2019 Alcala family Travels

5 weeks have passed since we left home on the 27th of March 2019 

... so much has happened ... 

                                               But ... through it all 

... I have learnt to trust in Jesus, I've learnt to trust Him more 

... and as a result, I can say ... God is good, God is faithful each day. 

Introducing the famous BEDBOX!!!
It's an amazing travel luggage for small children ... which will convert their airplane seat into a "bed" or maybe more like a "footrest" for older children ... BUT ... it has amazing properties of a ride on suitcase for getting about in the airports.
Michelle loves her Bedbox, and it made those extremely long walks through airports and between gates, a breeze, with the rest of the family doing a quick march to keep up with her :D rather than having to tell her to keep on walking!!! 

Our four very special children with our Air NewZealand plane in the background.
They all travelled exceptionally well ... we LOVE them to bits ... and are very proud of each one of them. 

One happy girl ready for take-off
(with her candy bracelet to chew on and help the air pressure in her ears ;)

...

God's amazing creation along the way

Flying in over Los Angeles city (the high rise buildings are downtown LA)

2 families = 11 children + 4 parents = tons of fun!!!

In Los Angeles, we were picked up by brother Young Cho, who very kindly took us home to be with him and Tracy, his wife and their children. The next day, Friday, all the children sat down to do some schoolwork, in the school house. The amazing thing was that they themselves, chose to work in absolute silence for set amounts of time. Everyone got lots done. 

Saturday afternoon we all went to the Griffith Observatory with the Cho family. It never mattered where we went, what we did ... all the children absolutely loved each other's friendship and company :)

Willians and Michelle at the Griffith Observatory

Some of the displays inside the Griffith Observatory 

Los Angeles by night ... taken from Griffith Observatory

Part of the Observatory with downtown LA in the background

 

The gently swaying Foucault Pendulum:

The 240-pound bronze ball, suspended by a cable 40 feet long, swings in a constant direction while the Earth turns beneath it. The pendulum is mounted to a bearing in the rotunda ceiling that does not turn with the building as it rotates with the Earth. A ring magnet at the bearing gives a little tug on each swing of the pendulum to keep the pendulum in motion. As the day passes, the pendulum knocks over pegs set up in the pendulum pit and indicates the progress of rotation. It is amazing just to stand and watch the pendulum as it gently sways :)

The Tesla Coil

Tesla coils are part of a great dream to provide electricity without using wires. Electricity became widely available around 1900, when the first networks began to send power to homes and businesses over transmission lines. They were expensive to build, and so Tesla and others worked on wireless electrical networks. The technology was difficult to implement, and it never got out of the laboratory.

Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) invented the Tesla coil.The power grid that we use to bring electricity to our homes is based on Tesla’s work.

Tracy Cho and some of the children watching the explanation on Eclipses. 

More exhibits ... 

A large sculptural display of the periodic table of the elements, with real samples of each!! 

Pretty cool

Posing with a statue of Albert Einstein, 

holding up one finger to measure the sky span in The Big Picture

Michelle alongside a scaled model of the moon, and standing on some huge scales 

to see how much she would weigh if she went to the moon!! :D

After our exhaustive exploration at Griffith Observatory, we had a bunch of hungry hunters ... so stop we did at an IN n Out for some hamburgers :P

The Cho family van alongside a cool car ...

Two girls having fun drawing whilst waiting for our burgers.

The rest of the young ones entertaining themselves until burgers arrived!!!

Food Time ... yum!!!

Note: The Griffith Observatory is an amazing place to watch, study and learn about God's amazing creation ... On the website you can find many descriptions of the many displays there. Check it out :)

http://www.griffithobservatory.org/exhibits/exhibitmap.html

Where God leads ... When God leads ...

When God leads ... 

Every day God speaks ... gently, as we read His Word,  sometimes more directly, through circumstances, 

When my heart is Overwhelmed ...

Recently ... 
                      life was busy ... 
                                                   days seemed often to happen in a blur ...  
                                                                              
just as though your little life was a roller coaster ... 
full of all those legitimate things that are just a must in life: 
 - meal preparation
 - schoolwork for children
 - tennis lessons for 3, swimming lesson for 1
 - extra singing and audio drama practice for 3 with another 3 onboard ;)
 - washing, ironing, mending too
 - trying to be a helpmeet to my dear husband wherever and however the Lord leads
 - the constant character building lessons not only for children but also for me!!!
 - meetings both the English assembly meetings as well as Spanish gospel meetings and  
     Bible study
 - food preparation to do with these meetings
 - throw in a Spanish "sunday school" preparation now and again 
 - many kilometres (as well as the time and to be ready in time before for travel time) to and
    fro from meetings
 - did I say, housework and grocery shopping 

well, it would seem like I'm complaining, wouldn't it ... but no, don't take it like that ... it's just that life is busy ...

then ... 

all of a sudden the enemy of our souls throws a little spanner into the works, 

no, it's not big, it's not important ... but oh, how it weighs down the soul ... especially because you can see his evil hand trying to destroy God's work and the blessing seen in God's work. 

Your heart agonises ... you pray ... you feel there is no easy way out ... yes, it may be true ... but you KNOW it is not God's doing ... 

When to God's Word you turn ... 
                                                            and ...
        
God gives you the words your aching heart needed to hear:


When my heart is overwhelmed: 
                                                            LEAD ME TO THE ROCK 
                                                            THAT IS HIGHER THAN I !!!!!

Psalm 61 v 2

Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Los Angeles 2015

Well, days come and days go by ... and experiences become treasured memories tucked away deep inside your heart. What does come out is gratefulness to our Lord for His tender mercies and loving care as He guides, and walks the way with us ...

to my mind comes a hymn that is very special to me:

Each step I take my Saviour goes before me,

and with His loving hand He leads the way,

And with each breath I whisper "I adore Thee"

Oh what joy to walk with Him each day!

Each step I take ... I know that He will guide me ...

To higher ground He ever leads me on.

Until some day the last step will be taken.

Each - step - I - take - just - leads - me - closer - home.

At times I feel my faith begin to waver,

When up ahead I see a chasm wide.

It's then I turn and look up to my Saviour,

I am strong when He is by my side.

Each step I take ... I know that He will guide me ...

To higher ground He ever leads me on.

Until some day the last step will be taken.

Each - step - I - take - just - leads - me - closer - home.

I trust in God, no matter come what may,

For life eternal is in His hand.

He holds the key that open up the way,

That will lead me to the promised land.

Each step I take ... I know that He will guide me ...

To higher ground He ever leads me on.

Until some day the last step will be taken.

Each - step - I - take - just - leads - me - closer - home.

And so ... each step I take just leads me closer home. :)

After our few days in Los Angeles, we flew to Barranquilla where we stayed nearly a week with the believers there. How touching it is to be picked up (nearly at midnight) by believers and shown hospitality when you have never met personally before!! The amazingness of belonging to the Lord's people, indeed!!!

Just a few days after we arrived, Mum and Dad Smith, and Ferne, arrived there also on their return from the missionary conference in Canada.

It was so nice to be in Colombia once more ... but then to travel down to Sincelejo, the city where I'd lived since I was 8 years old ... that certainly was going home!! How I loved each moment of those maybe 6 weeks in Sincelejo .. sitting on the same seats at the hall ... walking the same few blocks to go to the meetings... It felt like I'd just gone back in time.

Whilst in the north of Colombia, we were able to visit many other different areas as well (Caucasia, El Tesoro, Los Manguitos, Macajan, ... Pereira and Santa Rosa ... Cartagena).

At the beginning of July we travelled by bus to Valencia, Venezuela. Our base was in Maracay, although there were a couple of weeks with mum and dad in El Mene, some nights, days  or maybe a week away for Willians with special meetings. A highlight of our time, or should I say life saver , well, special moments to relax, recover spirits and go on ... was our 2 weeks with Victor and Mary in Valencia. Only the Lord knows what a blessing it was to be in their home!!

After Valencia, we spent a week away as a family ... aaaaahhhhh :)

Michelle also had her first birthday in Maracay ... it was so nice to spend both the day of her birthday as well as the Saturday afterwards with family and friends.

not too sure about these presents

with the cake she was given, as well as dress :)

birthday girl with abuela and grandparents

the family

From Maracay, we travelled to El Vigia and Merida, then on to San Cristobal, San Antonio and across the border to Cucuta, where we stayed for a week.

We flew from Cucuta to Bogota then on to Barranquilla where I stayed for a week with the children and Willians went down to Sincelejo for a short visit to see Manuel Gordon who has since gone home to be with the Lord. <3 font="">

From Barranquilla we flew to Panama city, took an overnight bus to Cuidad de David, where we then stayed with Marcos and Sara for 2 weeks. The time in Panama, though busy with meetings, visits of Marcos and Willians, and lots of schoolwork for us ... was a refreshing breath ... after the heat in Colombia, now to be in a cooler area, overlooking the breathtaking creation .... aaaaahhhhhh.

the amazing view from our "home" in Panama

with the believers in Dolega

Marcos and Sara, serving the Lord in Panama

From Panama we stopped over in Los Angeles, and once more blessed to be able to stay with special Christian friends who made us feel very welcome and at home. Another big blessing was to be able to enjoy time sitting and listening to God's Word in special meeting in the assembly at Culver City. God is good indeed.

From there, it was home sweet home .... with thankful hearts ... to the Lord for each day He allowed us to be, go, do, spend, enjoy, ....

More of our time in Los Angeles

Well, time has steadily marched by and right now we are loving being in Panama!!! And ... on our way home!!! ... Hence, I will try (yes, try!! :) ) to fill in on our travels with some photos, as I realize that if I were to write everything ... it would NEVER be done!

So now, let me go back in time to Los Angeles, California, once more!! :)

Traveling around on public transport. Once we figured it out, it was great! We even did bus exchanges :)

Looking down Century Avenue towards the hotel and airport. We ate at Pollo Loco that evening: delicious!!