Welcome to Barranquilla, Colombia!

Me (Jerry Woods) & the team of radio people from North &
 South Carolina as we prepared to leave Miami for our
Compassion trip to Colombia.

It's almost midnight in DC, and we're an hour behind here in Barranquilla, Colombia.  I almost didn't get here to day.  There was a ground stop in Philadelphia and I arrived with only 10 minutes until my next flight left for Miami.  I literally ran across two terminals, ran into the plane and they shut the door.

When we arrived in Barranquilla, I got stopped in customs.  They were concerned because I had about 150 containers of bubbles that weighed in at 100 pounds.  They wanted to know what the bubbles were for.  I didn't speak enough Spanish to explain, so I had to get a friend to help me out.  Apparently, if you want to bring large quantities of something into the country, you have to get permission, even if it's just soap.  After explaining that these were gifts for the kids we're going to meet this week at the Compassion projects the customs officials warned me not to bring that many bubbles into the country again, but let me go with just the warning and with my bubbles.  I was going to have a hard time explaining to my colleagues at WGTS 91.9 how I ended up in jail for having too many bubbles, much less my wife.

 

We're here now, and it' already been a good experience.  The video is from a band that welcomed us when we arrived for dinner at the hotel.  Ironically, we're staying at the Howard Johnson.  Anyhow, these kids are part of one of the Compassion projects here in the area that's attached to the Rock of Salvation Church.  Each Compassion project works in tandem with a church to provide for children's needs.  The band that played for us is totally made of children from one project ranging in age from 10 to 15 years old.  This was the first time they had ever performed.  I think you'll agree they did a pretty fantastic job.
     

 

Our team will be up bright and early tomorrow and we'll head out to meet some of the kids at one of the projects.  I'm going to try to report in during the morning show, so you'll get to hear first hand what I'm seeing.  For now, good night and I'll write again tomorrow.