What to do if a gun is pulled on you in Bogota...

What to do if a gun is pulled on you in Bogota…

Ok, so I haven’t actually had a gun pulled on me, or in fact, ever been to Bogota.  But my friends Stephen and Sara Otis have done both (well, Sara has just been to Bogota, Stephen is the only one to get accosted).  The young couple are in a ministry working with kids in Columbia.  Recently, Stephen actually had a gun pulled on him, and amazingly, got out of the situation using his rapier wit and a good dose of ignorance.

Check out his story: www.bridgethelove.com

As a family that, for the most part, is state side, in a nice warm house, and in a mostly safe city (though Walgreens was robbed by a man with a pencil yesterday) I often feel like we are “pretend missionaries”.  I’m not trudging through the bush, or evading poisonous snakes, or even pretending to be Spanish illiterate and getting away with not being shot, like Stephen!

But I have 106 reminders of my mission field every day.  While I am planning the Brazil trip, and working on raising support, I enter into a classroom each day, and see 106 eager faces.  While I don’t whack my way through a rain forest, or fight guerrilla warfare, I “fight” on a battlefield that is ripe with divorce, split homes, and self esteem issues.  I’ll bet all of you (the tens of twenties that read the blog) can remember the impact a teacher had on your life.  Fortunately, the role of being an International Youth Tour director mainly takes place after school hours and in the summer.  So this allows me to stay in the classroom.

So, while it isn’t as glamorous or adventurous as what Stephen or Sara are going through, it still is an important mission field.  And with only 3 days until Christmas break, sometimes it can feel like a jungle!!!