Pics and updates

Buenas Noches todos! I finally have internet after we spent two hours on the phone yesterday with spanish speaking internet service guy. So, here is a quick update of a few experiences I have had here...these are the good ones. I can share the others later when I am back in the USA and my parents won't have to worry about me anymore.

Here are some pictures of my first week in Bogota....they are few because I am still a bit nervous about taking my camera out in public or on the street drawing attention to the fact that I am a foreigner. Plus it is important that I watch my surroundings and hold tight to my stuff since we are in a big city.

There are a few pictures of the school where I am teaching. These are a few of the new school building. The old building is really cool too so I will get some pics of that soon. You will also see my wonderful view of the mountains, "la cordillera de los Andes", from the school. Remember, Bogota is at 8,660 ft in altitude so it isn't hot here as many would expect from a country close to the equator. The homes here have neither heat nor AC so we depend on the windows and sunlight. It's perfect!

Other pictures are of my first weekend here...the beautiful mountains and lake picture is close to where we had lunch after church on Sunday with the Principal of my school and her husband, as well as a well known singing group in the Christian Latin American community in the US and Latin America who was here to perform at some concerts. The singer, Ingrid Rosario, is Colombian but grew up in the US and attended Liberty University (however, she graduated in '98 so you Liberty people probably haven't heard of her). It was neat spending the day with them and getting to know them because they have an incredible passion for ministering to people through their music. Also, you will see the view on our small hike up the mountains right outside of Bogota. The cross was on the mountain where will were standing. You may notice how close the clouds are...I am soo amazed every time I look at the sky.

Other pictures are of the city while we have been on walks.

This weekend we are going on a few day trips so I should get some beautiful pictures of the city view from las montanas. Friday some of the group is going to take a chair lift type thing up to Monserrate where we will have dinner. Saturday we are taking a day hiking trip to Guatavita where we will see a laguna and maybe some other pieces of nature that Colombia has to offer. So be expecting more pictures.

Lastly, today at school during our staff meeting it was brought up that a family who has been part of the school for many years is struggling financially and cannot afford to send their four kids to the school anymore. The father's family business was shut down a few years ago because of bigger industries taking over and cannot find consistent job that can support his family. The mother has been working various jobs to make do but they are quickly going in debt. The school has tried to help them as much as possible the past few years but there isn't much more they can do. The children have a huge positive influence on their peers and are very well rounded. Many of us teachers have considered offering our stipend to them to help with the tuition but we are already on a tight budget and they want us to leave that as a last option. For the four kids to attend the school, it will cost the family 1,000 US dollars per month. This is important to me because the mother was very welcoming to me during my first few days here and was willing to give everything she had without letting their financial situation keep her from welcoming us to her country. If you, or anyone you know, are looking for a place to donate, the family would be very grateful and surprised, so please email me!

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers. Miss you all!

-Casey

I am still alive!

So I have had a great first week in Bogota although it started out a bit tough. I am getting used to the culture and the people and am already feeling a sense of family here at the school. Unfortunately I still do not have internet at my apartment but hopefully that will get worked out soon. Some of the teachers from last year said it took a month or more before their internet was working properly. We have a very busy week here at school now that it has officially started for staff and we have meetings all day. When I do finally get internet I will try to update my blog and send an email update of the exciting things that I am experiencing here and hopefully some pictures.... So this is just to say hang on and I will get to it muy pronto. Also, if you want me to add you to my email list...email me at kcmac82@gmail.com or leave your email on here in the comment part.
Hasta pronto!

I have arrived!

7/23/2007
Many of you may have gotten this in email but I havent had time to write two seperate updates and I would have repeated myself anyway...

I am in Bogota, Colombia!!! Yesterday I flew from Raleigh to Atlanta to Aruba to Bogota. I arrived at 8pm and it was raining and dark so I wasnt able to see the beautiful mountains. One of the parents who has a child at the school picked me up at the airport and it was very easy to find him. I met a few Bogotanos while travelling from aruba to Bogota and they were very nice and helpful as if they were old family friends. Everyone else that I have met here is really nice as well. I stayed with a family last night with two adorable kids- Tatiana, 5, and Esteban, 3. It was a very warm welcoming. It was kind of cold last night and this morning I was told that no apartments in Bogota have heat. Christina, the mother, took me around the city this afternoon a bit to show me a nice park and restaraunts. I went to the school today to meet everyone that has arrived so far and was able to see my classroom\office which is the size of a bathroom or large closet. It is a good size though because I will pull only 3-5 students at a time to teach them english and other times I will be helping within the regular classrooms to assist the teacher with students who have lower english levels. A lady who works at the school took my roommate and I to see two apartments that we can choose from. They are three bedrooms with one or two baths. Pretty nice, but small. They are both in gated communities with guards 24 hrs a day. There will be four of us staying in an apartment together so that will help when we need to go explore the city and go grocery shopping. We should be able to move in by this weekend. The school is still trying to collect furniture for us. I believe we have a few beds so far. I will be staying with some other teachers this week until my apartment is ready because they live closer to the school and will be travelling there everyday so Christina will not have to drive me 45 minutes each day like she did this morning. It is a bit difficult to get around the city because there is one main road (autopista) and the rest are small roads between neighborhoods. Also, Christina and many who live here, have driving restrictions that do not allow them to drive between 6-8am and 4-6pm, I guess to prevent traffic problems. The city is kind of dirty from what I have seen of it but hopefully I will find some cool places to hang out, eat, read, and have coffee of course, once I get comfortable with my surroundings! There is a large mall with movie theater a few blocks from where my apartment will be so that is exciting. Right now I am sitting at the computer drinking coffee and playing peek a boo with little Esteban who has become attached to me and wants to sit or lay in my lap everywhere I go. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support and I will keep you updated on what is going on. I´m sure I will have more eventful things to tell everyone this week if internet is made available. That´s all for now! Miss you all! I will try to send pictures when I am able to use my personal computer or the school computer.

Countdown

So in less than a month I will be beginning my year in Colombia. Wow! It still feels unreal that I am actually doing this. I'm so ready but not at the same time. I am trying to hold on to each and every second of every day and at the same time am anxious to start the next part of the journey. This blog will definitely not do justice in expressing all of the feelings and emotions that I am experiencing. My heart is wide open to everything God is teaching me and I can't get enough of Him and it feels awesome! God is using everything that I am reading, hearing, and seeing to challenge me and mold me into something that he can use to bring Him glory.

He brings me to my knees daily and I am, more than ever, ready to devote my life to following Him wherever, whenever, to do whatever no matter the sacrifice. I feel burdened with the pain that people throughout the world are constantly dealing with and want to bring some joy to their lives in whatever way he can use me to do so.

I can't wait to begin building relationships with the Colombian people and missionary families. I am ready to invest in their lives and show them the love that has been shown to me in so many ways througout my life. The people who will soon be my neighbors in my apartment building, the people in the shops in my neighborhood that I will pass by daily as I walk to the bus stop, and the people who will be passengers on the bus that I will ride everyday to the school; these are the people that I will have the opportunity to form relationships with. A recently met this guy from Colombia, who is a friend of a friend, and I was telling him about my trip to his country. He told me that the Colombian people will love me and be amazed that I am in their country as a volunteer, asking nothing from them, and that it will be eye opening and make a huge impact on them. He finished by saying a simple "thank you so much". That meant so much to me. Many people in other countries do not expect this out of americans and it is a huge shock when they meet someone who is willing to come help their country without some other motive. I am going to this country to serve those people and put my whole heart and energy into it. I was listening to a sermon by Rob Bell this week and he said as God is putting you back together, you should turn and put the world back together. As God molds me into something more like what he created me to be, I should be working to make the world what he intended it to be.

So, as I countdown the days, I hope that I will already be showing others a bit of God's love for this world and his people by telling others about the vision and passion he's given me for this country and it's people.

updating

I'm really bad at this blogging thing. It's not much different from journaling which I do often lately but for some reason I enjoy writing my thoughts more than typing them. So anyway, I guess I will do a quick update of what's been going on lately for those of you who are trying to keep up with my progress with getting to Colombia.

Raising support is soo hard. I really do not do well with asking for money. Everytime someone says "I would like to give you a donation" I feel the urge to say "Oh, you don't have to do that" or "that's way to much money, are you sure you want to do that?". Yeah I am a retard but all my life it has been difficult for me to accept things from people whether compliments, help, or money and material things. But this part of my journey really depends on me asking people for their help (sometimes more than once). With that said, I really am going to try to suck it up and get out there. It's been great so far but not because of what I've done. I just happen to know many unselfish people who will give without me bothering them about it. My mentor at my job, for example, had already given me a donation a few months ago and recently asked how my support was coming and wrote me a check double the first one. And people who I havent even sent letters to directly have heard about it through familiy or friends and sent the donation without me even knowing. I have a long way to go to reach my full amount, but it has been such an amazing experience to see the kindness of others that if this is all the support I am able to get, I will feel blessed (although my bank account/my parents' will not like it so much).

I never imagined how many ups and downs I can experience in even just one day about this journey. It's mostly the emotions involved with leaving things and people behind but I am glad I am dealing with them now I guess so that maybe I won't be hit so hard with them when I get there. I often have nights when it is difficult to fall asleep because I fear, not getting kidnapped by the FARC, but leaving the airport while my mom cries and seeing the worried look of my parents as they see off their 1st child for a year of her life, with obvious thoughts of what could happen to her in one of the most dangerous countries in South America. That's a pretty painful image if you haven't experienced anything like it before.

It's interesting to people that being kidnapped is no longer something that scares me. I figure if it happens, at least I will have been doing something with a greater purpose at the time and will therefore have no regrets. I'd much rather have that happen to me that to allow my body to waste away from my diabetes over the years while doing the same thing day after day. Life is an adventure and I will not settle for less. Of course, if kidnapping becomes a reality I will probably pee on myself or faint but I don't want the fear of what could happen scare me away from the amazing opportunities that the world has to offer. "Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive". I really can relate to this quote lately as I think about how I long for new, exciting experiences to make me feel truely alive. I need challenge and adventure so that I have to trust God with my life.

It's been tough lately at work thinking about the kids I am leaving behind and all the relationships I have built with each of them this year. I started telling my students a few weeks ago because I wanted them to be used to the idea. I have grown to love my students as if I had 50-70 kids of my own (some feel more like my kids than others). If I think about leaving them, I usually start to tear up because I worry if they will have teachers in the future who will truely invest in them and love them as much as I do. I want to be there to help them through their problems and make sure someone is protecting and watching over them. Many of my students can be overlooked because they are quiet since they cannot voice their opinions as easily as their english speaking peers. These are my babies, my first students of my teaching career. I don't think it will be as difficult to leave future students as it will my first ones. Hopefully I can keep up with them to know what they are doing 5-10 years from now.

I have many more thoughts to share about the ups and downs but that will have to wait til the next one...

purpose

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17563357 (I can't seem to hyperlink it so just copy and paste it into your internet browser)

I was reading the news update from President Bush's trip around South America. This is the link to the article. VERY INTERESTING! Can you believe I will be living in that city?

Why do they hate us/bush so much? We are trying to help, geez. Have you ever burned something or said terrible things about people who gave you 4 million dollars to help you out of your problems? I guess I will understand their hatred once I am there and can get their opinions on things. Right now it's difficult for me to see what the real problem is and to really take it seriously.

It's pretty frightening. If they really hate americans that much, maybe I will get kidnapped. But at the same time, this is going to be a great adventure! I am already having to trust God so much more with what he's got in mind for me this next year. People act like I'm crazy when I tell them where I am going. I don't really think it's that crazy. God sends people places that need to know about him and this is definitely one of those places. Why should he send us to perfect places?

I've realized that my purpose there is to reach the Colombian kids that I will be teaching English to while I am there. The youth of today are the future of tomorrow and if someone invests in them enough, maybe they will make better choices unlike others in the country who have turned to the FARC (and other rebellious groups) and drug production. They can change the country if someone tells them how God can change their life.

I am extremely excited that I will be able to be part of what is going on in Colombia and possibly impact a few lives. That's definitely something to live or die for. Que buena oportunidad!

Colombia

I figured since I have decided to pursue this colombia adventure I should start doing this blog thing. I don't know how I feel about letting you randomly read my thoughts and I don't know how devoted I will be to sharing my thoughts but I'm going to give it a try.

So if you are unsure what I mean by this Colombia adventure, here goes...

Over the past few years, I've had the idea in the back of my mind to live and work overseas. I really don't think I actually took it seriously though until recently. It was just an idea that sounded cool when I thought and talked about it. I looked online all the time for opportunities (there are so many) and I even went so far as to email the people with those organizations, but I never followed through. Something always stood in the way- family, friends, relationships, worries about my diabetes, fear of raising support, etc. I wanted to take thatbig step and say yes, but I let my list of "responsibilities" talk me out of it. Looking back, I'm pretty sure that was God taking me down a path to prepare my heart for this.

For this year, I decided that I would teach ESL in Raleigh and threw out the idea of going overseas; maybe not forever, but postponing it relieved me of the worry and guilt trips from family. Then in November I got an email from an organization I had emailed awhile back. ONCE AGAIN THAT ANNOYING THOUGHT POPPED BACK IN MY HEAD. It was sooo hard to escape it, especially when God keeps calling you back to it. So I started searching again. After hearing of some friends who were taking their own step of faith to go overseas, my passion only grew stronger. It seemed everything in my life had been speaking this message to me. At church, at my job, the books I was reading, everything...

I emailed this Christian school that I saw online...the website looked amazing and they needed an ESL TEACHER! It was a perfect opportunity...teach ESL in spanish speaking country at an American school for missionary kids! WOW! BUT...(and this is where God had to work on me)...it was in Bogota, Colombia, a country that is pretty dangerous for Americans.

I kept looking at other options, somewhat to satisfy my mom and dad's wants of me being more "responsible, financially secure, close by, and safe" and my hoping to find something that I wanted- Costa Rica, for example, which has nice weather, plenty of outdoor activities, smaller communities, and, well, not a year commitment. I wanted to go to Costa Rica, NOT COLOMBIA! I looked and looked and looked. All of the options seemed exactly what I wanted, yet I wasn't excited. They were short term (summer- so I still come back and teach and have a salary), and in great locations in Costa Rica. For some reason I felt dissappointed that I was settling for only a two month adventure. What was wrong with me?!?! Isn't that what I wanted? I think I was starting to realize that going to Costa Rica wasn't going to require me trusting God with my life. It would have been very easy for me to pick up and go to Costa Rica. God wanted me to trust him and be faithful to his plan for my life, not my plan for my life.

THEN on Monday, January 8, while on the eliptical at the gym, I got a phone call from an unknown number. Guess who? Beth Alfandor from El Camino Academy, in... BOGOTA, COLOMBIA. At first, I was like, crap! I was going to have to be polite and listen, waste my few day minutes on my cell phone, to hear a schpeal (don't know how to spell that) about this place in Colombia, where I didn't want to go. We talked for a good half hour or more and somehow, without realizing it, my thoughts began to change. I started to sincerely listen to what she had to say, and I started to become more comfortable about considering looking into it. When I brought up the dangers of Colombia she said something like 'the safest place to be is where God wants you to be'. I don't think she meant physically, but spiritually. It's dangerous to get off the path that God planned for you because that means denying his authority over your life and taking it into your own hands. Beth was great and before getting off the phone, she said a quick prayer for me, not at all pushing me to choose her school, but just to follow God's lead.

And so I thought about it and prayed about it. I was also reading this book "Dangerous wonder" about jumping first, fearing later; taking those steps that the world views as irresponsible, reckless, unstable, etc. God was definitely working on my heart that week. Finally, later in the week, I was riding in the car with Erica, and saying aloud, with lots of emotions, all of my reasons why I should do it and should not do it. The danger, the risk, the fears, the doubts, the emotions, the challenge, the adventure, the excitement, the journey, THE JUMP. Then I said yes. Then, out loud to Erica, I commited to seeing where God would take it. That was the moment. That was the first time my I have said with my whole heart that I would for real go if God wanted me to. I knew it was the first time because of the relief that I felt after saying it. The pounding in my heart, the exhiliration!

This opportunity was definitely going to require me putting every bit of my trust in God.

I realized I could't run anymore because I would end up running the rest of my life or either settle for something less that the exciting plans God has for me, and causing me to be dissatisfied for the rest of my life every time I think about the opportunities I could have experienced.

So here I go. I completed the application and paperwork. The school board went on their retreat and approved my application. I recently sent off my first round of support letters. Still can't believe it. It's amazing the peace God has given me since the beginning when I started looking. And, amazingly enough, my parents aren't making me feel too guilty about it anymore. I had expected more emotional phone conversations about how my desires in life are not the same as there's and that I am ok with being the "different one" in the family. God is making it happen and I know will continue to guide my heart in the direction he will have me go. And if that be in the direction I am heading now, then on July 20, 2007, I will be teaching ESL in Bogota, Colombia, at El Camino Academy!