After spending Christmas time and the semester break in the United States visiting family and preaching in our supporting churches, it is great to be back in Colombia and back to the work here. During my time in the States I had the joy of sharing in Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family. It was a great time of togetherness and a real blessing. I enjoyed my grandchildren very much and the only negative aspect of getting back to the work here in Colombia is not being able to baby sit them.
Also I was able to travel down to Florida to speak at two churches there and take advantage of the trip there to visit the Christian University there has given us accreditation coverage. I wanted to be very certain that I was free to teach New Testament doctrine with no limitations. They assured me that there were no restrictions on me in that area. At the same time they instructed me on grading techniques and explained how to do all the proper paperwork. Along with this work time we were able to take an additional two days for a short family vacation as well. We had a great time as we combined ministry with Disney World.
But with teaching, it is very important that I not be out of Colombia for the school semester. So once that visit was over, we packed our bags and prepared to return to Colombia. I wanted to make sure I was back before the end of January so I could begin the new semester the first of February. I am the only one we have to teach in the Graduate School and there are many classes that do not lend themselves to distance learning. Because of that I must be present to teach those important classes. That is why I now limit my time in the States to the semester break and year end vacation in the Colombian academic calendar.
So now I am reveling in the joy of being back at work in ministry here in Colombia. I enjoy the ministry opportunities God has given me. That makes work fun for me. I can hardly wait to see some of my students from last semester as they return for more classes and to see a new group of students who will be beginning their studies. I look forward to getting down to Villavicencio and seeing the great things God is doing at Colegio Peniel, our Christian Day School there. And to be sure, I am excited about getting back to work with the churches and many fine brothers and sisters in the Lord’s work here in Colombia.