Medellin

I´m not sure I spelled the name of this city correctly but that´s where I am. It looks a lot like New York city - very modern and just like any city back home. Nice highways, many cars, no donkeys or pigs on the road. It sits in a mountain valley, kind of like LA.

The drive yesterday was supposed to take about 10 hours to go 250 miles, due to the fact that we were going through a mountain pass on a two lane road with many trucks. However, at one point there was a road repair and a truck broken down in the same spot, so only cars were able to pass through. Due to that we save about 3 hours on the drive since only cars were on the road past that point. We arrived here at 9 thirty last night.

We went through several mountain towns that the Bishop explained were either controlled by the guerrillas, paramilitarys or the regular military. One town would be controlled by one group and then 10 minutes later the next town would be controlled by the bad guys. He explained that one town only existed to process cocaine. It was growing all in the mountains where we were driving, but in hidden places so that the military would not spray it and kill it.

This was kind of concerning to say the least but he did not seem overly worried about any of it. Yesterday when we were in Sincelejo the guys left me and Tina in the town square while they were off conducting business. They didn´t seem to think there was anything dangerous about it. In Cameroon that would have been very dangerous.

It´s hard to know if they are just not aware of the dangers or if it really doesn´t exist. Anyway, yesterday was a great day, Robert and Tina bought a lot in Brisas del Mar next to the church to build a clinic, one of GBGM´s goals. It cost $500 dollars. They also bought a parsonage for the pastor in Rincon del Mar, and they´ll have to fundraise a little bit to fund that one.

Right now we are staying in the Bishop´s home, he has 5 bedrooms here. It´s a modern nice house. Today is a holiday for all of Colombia, it´s like their Independance Day. There will be a parade at 2 p.m.

Yesterday when we were in Sincelejo we asked the pastor while we were in his house why his kids weren´t at school. He told us it was a teacher inservice day. However, at the town square we saw a public march and demonstration with all the teachers in it. Hmmm...I got some photos of that. The military was having no problem with me taking photos of them. The demonstration was peaceful though, and the guards were marching along with the demonstrators to keep things in line.

This has been a long trip, and there have been about five times when I´ve wished I was home, but that has been a fleeting thought when it occurs. I am here for 2 more full days, then we come home.