phases always spice up one’s Spanish! Jorge also introduced Mike to limonada de coco which instantly became a favorite beverage. KR passed on the drink after one or two swallows. The drink is made with limes, ice, and condensed coconut milk run through a blender. Very tasty. Look up the recipe on Pinterest and check it out! Featured: 1) some of our Barranquilla missionaries, 2,5,6) typical Barranquilla street scenes, 3) Mike asking questions, 4) the American Golf Hotel, 7) the Rio Magdalena enters the Caribbean at Barranquilla - Colombia's largest river, 8) no seat belt necessary, 9) the future temple site, and 10) we literally yelled out the car window - escape while you can!
We toured the Barranquilla area on Saturday morning with Jorge. Seeing the location for the newly announced Barranquilla Temple was a highlight. It is uncertain when construction will begin. We were exhausted upon returning to our chilly Bogota apartment Saturday afternoon, but satisfied with what we accomplished in Medellin and Barranquilla.
Sunday
We attended Stake Conference in an adjoining stake, as we wanted to say goodbye to friends there and a new Stake Presidency was being announced (no one predicted the new trio). After a quick bite to eat and a nap, Edgar picked us up for our stake training session (our last one) in the outlying El Dorado Stake.
We had been hearing rumors for several weeks that we might be sent for a week or so before departing in order to hold training sessions with the new service missionaries in the other area. Well, we got the tickets and the plan, and prepared to spend most of the entire week of April 21-27 among the great saints of Medellin and Barranquilla. Our plan was to share what we had learned about the Self-Reliance program and discuss the future of this great effort. Medellin and Barranquilla are both cities of between 2 and 3 million people, but much different in climate, food, and ambiance. Since our itinerary home included a stop in Barranquilla, we thought it a great idea to pack up one of our biggest suitcases with things going home and store it at the chapel where the training would take place. This would enable us to drag one less suitcase from city to city just one week later. The plan was to collect the suitcase before flying to Cartegena, then home to the U.S.A.!
Medellin (Monday-Thursday)
We were up early on the morning of April 21, caught a taxi to the airport, and were landing in Medellin before we knew it, the flight being only an hour or so. Medellin sits in a very deep valley at about 5,000 feet, the climate being mild, like Bogota. It is considered (and we would agree) the most beautiful and modern city in Colombia. The infrastructure is in much better shape than in Bogota. The modern airport is located on a plateau high above the city. Jorge picked us up in his car and it took about an hour to get to our hotel, where we checked into our room and dropped our bags. The views of the city as we cleared the edge of the plateau and began to drop into Medellin proper were fantastic and the depth of the depression in which Medellin sits, as opposed to the surrounding mountains, is startling. In all our travels, I am not sure we have seen anything quite like it. After refreshing ourselves, we headed to one of the local chapels to meet the volunteers/missionaries. Beforehand, we tried to get Brother Cadena to define more specifically what he wanted us to discuss in our sessions, but he left it open for us to discuss what we thought was important. As a result, we prepared various outlines; the idea being to gauge the group and go where the need and the Spirit dictated. I did most of the teaching, while KR added enrichment and worked with individuals when it came to practicing techniques on the phone, etc. We met with two groups of people on Monday afternoon, two more on Tuesday, and one on Wednesday morning. The service missionaries were people of all ages and backgrounds, and had been assigned specific shifts during the week to work in the Self-Reliance Center, hence we did our training in small groups that more or less corresponded to their weekly shift times. I presented a general outline of issues and we had a wonderful time with these sweet and humble members of the Church discussing ways in which they could help the members of their stakes improve their temporal lives using the programs of the Church. We had such a great discussion during the first session, that we more or less followed the same structure the rest of the week. We received a sandwich between sessions and around 7:00 p.m., exhausted, we closed up the chapel and headed to the hotel in pouring rain to get some rest (the weather had changed while we were in the chapel). We were so tired we didn’t even venture from the hotel, having dinner in the on-site restaurant (very nice). The hotel itself was a wonderful, small boutique affair that I would use again anytime. Jorge picked us up and dropped us off at the hotel each morning (we had breakfast there). The weather stayed rainy and overcast for most of our stay, so it was hard to see the much of city. One interesting aspect that was very apparent, however, was the huge number of red-brick, high-rise apartment buildings, much like Bogota.
Pictures that follow: 1,2) Medellin nestled in a mountain basin, 3) Mike in discussion mode, 4) dinner banana chips, 5) Medellin at night, 6,7) the Self-Reliance office in Medellin, 8) KR doing phone training, 9) our Medellin hotel, 10) Mike getting ready for another session, and 11) our hotel dinner.
We spent Wednesday afternoon enjoying lunch with Brother and Sister Cadena before driving around the city a bit. Jorge is my kind of guy and we had a great time. We had a quiet dinner in the hotel then packed our bags for Barranquilla.
Barranquilla (Thursday-Saturday)
We were up early, had breakfast at the hotel, and Jorge was outside waiting for us. The three of us flew from Medellin to Barranquilla together. He frequently travels between the two cities in his work with the stakes and has the routine down. The following picture is KR and Jorge in the Medellin airport.
A car service picked us up at the airport and as we drove into the city we experienced culture shock. Medellin and Barranquilla are definitely different in almost every aspect. It felt like we were back in Honduras. Barranquilla is hot and humid, with a definite Caribbean flavor to its demeanor, food, language, and look. The locals are mad for futbol! Their city team had just won an important match about the time we were driving to our hotel and crowds of people filled the streets yelling, screaming and waving banners and flags. Most of Thursday and all of Friday was spent replaying our Medellin training with a new set of wonderful volunteers. Our Barranquilla hotel, The American Golf Hotel was definitely a step down from the previous night’s stay. We were confused by the name as it was NOT on a golf course. There were pictures of golf courses in the lobby, so maybe that was it. Barranquilla did not strike us as a golfing mecca. The sheets on the bed smelled like mildew and KR wasn’t enamored with the cleanliness factor, but at least there were no ants or other creatures lurking about. Mike discovered some new things during our stay - 1) dichos (sayings) that he can use and 2) limonada con coco (coconut lemonade). The people of Barranquilla use unique and interesting phrases to convey their thoughts such as, “puye el burro” – which means “speed up” (roughly “spur or jab the burro”). Such local phases always spice up one’s Spanish! Jorge also introduced Mike to limonada de coco which instantly became a favorite beverage. KR passed on the drink after one or two swallows. The drink is made with limes, ice, and condensed coconut milk run through a blender. Very tasty. Look up the recipe on Pinterest and check it out! Featured: 1) some of our Barranquilla missionaries, 2,5,6) typical Barranquilla street scenes, 3) Mike asking questions, 4) the American Golf Hotel, 7) the Rio Magdalena enters the Caribbean at Barranquilla - Colombia's largest river, 8) no seat belt necessary, 9) the future temple site, and 10) we literally yelled out the car window - escape while you can!
We toured the Barranquilla area on Saturday morning with Jorge. Seeing the location for the newly announced Barranquilla Temple was a highlight. It is uncertain when construction will begin. We were exhausted upon returning to our chilly Bogota apartment Saturday afternoon, but satisfied with what we accomplished in Medellin and Barranquilla.
Sunday
We attended Stake Conference in an adjoining stake, as we wanted to say goodbye to friends there and a new Stake Presidency was being announced (no one predicted the new trio). After a quick bite to eat and a nap, Edgar picked us up for our stake training session (our last one) in the outlying El Dorado Stake.
Semana Santa
 |
| Ward Leaders in For Self-Reliance Training |
Some time ago, we decided to bring a bit of our Easter traditions to the office group. We just told them we were going to have an egg hunt and a small party. Well, when the appointed hour arrived Tuesday 15, we had quite the group. The entire Cely clan arrived at the office with piles of Easter goodies and decorations copied fresh off Pintrest. Others in the group also made various contributions based on their basic understanding of the role of eggs and chocolate in our celebration. We enjoyed homemade chocolates, punch in very cute bunny cups, and hard-boiled eggs from Cornish game hens. The tiny, brown-speckled eggs, served with "fry sauce", were quite tasty. Afterwards, with everyone sequestered in the teaching room, I hid plastic eggs around the office and in the outside garden. The two children AND the adults were all giddy with excitement. When I opened the door to their room, they bounded out scurrying off in all directions. Everyone was instructed to stop looking for eggs after they found three, as the number was limited. Within five minutes, all but three of the eggs were found. I ended up giving some hints to complete the job. We had such a good time and I think Easter bunny fun has come to Colombia for good. We worked until 4:00 p.m., then the Amayas, the Celys, Mike and I took taxis to the Atlantis Mall, where we enjoyed dinner at Crepes and Waffles before attending the movie, "Son of God". This well-done movie affected each of us so intensely, that after the movie ended, we all went home our separate ways without a word - only a wave of the hand. Mike and I just held hands as the taxi returned us to our apartment. We felt so grateful for the sacrifice of God's Son so that every man, woman and child might live again and receive His grace.
 |
| More Training, This Time for New Stake Specialists |
 |
| Crepes and Waffles |
My system was still suffering on Wednesday 16 from the effects of the foods eaten during our trip to Duitama. I decided to take more direct action and put myself on a clear liquid diet. Not much fun with Easter weekend approaching, but I had to do something. As we were leaving the apartment to head to work, I discovered the belt on my raincoat was missing. Boo hoo! You have to understand, that this particular raincoat was the best Colombia-bound garment purchase I made and I wore it everyday. Not feeling well and losing that belt really got me out of sorts. After working all morning at the office, we had a quick lunch at one of our favorite places, Diana's, (only a bowl of white rice for me) before leaving for the funeral. It took us a while to find the right place, as there are several adjoining cemeteries to the north of Bogota. The taxi naturally dropped us off at the wrong one. After asking around, we took another taxi to the right one. We arrived just as the procession to the burial site began. The funeral was very well attended and we recognized many faces. We walked for probably half a mile or more to the gravesite, first behind the hearse, then behind the pallbearers carrying the casket. The casket was lowered, the dedication of the grave pronounced, then those in attendance began singing hymns. The cemetery workers appeared and began shoveling dirt onto the casket in the ground while the attendees looked on and sang. The echo of dirt hitting the casket was a little disconcerting to say the least. Everyone stayed until the hole was filled and the grass replaced. Hmmm. I still was not feeling well, so we returned to our apartment and I took a nap (unusual for me). Kind of a downer day. When I awakened, we got some news that turned it all around. Charlotte Anderton, our 17th grandchild, arrived. Finally another girl in the family! Mother and daughter came through fine. Even with my nap, I was asleep for the night by 9:00 p.m..
Thursday 17 morning, I was feeling much better. It was raining when we set out on foot, walking to McD's for breakfast and Office Depot for supplies. As this is officially Semana Santa (Holy Week), Thursday is the traditional day when everything shuts down completely for the rest of the week (including our office). Even so, we like to hang out there when it is closed as we get so much done. The city streets were EMPTY. We found a taxi quickly and arrived at the office in record time then worked alone in peace and quiet the entire day. We even took advantage of the unencumbered long distance phone line to call Grandma Anderton for her birthday. Mike got the idea to head to the Atlantis Mall for dinner so I could check the restaurant and theater where I last wore my raincoat before the belt went missing. Mike checked at Crepes and Waffles while I headed up to check at the theater. I really had little hope of finding it, but wanted to leave no stone unturned. I had no luck at the theater, but then Mike came running up to me waving the belt! Our Tuesday waitress found it and set it aside thinking we might return. Wow, made my day! We spent the evening packing our bags for home. It is not as if we are trunky or anything, but we are heading for Barranquilla next week and will leave a large bag there which we will pick up while doing our final tour around Colombia before heading home. That way, we will not have to lug one extra, big suitcase around while touristing Colombia that last week. The plan forced us to decide early what we will take home with us and what we will leave.
Spent another day at the office on Friday 18. One of the things I finished today was the baptismal program for the service we are going to attend Saturday morning - which brings us to a great story. Andres is the husband of Pilar Cely (Calixto). He was not a member of the Church when they married and has been an on-and-off investigator for sixteen years. When we first met Andres in December, both Mike and I had the distinct impression HE was one of the reasons we were sent here. With no direct stewardship over him and not really knowing him well enough to understand where to begin, our approach was informal. We were also so involved with the Centro de Autosufficiencia, that we seldom came in contact with Andres. We did spend a few days with him on our December trip to Duitama, and during every contact we tried to mention the importance of baptism. When we discussed his situation with Pilar, she said he was attending church services more often and asking questions. Then one day, Mike did something interesting. It became kind of a running joke that Andres needed to get baptized before we left, as Mike was the only person big enough to put him under the water and back on his feet safely (the Celys are all very small and Andres is a large man). About three weeks ago, Mike drew a cartoon of Andres being baptized by a small person and mentioned that time was running out. Estefania took it home and gave it to her Dad. Last Tuesday, after the Easter party (Andres came), Mike was sitting in his office and Andres came in to say goodbye. He casually asked if we had plans for the coming Saturday. Mike thought he was inviting us for an activity or to dinner but I sensed his inquiry involved something more. Trying to signal baptism to Mike, I stood behind Andres (so he could not see me) and repeatedly made charade dunking potions with my hands. Mike finally got the message and asked Andres if this activity might involve immersion, water and white clothes. Andres nodded in the affirmative. He asked Mike if he would baptize him a member of the Church. We all rejoiced together with hugs and tears and cries of joy. Many small things add up to great things. Pilar mentioned later that Andres had only informed her of his decision twenty-four hours earlier. Around noon a large Easter procession passed in front of the office, headed by a man shouldering a large cross and a car with music blaring from big speakers on it's roof. We passed by Carulla for groceries on the way home and were the only ones shopping in the entire store. We had taco soup for dinner - yummm!
 |
| Mike Mending His Backpack With Fish Line |
 |
| The Cely Clan |
We ate waffles for Sunday 19 breakfast. What a treat! We attended the Nogal Ward for the last time and enjoyed the Easter program. Our Colombian grandkids came running up to say goodbye. Carolyn, the littlest, jumped from my lap and did a face plant on the edge of the bench. Needless to say, she returned to her Mom howling. We said goodbye to everyone and had a good talk with Hermana Piepgrass. We were invited to Easter dinner at the Mellars and immensely enjoyed some English-speaking interaction with people. The food was great! I took an Entenmann's butter cake, with raspberries and whipped cream. Not a crumb was left. Since we would not be home all next week, I took the rest of our taco soup to the missionaries who live across the street (along with cheddar cheese!). They were so excited!
Returning to Boyaca
Monday 7, three participants from our TPE workshop came early to
make up one of the sessions they had missed. The rest of the
participants arrived at 9:00 a.m. for Session 3. Camila, one of our
participants, stayed after to receive Session 4, since she would be out
of town for the next session. We have a great time teaching these eager
people.
Tuesday 8 was a stressful day for Edgar, our supervisor, as it was his first day in the office since Ferney, our student receptionist, completed his internship. There was no Ferney to open the office at 7:45 a.m., no Ferney at the front desk to answer the phone, no Ferney to do all of the other small things that were often overlooked. The Career Workshop or TAL, which was taught this week, is when Ferney's absence will be sorely missed. Carlos Fernandez, the area director from Peru over all Self-Sufficiency activites, was in town today for training. All of the office staff met with him in the afternoon, where he shared some exciting new PEF information. Some of the changes we talked about in detail include the age change and the discounts. The present program limits the age of participants to 18-30 years. Now, the program is open to ages 18-65+. Mike tells the people that it they promise to live long enough to pay off their loan, they can apply even if they're 120! The great thing about this change is that many, many men and women who abandoned their studies before finishing their education due to family needs or economic hardship will be able to return to school, finish their studies and receive their "titula" (degree). Without a degree, their pay has been lower for sometimes thirty years of more. Case in point: Oscar is self-employed in "sistemas" (IT) and is married with three children. He dropped out of the university twenty years ago with only three semesters left and has never returned because of lack of funds. When he bids a job, they ask if he has his title. Since he doesn't, his pay is automatically decreased. He is now applying under the new PEF program and will finish his program, increasing his pay at each job. The second major change are the new discounts, which can total up to 60% of the loan amount. Discounts are given for good marks (grades), graduating on time, finding employment within your area of study, paying on time each month, and paying off the entire amount of the loan early. We are so happy for these changes, as it will reward those participants who are faithful in keeping their promises.
Thursday 10. A group of five young people showed up today to get started on the big, big, job of entering 7,000 different items in our systems detailing the particulars of the universities and programs approved for PEF loans. Our new PEF computer interface will be activated shortly and this info had to be input before the transition. We decided to pay them to get the work done quickly (a good idea). We could do it, but figured it would take us twice as long and it has to be finished within five days. On April 21, the entire PEF system will shut down while the old system is changed over to the new system. The change-over should take about ten days. The students who are applying for PEF loans for the next semester are sweating a bit, but Peru has assured us that if they apply on or about May 1, there should be no problem receiving their checks by June 15. The changes coming May 1 are so exciting and will help alleviate some of the our past problems. The word must be getting out, because we've had lots of calls in the past few days from students inquiring about what they owe in order to be "al dia" or paid up.
Oscar Florez, a stake leader from Bucaramanga, drove eight hours to come to the CAS in time to attend our 9:00 a.m. TPE (Planning for Success) workshop this morning. It was the fourth and final class where we covered all the ins and outs of the PEF loan process. More information about the new program arrived by email early in the morning so we were able to share it with our sixteen students. All but one of the students received their certificates. (The student who did not, must get her profile in LDSjobs up to 90% first!) One young couple attended every class with their cute baby girl in tow, so Mike made up a certificate for the baby also. Her parents thought that was so fun!
We planned to leave at noon since we will be training all weekend out of town, but you know how that goes. Oscar had lots of questions and we didn't actually leave until 3:30 p.m. We had the taxi drop us at a cute kitchen store to see if we could find plastic Easter eggs for our egg hunt planned for next Tuesday. (We have been looking for weeks.) The clerk said they didn't have any, but a sweet young woman paying for a purchase told us she had seen some at a store near her office. She began writing the address down for us, but then said to her companion, "Let's just take them to the store since we are going back to the office anyway." We thanked them immensely, then followed them to their car and hopped in. The store was only about eight blocks from our house. We scored, as the little hole in the wall place had a cute Easter display with cellophane bags each containing four plastic eggs filled with chocolate. I bought six bags so everyone will get to find three eggs which should be enough to bring smiles. Everyone we invited to the Easter party looked at us strangely when we described our plan – obviously this will be a new experience for them!
We walked downtown to buy some shoelaces off the street for Mike's dress shoes. He bought two pair since the price was right - 75 cents per pair. On the way home, a pizza place caught our attention, so we stopped in for dinner. It was okay, but I just can't figure out why a tomato-based red sauce has not been used on ANY pizza we have ever eaten in Colombia.
On Friday 11, Mike and I took an early morning taxi to Edgar's apartment, where we called to let him know we were waiting outside with our suitcase and hang-ups at the front gate. He uses a basement parking lot for his car and threw his stuff in and picked us up on the way out. Security is quite tight at apartments like his, with high metal fences, electrified wire, and guards. It's a pain getting in at times. When Edgar drove out and saw us in comfy clothes, he parked the car then ran back in to change out of his white shirt and tie. We had planned to change into our missionary clothes on arrival in Tunja for our training meeting. He thought we ALWAYS wore formal clothes and didn’t want us to feel bad that he was going casual. It was a funny moment. The weather was perfect for our drive north into Boyaca. Edgar grew up north of Bogota and showed us where he lived as a boy and where he went to boarding school. We stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant Edgar had eaten at before. Chunks of meat on metal spikes roasted over an outdoor fire. When we drove up, a young woman ran out serving chunks of hot meat to entice us to eat at their place instead of one of the two competitors on either side of them. The meat samples won us over and we sat at a huge table on the porch while the cook hacked off chunks of beef and pork, sliding them onto plates heaped with salted potatoes and yucca. We were also served a big bowl of soup filled with pieces of chicken, vegetables and yucca. The meat was not nearly as tender as the samples though - good marketing ploy!
We arrived at the Tunja chapel in late afternoon where we gave essentially three training sessions over a five-hour period as different groups with different callings in the Tunja Ward arrived at intervals. We have learned to be flexible with Colombian church training, as plans change, schedules we are given are not adhered to, and you just never know what to expect until it happens right in front of you. Also the different units and leaders have unique questions and needs, so you learn to adapt to the situation as it presents itself. We have developed various Powerpoint presentations and training modules of different lengths, then we just “go with the flow”. While we were inside, the local police were outside on the lawn conducting a youth training class. One of the young participants is a member of the church and volunteered the church grounds as a place for their training. She is a lovely young woman and hopes to be a police officer someday. We were very tired and hungry by the time we packed up the car to leave. One of the local group rode with us in our car to show us the way to our hotel. Tunja is a maze of one-way streets and it can be quite frustrating trying to find an unknown location in the dark. The hotel turned out to be nicer than expected and had a little sandwich place next door that was still open, so we grabbed a bite before falling into bed exhausted.
On Saturday 12, we arose early to a beautiful day. The hotel had a buffet breakfast with really good hot chocolate! We drove the forty-five minutes to the chapel in Duitama, where the ward specialist over our program had arranged for us to meet with three people interested in different aspects of our programs- one with PEF, another in starting a business, and the last with getting training to find a better job. The specialist is a spunky woman with a testimony of the workshops offered by CAS. After attending the TAL workshop, she interviewed for a job that had many applicants and, using all the skills she had learned, got the job. She loves to tell the story to anyone who will listen! We ate lunch at an Argentine restaurant in Duitama. It was very good, except the large lunch made Mike sleepy for our afternoon meetings. Right after lunch we met with the stake leaders and all of the bishops, then we moved to a bigger room and held a longer session with the ward councils from the Duitama wards. We had to finish on time because we had an hour drive to Sogamosa to another similar session with the councils of the two wards in that city. They asked a lot of questions and we finally had to cut if off about 9:00 p.m. Fortunately, our lodging for the night was in Sogamosa, so we didn’t have a long jaunt to the hotel. What a long day! The hotel was not as nice as the one in Tunja, but the bed was okay and the water hot, so what else did we need?
Sunday 13. We were up early and headed out without breakfast to catch Sacrament Meeting in Duitama. Edgar was asked to speak in church (lucky Mike). During the Sunday School hour, I gave an orientation session on PEF to several of the young women in the ward who are finishing their secondary schooling and were interested in using PEF to finance their college courses. After a break, we held another long training session for the people that missed Saturday’s meetings. We were dragging by the time we finally packed up the car and headed home. We hit considerable traffic as we approached Bogota and didn’t get home until 9:00 p.m. or so. Mike was so tired he just fell into bed.
Tuesday 8 was a stressful day for Edgar, our supervisor, as it was his first day in the office since Ferney, our student receptionist, completed his internship. There was no Ferney to open the office at 7:45 a.m., no Ferney at the front desk to answer the phone, no Ferney to do all of the other small things that were often overlooked. The Career Workshop or TAL, which was taught this week, is when Ferney's absence will be sorely missed. Carlos Fernandez, the area director from Peru over all Self-Sufficiency activites, was in town today for training. All of the office staff met with him in the afternoon, where he shared some exciting new PEF information. Some of the changes we talked about in detail include the age change and the discounts. The present program limits the age of participants to 18-30 years. Now, the program is open to ages 18-65+. Mike tells the people that it they promise to live long enough to pay off their loan, they can apply even if they're 120! The great thing about this change is that many, many men and women who abandoned their studies before finishing their education due to family needs or economic hardship will be able to return to school, finish their studies and receive their "titula" (degree). Without a degree, their pay has been lower for sometimes thirty years of more. Case in point: Oscar is self-employed in "sistemas" (IT) and is married with three children. He dropped out of the university twenty years ago with only three semesters left and has never returned because of lack of funds. When he bids a job, they ask if he has his title. Since he doesn't, his pay is automatically decreased. He is now applying under the new PEF program and will finish his program, increasing his pay at each job. The second major change are the new discounts, which can total up to 60% of the loan amount. Discounts are given for good marks (grades), graduating on time, finding employment within your area of study, paying on time each month, and paying off the entire amount of the loan early. We are so happy for these changes, as it will reward those participants who are faithful in keeping their promises.
 |
| Our Missionary Crew Eating Lunch on Tuesday |
On Wednesday 9 Mike made the most delicious fish and chips for dinner. It was a nice treat. I haven't eaten chips like that since Honduras.
Thursday 10. A group of five young people showed up today to get started on the big, big, job of entering 7,000 different items in our systems detailing the particulars of the universities and programs approved for PEF loans. Our new PEF computer interface will be activated shortly and this info had to be input before the transition. We decided to pay them to get the work done quickly (a good idea). We could do it, but figured it would take us twice as long and it has to be finished within five days. On April 21, the entire PEF system will shut down while the old system is changed over to the new system. The change-over should take about ten days. The students who are applying for PEF loans for the next semester are sweating a bit, but Peru has assured us that if they apply on or about May 1, there should be no problem receiving their checks by June 15. The changes coming May 1 are so exciting and will help alleviate some of the our past problems. The word must be getting out, because we've had lots of calls in the past few days from students inquiring about what they owe in order to be "al dia" or paid up.
Oscar Florez, a stake leader from Bucaramanga, drove eight hours to come to the CAS in time to attend our 9:00 a.m. TPE (Planning for Success) workshop this morning. It was the fourth and final class where we covered all the ins and outs of the PEF loan process. More information about the new program arrived by email early in the morning so we were able to share it with our sixteen students. All but one of the students received their certificates. (The student who did not, must get her profile in LDSjobs up to 90% first!) One young couple attended every class with their cute baby girl in tow, so Mike made up a certificate for the baby also. Her parents thought that was so fun!
We planned to leave at noon since we will be training all weekend out of town, but you know how that goes. Oscar had lots of questions and we didn't actually leave until 3:30 p.m. We had the taxi drop us at a cute kitchen store to see if we could find plastic Easter eggs for our egg hunt planned for next Tuesday. (We have been looking for weeks.) The clerk said they didn't have any, but a sweet young woman paying for a purchase told us she had seen some at a store near her office. She began writing the address down for us, but then said to her companion, "Let's just take them to the store since we are going back to the office anyway." We thanked them immensely, then followed them to their car and hopped in. The store was only about eight blocks from our house. We scored, as the little hole in the wall place had a cute Easter display with cellophane bags each containing four plastic eggs filled with chocolate. I bought six bags so everyone will get to find three eggs which should be enough to bring smiles. Everyone we invited to the Easter party looked at us strangely when we described our plan – obviously this will be a new experience for them!
We walked downtown to buy some shoelaces off the street for Mike's dress shoes. He bought two pair since the price was right - 75 cents per pair. On the way home, a pizza place caught our attention, so we stopped in for dinner. It was okay, but I just can't figure out why a tomato-based red sauce has not been used on ANY pizza we have ever eaten in Colombia.
 |
| Part of Our Graduating TPE Class |
 |
| Even the Baby Attended All the Sessions |
On Friday 11, Mike and I took an early morning taxi to Edgar's apartment, where we called to let him know we were waiting outside with our suitcase and hang-ups at the front gate. He uses a basement parking lot for his car and threw his stuff in and picked us up on the way out. Security is quite tight at apartments like his, with high metal fences, electrified wire, and guards. It's a pain getting in at times. When Edgar drove out and saw us in comfy clothes, he parked the car then ran back in to change out of his white shirt and tie. We had planned to change into our missionary clothes on arrival in Tunja for our training meeting. He thought we ALWAYS wore formal clothes and didn’t want us to feel bad that he was going casual. It was a funny moment. The weather was perfect for our drive north into Boyaca. Edgar grew up north of Bogota and showed us where he lived as a boy and where he went to boarding school. We stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant Edgar had eaten at before. Chunks of meat on metal spikes roasted over an outdoor fire. When we drove up, a young woman ran out serving chunks of hot meat to entice us to eat at their place instead of one of the two competitors on either side of them. The meat samples won us over and we sat at a huge table on the porch while the cook hacked off chunks of beef and pork, sliding them onto plates heaped with salted potatoes and yucca. We were also served a big bowl of soup filled with pieces of chicken, vegetables and yucca. The meat was not nearly as tender as the samples though - good marketing ploy!
We arrived at the Tunja chapel in late afternoon where we gave essentially three training sessions over a five-hour period as different groups with different callings in the Tunja Ward arrived at intervals. We have learned to be flexible with Colombian church training, as plans change, schedules we are given are not adhered to, and you just never know what to expect until it happens right in front of you. Also the different units and leaders have unique questions and needs, so you learn to adapt to the situation as it presents itself. We have developed various Powerpoint presentations and training modules of different lengths, then we just “go with the flow”. While we were inside, the local police were outside on the lawn conducting a youth training class. One of the young participants is a member of the church and volunteered the church grounds as a place for their training. She is a lovely young woman and hopes to be a police officer someday. We were very tired and hungry by the time we packed up the car to leave. One of the local group rode with us in our car to show us the way to our hotel. Tunja is a maze of one-way streets and it can be quite frustrating trying to find an unknown location in the dark. The hotel turned out to be nicer than expected and had a little sandwich place next door that was still open, so we grabbed a bite before falling into bed exhausted.
 |
| Waiting for Our Ride |
 |
| Into Boyaca |
 |
| The Meat Cooking for Our Lunch |
 |
| Cutting Our Portion |
 |
| Our Lunch Plate - The Papas Are Usually Coated With Coarse Salt |
 |
| A Boyaca Rose - Closeup By KR |
 |
| Tunja Training Session |
 |
| Tunja at Night |
On Saturday 12, we arose early to a beautiful day. The hotel had a buffet breakfast with really good hot chocolate! We drove the forty-five minutes to the chapel in Duitama, where the ward specialist over our program had arranged for us to meet with three people interested in different aspects of our programs- one with PEF, another in starting a business, and the last with getting training to find a better job. The specialist is a spunky woman with a testimony of the workshops offered by CAS. After attending the TAL workshop, she interviewed for a job that had many applicants and, using all the skills she had learned, got the job. She loves to tell the story to anyone who will listen! We ate lunch at an Argentine restaurant in Duitama. It was very good, except the large lunch made Mike sleepy for our afternoon meetings. Right after lunch we met with the stake leaders and all of the bishops, then we moved to a bigger room and held a longer session with the ward councils from the Duitama wards. We had to finish on time because we had an hour drive to Sogamosa to another similar session with the councils of the two wards in that city. They asked a lot of questions and we finally had to cut if off about 9:00 p.m. Fortunately, our lodging for the night was in Sogamosa, so we didn’t have a long jaunt to the hotel. What a long day! The hotel was not as nice as the one in Tunja, but the bed was okay and the water hot, so what else did we need?
 |
| Tunja at Dawn |
 |
| Iglesia de San Francisco, Tunja (Early 1500's) |
 |
| Streets of Tunja |
 |
| Bolivar Plaza, Tunja |
 |
| Arriving in Duitama |
 |
| The Nursery Toilet in Duitama Chapel |
 |
| The Main Plaza and Cathedral, Duitama |
 |
| Ending the Evening Speaking in Sogamosa |
Sunday 13. We were up early and headed out without breakfast to catch Sacrament Meeting in Duitama. Edgar was asked to speak in church (lucky Mike). During the Sunday School hour, I gave an orientation session on PEF to several of the young women in the ward who are finishing their secondary schooling and were interested in using PEF to finance their college courses. After a break, we held another long training session for the people that missed Saturday’s meetings. We were dragging by the time we finally packed up the car and headed home. We hit considerable traffic as we approached Bogota and didn’t get home until 9:00 p.m. or so. Mike was so tired he just fell into bed.
 |
| On the Way to Church - First Horses |
 |
| Then Cyclists |
 |
| Then Cows |
 |
| Mike Back in Duitama for Church Meetings |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)