Back from Bogota
Posted on 12 July 2010The metal door creaks open and, after an exchange of greetings and hugs with the host moms, we walk into the living room of the orphanage. One by one the call goes out: “Tia Catherine, Tio Jacob!”. As more girls race down the stairs into the living room we are overwhelmed with hugs and kisses. Soon it becomes apparent to the girls that there were some new foreign faces and the girls begin to introduce themselves to the group from our home church, River West. The phase of acting timid and shy lasts about 10 seconds with these girls, and soon they are grabbing the hands of each adult and giving them a tour of the house. Natalie shows Becky and Marcie where her bed is and then Yulitza interrupts and shows them where she sleeps. Meanwhile, Chris (our assistant pastor) meets Daniela in person for the first time and shakes her newly healed hand that he and his family made possible. For months Chris and his family have prayed for Daniela. A few days later, Daniela in turn pulls Chris aside and prays for him, his wife, his two boys, and even his dogs, all by name.
Catherine and I were accompanied by a team of 5 people from our church. Becky and Marcie are good friends who teach together and have an uncanny knack for understanding kids, even in other cultures and in other languages. Emily, the introvert of our group, bonded really well with Jessica and Ana Maria who have similar personalities. Katie, the youngest of our group, had the most energy as well as an infinite amount of crafts and supplies. Imagine the art store Michael’s sponsoring the superhero of crafts – I swear Katie wore a craft utility belt!
Over the span of 7 days we spent most of our time with the girls in the Beehive. Every night we returned to our beds, exhausted yet encouraged. It is apparent once you walk into the home that this is no ordinary orphanage. The way the girls talk and play with one another seems more like a big family (albeit heavy on the feminine side). Our last night there, Jamie turned 10 years old. During the birthday party, each girl had the opportunity to share something they love about her. Each of them emphasized how Jamie doesn’t exclude others, how she is always ready to laugh, and how she has shown compassion to housemates when they’ve been sick. The Beehive girls know each other well and, more importantly, are growing in love for one another.
More than any other previous visit, I started to feel what it must be like to have children: it brought me so much joy to be there playing with them, or simply talking with them about school, or in the case of Leidy (now 13) discussing boys. I felt God saying through me, “I love these girls”.
What a Blessing…
Posted on 27 June 2010A Message from Scott Davis, member of Christ Community Church in Columbus, Georgia
Our church returned last Sunday (June 20) from Bogotá for a week’s worth of painting and electrical work at the church. We had the priviledge of seeing the girls each night, and my hearts still mourns not seeing them each day. I know that God is taking care of them. …If these girls could be adopted, I would have submitted the paperwork already.
I’ve already set up my monthly donation to the beehive, and praying for other ways to help support them. …My heart is overflowing from the love that those girls shared with me. I went to be a blessing, but received one instead. God is so cool! Looking foward to our next trip down next year and a chance to see my girls (especially Jamie). Thanks again for your ministry and know that prayers are coming from Georgia for this work of God in Bogotá!
To see pictures of the team from Georgia working in the church and playing at the orphanage, click here: Mission Trip Slideshow
The 3rd and 4th floors of the church have been under construction for about 2 years. In order to begin using the new facilities, they needed to complete electrical wiring and painting. This is costly because it requires specialized technicians who can do the job well. The Church from Georgia put together a skilled team to supply the labor and the materials for free! We are so grateful to them!!
Our Videographer
Posted on 9 May 2010Almost out of the blue, Ashley Howe, a college student whose parents go to our church in Portland, approached Jacob and me about volunteering at the orphanage in Bogotá. At first we were thinking she’d want to visit for a week or two, but instead she flew down on a 3 month ticket! God does not cease to surprise us with random blessings. HE knew that we needed Ashley’s help, even though WE didn’t know it.
Ashley is taking off a semester from the college of art she attends in Vancouver BC so that she can ponder God’s calling for her life, and in the meantime, serve the girls in the Beehive. She has experience with filmmaking, which is exactly what we’ve been praying for. An informative video on our website will be so helpful for people who’ve never been to the Beehive to understand what it’s all about and actually see the lovely little faces of the girls. She’ll spend some of her time capturing footage and interviews for this video, and the rest helping out in the orphanage and brushing up on spanish!
Please PRAY for Ashley, as she adjusts to the culture and builds relationships. We are so grateful to her for venturing into the unknown taking initiative with this project! Meanwhile, you can also view a photo slideshow that Keila made – as it’s mostly comprised of pictures and music, you will enjoy it even if you don’t read Spanish. To see the YouTube video, click here.
Miracle on 53rd Street
Posted on 1 March 2010
Daniela's liberated finger!
All the Beehive girls were tremendously blessed by Christmas gifts and celebrations, thanks to donors’ generosity, but Daniela received an extra gift that she’d been wanting for a long time. When she was a little girl, a stove accident left burns on various parts of her body, most noticeably melding her pinky finger to the palm of her hand. This handicap was not only an inconvenience; she has been constantly teased by peers all her life. At school, some refused to play with ”the burned girl”. As one can imagine, this considerably lowered her already fragile self-esteem.
This past fall, Jacob & I introduced the Beehive Orphanage and the vision of Children’s Outreach Ministries to our church here in Portland, called River West. The pastor of missions and outreach, Chris Coffman, immediately rallied to the cause and felt called to help Daniela in particular. He was drawn to her spunky personality and sympathized with her sad story of an injury, and later abandonment by her mother. He began discussing with his wife and 2 young sons of foregoing Christmas presents and instead donating money towards Daniela’s surgery.
The Coffman Family
Completely by their own initiative, they wired $500 to Bogota by Christmas. Soon after, Daniela went into surgery and came out with a liberated finger, able to extend and use it for the first time in almost 5 years! We extend our gratitude to the Coffmans for their generosity towards a child they’ve never met, and we also thank Chris in particular for inviting us into the circle of ministry at River West. Most of all, we praise God for the countless blessings he has given to this ministry and everyone involved. He has turned Daniela’s pain and heartache into an overflowing joy!
A Beehive Christmas
Posted on 16 December 2009Thanks so much to those of you who made possible the Beehive Christmas celebration! The girls had a great time. In total, you contributed $1,495 which was matched for a total of $2,990!!* Their living room was transformed into a fancy restaurant where they dined on a meal their house-moms spent all day preparing for them. Then they opened gifts together, squealing with glee that they each received their own pair of boots! (To view more photos, click on Christmas Photos.)
*Donations that exceeded the amount needed for the Christmas Party will go towards meeting the daily needs of the orphanage, such as food, rent, caregiving, and school supplies. Thank you for blessing these little girls!
In addition to the regular costs of living, we’re raising funds to purchase the house the girls are currently living in. This way, we won’t only avoid paying rent, but we’ll actually generate income from the two small businesses that rent out store-fronts on the property. Please pray that this goal soon becomes a reality!
Colombia & Cake
Posted on 24 November 2009
Jacob and I recently hosted a dessert night for a group of people from our church, Riverwest, in Portland, OR. We took this opportunity to share our love for the girls in the Beehive, our future plans for Children’s Outreach Ministries, and the chance to visit Bogota this coming summer.
A Short Visit
Posted on 18 August 2009When I hugged and kissed the girls goodbye on the morning of our departure, I couldn’t help but laugh at their faces. Dry skin peeling off their noses revealed a pink layer underneath. I told them that if the kids at school gave them a hard time, they should just ask: “Have you been to Chinauta lately?” They were the more or less fortunate victims of a day spent in the sun, playing in a pool on a private ranch in la tierra caliente – the hot earth (though as one of the girls, Daniela, pointed out after further inspection: “I touched the ground, and it isn’t hot at all!”)
Pastora Natalia, the director of The Beehive, and I decided a few months ago that the girls deserved a little vacation. The first group of girls we welcomed into the home have only been with us just over a year (since April 2008) and already they are earning high grades and awards in school, and they are treating each other more like sisters than rivals competing for attention. The home’s environment is playful and loving, albeit noisy 
We scheduled departure time for 6:00 a.m. which really meant 7:30 or 8:00 Colombian-time. The girls barely slept the previous night, too riled up with excitement. The majority had never swum in a pool before, and they were thrilled by the prospect of enjoying such a luxury. With new (or borrowed) swimming suits underneath their shorts and t-shirts (nevermind it’s only about 50º on Bogota mornings), we set off in our rented van. Shrieks of cow-spottings sprinkled the bellowed choruses of praise songs. (By now, almost all of them know the church’s worship music by heart.) I was already spent by the time we arrived at the ranch, but 12 pairs of little legs trembled with the anticipation of touching the crystal-chlorinated waters for the first time.
It’s fascinating how a new experience brings out someone’s personality. Normally spunky and up for adventure, Jamie never ventured beyond 3 feet from the pool’s edge. One dip below the surface pushed her towards emotion breakdown. Karen, who is easy-going and rather spacey, squealed with delight when Jacob launched her into the air for a splash landing, even if she got water up her nose. Little Sarita, the most comical 4-year-old I’ve ever met, went from fearful sobs to reckless dive-bombs down the slide within a few hours – urged by the cheers she received from us. She’s quite the crowd-pleaser.
The one item we neglected to bring: sunscreen. For some reason, no one considered the risk of the sun’s rays reflecting off water, intensified at an elevation of 7,000 feet. So we all rode home that evening a bit toastier than before. I have a theory that every child should get a sunburn as least once – right? The other female volunteers were less nonchalant and slathered the girls with remedies of milk lotion and aloe vera. Aida, our “Colombian mom” with whom we stayed, went so far as to cover her own ruddy wounds with a mixture of aloe and shredded potatoes. A few days later, we began to molt our skin like snakes.
The day at the pool was only one of the many highlights. We also hosted a birthday party for Majerly (12) – one of the Beehive originals – and Ana Maria (9) – who arrived with her sister Lady a few weeks ago. After arguing over who would wear what of my grandma’s gaudy antique jewelry, they proceeded to devour popcorn and cake, pull the balloons from the walls, and tackle Jacob, their living jungle-gym. All children have an instinct for how to play with abandon, even more so girls who have never before attended a birthday party just for them.
As for the church body, our greatest cause for celebration was the size of the youth group. It’s huge! The group takes over the balcony space every Sunday. When we left last January, Jacob and Oscar (worship pastor) were struggling to retain committed youth, although neither had the time to be actively recruiting kids or creating a program that would engage and challenge them. Jacob suggested that Willington, a young father of three, take over as the official youth pastor. He aspires to plant his own church someday, and what better training than building a ministry for teenagers? Turns out he’s the perfect guy for the job. His broad white smile and contagious joy have drawn many new faces into the church body, especially guys. In a culture where men are often to machismo or too noncommittal to be faithful in their homes and church, this turnout is impressive. However, we suspect that part of the attraction could be traced to a handful of pretty young ladies who also happen to attend the youth group. That’s Natalia’s theory anyhow. The important thing is that they are coming and learning to love Jesus passionately, in community. They, along with the girls in the Beehive, are the future of the church.
A Typical Morning
Posted on 26 June 2009Upon entering The Beehive, you are greeted by many enthusiastic shouts and hugs. Thirteen grinning faces look up at you. In their excitement, the girls crowd around you, stepping on each other’s toes, eager to meet you and show you their beautiful home.
Several of them grab you by the hand and pull you up the stairs for a tour of their bedrooms. Each room contains three bunk-beds, built by Jacob Grady. The headboards are painted in pastels with the name and the handprints of the girl who sleeps there. Almost every bed is made neatly, with the exception of 3-year-old Sarai-Nicol who is still getting the hang of it.
They eventually lead you back into the main room, where small tables are set up, strewn with notebooks and pencils. The mornings are dedicated to homework. Volunteers from the church come to tutor them in their studies, answering the occasional questions of the older girls and guiding the younger ones in forming the 28 letters of the alphabet (don’t forget ll and ñ). Meanwhile, Albit is in the kitchen wearing an apron and preparing a supper of rice, beans, and meat so that Ruth, the house mom, just has to heat it up at night. One of the younger girls, probably Natalie, asks you to do a dictación for her, so you make up a silly story and help her spell the words right. A few others, probably Daniela and her little sister Jennifer, pull up their chairs and try to keep up, though Natalie wins bragging rights since she finishes first. Daniela pouts but forgets to be mad when you scoop her up and swing her around.
At about 10:30, Ruth announces that it’s time to clean up, so Jessica, always ready to serve, grabs the broom and sweeps the floor of the main room while others stack the chairs and gather up homework papers, rather haphazardly. Majerly bosses the others to get their coats and backpacks. Karen, who is usually lost in her own imagination, has to be reminded several times.
Finally, at 11:00 they are ready to set out to the community kitchen, which we call el restaurante, for lunch. It costs about 50 cents per girl for a healthy meal of soup, rice, meat, veggies, juice, and dessert. A couple volunteers take the younger ones by the hand, and lead the whole flock of 13 girls through the neighborhood to the “restaurant”. Once there, the girls automatically go through the routine of washing hands, claiming a seat, and lining up to receive a tray of food. You spend most of the time coaxing Daniela to keep eating (she likes to savor every bite as if it were a french delicacy) and convincing Jamie that the bean sprouts are not worms.
The school is just around the corner, and you see many other children wearing the same uniform of beige sweaters and plaid skirts with white socks pulled up to the knees. The girls waive to their teachers and turn to give you a kiss on the cheek (proper Colombian farewell) before turning to run into the gated courtyard and find their classrooms. Even though the school educates children grades K-12, it takes up only a quarter of a city block. The classrooms of chalkboards and battered desks are a far cry from an American public school with computers and projectors in every room, full sets of updated textbooks, and colorful posters plastered over the walls. At least they are attending school. We hope someday to raise enough support for some of the girls to attend private school and receive a quality education.
At this point, you are exhausted from non-stop play with 12 girls all demanding attention at once. You walk leisurely through the park with the other volunteers and stop by the panaderia to buy a cheese-filled croissant fresh out of the oven. At the same time, you also can’t wait to pick them up after class at 5:30. You rejoice that these little girls, who have been exposed to the horrors of abuse and neglect by their own families, now live protected and under the banner of love. You see the grace of God at work.
