BY GARRETT BURNS, CHAPLAIN, BETHEL UNIVERSITY
A Colombian “college” with an American twist, Bethel University students continue the tradition of service begun by the missionary founders of Colegio Americano back in 1928. The 2025 trip marked a 10 year anniversary partnership between Colegio and the BU Global Studies program and it was not without celebration!
From the Cauca Valley to the Cerro de los Cristales, our travelers trekked low aside the Cali River where we encountered the parque del Gato (Cat Park) and the beautiful Catholic church, La Ermita. We sipped coffee, drank lulo juice, and ate all the variations of cheesy bread, especially Pan de Bono, while enjoying the cat sculptures of the famous Colombian artist Hernando Tejada. Upon the “Hill of the Crystals” we spent time with Christo Rey, or “Big Jesus” as we like to say; albeit brief, we encountered consistent rain throughout the week due to the La Niña weather patterns affecting all of Colombia.
The rain did not deter our purpose and festivities. We danced and sang every day in some way or another. Swing Latino showed us how to move our hips and tap our feet to the local style, Salsa Celeña, which has earned Cali the title La Capital Mundial de la Salsa (The Salsa Capital of the World).
While tourist activities were to be had, the essence of our work was the collaboration with the English department at Colegio Americano and the intercultural immersion on campus. Travelers partnered with teachers from PreK – 11th grade in order to expose Colombian students to native English speakers and enhance their academic goals, social skills, and understanding of American culture. Of course, we are more often the students than the teachers. Between daily work at the Colegio and a visit to Universidad del Valle, Cali’s largest public university, our students volunteered at least 32 hours per person with a total of 480 hours and an economic impact of over $16,699.20.
A few fun facts. We had 5 members of the Phi Delta Sigma fraternity and Lambda Sigma sorority following in the steps of Davis (Gladys) Bryson, an original founder of Phi Delta Sigma in 1928 and missionary to Colombia from 1929 – 1944, assisting in the formation of Colegio Americano and the Pereira Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Artem Dzun, a Bethel swimmer and international student from Russia, celebrated his birthday on May 10th and we couldn’t resist letting every restaurant know throughout the week so that he could sample the free desserts! Also, it may be important to note for future travelers that the word “hot” in Spanish is “Caliente” which, when imposed on your sink faucets is a bold C, not to be confused with cold water, obviously.
Students returned with a strong appreciation for Colombian history, cross-cultural relationships, a deeper love for God and people, places, and planet, and a desire to return to the traveler’s favorite Global Studies destination – Colombia!
