Weekends Out of Town

I looked out over the rolling, green, mountainous landscape and thought..."God, you made your world so beautiful and you allow me to take part in it. Thank you for this morning, to be able to
run, to breathe the fresh air, to behold your beautiful creation." These were my thoughts as I went for my runs over the long weekend in Anapoima, as well as this past weekend as I repelled down the 75-meter waterfall and rafted through gorgeous green mountains on the Rio Negro (the water really is almost black).

Although it has been an extremely busy month, I am so thankful for the times I have had to get outside and really enjoy God's beauty in the trees, mountains, rivers, lakes, sun, and sky. Alan, said to me on our bus ride home on Sunday night after an exhilarating day together..."You are Beautiful. God's creation brings out the true, natural beauty in you." He could not have given me a higher compliment:).

I hope that you will be able to enjoy the beauty around you today, in people's faces, in the color change of the leaves, in the crisp air, in God's hands at work. Breathe it in!

Pictures:
1) Alan, Andres, and Gabe- the grill masters at our finca in Anapoima
2) All of us taking a hike to the store in Anapoima
3) Sorry I do not have pictures of the vista I saw on my runs in Anapoima or of the waterfall/river in Tobia from this past weekend. The activities did not allow for bringing a camera.

A Busy Month

It seems like only yesterday that I was posting on the blog. But, I look back at the last date and realize that I haven't put a pen to paper since the 4th of October. My apologies. It has been possibly the busiest October in recent memory. For starters:

1) CNG hosted the Tri-Association Conference for three days and there was a lot of preparations for everyone. Liz was one of the presenters and had lots of preparation work and long days presenting during that time.
2) A SACS accreditation team is coming for a check-up. We have been working hard for three years for their arrival and they are spending three days here at CNG, in which we have to give presentations, have classroom visits, etc.
3) My last Alabama class has begun and will end November 3rd.
4) Liz's birthday was fun. One of her gifts included a day-adventure trip which included hiking, rafting, and a 75 meter repel down a waterfall. By the way, 75 meters is equal to 246 feet of rock, air, and water rushing on top of you. Good times!!!
5) Planning and taking a trip to Anapoima for a "restful" get-a-way with 9 other friends over Liz's birthday weekend.
6) Not to mention keeping up with lesson planning, teaching, end of semester grades, student council Holiday planning, church, friends, family, and sleeping.

Needless to say, we have been busy. Sometimes we wonder how far away the horizon is and if the end is truly in sight. Forgive us for not updating you as much as we should. Life is good here, and God is good to us even when we do not deserve His love. He is faithful.

On another note, Liz and I have received our commitment papers for the next school year. We have not yet made our decision to stay in Colombia or move elsewhere. We are leaning towards coming home. It seems that God is opening some doors back home. Please pray for us as we discern what would be His intentions for us in the neat future.

Thank you for your prayers.

November is looking to be a fun month. I promise you will hear more from us.

So much fun...

Last week, we took 70 CNG students on an over-night integration trip. This trip is to help new students that have moved here from the U.S., Korea, or a multitude of other countries to feel at home in our school. We had lots of fun bowling, playing in the pool, going on our version of "the amazing race," doing team-building activities and getting to know new people. The kids were great- I am so proud of how our CNG veterans welcome new kids from all over the world into our community.

School Activities

We had a fun family sports afternoon a few weeks ago- where we competed with our houses. The kids played volleyball, basketball, roller-hockey, soccer, and tether-ball. It was great to see the parents interacting and having fun with their kids. (Pictures: Top: Juan Carlos Hincapie and some of our 8th grade ladies. Bottom: Erin, Sarah and I after the fun afternoon- Erin, in green, is our friend who is now 6 months pregnant:)