Bogotá: The Sights, sounds and smells

It is great to be back in Bogotá to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells! Bogotá is the capital city of Colombia with 8 million people and high up at 8,640 feet above sea level. Forty years have passed since we first set foot in the city. In some ways the city hasn't changed. The street vendors line the sidewalks, the streets are crowded with traffic, there are a lot of people walking and there are the sounds of busyness with horns being honked, car alarms going off and the rush of traffic. In other ways the city has changed remarkably. There are modern commercial centers and well stocked supermarkets alongside of the typical corner stores and street vendors.

Fruit stand in the entrance of supermarket

Interior of supermarket

Street vendor on sidewalk outside supermarket

Pitaya, beautiful fruit from a cactus plant,
developed commercially in the last 20 years.

Typical Colombian meal
Bill, Angela and Nancye - Ajiaco (potato soup)
Richard - sancocho (vegetable and chicken soup)
along with chicken, rice and salad

We are staying with Bill and Angela just across a main road from the supermarket. It is very convenient. The church, JJVargas, where they work is a few blocks away. I had my first meeting there last Wednesday. It was good to be back with old friends, including some we have known for 39 years. One thing has changed for us in Colombia. We arrived knowing no one in 1970, now we have friends all over the country. What a warm people the Colombians are. We are enjoying their hospitality. Today we will be spending the day with the extended Vanegas family. We helped teach them the Bible 38 years ago when they first trusted the Lord. What a joy to see over 20 in the extended family following the Lord and dedicated to His service.

Father and Son Missions Presentations

Jonathan and his missions presentation

Richard and his missions presentation

Sunday, February 28th was a special day in that as a father and son team, Jonathan and I did a dual missions presentation at Westminster Bible Chapel. Jonathan had already been asked to speak to the English church and talk about his leading to go with Operation Mobilization for a couple of years. His plans are to join the Turning Point OM team in London to divide his time between doing their computer work and being involved in the evangelistic outreach to the Muslims of the greater London area. Lord willing he plans to leave in August.

At the same time being my last Sunday before going to Colombia for five weeks I decided to do a missions presentation to our Latino church that meets in the fellowship hall at Westminster Bible Chapel. So while Jonathan was doing his presentation in English I was doing my presentation in Spanish. I focused on LEM and its purpose to reach out to the Latinos of Los Angeles and beyond.

Was I proud? It brought to mind the scripure in 3 John 4, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."

We leave March 2nd for five weeks of ministry in Colombia. We return to Los Angeles on April 8th.

Summer Team Evangelism Partnership: REPORT

Here is a report on STEP written by our daughter and her husband, Angela and Bill Loudon.

It is now two weeks since the STEP outreach ended. We were pretty exhausted by the time we got the last team member on his plane home and it took us a week just to start feeling caught up on sleep! It was worth all the effort though. We thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of leading and hosting those who joined us this year.

Summer Team Evangelism Partnership

The first four days were devoted to intensive training sessions, including classes on developing a cultural understanding of Latinos in the USA. We also learned how to communicate Biblical truths to children and how to share the gospel with others. One of the highlights during these pre-outreach days was a field trip to downtown Los Angeles. We visited the famed MacArthur Park, where Angela's dad frequently handed out literature and shared his faith with Latinos in the 90’s. On the field trip we also visited a Spanish Christian bookstore, ate at a Salvadorian restaurant, glanced into a Botanica (Latino New Age store) and walked through a Latin American shopping sector. For us it felt like we had been whisked away to a regular street in Colombia!

Mexican Dresses For Sale

Enjoying Latin Food

Monday through Friday of the following week the team worked hard. We spent the mornings in Bible study, first a time of personal devotions and then an in depth study on the same Bible passage that would later be presented to the children in the afternoon. Bill and Shawn (one of the elders at our church) together helped the team understand the main points in the story for the day and how to use it to present the good news of Christ to the children and their parents. The theme for the week was “Who is Jesus?” and we used five different stories from the life of Christ to represent Him as the Good Shepherd, God, our Healer, the Resurrection and the Life, and the Savior. The group split into three teams that went out into different neighborhoods to lead Children’s Bible Clubs each evening. One team went to two different residential complexes, so we covered four locations in all.

Kids Hearing About Christ

Shawn and Bill Team Teaching

Two things impacted us most as we reflect back on this year’s STEP outreach. First, the team members reported during our debriefing sessions each evening just how much they were able to use the Bible to communicate with the children. Rather than just tell them about Christ, the team opened up God’s word and read His truth to them. Many of the children went home with a Bible of their own and the knowledge of how to open it up and read it. Please pray that these seeds sown will result in an abundant harvest! Second, we thank God for the team unity we experienced. Our team of 30 individuals come from varied backgrounds, cultures and life experiences, yet share one Lord and a one Faith. This unity was evidenced in the cooperation and eager service shown by everyone on the team.

Teamwork

Sharing Christ Through the Word

If you or your church are interested in becoming involved with the Summer Team Evangelism Partnership next summer, please get in touch with us for more information. You can see more pictures on the Loudons' blog, click on these links to view them: Training - Prayer - Outreach - Unity

Partners together in Mission

We have just returned to Auckland, New Zealand, from Melbourne, Australia. We were there for three weeks and stayed with Keith and Kathryn Graham. Our time in Melbourne concluded with a Missionary Conference on Sunday evening where we both spoke. Keith gave a report on a two month trip to Zambia and I gave a report on the work among the Latinos of Los Angeles.

We go along way back with Keith and Kathryn. We met as students at the Bible College of New Zealand (formerly the Bible Training Institute) in 1967/68. Keith and Kathryn were married on January 9th, 1970, and we were married on January 10th, 1970. Soon after we both went to the mission field, Keith and Kathryn to Italy and us to Colombia. Keith and Kathryn initiated an invitation to us from Brethren in Los Angeles to work with Latinos over there while he was doing a Doctorate at Talbot Seminary. They welcomed us when we arrived in 1989 to work in LA. We are both still involved in missions and ministry, Keith and Kathryn being based in Melbourne and us in Los Angeles and reaching out to Latinos in Los Angeles and beyond in Latin America.



Richard & Nancye Yarrall




Keith and Kathryn Graham

We will be in the Auckland/Waikato area for the next month with family and for meetings before returning to Los Angeles on December 4th, 2008.

Aussie Parrots

The parakeet's and king parrots were the friendliest birds. This was a parakeet.



There were always plenty of cheeky cockatoos. One even snatched my bag of seed and flew away. He then laughed at me from a high branch on a tree!



Feeding a hungry king parrot.



Richard and Keith Graham feeding the parrots in the Blue Dandenong Mountains. This was in a park near Belgrave.

Australian Birds and Shop in Arcade

No matter where you go in Australia you both hear and see birds. The eucalyptus trees are home to all sorts of parrots, parakeets and other singing birds. The coast is no exception with seagulls and other types of wading birds. Here are a few. We also found a little shop selling Russian dolls in an arcade. Out of place!


This shop called Babushkas (grandmothers) was found in an arcade in Melbourne. All it sold was Matroshkas from Russia - but so expensive!



Mother goose with babies.



Baby seagulls



Seagull sitting on eggs.

Good Australian Blokes

A couple of Koalas greeting each other.


Wallabys wanna a meal.


Joey doesn't want to be left out ... or does he!


There's always a Kookaburra to do a serenade.

We have another week left in Melbourne but with a few responsibilities. On Wednesday evening we have a home group meeting to attend to do a presentation on the work in Los Angeles. Then on Friday evening and Sunday afternoon we are to participate in a Missionary Conference involving the Brethren Churches of the Melbourne area. We return to Auckland on Monday, 27th October.

The Great Ocean Road

We have been touring the south west coast below Melbourne. The coast line is spectacular with sandstone cliffs that have been eroded by the ocean leaving a variety of features.

Apollo Bay where we have stayed for three nights. The bay is beautiful with waves steadily rolling in.


The Twelve Apostles - 12 blocks of sandstone left standing in the ocean.


The Arch, another interesting sight.


The grotto. There are about 100 steps down to look through this archway out to the ocean.

Melbourne, Australia

Flinders Street Station in downtown Melbourne.


The Puffing Billy steam train in the Dandelong Mountains.


Canterbury Gardens Community Church where we fellowshipped on Sunday morning. One of several Brethren Churches in Melbourne.


Two young teen agers were baptized on the Sunday we attended the Canterbury Gardens Community Church. A spa pool was rented for the occasion.


A King Parrot that also visited the cottage where relatives were staying in the Dandelong Mountains.

Wedding of Travis and Alisha

The wedding of Travis Griffiths-Bell to Alisha Peden (Richard's grand niece) took place at 3.00 pm in the Lye Bird Falls Reception center, Kallista, in The Dandenong Mountains some 20 kms. east of Melbourne. It was an outdoors wedding set in a garden surrounded by bush (blue gums and tree ferns). The reception took place indoors as evening fell.


Travis and Alisha


Travis and Alisha with the parents - Janette and Alan Peden, James (L) and Adele (R).


The extended family composed of Lindseys and Yarralls.


Lyn and Margaret Lindsey - Alisha's proud grandparents.


Dior Ramohitaj, Alisha's cousin, was the ring bearer. He was soooo excited about being included.

Cute Kids

Georgia Mackey is Robyn's 4 year old daughter and Graham Yarrall's grand daughter.


Rene Vivian is 5 (or 6) and was so pleased to hear that another girl, Sydney Nesbitt, has curly hair like her. So Sydney when you visit Auckland from Siberia you have a soul mate waiting to befriend you.

Family and friends in New Zealand

Nancye's mother's 90th birthday, with Rex, Neil, Nancye, Jean and Graeme


Celebrating Graham Yarrall's (Richard's brother) birthday in the Sky Tower in Auckland, with Anne (Graham's wife), Nancye, Georgia (Graham's grand daughter) and Graham.


Peter and Lyn Gordon, with Richard. Peter is an old friend from Gisborne days and then Teachers College, teaching in Auckland and Bible College.


Nancye with Lyn and Margaret Lindsey picnicking at Waikanae Beach, Gisborne. Margaret is Richard's sister.

Auckland

The Sky Tower in the heart of Auckland City. The highest tower in the Southern hemisphere.

Auckland city from the Sky Tower, looking towards the harbour, Devonport and Rangitoto Island, a volcanic dome.

Celebrating my brother Graham's birthday in the revolving restaurant in the Sky Tower. Included are Braydon, Alan and Kathryn, and Kenneth and Roslyn on left side.
Georgia, Robyn, Graham, Richard, Nancye and Anne on right side.

Manurewa Bible Chapel's new facility recently opened. Manurewa is located some 10 miles south of downtown Auckland. I preached at Manurewa the last two Sundays.