We have crossed the half-way point and are now finishing up the last four weeks of filming the movie in Colombia. It has been quite an adventure, living in a place that 2 years ago was not even safe enough to visit. A lot has changed in two years, and we are living proof that God is really healing the land of Colombia from it's history of bloodshed and violence.
What more can I say? We live right outside of a very small town at the base of the mountains. The townspeople now "know" us and like to chat with us when we're in town, whether it be for grocery shopping, playing a game of fútbol, stopping by one of the many bakeries or getting a cool juice drink. It is very hot here and there is no air conditioning. We take very cold showers every day as there is no option for hot water, but that works out well with the heat anyways. There is an army base right outside of town, and lots of soldiers everywhere. We are getting used to seeing huge guns casually sported around town.
As far as the movie goes, we are ahead of schedule with the filming, and may be able to head back to Bogotá before we thought. The days are often hot and long, but the rewards great as the scenes are coming out so beautifully! After we leave for MN, the team here will edit the film and work on everything that goes on with putting a movie together. We hope it will be out by spring, 2012. :)
Yesterday was a free day, which we get once a week. Elijah and I were invited up to the mountain farm of a couple who have helped with the movie: Don Luis and his wife Doña Orpha. They are a very warm and interesting couple, who are former teachers from southern Colombia. They live in a quaint wooden home on the edge of the mountain. Half of their living space is open air, with a big shaded patio where you can view the myriads of hummingbirds whizzing through the house or the toucans resting in a fruit tree nearby. At night, the stars over the mountains are brilliant, with no pollution or lights to dim them. Luis and Orpha grow cacao, the chocolate plant, and showed us how they produce their own chocolate step-by-step. We then enjoyed a cup of steaming hot chocolate paired with cheese and sweet bread. It was so fun!
I'll have to add photos later!
Ciao!
