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Curtis and Katie Kline, with the rooftops of Bogota behind them.

Curtis and Katie Kline are new ELCA missionaries in Colombia. In this excerpt from their fall newsletter, they write about settling into a new culture. You can also read more about them and their ministry at their blog, “8000 Feet and Counting.” To support Curtis and Katie, click here. To support another of the ELCA’s more than 240 missionaries in the global church, click here.

Can you believe we have been here just shy of three months now!?! Getting settled into our new home, our new country, and our new lives has been an experience of wonder, excitement, struggle and growth. We are moved into our own apartment in Bogota, thankfully, very close to the office.

Curtis is getting settled into his new job, learning the goals and abilities of the church in Colombia to promote and protect human rights and to build peace in the country, as well as the ways in which he can contribute. With the peace process so far successful, he will be focused on helping the church build its capacity to implement human rights and work for reconciliation. He will be doing this through trainings, community accompaniment, and network building with others in Colombia focused on similar goals. Katie is working hard to learn Spanish and to formalize her work, which will be with the women and youth ministries of Colombia. We are both high spirited about our time, experience and work in Colombia and can’t wait to share it with you all.

Frequently asked questions

What has been the best part of being in Colombia?
Hands down, the people! We work with incredibly amazing people. The people here have welcomed us and helped us more than we could have hoped for. But it doesn’t stop there – people are helpful in the bus station, government offices, restaurants and everywhere else.

What has been the hardest part?
For both of us the language and living in and learning a new culture. The language barrier (at least right now) makes it very difficult to express ourselves fully.

Whom do you work with most closely?
Curtis works most closely with Andres. Andres is the other person who works with human rights here. He has also taken us both under his wing as we learn the ropes here. He has quickly become a very good friend to both of us. We are very thankful for his friendship.

What food do you like most there?
The fresh fruits and fresh juices. Colombia is also known as the country of fruit. Lunch is always served with fresh fruit juice (and free refills) and often a fruit salad too. But we like all the food and like trying new things; we haven’t come across any food that we don’t like.

What can we do to support you?
Communicate! Technology is so amazing. We both have WhatsApp, an app that allows us to text internationally for free (and the app is free too). We also both have Skype. We miss you and love hearing from you!