Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives ... Cali Style

Team Cali arrived in Colombia tonight (well, hours ago when it was still Saturday), albeit a couple hours late due to a weather delay in Miami.

One of life's great blessings is having a roommate (Andres), who lives in New Jersey but called Cali home for his first 24 years. Andres is bilingual thus invaluable beyond words outside the hotel room.

After unpacking at 11 PM ... and the remainder of Team Cali tied to the hotel property for the night (most all lacking in translators not to mention exhausted), Andres suggested a quick taxi over to one of the top hamburger places in the city. Don't have to ask me twice, and hey, how many times can a foody get a fix on a mission trip?

We picked up fellow team member Bill who was down in the lobby texting messages back home, and gained another surprise when Samuel, one of our team's translators, pulled up in a taxi at the hotel after an 8-hour bus drive into Cali from his home in Medellin.

Don't have to ask Samuel twice if he wants to go wrestle with the largest hamburger in South America.

The star attraction on the menu can be seen in front of Samuel ... "Hamburgesa Todo Terreno (All Terrain)," a 2-pounder comprised of pork, chicken, beef and ham -- and dressed with an egg on top. He left some of the bread at the end, saying "Kinda fattening, I'm watching my weight."

Another member of Team Cali on the trip is Jackson, who was born in Taipai, Taiwan, moved to the Eastern US when he was 8 and now lives in New Jersey. Jackson sat next to me on the flight from Miami and is making his second trip to Colombia after two E3 trips to Kenya where he served on a medical team.

"People think this is a one-week mission trip. In my mind, this is a week to recharge our Spirit to go back and do the Lord's work in the 51-week mission field we call home," Jackson explained.

Surrounded by wisdom this week in Cali.

Blessings,

Dave