Plans for 2011...

Happy Holidays to everyone!

My dog Ellie and I are hanging out in the living room of my parent’s house in York Beach, Maine. “The Blizzard of 2010” just hit us and I as usual it was disappointing. Instead of the expected 20-24 inches we were supposed to receive, I am guessing we got about half that! But the killer is the 30-40 mph gusts that are ridiculous at the moment! They make freezing temps feel like dying temps and are a good deterrent to grabbing the sleds and trying to find a hill. So I think I will enjoy this hot chocolate, warm dog, and update my blog with some big news.

I am returning to Colombia for 2011 and beyond!

The Lord opened up a door for me to return to Santa Ana and I feel amazingly blessed for it! Here are the Top 3 reasons I am going back.

#3- Bilingual Program in Santa Ana

While I had my days where I wished a donkey would just knock me out, I really came to love teaching English at the public school! We made some decent improvements to the program and were fortunate to see some measurable outcomes in the end. However saying “adios” to my students was hard not because of the impending physical departure, but because I know there is so much more work to be done. As the new Colombian English teacher at the private school, I believe we can make this program one of the best in Cartagena! There are 8 handpicked American teachers coming to assist in this initiative and I am so excited to meet them! I know that together we are going to do some special things and I look forward to sharing the impact these people will have on these students and beyond!

#2- Community of Santa Ana

I miss my little Dayana! Can’t wait to see those precious little faces again!

While seeing this family will be a highlight to my return, I know God is going to do some things that are going to have a far wider impact. I met some great Colombian Christians’ who have a heart for the poor and underprivileged. I believe there are opportunities to work together with the local church to create some programs that can meet the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of the many in Santa Ana. Also a few weeks ago I met a group of girls from Nashville, who came to New Hampshire to do a workshop which encourages young girls to look to God for true answers to the world. We talked and there was a lot of smiling! We are praying that God opens up a way for them to possibly come to Cartagena to share this good news. This would be incredible! Lastly, while doing this particular study with my parents, I just keep getting this picture of them with me in Santa Ana. After praying about it, one of my goals this year is to create a “Seguin and friends Mission Trip” to the land of dirt and donkeys! Talking with a few of my Uncles, Aunts, and Cousins, I am asking Him to make a way for this to happen! Never mind the amazing things a group of Type A perfectionists would be able to accomplish in a developing village, I cannot wait for the looks these super tall behemoths will invoke from the vertically challenged Colombians.

#1- Colombia Grace Foundation

When I met the visiting Josh and Mike at a pastor’s conference in Cartagena, I knew it was one of those really cool moments where you just felt had greater implications. The Lord has called them and their beautiful families to move to Cartagena and start an orphanage together! As promised, I will write a blog about their testimony and journey up to this point, because it is simply amazing and inspirational. So now that they have purchased land outside of Cartagena they might be starting this journey as soon as April 2011. The time we have spent together has given me the conviction that I need to support them in whatever way He leads. As someone who feels the Lord leading me down a similar road one day, I feel absolutely blessed that they have this similar idea as well. I am really excited to see where He takes this, but I also stoked He is about to bring a bunch of people to Cartagena whom I have come to really admire and respect. In the Christian faith, you need people to look up to. While in the end we need to recognize that people are fragile and that Jesus is not, I know that in all their weaknesses, these 2 men are demonstrating Christ in a way that has been really awesome for me!

So the plan is that I’ll first be back in Nashville from January 10-14, 2011. I will be heading to Atlanta toward the end of the week to see a friend and then fly to Cartagena from there on the 16th. Would love to see many of you before I go. Let me know how we can meet up and I will be there!

Thanks for reading! To another year in the land of dirt and donkeys- Cheers!

Adios!

E