Merry Christmas from Bogota

First and foremost I have to apologize for being absent for so long. The Christmas season here was very busy for me. I'm gonna try my best to catch yall up on events. Second I have been asked to no longer publish photos on my blog. Its for the protection of the children. Many of them are in protective custody for various reasons and I would never want to put them into danger. I am however able to post them to a private photo sharing web site that requires a user name and password. I think this will be better anyways because it gives me the opportunity to post more than 3 or 4 pictures and you are able to see more activities and more smiles. I am in the process of setting this up now that I have a few weeks off of school. Once it is up and running I will let you all know and you can email me for the name and password.

Since my last update I have been able to experience many different things. One thing that still sticks in my mind is I was finally able to spend a night in one of the homes. I slept in one of their beds and showered in their showers. I have to admit it was a very eye opening experience. That night I could hardly sleep because I was freezing (wearing sweat pants and the same sweatshirt they have). The next morning I took a freezing shower. When I say freezing I'm not sure if you can imagine it because I never knew water that cold existed. These kids do it everyday. I don't have much here but I am very thankful for the things I do have.

Second I saw a group of girls graduate high school. Even in their circumstances they did something that many people don't do. I watched them receive their diplomas with smiles on their faces and with faces proud of accomplishment. They girls received flowers and a graduation ring for their hard work. I was able to be a part of the ceremony by giving the girls their rings. It was very humbling to see some of my new friends in tears thankful for my help. I was a very proud brother that day, seeing my sisters receive diplomas and tell us their future dreams and where they will be studying now.

Third, I was able to be a part of a Christmas celebration for the children here. I was a part of giving gifts to approximately 600 children. The smiles were unexplainable! My heart was full of joy being able to experience that! They girls and boys that were a little older all received brand new clothes and the younger children brand new toys. We had games and skits for them and an incredible lunch. It was very humbling to see this. The kids were so excited to receive something despise their circumstances. I also saw many tears that day for some of the children were spending their first Christmas without their families. I was able to share with them that this is also my first Christmas without my family. As I shared my happiness with them I was able to see smile emerge from behind eyes full of tears. We also shared gifts with my "princessas". It was small but all I could do. It was bracelets, lollipops, and pony tails but the girls absolutely loved it. They then asked where my gift was. As I thought about it I quickly answered, "your smiles are more than enough for me." They are a large part of the reason I came back to Bogota and their happiness is all I need. I also bought a case of 24 Bibles to give to my class of pregnant mothers for Christmas. They have been asking for weeks now for complete Bibles and I finally found a company here willing to help my ministry. The young girls were more than excited that I remembered this seemingly small request and many of them said that was the best gift they have received.

This has been my first Christmas away from home. Honestly it doesn't even feel like Christmas to me. Tradition here is so different. I really miss my family but God has provided me with one here in Bogota. I am very blessed with the family I received. I prayed for friends and guidance here and the Lord provided me with a family. We were able to have 3 of the girls from the foundation spend the weekend with us to celebrate Christmas. This was the closest thing to Christmas any of them have ever had. Most of them don't have good memories of their families and have lived in institutions for more than 5 or 6 years. I once again was humbled to spend my first Colombian Christmas with some of my sisters here in the foundation. I would love to keep writing but we have promised hamburgers and ice cream for dinner and my name is being called in the kitchen. Thank you all for your love and support! and Merry Christmas!


From His Front Lines,

Chris Poole
James 1:27

Location:Bogota, Colombia