Following up trips in the past few years to Mozambique, Thailand and Sri Lanka, my mom is at it again…

Hi – am negotiating with my church but I may be making another almost-free trip! Just got a request that I join a small women’s delegation to Colombia in October – five days only – to visit “women’s empowerment projects” – I THINK it will work out to go but it means with previous commitments that I would only preach in church every other Sunday for six weeks – here three, gone three – so I really need some approval before I accept! Would have to pay my own way to Miami but the rest would be paid from the Latin America office of Global Ministries. I suspect we would be mainly in Bogota – which I last saw for only 3 days in 1969 (I think!)

I am jealous of some of these trips, they sound like a great deal of fun and would be very interesting and educational. Perhaps one day my random trips will expand to take me to some places of that sort. Although I must admit, that would really stretch my comfort zone! But that can’t be a bad thing, right?

On my random trips I *do* exclude places with current State Department Travel Warnings though. My mom appearantly does not. There is indeed a Current Warning for Columbia:

The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against travel to Colombia. Terrorist and criminal violence by narcotraffickers, guerrillas, illegal self-defense (paramilitary) groups and other criminal elements continues to affect all parts of the country, urban and rural. Citizens of the United States and other countries continue to be the victims of threats, kidnappings, domestic airline hijackings and murders. Threats targeting official and long-term resident Americans are expected to continue and possibly increase in response to U.S. support for Colombian drug eradication programs. Colombian groups have been known to operate in the border areas of neighboring countries, creating similar dangers for travelers in those areas. Bombings have occurred throughout Colombia, including a steady recent rise in attacks on civilian targets in urban areas. This trend shows no sign of abating in the near future, and some foreign interests have been among the targets. … There is a greater risk of being kidnapped in Colombia than in any other country in the world. In the past three years, 26 Americans were reported kidnapped in various parts of the country. American kidnap or murder victims have included journalists, missionaries, scientists, human rights workers, U.S. government employees and businesspeople, as well as persons on tourism or family visits, and even small children.

Nice.

Well, I’m sure my mom will enjoy it. :-)