Dumplings in Colombia

As I walked out of the 2nd store where I'd failed to find ground pork (after stopping by a roadside stand to pick up cabbage, garlic, and green onions), I contemplated my options- take the 20 minute walk to Exito and hope they had it there, or give up and make beef dumplings. I wasn't sure I had time to walk to Exito and back and still get my dumplings made by 7, but I didn't want to give up either, so I walked toward ninth, trying to make up my mind.

Somewhere along the way I remembered the butcher shop which was practically on my way home. Once someone appeared from the back, I told her what I wanted and waited as she took it to the back and ground it for me.

Everyone was busy in the kitchen, so I took over the dining room. I mixed my dough and started chopping cabbage, glancing every once and awhile at our family blog where I posted the recipe the first time I made dumplings. J (she's a 12 year old Colombian-American) came over to see what I was doing and saw the power point I had open which I hadn't had time to start. She offered to help, so while I made Chinese dumplings and we listened to salsa, she worked on a slide show about the United States.

KT (a 5 year old) came over to watch too, and she wanted to help. So, while I rolled out dumpling wrappers, I showed her how to put a spoonful in each one and seal them. She's a careful little worker, and loves to help. She did a great job, though at times she liked to be silly and ask me if she should put in about 3 times the amount of filling I showed her.

After we'd been working awhile, everyone from the farm arrived. E (3) and T (not quite 2) wanted to help too. So, we pulled up chairs to the table and I gave everyone a ball of dough to roll out.

Everyone who walked by wondered what we were making until they saw the ready-to-be cooked dumplings. Then, to a Colombian, the answer was obvious. "Oh, you're making empanadas!" Well, sort of. I told them they were a Chinese version of empanadas.

Culture night was pretty awesome. We had food from Colombia, Venezuela, the US, New Zealand, Holland, and, of course, my dumplings. And, once the food was eaten and the presentations over, we cleared away the chairs, and danced. I love that social dancing is a part of life here.

The rest of the story

Sometimes, my theology gets messed up. Lately, I've been finding myself fearing that my whole life will be one of dreary obedience, one difficult struggle after another that molds me more and more into Christ's likeness (so therefore, ultimately for my own good). But that kind of good (the kind of good that says to eat oatmeal because it's healthy for you or makes you get your MMR booster shot) doesn't make me excited about following Jesus.

Of course, God does use difficult circumstances to mold us. But that's not the whole picture. It's also true that God is a God who wants to bless his children with good gifts.

I knew that in my mind, but I wasn't living by that in my heart. So, I started to pray that God would show himself to me in a way that revealed that not only was He my provider, not only was He in control of my future, but that He wanted to bless me with good things.

Remember my post from a few nights ago? The post where I shared how hungry I was for a novel? Well, today, I walked past a shelf I have walked past hundreds of times before. Suddenly, I noticed something new. The top shelf now has a row of books on it. Novels. In English. There are more than 20 of them. Everyone agrees that they weren't there a few days ago. I'm not sure who put them there, or when exactly they showed up. But I do know this. God loves me. Not just in a distant, "I'm doing this for your own good" sort of way. God cares about my desires, not just my needs. He won't always fulfill all my desires. But he will bless me with good gifts. A life of following Jesus won't be one of dreary obedience. There will be joy in the journey and surprises and good things along the way.

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11

Once upon a time. . .

Sometimes, your soul longs for story. A beginning, a middle, and an end. Resolution. Everything tied up nice and neat at the end. Your questions answered. Maybe even a happily ever after.

I'm hungry for a novel right now. Maybe because I've been reading a lot of non-fiction. Maybe because my life is anything but answered questions, resolution, and answers right now, and it would be nice to have some. Maybe just because I have some spare time and miss reading fiction. All I know is I have no fiction to read, and I think I'm just going to have to do something about it.

The question is- will a novel in Spanish do the trick, or will the effort make it lose the magic?

"When I get a little money, I buy books. And if there is any left over, I buy food."

Deciderius Erasmus

(This, however, is not MY strategy. I LOVE libraries, and I heard there's one just a few blocks away)

A city in the mountains

My days mostly consist of lectures on child development, administration, shepherding children and such; cleaning, reading, and doing homework. All very good and necessary, but not particularly inspirational for blogging.

This weekend though, I left the building. And took some pictures. :) They seemed more worth blogging about.

I went walking with some friends. Just a few minutes from our neighborhood is San Gabriel (if I remember correctly) It's very different from our neighborhood. (we're in an upper class neighborhood, San Gabriel is much lower economically) It doesn't feel so urban and modern.

Here's the catholic church. Isn't it pretty?

It's built up into the mountain, so the roads are very steep.

We stopped and had a picnic in front of Don Luis's house (a friend Ericka had made out walking before) There's a great view of the city from his house!

Part of my picnic lunch. This fruit is called a granadilla. I think they look like fish eyes, or maybe frog eggs. They're fun to eat though. The gooey part is sweet, and the seed in the center of each one is sour.

An over-exposed view of the city. It's giant (about the size of NYC) Aren't the clouds nice?
We hiked a bit into the mountains. It's nice to be so close to them, and to be able to get out of the city and into nature in just a few minutes.

Oh and one last picture, this was taken Saturday night when we went out to Crepes and Waffles. If you're ever in Colombia (or Ecuador and some other Latin American countries) I highly recommend it. They have some amazing desserts. I had a crepe with chocolate and hazelnut ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

Comfort and Joy

But you, O Sovereign LORD, deal well with me for your name's sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me; For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. And the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to bind up the brokenhearted, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

By the River

Somehow, God just seems to speak to me by rivers. This weekend, the whole children at risk school went to the YWAM Bogota annual retreat. We had a wonderful time together, getting to know other YWAMers, and enjoying the conferences, pool, and river. I wrote this while I was sitting on a rock in the middle of the river.

Today, I nearly cried I was so happy, overwhelmed by God's glory and majesty. The river here is surrounded by life, abundant life. There's a profusion of green. Plants grow on plants grow on plants. One tree is home to more species than I can count. A giant stand of bamboo leans from the far bank. Next to me, an enormous tree has growing in its branches the largest bromeliad I've ever seen. Vines hang down, nearly obscuring its trunk. And the river. It roars. Its power makes me realize this is no river to play in. Moss covered boulders strew its path.

I couldn't imagine a more perfect spot, and my heart is overwhelmed with love for the one who made it. But, as my love for him rises up in praise, I'm gripped with an even stronger realization of his love for me. This God, who made me so happy today with his riotous, wild, stunning creation, loves me. Not in a general "God loves everyone" way. No. He loves me personally. He knows how much I love this place. He made me so I would love it in the first place. He knew I would see this place as a physical expression of his love for me.

The breathtaking beauty of this place, of a thousand plants orchestrated with water, rocks, and land makes me sure of another thing. God can handle my one miniscule life. My difficulties and confusion are nothing to him. He can bring life out of my life, and make it a profusion of living, vibrant life that brings glory to his name.

Children at Risk School

We're half way through the third week of the Children at Risk school. We're learning about family interactions, normal and abnormal childhood development, and the biblical basis of working with at-risk kids among other things. At least, that's what we're learning in class.

Outside of class, I've been learning about God's grace, and how hard it can be for me to accept it. I've been learning that the control I thought I had over my life and my emotions was really just an illusion. I've also been learning that I don't want to need other people in my life, but that God didn't make his people to operate in isolation.

I've also been reading a lot. We have to do 8 book reports during the school, and while I spent a week at the farm last week, I had a lot of free time on my hands. So since the school started, I have read Too Small to Ignore (by Wes Stafford of Compassion International), Street Children: a handbook for ministry, The Shack, The Five Love Languages, and Healing Grace. I think next up is Aman, the memoir of a Somali girl.