January started in full steam ahead. In the midst of taking care of all the projects that had cropped up over the holidays, I was also packing and planning for a trip to Colombia to visit my son Jamie and his wife, Maria.
It was a refreshing trip. Flights went smoothly, there was plenty of time just to visit with Jamie and Maria, and we even managed to act like tourists for a day here and there.
One highlight was a trip up Monserrate, though it turned out a bit strange. It’s one of those things I’m glad I did, one of those things I can mark off my bucket list, but not one of those things I’m inclined to do again!
Think extremely long amusement park waiting line — but with no exhilarating ride at the end of the line. Granted, after taking the funicular railway to the top of this mountain that dominates the city center of Bogotá, the view was spectacular!
But back to the amusement park analogy. Imagine that after the exhilarating ride, you then had another two-hour wait just to exit the ride.
Yes, that’s what happened. We found ourselves, already somewhat chilled because of the high altitude, standing in line for another two hours before we could descend, much of that time spent standing in the drizzling rain.
I bought a souvenir magnet while up there. It really just said Monserrate on it, but I thought it may have more aptly said, “I survived Monserrate!”
Okay, it wasn’t really all that bad. And, yes, if you’re ever in Colombia, I think you should go. I just might not join you!
Another highlight was a trip to the local coffee plantation. The tour guide walked us throughout the plantation, explaining the journey of the lowly coffee bean from seed to seedling to being harvested. He showed us the process of drying, roasting and grinding the coffee beans. A really good thing about this highlight is that it involved no long lines, no cold weather, no rain, and, of course, the tour ended with coffee being served in their small cafe.
But the greatest highlight of the trip was just spending time with Jamie and Maria. It is such a blessing, after the upheaval of their needing to leave a neighboring country and move to Colombia, to see how God has led and directed them toward a new ministry with a different mission board. He is faithful!