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August 1984 Newsletter
COLOMBIAN CHRISTIAN MISSION
Dale and Jeanie Meade
In the jungle and prairie of Southeastern Colombia
Volume 12, Issue 8 August, 1984
WE MADE IT!
We had been working on papers and permissions for over three months. Just when it seemed like things were coming along rather well, some snag would pop up. Then it would be crisis time all over again. I would have to run off to Bogota or plead with some big shot in order to get things rolling again. During the last month we needed a paper called a Paz y Salvo or literally "at peace and saved." It is basically a document from their version of the IRS saying that I have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I owe them no income taxes. It is a rather difficult document to get. I had presented copies of our last three years income tax returns along with applications to the heads of seven different departments. Each department had to go over the returns with a fine tooth comb trying to find some mistake to stick me with. The days turned into weeks and the weeks flew by. At the end of the month our departure date was drawing nigh and that precious document seemed no closer to coming out. We raised many a petition to the Good Lord on behalf of that last slip of paper. Just as it began to look as though we would not make it, things began to fall into place rapidly. Perhaps it was just the Lord's way of teaching us to trust in Him and not worry about the morrow. The tax paper came out just ten days before we were due to leave Colombia. That was cutting down to the wire, but it was sufficient time.
The last few days were spent making final arrangements for the plane, car, and house. We left the airplane in care of the New Tribes Mission pilot. He is a good pilot and mechanic. He will fly it one a week and take care of it for us. We rented the house out to another American missionary. Then we loaned the car to a third. We felt that the Lord had provided responsible people to care for the patrimony that you have provided for the work in Colombia. By then it seemed that everything was ready for our departure. There seemed to be nothing to stand in the way of leaving on time. As we began to pack in earnest during those final days, little did we know of the ordeal that still stood in the way! The night before our scheduled trip to Bogota, everything seemed in order. All was packed up so we bedded down on the floor for what we thought would be a final night in Villavicencio. Even the packed suitcases stood in readiness by the door. During the night the wind woke me. I slept very little as the wind howled and the rain beat down. I knew all too well what that would mean. Morning dawned bright but with an abnormal still. Even before I climbed out of bed I knew that we had been cut off by land slides. There would be not trip to Bogota that day. I went down town to try to figure out how bad it would be. More than twenty land slides had completely cut the road and three bridges were out. Altogether more than fifty slides had occurred. It was the worst blockage that had ever been recorded. Many people stated that the road would be blocked for at least ten days. We listened to the news and prayed that God would open the road for us. We were ready to travel. By evening there seemed to be no hope. We spent another rest-less night on the floor of our now empty house.
Early the next morning the car that I had contracted for the trip arrived at the house. "Let's try it" said the driver. All of the neighbors counseled us against it. They knew well the dangers that existed. We asked the Lord's guidance and protection; then set out. Once we got into the land slide zone we began to feel as thought we had made a great mistake. But by then there was no choice but to go on. The driver was very cautious as he approached each slide. He would pause to size up the oozing mud and torrents of water. Then he would floor the accelerator and race through. On one occasion the car seemed to hang up and begin to slip. Then in the nick of time, the wheels grabbed and we were through. Just as we cleared the area, it came down again. The road was cut off behind us. This time it would remain closed for more than a week. Another missionary family just a few hundred feet behind us was trapped on the road and missed their flight on the same day as ours. After what seemed an eternity, we cleared the slide zone. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief as well as a prayer of thanksgiving. For the next two days we visited with Mark Stringer. We used the time to talk about the work and make plans for the future of the work in Colombia. We also watched the evening news and saw pictures of the second landslide. It was so bad that it would be weeks before the road opened up again. God had opened up a two-hour window that we made it through!
On Sunday morning we headed for the airport early. We went through customs and emigration then checked our baggage We could then rest a little while before the airplane was due to leave. We ate breakfast in a little cafe there in the airport. We browsed among the shops and spent our last pesos. We would not be needing them in the States! Soon it was time to board. True to custom in Colombia, we boarded the plane only to spend more than an hour waiting as the last passengers were allowed to board. The airplane had no air-conditioning and was very hot. But the time did pass rapidly and we were soon on our way. The flight to Miami was uneventful and four hours late we were landing. There were huge crowds at the customs booths. After an hour delay in Bogota and another hour to get through customs, our two and one half hour lay-over suddenly began to seem uncomfortably short. We cleared customs and sprinted to the check-in counter, then on to the loading gate. We arrived just as they were calling our flight for boarding. Since we had gotten there late we could not sit as a family on the flight to Cleveland. Fortunately the kids are big enough now that it proved to be no major problem. Soon we were airborne and began to click off the states as we winged our way northward. We had barely finished our supper when the plane began it's decent into Cleveland airport. Upon landing we were met by my parents and brother for a joyous reunion after three years. We collected our luggage and were soon on our way to Rittman.
The next few days were spent moving into our house and in shopping. It takes a lot to stock up the cupboards when they are completely bare! Our first trip to the grocery cost us over $350. It wasn't much better the next day when we headed to K-Mart to get some clothes. After getting settled in we began to home can some fruit and vegetables. It is also time to make many over-due repairs on the house. During this time we had a very special pleasure as we met many of you as we shopped and ate in the restaurants. Time continues to fly by as we register the kids for school. We are looking forward to beginning our speaking engagements so that we can see all of you. It will be a real pleasure to visit with you and share what God has done over the last three years. We will be calling to reconfirm these dates in the near future. If you have questions, please call or write us here in Rittman.