Day 3 (February 19, 2023):

At 6:20AM, my phone buzzed beside the bed, with a WhatsApp message saying my bag had arrived on the Air Canada flight from Toronto!  Fellow Board member, Mark — who had also missed the flight in Montreal Friday night and was rebooked on that Toronto flight — had spotted it and picked it up.  What a relief that was!

We were excited to meet all the other Board members and their spouses at breakfast in the hotel at 7:30 and, after a bite and a quick catch-up, we prepared to board the bus for the Compassion project site.  The distance from the hotel to Pablo Neruda was not far but, as our first Bogota traffic experience taught us first-hand, even short distances take great patience and lots of time.  We arrived at the church at 9:45AM and were greeted by a Canadian flag flying next to the Colombian flag.  

But our focus was not on flags, rather it was on a meeting that was about to happen — one for which we have been waiting a long time.  Since we last visited Pablo Neruda in 2010, the church has expanded significantly, having added buildings to support an expanded Compassion project.  We scanned the grounds anxiously for our former Compassion sponsored child, Arnold, and his mother, but no sign.  After a few minutes, we peeked inside the sanctuary and there in the back row were Arnold and his mom.  A sudden rush of emotion overtook us and we ran to greet them.  After 12 1/2 years, we were finally able to reconnect.  It was a moment that will be etched into our memories for perhaps the rest of our lives.

After some hugs and greetings, we took our seats with them and the service began.  Colombians don’t hold back when it comes to their workshop services. A group of young women did cultural / liturgical dance during the singing, which was done with gusto by everyone present.  The pastor spoke about the importance of having convictions, and every sentence was translated.  The two-hour service passed by very quickly.

After the service, we sat down with Arnold and his mom at a picnic table and, with the help of a gifted and patient translator, Daniela, we spent the next 2 1/2 hours talking, sharing and catching up on the last dozen years since our last meeting in this same village.  I think I cried more in those 2 1/2 hours than I’ve cried in a decade, so moved was I — so moved were both Pam and I — with the stories of the hardship of daily life, the deep spiritual rooting of both Arnold and his mom, and the story of the loss of his father.  Five years ago, he was killed after being robbed.  The loss has hit them hard as a family. 

There was laughter, too, as we shared photos and learned about each others’ lives.  Arnold has written us regularly and faithfully since we last saw him, but letters don’t get to the true detail of lives lived.  It was truly a sacred time together.  We all locked pinkies — a Colombian way of making a promise — that we would indeed see each other again.

Arnold has grown into a wonderful young man.  He loves music, writes poetry and songs, works in a transportation company in Bogota, wants to be a veterinarian.  He is soft-spoken, positive, deeply kind - that struck us profoundly during our time together.  He has stepped in to support his mom and sister since his father’s death, in such a mature and caring way.  His bond with his mom was so evident.

It is difficult to share the experience to its full depth, but suffice it to say, it was a meeting that was all we had hoped and more, and it established a special bond that transcends the Colombia-Canada distance.

We left the project site at 2:30, after watching Arnold and his mom walk slowly down the street from the church and around a corner.  An hour later, we were back in Bogota and another exciting reunion was waiting for us:  a get-together with our Croatian friend, Ivan, whom we haven’t seen in 10 years, since he moved away from Halifax.  Ivan met a wonderful Colombia woman, Lissette, and settled in Bogota in 2014.  Together with their sweet little girl, Mila, they have established a good life for themselves.  Over crepes and freshly-squeezed fruit juices, we got to know Lissette and Mila, and caught up with Ivan.  It was another amazing visit.

At 5:30, we met up with others in our group and headed to a restaurant a block away from the epicentre of Bogota:  Bolivar Square.  With the main cathedral, the Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Palace as its four sides, Bolivar Square is the heartbeat of Bogota - and of Colombia.

By 8:30PM we were back at the hotel, emotionally drained but feeling so blessed by the experiences the day brought to us.

The view from our window at the Grand Hyatt this morning. It’s rainy season here, so we really did well with today’s weather.

Wherever you go, people talk about the weather. But it seems like the number one topic here in Bogotá is transportation. Everybody spends hours and hours per day in the bottleneck traffic of this city of 9 million. While there is no subway network, the city has invested in dedicated lanes to accommodate TransMilenio articulated buses (and note that they are articulated buses with three cars!). They are usually packed and quite unsafe, due to the threat from being mugged. We did take them on our last visit to Bogota and didn’t experience any problems.  But people look at us with raised eyebrows when they hear us mention that we’ve actually traveled via TransMilenio buses!

The welcome sign to Pablo Neruda, the barrio where our visit with our former Compassion sponsor child, Arnold, took place.

Greenhouses here go on and on and on. In Pablo Neruda, fresh flowers and strawberries are grown in them.

When I wrote about that “greenhouses go on and on”, consider this photo:  the town of Pablo Neruda where we went to church and spent time visiting with our former sponsored child, is circled in yellow. All the grey represents the strawberry and flower greenhouses in the district. Amazing!

The church and Compassion project site, where we attended Sunday service, had a Canadian flag there to welcome us.


and suddenly we saw Arnold and his mom, the first time since August 2010. We were moved to tears.

After the church service, we spent several hours sitting around the picnic table and catching up. It was truly moving and meaningful. Arnold has turned into such a fine young man.

Today’s visit versus our visit in August 2010.

While we were visiting with Arnold and his mom, the rest of the Board played soccer with kids from the Compassion project.

Acrobat busker during a red light at an intersection.


Once back in Bogota, we met up with our friend, Ivan, whom we hadn’t seen since 2013. It was our first time meeting his wonderful wife, Lissette, and daughter, Mila. 

Columbia has an abundance of fresh fruit, and we had a fine sampling at Crêpes and Waffles, a very popular dessert restaurant. 

Historic Spanish architecture in the heart of Bogota, just a block from Bolivar Square. 

Catedral Primada de Colombia is the main cathedral for the city, facing Bolivar Square.

The National Capital houses Columbia’s Congress. You can see protesters and their banners. The new government is left-wing, so some of the banners are in support of them, while others are in protest of their policy reforms.

Lievano Palace in Bolivar Square.