Colombian Christian Mission

COLOMBIAN CHRISTIAN MISSION
Dale and Jeanie Meade
In the jungle and prairie of Southeastern Colombia.
Volume 8, Issue 9 September, 1980

ONE LONG LAST MONTH

With barely one month left until our furlough time, the stark reality of the end of our second term was brought home. There were still many more churches left to visit. There were things left to be done at the church in Villavicencio. We had hardly begun to pack. To say the least, it was not the time to sit down and take things easy. In spite of the fact that we had not taken a vacation in the last three years, the last month would be full steam ahead. I started off with a trip to Cabuyaro. There was no time to waste since I was determined to visit all of the churches before our return for the second furlough.
My backpack was heavier than normal, but it didn't matter. The trip would be made in the local busses. The bus left at 10 a.m. I got there plenty early so as to get a seat. Still, I was assigned the very last seat on the bus. This seat is rough and dusty, since it is behind the rear wheels, but it is much better than spending five hours standing. The trip was slow due to poor condition of the roads. The heat and dust made the time seem to crawl by. After about four hours on the road, the bus came screeching to a halt and everybody began to scramble off the bus somewhat bewildered. I began to look around to see what was going on. A bridge was out and the but could go no further. It was not a new thing. For there was a bus waiting for us on the other side of the river. A catwalk had been constructed on some posts that had been driven into the river bed. The heavy pack suddenly became a cumbersome and difficult burden. The catwalk was only a matter of inches in width and swayed and sagged under the combined weight of me and the backpack. A couple of horses swam furiously in effort to cross the swift river below me. I concentrated on my balance and was soon on firm ground of the river bank. A bus was waiting and we were soon on our way again. With another hour of traveling we were at Cabuyaro. I got off the bus in front of the church building. There was the warm reception that awaits any brother in Christ, when he arrives to meet "family." I spent two days with them and taught on the Christian family and related topics. It was with some sadness that they saw me off. A year seemed like such a long time, yet I knew that the furlough would pass as quickly as each year of our second term.
On the return trip, I was not so lucky. The bus was packed and I would have to stand. One consolation was that I was not going to be returning to Villavicencio. After only 3 1/4 hours, I got off at a town called Paratebueno. The church there was already in their worship hour when I arrived I took a back seat and let things continue. After the service was over, I greeted the brethren and we all headed downtown for a cold pop (shades of the Long Branch). I spent the rest of the afternoon with a man who we are training to be the preacher. He is one of the elders and serves as the minister also. Since these are poor country churches, no one can make a living preaching. He works sawing up timber all day and then does his preaching and calling at night. The Lord has really blessed his ministry and we provide them with their Bible College education right there in town where they live and work. I preached for the evening service. The following day I returned to Villavicencio. After a brief rest, I was again headed out to visit the brethren in a place called "el Cerro" or the mountain. This visit required a rather lengthy hike at the end of the bus route so I packed my backpack lightly. It was about an hour of climbing straight up (well almost) to get to the house of the first Christian. There I left my pack and met up with two of the leaders. They would guide me on the four hour walk required to reach the place where the church service would be held. We set off, walking at a brisk pace in order to reach the destination with some light of day. We began at about 8 p.m. with some 30 adults present. I taught on the Holy Spirit in order to combat some erroneous doctrine that had been bothering some of the brethren in that area. After the service, in darkness and mud, we plodded along the rugged mountain trails. After eight hours of walking, I was ready to drop in my tracks. My little portable camp cot felt like a $300 Posturepedic. The next morning I spent several hours teaching the man who we are training to be the leader there. We considered the problems that he has had as well as the customary doctrinal studies that are included in the Theological Education by Extension course. It was with reluctance that we terminated this session and headed off the down the mountain. He wanted to continue; so great was his desire to learn. He would have another chance on another day. I needed to get back to Villavicencio. It was now just three weeks until our "D-day."
During these last weeks I made three trips to Bogota to work on our exit papers. We had to get a tax clearance, exit permits, re-entry visas, permission to take our kids out of Colombia, and a visa so Alexander could enter the United States. Each document requires tax stamps, a special official paper that the Government sells, waiting in interminable lines, and the patience of Job. During this time I was also working on the papers for our airplane. Finally things began to come through. I made the airline reservations of August 15; we crossed our fingers and prayed. In between trips, we packed all of our things into barrels and boxes. They in turn were packed in a 9' x 9' bedroom on the second floor of our house. We rented the house to a relative of the church members. One week before our departure date we attended our last church service. Much to our surprise, they had planned a going away party for us. There were the usual skits ribbing us about our accent or some other thing, along with the sentimental farewell speeches. They prayed for God's protection for us as well as for our speedy return. Once the bittersweet sorrow of saying goodbye was over, we headed for Bogota. I began to work on getting the final papers for our departure. Each one came out on schedule - except for Alexander's visa. After sending the papers in four different times, good ole Uncle Sam still couldn't get things straight. It took a lot of prayer and a little help from Congressman Ralph Regula to pry it loose - just 12 hours before our plane was due to depart.
As we were ready to begin our trip, we were informed that our flight had been canceled. They put us on another flight that got us to Miami about two hours after our flight to Cleveland had left. We rushed through some customs and immigration and headed for the airline ticket counters to see if we could get a later flight. There was a later flight but it was booked full. There were already several people on the waiting list. Given the circumstances, they put us on priority standby. We ran for the loading gate and arrived just as they began boarding the plane. As the plane slowly filled we prayed that there would be space. "Five more seats" announced the stewardess. I felt like letting a Tarzan war hoop, but restrained myself and breathed a prayer of thanksgiving instead. The five of us rushed on board and settled in for what was an uneventful flight to Cleveland. We landed and claimed our luggage. Due to the mixed up message, no one was waiting for us. We had sent word ahead that we would be arriving on a later flight. when the message arrived, it said that we would be arriving on a later date. With some disappointment, we put the kids to sleep on the airport floor as I began calling for someone to come and get us. About three hours later we finally made it to Rittman. It was 3 a.m. when we finally crawled into the sac.
The next three weeks was a blur of activities as we looked for a car, visited family, and got used to speaking English. Now we look forward to seeing you in the near future. We hope that your church has already booked a speaking date. If not don't delay. Our furlough would not be complete without a chance to visit you and express our appreciation for your prayers and support.