Right now there is a lot of exciting ministry going on in Medellin, and a lot to keep in our prayers.
Today our mercy ministries staff along with the majority of the base staff are getting back from a 5 day health brigade in Cordoba. It was one of the largest and longest ones we've done yet. There were teams of people for counseling, for the medical checkups, and of course people passing out clothing, doing evangelism, and working with youth and children. I hope that we are able to participate in a brigade on the missions trip were planning for next July, they are amazing experiences because you can see some much being accomplished in a community.
Right now there is a camp of 40 King's Kids in our new house. They are learning dances and such, but the focus of this camp is to develop their devotional life and give classes about the character of God and a worshipful lifestyle. It's wonderful to have them here despite the noise. Many of the kids are not yet teenagers but seem to be loving it! For me the most exciting part is that some of my students from a year ago are the leaders for the new kids.
9 of the devoted King's Kids are also in Bogota right now to get their visas for China. On July 8th they will be heading off to China for a month. It has been the dream of YWAM Colombia to send groups to China for years. The group from Bucaramanga is already in China and now the Medellin group will be joining them. Please pray for their support, as the plane tickets are quite pricey, and for group unity as they travel into new cultures. Please pray that they are able to encourage the underground church and lead more to Christ.
So many plans and prayers are being realized this year! It's quite an exciting time to be apart of what God's doing around the world.
This weekend we will be starting a new semester of the Discipleship Training School and the Counseling School. Right now I am preparing to help teach the Divine Plumb Line in the counseling school. There is always a lot to do, but always so much promise that God is moving and leading us to accomplish more and more for his Kingdom. And for your ministries in your corner of the world, blessings.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
And our second girl
I'm back in Colombia. It's been wonderful to be back, actually better than normal now that we have our own house and kitchen :) So exciting!
Yesterday another girl walked into our lives. One of our students that just graduated last Saturday was downtown yesterday, and noticed a girl crying. For some reason he was concerned about her, one face in the busiest part of the city. He talked to her, and he was the first person to find out the news, she was pregnant. He brought her straight to the base and she spent about an hour talking with Ana Cristina and me. We prayed for her, and then she left to go tell her boyfriend. We are waiting to hear back from her how he and her parents took the news. She told us that she just couldn't go home yet, and was thinking of finding a church when Alberto approached her. I'm so glad we could be that little bit of support and encouragement in her moment of change and guilt and fear. Please keep praying for the ministry to continue form according to God's plan.
Graduation pictures are coming soon!
Yesterday another girl walked into our lives. One of our students that just graduated last Saturday was downtown yesterday, and noticed a girl crying. For some reason he was concerned about her, one face in the busiest part of the city. He talked to her, and he was the first person to find out the news, she was pregnant. He brought her straight to the base and she spent about an hour talking with Ana Cristina and me. We prayed for her, and then she left to go tell her boyfriend. We are waiting to hear back from her how he and her parents took the news. She told us that she just couldn't go home yet, and was thinking of finding a church when Alberto approached her. I'm so glad we could be that little bit of support and encouragement in her moment of change and guilt and fear. Please keep praying for the ministry to continue form according to God's plan.
Graduation pictures are coming soon!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Our First Girl!!!
Great news! We have our first pregnant girl! It's exciting and a major prayer request at the same time.
Cristina was introduced to an 18-year-old girl that just broke up with her aggressive boyfriend a couple weeks ago. She's very scared that she's pregnant, so today the two of them are going to get the pregnancy test. She told Cristina that if she's pregnant she'll have to have an abortion because she can't take care of a baby by herself and there is no way she wants her ex around a baby. Please join us praying that she will be open to what Cristina has to say and make the best choice, and that Cris has a lot of wisdom.
Cristina was introduced to an 18-year-old girl that just broke up with her aggressive boyfriend a couple weeks ago. She's very scared that she's pregnant, so today the two of them are going to get the pregnancy test. She told Cristina that if she's pregnant she'll have to have an abortion because she can't take care of a baby by herself and there is no way she wants her ex around a baby. Please join us praying that she will be open to what Cristina has to say and make the best choice, and that Cris has a lot of wisdom.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Summing it up...
My two months in the states is rapidly drawing to a close. What a bittersweet thought. But, being here didn't go anything like I expected. I had been hoping to visit Living Alternatives and figure out exactly what Cristina and I should be doing in the next few months. After thinking through everything I've learned, we're still on square one. When I get back to Colombia we'll have to spend a few weeks just praying and talking over all the possibilities. It's how it should be though, because it gives God room to guide.
I also had hoped to map out the ministry budget and know where we would be receiving our income for the next 6 months at least. But that didn't happen how I expected either. I thought a a couple of places would commit to give a lot long-term, but not so in God's plan. Instead I've had many friends and relations help little by little. And that has been doing many things for me. It keeps me first of all dependent on God, but it also makes me so much more grateful. Having people I know believe in me enough to give and to pray, that's spiritual support that I couldn't have received from anywhere else. God is amazing at providing what we didn't know we needed.
I also had hoped to map out the ministry budget and know where we would be receiving our income for the next 6 months at least. But that didn't happen how I expected either. I thought a a couple of places would commit to give a lot long-term, but not so in God's plan. Instead I've had many friends and relations help little by little. And that has been doing many things for me. It keeps me first of all dependent on God, but it also makes me so much more grateful. Having people I know believe in me enough to give and to pray, that's spiritual support that I couldn't have received from anywhere else. God is amazing at providing what we didn't know we needed.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Little Treasures
I'm back from Tyler! The ministry in Texas, called Living Alternatives, was great! They have different areas, all working with young pregnant women, including an adoption agency, a pregnancy resource center, building blocks program for women to earn baby clothing and prepare for motherhood, and Fatherheart. Fatherheart is this wonderful, huge house where girls can live while they are pregnant, and I got to stay there too :) It was so insightful to watch everyone in action.
Now I am back at home, and realizing Ana Cristina and I have a lot to do and to learn. But Beverly, the director and founder of Living Alternatives, said she almost wished she could come to Colombia because starting something new is where to find the fun and adventure and the 100% dependence on God. She's so right.
My little sister just flew down to Florida to intern in a church. That makes about the 67th thing she's doing that I've never done, talk about taking adventures! But Abby was saying something that really hit home with me too. It's so good for us to be together because we remind each other why we go on "adventures" and take risks and do crazy things. We just love God more and more by doing them, sometimes he even uses us, and in experiencing all of that we couldn't imagine a better way to use our lives. Those are the people so important in my life, the people that encourage me and make me love God more just by being around them. I think we all know we need those people. I am realizing I should value them more and keep deepening those treasures in my life.
Now I am back at home, and realizing Ana Cristina and I have a lot to do and to learn. But Beverly, the director and founder of Living Alternatives, said she almost wished she could come to Colombia because starting something new is where to find the fun and adventure and the 100% dependence on God. She's so right.
My little sister just flew down to Florida to intern in a church. That makes about the 67th thing she's doing that I've never done, talk about taking adventures! But Abby was saying something that really hit home with me too. It's so good for us to be together because we remind each other why we go on "adventures" and take risks and do crazy things. We just love God more and more by doing them, sometimes he even uses us, and in experiencing all of that we couldn't imagine a better way to use our lives. Those are the people so important in my life, the people that encourage me and make me love God more just by being around them. I think we all know we need those people. I am realizing I should value them more and keep deepening those treasures in my life.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mother's Day
I'm enjoying my last bit of time at home before I head off to Tyler this week. Being home is about the most refreshing time of the year. Today my dad and I had a fun time team-preaching for mother's day. And, of course, in honor of Mother's Day, dad started with a story about his mother, which is quite funny.
My grandma is living at a home in Alaska. It's almost like a nursing home except that only five people live there, and it really feels like a home. Now, all of these women combine a bit of reality with a bit of their own perceived reality, and one of these ladies really believes that the house they live in is her house. My aunt Janet visits my grandma every day, and one day while she was leaving the "owner" of this house followed her out to the car (even though she's not really suppose to be outside alone). She called after my aunt saying, "I have two questions for you, well, one really: What am I suppose to do with your mother?"
Makes me wonder what her second question was. :) But it is a problem. We have to do something with the people that show up in our lives. We shared about influencing lives, kind of the same way our mothers influence us. Talking about all of that really energizes me to get back to Colombia and be with girls, pastoring and teaching them, for another semester. We do have a lot of power, for good or bad, to influence the people in our lives. Even though resting at home is nice for a while, I'm so lucky that I get to do something that I love and is worth while for my "career."
God has continued working in surprising ways for our ministry, I guess I should probably call it His ministry. Little by little he has been taking care of us through unexpected people. Now, in addition to our beautiful house, we have curtains, silverware and a few kitchen items, and rent is coming in for another month. We do have a good father.
Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms. Thank you for all of the influence you have had on us children!
My grandma is living at a home in Alaska. It's almost like a nursing home except that only five people live there, and it really feels like a home. Now, all of these women combine a bit of reality with a bit of their own perceived reality, and one of these ladies really believes that the house they live in is her house. My aunt Janet visits my grandma every day, and one day while she was leaving the "owner" of this house followed her out to the car (even though she's not really suppose to be outside alone). She called after my aunt saying, "I have two questions for you, well, one really: What am I suppose to do with your mother?"
Makes me wonder what her second question was. :) But it is a problem. We have to do something with the people that show up in our lives. We shared about influencing lives, kind of the same way our mothers influence us. Talking about all of that really energizes me to get back to Colombia and be with girls, pastoring and teaching them, for another semester. We do have a lot of power, for good or bad, to influence the people in our lives. Even though resting at home is nice for a while, I'm so lucky that I get to do something that I love and is worth while for my "career."
God has continued working in surprising ways for our ministry, I guess I should probably call it His ministry. Little by little he has been taking care of us through unexpected people. Now, in addition to our beautiful house, we have curtains, silverware and a few kitchen items, and rent is coming in for another month. We do have a good father.
Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms. Thank you for all of the influence you have had on us children!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Surprises from God
Right now I'm sitting in my parent's dinning room wondering if it's really my life that I'm living or if I'm in some sort of a dream.
Esperanzas de Vida, our ministry for working with pregnant women, has taken turns we couldn't have foreseen. The house next door to the base opened up, and to make a long story short, Ana Cristina and I moved in. It was kind of a leap of faith, because we have yet to see exactly how we will be able to pay rent every month. But neither can we doubt that God was at work to open these doors for us. Right now the house holds two beds, an empty frig, an oven, and all of our clothes. We're also waiting to see how God will fill our house, with furniture and things and also with girls. We also are praying diligently for a team that will work with us. Because things are starting so much more quickly than we had anticipated, we will need more help. God has definitely been doing some amazing things thus far, so we're kind of excited to see what could happen before the new year!
Right now I am in the US visiting churches and getting training from pregnancy centers and the ministry Living Alternatives. Ana Cristina is holding down the fort in our new house as well as attending a conference in Medellin and making contacts with churches and Family Services. In June we'll be back together to share what we've learned and to dive into finding and counseling girls.
The rest of the school is in their outreach time. There are three groups, one in Yopal, one in Cordoba, and one in Armenia. Please pray for all of them, specifically their effectiveness, team unity, safety, and attentiveness to God's voice.
More exciting news coming soon....
Esperanzas de Vida, our ministry for working with pregnant women, has taken turns we couldn't have foreseen. The house next door to the base opened up, and to make a long story short, Ana Cristina and I moved in. It was kind of a leap of faith, because we have yet to see exactly how we will be able to pay rent every month. But neither can we doubt that God was at work to open these doors for us. Right now the house holds two beds, an empty frig, an oven, and all of our clothes. We're also waiting to see how God will fill our house, with furniture and things and also with girls. We also are praying diligently for a team that will work with us. Because things are starting so much more quickly than we had anticipated, we will need more help. God has definitely been doing some amazing things thus far, so we're kind of excited to see what could happen before the new year!
Right now I am in the US visiting churches and getting training from pregnancy centers and the ministry Living Alternatives. Ana Cristina is holding down the fort in our new house as well as attending a conference in Medellin and making contacts with churches and Family Services. In June we'll be back together to share what we've learned and to dive into finding and counseling girls.
The rest of the school is in their outreach time. There are three groups, one in Yopal, one in Cordoba, and one in Armenia. Please pray for all of them, specifically their effectiveness, team unity, safety, and attentiveness to God's voice.
More exciting news coming soon....
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