FIRST WEEKEND IN RIOHACHA WAS A BLESSING! YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT, WE'RE FINALLY HERE!!

If you are on facebook, then you know that we are now in Riohacha, Colombia. What a journey it has been to get here. Thank you for following our journey through our blog. We plan to update more frequently and apologize for not updating the response about our visas after we asked you to pray. I checked our blog and saw that the last post was about applying for our visas. Wow, didn't realize we hadn't written anything on here since then. Please know that your continued prayers have been and continue to be vital as we seek God in all things. We ask that you please pass on these updates to anyone not receiving the blog and encourage people to register their email to receive the blog whenever we update it.

A lot has happened since then. Decisions were made about our ministry, our son Andrew moved back to the states to work for the summer at a Christian camp and then go Toccoa Falls College in the fall, we worked hard to finish up language school grammar and practice; and our niece and daughter's boyfriend visited us for a short time, during which he proposed marriage to our daughter Crystal and she said, "YES." It was a whirlwind of happenings one right after the other, and in the midst of it, our visa was denied, so for a few days, there was a time of seeking God to be sure of His direction, but after much prayer and talking with directors, we stepped out in faith continuing to follow the path God directed us towards. Thank you all for your continued prayers, because in that time following the denial, we needed God's direction more than ever and sought His will as we considered this news. We do not know why our visa was denied, but in seeking God through prayer and His word, we are confident that He is still leading our family to serve here in Riohacha, Colombia alongside the Mejia family at Iglesia Castillo Fuerte. Right now, we are here with our passport and can stay for 90 days, then request an additional 90 days. We plan to reapply for our visa at the end of the year in Atlanta, GA.

This weekend we moved to Riohacha!! Yes, we are finally here!! We finished language school and left Arequipa on the 20th of July. We spent some time in Santa Marta when we first arrived in Colombia for a time of fellowship, prayer, and orientation with the other members of our great SAM Colombia mission team who live and serve in and around Santa Marta, a city about 2.5 hours from Riohacha. They are an amazing group of brothers and sisters and were super helpful with our entrance into Colombia. A couple of our team members, along with the pastor of the church in Santa Marta and a brother from the church picked us up from the airport and helped us unload all our stuff at our temporary apartment in Santa Marta, where we stayed for the first week. There our team encouraged us, helped with orientation, prayed with us and we with them, and helped us get acclimated to this new culture. We also had to get acclimated to the heat. When we first stepped off the plane, it was like a huge wave of heat hit us. Knyanna wanted to know if everything in this "world" is hot when she washed her hands in the bathroom and the water was warm :) Yes, it's very hot here, but no, everything is not hot. The showers are cold or lukewarm, which at first was a shock to the skin, but is actually not that bad now in this heat. When we left Arequipa, it was pretty cold. What a change! Already we are getting accustomed to the heat, but looking forward to purchasing a couple of ac units for the house.

On Saturday, a brother from the church in Santa Marta picked us and all our luggage up in his truck and brought us and our little kids here to our new home in Riohacha. Crystal and Ashlynn are in the states visiting friends and going to a friend's wedding, but will join us here next week. We were all packed in tight, but were comfortable and had a great trip. The kids rode well for the 2.5 hours, of course a little squirmy the last hour, but all in all, really well. (I don't know what we're going to do when we return to the states and they have to wear seat belts. They were laying on the seat and one on me, like I used to do in cars in the states when I was a kid, :) ) Chris and I, more Chris cause I slept some, got to practice speaking and listening to Spanish with our driver. He is from Riohacha and knew the city well, as well as landmarks along the way. He even took us after we unloaded our luggage, to go purchase mattresses and hauled them back for us. He even waited patiently while we waited for the bank to lift a hold on the account, which banks sometimes put on your account when you purchase something in a foreign country even when you notify them in advance. Also, when we arrived at the house, Brother Dionisio, pastor of the church, was already there putting together beds and getting things ready for us. There were also some young men there along with Klever, the pastor's son to help unload the truck. We felt so blessed! We have received lots of help since we arrived. The kids were excited to see their new room and also get a new welcome to Riohacha toy. We went to the store later and James asked if we were going back to the house that had his new toy. I told him that we were going back to our house, that this wasn't just a house with his new toy, but it was our new house. He said, "Oh" and was so excited to run and play, as were the girls when we were at the house. They are comfortable here. That night, Kleyver brought the youth by to meet us and for us to meet them. That was exciting! And then he invited us over to the Mejia's house for pizza and to fellowship with the teens and the Mejia family. It was a great night visiting and eating really yummy homemade pizza! The kids went to bed really well, but we did have a little adventure when a huge cockroach ran across the floor in their room. The girls were scared for a few minutes, not helped by mom who didn't want to put her feet on the floor in the dark room. But dad explained to them that the cockroach wouldn't climb in their beds and they were okay after that. I did go in later and stomp on the cockroach with my shoe, ewww. Poor thing, but it was a quick death.

Today, Sunday - WHAT A BLESSING!!! This morning we went to our first service at the church and the people were so friendly and greeted us warmly. There were about 35 people there, not counting children. And wow, they totally blessed us beyond measure. The received us and welcomed us with celebration, streamers and balloons were on the posts and at the front of the church in big flowery letters, Bienvenidos Familia Haylett. We sang some familiar hymns in Spanish of course, then Pastor Dionisio welcomed us and spoke encouragement and blessing to us. Next his wife, Olivia, came up and invited our family up to the front to introduce us. Each kid spoke their name into the microphone, as did Chris and I. I practiced a little Spanish to thank the church for their prayers while we studied Spanish at the language institute and while I am sure I messed up a word or two, there was much grace, :). One of the ladies in the church came up to give me a bouquet of roses. She greeted and welcomed us and offered any help we might need. Olivia asked the kids if they wanted to say something in the microphone. Trinity usually is not shy and today was no different. She nodded her head and said, "Hola".

On a side note, the kids by the way are really doing well with understanding and speaking Spanish. They all say and understand so much more than "Hola" and never cease to amaze me or Colombians they speak to from the church and in the store. Already several people at the local supermercado here in Riohacha, a store similar to Walmart in the states, know them and talk to them by name when we go in the store. It's fun to see their interactions.

Anyways back to today. After the introduction we sang some more hymns and choruses. Then Olivia spoke words of welcome, gratitude, and blessing to us, also offering help with what ever we need. After that the children went to children's church, which our kids were super excited about. They then moved the chairs all in a circle for the adults, teens, and older children. Klever led in reading God's word from 1 John 1 and then went around asking different church members to share their testimony about the significance of the church and Christ in their lives. I am still working on understanding Spanish, but was pleased that I understood so much today. After church, we had a time of fellowship with fruit salad dessert and meeting the people. It was a blessing to meet and talk with people of various ages and backgrounds. At first I wasn't quite sure what to say, but that's true even at new churches with new people in the states. Still in Spanish, I was a little intimidated, but decided it's best just to ask questions and see where we go from there. So that's what I did and had a good time talking. I am so blessed by their grace as my Spanish continues to improve. Chris was enjoying talking with some of the guys and joking around with the teens. I love his fun personality, :) It will be neat to get to know each one of the church members more. The rest of our day was spent relaxing at home and then going to the store to get a few more items and groceries for the house. Tomorrow morning we hope to take the kids to the beach for a little bit; we were told 6 am is best, but we'll see what time we get there. Too late though and it's not possible to walk on the sand.

All of you, our supporters partnering with us in prayer support and/or financial support, are truly blessings to us and part of this ministry. You are greatly appreciated and greatly loved. Thank you for your support. Thank you for the prayers that carried us through language school, where we received a good foundation from which to build on. Thank you for your prayers even when you don't know what is going on. We are so excited to share in this journey with you. We have no idea what God is going to do in the next months as we serve here and then as we reapply for our visa, but we know God is walking with us and before us and will never leave us. He is leading us and we are following Him one step at a time, one day at a time. Thank you for your continued prayers. Please pray this week for us as we unpack, settle into our new home, learn more about the ministry here in Riohacha, and as Crystal and Ashlynn fly back to Colombia. Our ministry in these first few weeks will consist of building relationships, meeting with the pastor and other church leaders, observing ministries, worshipping and fellowshipping with the body of Christ, continuing language study (especially since there are some words and phrases that are different here in Colombia than in Peru), and learning about the culture here in Riohacha.

We hope to update this blog more frequently. Please sign up to receive the updates via email if you haven't already. God bless you all.

To all our teachers and the staff at ABC Institute, we are communicating here because of all your hard work. Thank you for your investment.
A todos nuestros profesores y el personal del Instituto ABC, nos estamos comunicando aqui por todo su trabajo duro. Gracias por su inversión.

Vikki and Nelson, thank you so much for helping us learn some Colombian Spanish before we came. We already have heard many of the phrases and words you taught us. Nelson, hoy, el pastor dijo, "Como amaneciste?", el frase que me dijiste el Domingo de Pascua cuando te miré confundido porque yo nunca escuchado esa frase. Hoy, yo entendí y me alegre de que habías dicho esa frase a mí. Dios es bueno!!:) (Today the pastor said, "Como amaneciste", the phrase you said to me on Easter when I looked at you confused because I had never heard that phrase. Today, I understood and was glad that you had said that phrase to me. God is GOOD!!)

Chris and Cristi