Sunday - Tuesday, after five flights and three days of travel, I finally made it to Cartagena. Thanks so much to Enoc and Cristina Hernandez who came to my rescue when I missed my Cali flight on Monday and took the only other flight to Colombia which landed in Medellin. They graciously picked me up at the airport and put me up for the night. The next day Cristina introduced me to the YWAM staff in Medellin and then got me on the airport bus for my flight to Cartegena.Tuesday - Saturday, in Cartegena I met up with Jason who took me and a
Canadian couple (Richard and Brenda) over to Bocachica. This is where Jorge and Karen Silva have a ministry with the island people who live there.I spent the first day seeing the work they do on the island and the next two days working on the Boat that the ministry plans to use to reach the peoples of the islands and rivers of the region.
On Saturday I flew back to Medellin and am staying with the Hernandez's again till Tuesday when I will bus to Pereira to meet up with Alan Wymore, a Wycliffe Bible Translator and Mission Trek board member.
Saturday - Tuesday am, my flight back from
Cartagena went without a hitch. I will be staying at the Open Arms Foundation Apt. till tuesday am. Sunday morning we went to church at the OpenArms Center. This is where the boys from the street and the boys farm attend church. There are also a number of adults who attend as well. In the afternoon I joined the youth of the church and their leaders in a fun time at Bill Parrow's home on the eastern side of Medellin. The
kids played scoccer, volleyball and ate hotdogs. I also was able to visit the girls home which is next door. This home is where very young girls (ages 10 - 15) can come to help get out of prostitution.
Monday was a bit of a holiday for me and Colombia. In the morning Enoc, Cristina and I took the Metro and Metro Cable Cars up to Enoc's old neighborhood. Enoc grew up in a poor area high on the hill overlooking Medellin. Most of his peers were killed by drugs and the violence that surrounds their trade.In the afternoon we stopped at a small roadside resturant on the way to visit the Boys Farm 30 miles from the city center. All I can say is, "that was a really big Checharon!!" We had a wonderful time eating and eating and eating and talking about mission
purposes and practices. I really like the Hernandez's and Lord willing, I hope Mission Trek will have the opportunity to do much ministry with them in the future.The Boys Farm has developed a lot since my last visit in the summer of 2007 with Hinson Church. The project we had begun is finished. There are now 37 boys in the program and the facilities continue to develop as well.
Tuesday PM & Wednesday - Tuesday morning I visited the downtown facilities of YWAM Medellin. It was another wonderful experience meeting believers who are busy do the work of the Kingdom. The Medellin YWAM does Discipleship Training Schools, operate and home for needy children (many of who we orphaned by rebel activity), and do community development Outreaches in smaller towns to the north that have been hard hit by violence.
In the afternoon I took the 5 hour bus ride to Pereira, the city where Alan Wymore is staying. This will be my base of operation for the next week till I come back to PDX.Wednesday morning I visited some of the work of Willing Hands Foundation, a group of believers that are doing many things from Bible Studies to Church Building and community development.
In the afternoon we met with many of the believers who are key players in the work that the foundation does. I was so blessed to hear the testimonies of the men and women who's lives have been transforned by the Gospel of Jesus!
Thursday - In the morning Alan and I had a excellent discussion and prayer with Susana about developing a closer personal relationship with God. It was a delight to hear a Godly women from another country share her perspective. We ended that time listening to a Worship song in Spanish. Alan interpreted the words while Susana prayed for me. I was blessed.In the afternoon we visited the Translation House and home of Phil and Judy Harms. During the afternoon a number of the indigenous language helpers dropped by to say hi. Another excellent time!
Friday - Alan and I joined two local Colombians for a sightseeing trip to Bellecazar. It was a beautiful place up in the mountains perched atop a 2500' ridge with beautiful vistas on both sides. In the evening we spent a couple of hours in La Virginia, the hometown of Luz Dalia and Diego who had accompanied us and acted as tour guides. Diego would like to join Mission Trek when it comes to Colombia in the future.Saturday and Sunday -On Saturday I made a video for
Willing Hands Foundation from pictures and videos I had taken earlier in the week. I also helped them set up a Blog for their organization. Later that day I had a fun time with Alan and Colombian friends at a finca (Spanish for farm) where we ate pollo asada and went swimming in the pool!! Sunday we went to Augustine and Susana's church in Pereira in the morning and worked some more on the video and blog in the afternoon. Tomorrow we head out for Cali and the way home. Here's a video of the sunset from the balcony at Augustine and Susana's apartment.Monday - Wednesday, Alan, and I made the trip down to Cali with Augustin Torres and Philip Brown in Phil's car. We dropped Alan in Cali where he stayed with a friend overnight till his Tues am flight home. Phil, Augustin and I headed west to a little town called Dogua. This place was beautiful, it reminded me of Hawaii with steep hill sides and beautiful flowers and trees. We spent the night at Freddy's home. Freddy is a Colombian man who, with his wife and two children, works full-time meeting with people and doing Bible Studies in small groups. Overngiht it poured down rain and the next morning we were surrounded by water pouring down the hilside around the house. That morning we shared the Word and prayed with Freddy's family and a few christian friends who came by. In the afternoon we visited a adult foster care center and then it was on to Palmira where I stayed the evening with new friends Adrianna and Pablo before heading back to PDX on Wed. morning. I want to thank all of you who prayed for me. This was an excellent trip for Mission Trek, many new friends and contacts were made and I am looking forward to the Lord's leading about future trips to this beautiful and needy country.
