Category Colombia October 2011

Today, Sunday, October 30, 2011 was another wonderful day in the presence of the Lord and His beautiful people. The morning started out at 8:00 a.m. with praise and worship at Pastor Tatis’ church in his living room in central Bogota. We had a sweet time together. Pastor Tatis had a brand new pulpit and he proudly told me that I would be the first one to use it. I was humbled and honored. Pastor Tatis and his sweet family, Dellis, his wife, son, Danny, and daughters Sarah and Ruth are building this church solely from the families of the children that they have ministered to that come into the emergency center. So in the emergency center they are ministering to the children and in their home on Sundays they are ministering to the families of the children. I gave my testimony and preached about the family being the building block of the kingdom of God and of society and as goes the family so goes the world. As soon as we were done and had hugged everyone there, a car was waiting to take us to the next church where I would preach for pastors Lucas and Doraynne at Liberty Church also in central Bogota.

Pastor Lucas and Doraynne are precious to me for many reasons, one of them being the way they have ministered to my sweet Heidy. I was so delighted to get to be in their church and to preach for them as well. I shared with them how going on mission with Jesus is wonderful because we get to go FOR Jesus because He said GO! and He is the boss with all authority. (Mt. 28:18-19) But we don’t go alone an in our own strength. We get to go WITH Jesus because He is on mission in the world and has invited us to go along. (Mt. 28:20) And not only do we go FOR and WITH Jesus but we also go TO Jesus and minister TO Jesus because He has told us that when we feed the poor or clothe the naked or visit the prisoner or care for the “least of these” we are doing it unto Him. So all of our work in this world is not about us it is about Him. We minister FOR Him, WITH Him, and To Him.

We enjoyed lunch with the pastors and some friends and then headed over to our dear friend and sister in the Lord, Nelda’s house for coffee. I was so tired and experiencing a bad case of Lupus flare up that I went and laid down on one of her guest beds and slept for about 3 hours. We then went and did some shopping for the Goddaughters and laughed and talked and then she fixed us a wonderful meal. We headed home to the Safe House to sleep and prepare for a full day tomorrow with Fundacio Mundo Nuevo as they have a grand costume fiesta with all 600 children in the organization. I can’t wait.

Today, October 29, 2011 is my 46th birthday and I am so happy to be spending it with these sweet children that I love so much.

My main job today was to help our videographer from Sugarcreek Baptist Church, Dave Grumme, who is here this week shooting video for several upcoming OHI promotional pieces. We had a full schedule of videos planned throughout the day but as often happens here in Colombia things change quickly. First, I was asked to speak at a worship service being conducted at San Miguel Emergency Center across the street from where we are staying. San Miguel is one of the places where the children come for triage when they are first brought in off the street by the police. I was excited to speak there but was worried about the time because I only had Dave Grumme for this one day and we had a lot of work to get done. The thing I didn’t know was that my sweet Goddaughter Heidy had alerted San Miguel that today was my birthday and so they were secretly planning a party for me after the worship service. Anyhow, I spoke (without a translator… it was short 🙂 ) and sang some songs for the kids. They were so sweet and applauded like crazy. Dave and I kept trying to leave so we could get our work done and they kept delaying us and we kept looking at each other like, “what is the deal.” Suddenly the girls burst in with a big banner telling me happy birthday and a cake that Heidy and another girl decorated beautifully for me. They sang to me in English and Spanish and we all had cake and then it was time to go.

Dave and I were both worried because our plans were really getting demolished. But God! The rest of the day went so smooth and so anointed that we kept looking at each other and saying, “Wow, God is giving us favor.” We got so much done and made every appointment on time and got Dave to the airport only 15 minutes late tonight. He shot some wonderful video and some interviews and at one point he was so excited he said to me, “We need to make a movie.” I just love that the story of these precious children will be getting out to the world. We had lunch at a place that specializes in meat from an animal in southern Colombia that is like a large rabbit. It was amazing. Then for the second time in a week I got to go up to the mountain top at Monserate but this time with Dave so he could shoot video and photos and Heidy and some of the girls from Casa De Egreso and Oscar from Fundacion por un Mundo Nuevo. We had a wonderful time and then headed down the mountain to dinner and dropped Dave at the airport. It was a wonderful, wonderful birthday.

Cartagena was an extreme eye opener. I have never seen anything like the poverty we saw today and yet in the same place a gleaming oasis in the midst, the CDA school that we visited today. In the photo above Joner and I are standing in front of his home of 11 years that was destroyed by a flood last week. He lives in a neighborhood of shacks with dirt floors and on this day and many like it because of the rain the floors are mud and we walked through ankle deep sewage in some places to visit the families in their homes. Joner attends the CDA school and recently had the highest score of anyone in the school on a government test. Last week the whole neighborhood was under water waste deep and many lost their homes. Most of these families have been displaced from the homes by violence and have found “refuge” in this neighborhood of squatters. And right in the middle is this wonderful CDA school where they are teaching these children about Christ and about becoming productive members of society. They are also helping the families in the neighborhood to come and get vocational training at the school, helping them with micro loans to start businesses, and teaching them about Christ. So in the midst of abject poverty we saw hope, love, and joy. We were greatly touched to see what CDA is doing in Colombia and have many thoughts about how to help them. We flew back to Bogota and Jose Vicente from Mundo Nuevo had a birthday surprise for me. My sweet Goddaughter, Heidy, gets to spend the weekend with us. God is doing many things here. Praise the Lord!

Day 5 was another huge God day. Dave, Gail, and I spent the entire day meeting with the Colombian government and God gave us great favor. The remainder of the team visited some amazing CDA sites, the living hell that is El Bronx, and Hogar San Mauricio, a new institution that we had not previously visited but where many of the children live who visited us on our Vacation Host Program this summer. We were then supposed to meet at the airport to fly to Cartagena but Dave, Gail, and I wrapped up our meetings too late and just missed our flight.

We caught a little later flight and then we all went to the old city of Cartegena and had dinner inside a huge, ancient stone fort. It was really neat. We had a wonderful dinner and then a carriage ride throughout the old city. It was an amazing night. Today we go to a very bad area where CDA has built a school. I can’t wait! Thank you Lord for allowing me to be a part of the amazing things happening and the amazing people you are using in your kingdom.

This is my 10th trip to Bogota, Colombia in 2 1/2 years and just when you think you have seen some things you are exposed to a whole new side of what is going on here. The CDA (Corporacion de Dios es Amor… Corporation of God is Love) van picked us up this morning at 7:00 a.m. and we took a 2 hour ride to a place in the foothills of Bogota called Altos de Cazuca. It started out as a squatters village for people fleeing the violence in other parts of the country and slowly developed into a town.

Lindsay Christie, a man living in New Zealand, was walking down the streets of Auckland one day in the 1960’s and a man handed him a leaflet about the violence in Colombia and when that leaflet touched his hand, CDA was born in the spirit realm. Mr. Christie was so moved by what he read that in 1966 he loaded up his wife and 4 girls and sailed to Colombia as a missionary. They had an amazing ministry and then he passed away in 1994 but not before passing the reigns on to his 24 year old daughter, Missy. Since then, CDA has grown into one of the most successful and respected organizations in Colombia and is now having an impact in several other Latin American countries. Mr. Christie started a medical aid station in Altos de Cazuca and then a school and that is where we visited this morning. It was mind blowing what they are doing to help the people in this very poor area.

We saw the medical station which was packed with people waiting to get help.

Then we went over to the school and WOW! What an amazing work they are doing there. We saw classes from preschool up to high school and heard many stories of the wonderful impact this place is having on the children of Cazuca.

We saw a presentation by the little ones and then met and spoke with the high school kids and then Shoby, Don, and I were interviewed on their radio station that they operate there at the school. We were so impressed by everything we saw and heard. Every child of whom we asked a question spoke with such confidence and clarity and they all spoke of how CDA had taught them to love God and love others and how much they loved CDA.

Later we went down into the village to visit some of the parents of the children who are taught at the school. It was real to life poverty unlike anything I had ever seen. We visited with two different families at their homes. It put such a burden on our hearts to help in some way some day. We will see what the Lord has for us. Tomorrow we continue with CDA and tomorrow night we fly to Cartegena to see what God is doing there and how we can help. Thank you for your prayers.

It’s hard to believe that it has only been 3 days. It’s almost midnight and the fun begins again at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow so this will be short. God did some amazing things today that will have to remain top secret for now. The team split and went 2 directions today in order to expand some things that we are doing. Jose Vicente, Nelda and our split team met up right at sunset on top of the mountain overlooking Bogota. I was so happy to see Vivianna running up to me. She gave me such big hug and hardly left my side the rest of the night. Jair and his brother, Elber, from the band Viraje, who will be performing at our Share The Hope dinner this year met us on top of the mountain with Shannon and with their guitars and we sang and worshipped and prayed over the city. It was so powerful. We had gathered in a large circle holding hands and suddenly Colombians who were up there visiting started breaking into our circle and holding our hands and praying with us with tears in their eyes. It was so cool. One lady named Marta was going the next day to have her interview to see if she could get a Visa to come to the USA and work. Her boss from Boston was there with her and his wife and they asked us to pray over her. We also had the privilege to lay hands on and pray over Jose Vicente and Nelda. It was a blessed time.

Tomorrow we will spend the day with CDA/Conviventia and see many things that we have never seen before. I am so excited. We also have some very important meetings with the government today and tomorrow night so please be in prayer for us.

Colombia, October, 2011 Day 1

This morning we went to Santa Maria where we have been many times. It never gets old seeing those beautiful girls running to greet us with their big smiles and warm hugs.

My Goddaughter, Heidy, ran screaming when she saw me and leaped into my arms. Words can’t describe how good it was to hold her in my arms once again. She looked really good and I was so happy at how good they are taking care of her here. Pastor Lucas and his wife Dorayne are the spiritual leaders at this institution and dear friends of ours. They have taken Heidy under their wing and I could see the positive transformation that has taken place in her heart as a result. It was delightful to spend a few short hours with her. We toured the buildings that when I first came here had resembled an abandoned prison and I was so full of awe and joy to see what Jose Vicente and Un Mundo Nuevo have done here in a year and a half. God is really moving in their foundation and we are blessed to be partnering with them. We saw the amazing art that they have been creating and Heidy presented me with a beautiful piece she made. She said in English, “For your house Daddy.” Rachel was able to deliver two large suitcases full of gift bags that the children at Vista Academy at Celebration Church in the Woodlands had sorted and packed. There was lip gloss, hair bows, socks, a bookmark, and many more things in each bag.

We sat down for a while and a cute little girl named Sol (sun) came running up and jumped in my lap and hugged me so tight. She was precious. I had a great time talking to her and teasing her and Heidy because they are both shy about getting their photo taken. Soon it was time to go but not before we gathered in a large circle over a plot of ground where they hope to someday build a chapel where the girls can come for prayer or silent reflection. Pastor Don Waybright prayed a wonderful prayer over the ground and the future blessing it would be to the children and then we sang Here I Am To Worship in English (the girls favorite song because we always sing it to them when we come). It was a beautiful time.

We then headed into town for a meeting at Jose Vicente’s office. We have heard about and discussed several times what the large vision is for Orphan Hope and Mundo Nuevo and at this meeting we wanted Jose Vicente to share his whole heart and vision. It was an awesome time. We talked about his current operations and then he cast for us his larger vision for the city of Bogota and how we can help. It was fantastic. He genuinely has Christ’s heart for these children and for the city of Bogota and Colombia. The master plan includes the orphanages, churches, schools, OHI missionaries and volunteers, and all the facets of our ministry play into it. What a delight to see such a kindred spirit with what God has called us to do. There are huge things in store for this partnership. Tomorrow is another packed day so I am signing off with much love and joy in my heart and immeasurable gratitude that the Father has allowed me to come with Him on this grand adventure.

I am incredibly blessed to once again be in my home away from home, Bogota, Colombia. I had a wonderful but crazy couple of days preceding the flight down, running around collecting Padrino gifts to bring down to the children from a dozen or more families. The flight down yesterday was wonderful. My health is the best it has ever been on one of these trips, praise the Lord and thank you prayer warriors and my dear wife and daughters for keeping me healthy. Don Waybright, missions pastor at Sugarcreek Church in Sugar Land, Shoby John, director Orphan Hope, Chris Poole, Orphan Hope missionary, and I made up our party flying out of Houston. Shoby, Don, and I had seats right next to each other and so we were able to visit all the way down and what a delightful visit it was. What sweets servants of God both of these men are and how I enjoyed our conversation that ranged from missional living, discipleship models, to passion, to suffering, to family, to anointing, to how God has put us on this plane headed to love on orphans. What a blessed time. We kept mentioning how similarly God has been working in our lives over the last 3-4 years and about that time Don asked me, “what are you reading there?” I said, “Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship.” He laughed, reached in the seat back pocket in front of him and pulled out his copy of Bonhoeffer. We all just shook our heads and thanked God for what He is doing in us. It was truly a delightful time and really prepared me for the week ahead. We arrived at the airport and were happy to meet up with another team member that had arrived on a different flight, Rachel Yeates. Rachel has been sending money and items to orphans all over the world for years through her ministry Great Comeback Kids but has never actually been into the fields of the fatherless until this trip. We are very excited to have her along. We walked outside and were happy to meet up with Dave and Gail Beach, Orphan Hope directors who had flown in that morning. We arrived at our hotel at about midnight and I was very glad to get into that bed but not before Dave Beach popped in the door and said, “special delivery” and handed me a beautiful letter from my precious Goddaughter, Heidy, whom I will see tomorrow. My heart leapt when I opened it and read, “Hola mi papito hermoso, te quiero mucho (Hello my beautiful Daddy, I love you). The remainder was just a sweet as the opening line. What a blessing these dear children are to my soul.

We rose at 6 a.m. had a nice breakfast and headed to church where our dear, dear friends Hector and Liliana are the pastors. I could not wait to hug and kiss them and their beautiful children. What a blessing this “adopted” family is to me. The joy and honor of calling them brother and sister and to see and hear their teenage children come running when they saw me this morning saying, “Tio Mateo”, “Tio Mateo” (Uncle Matt, Uncle Matt) and the smiles and hugs and kisses. These are just a few of the “beyond all that we can think or imagine” blessings that our Father has for us as we follow Him where He leads. The service this morning was glorious reunion with the children from Casa De Egreso, the workers, Jose Vicente, President of Fundacion Nuevo Mundo, many of the workers, Nelda, a dear sister in the Lord, Missy Christie, President of CDA Colombia and her mother, Jair and Shannon Montiel of Christ for the City and Pastor Pedro, National Director for Christ for the City Colombia, and many others. What a delight! We worshipped the Lord in song and praise and reading of the scriptures and the presence of the Lord filled that place.

Then Pastor Hector introduced me to preach and I was humbled and blessed when Missy Christie, an international hero in orphan ministry stepped up to translate for me. Wow. We prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to come and speak to us and then I began to share with the church about the Grand Adventure that awaits all those who follow God on His mission to reconcile the world to Himself, through Christ, and with our blessed involvement and restore it to a world of love, joy, and peace. I told them of how the Trinity enjoyed perfect fellowship, love, harmony, and joy and as Daniel Fuller used to say, “God’s complete joy in Himself as a Trinity led Him to want to double that joy by extending it beyond Himself to the human beings He created” and so God has been on mission ever since to share Himself and His joy with the world just like Jesus says to His followers in John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” and then again to His Father in John 17:13 “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.” The ancients captured this when they made the first question and answer of the Westminster catechism, “What is the chief end of man?… to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” When we get in the presence of the blessed (happy) God (1 Tim. 1:11) we get happy (Psalm 16:11 In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever) as Joni Eareckson Tada says so well, “God happily shares His gladness, His joy comes flooding over heaven’s walls filling my heart in a waterfall of delight, which then in turn always streams out to others in a flood of encouragement, and then erupts back to God in an ecstatic fountain of praise. He gets your heart pumping for heaven. He injects His peace, power, and perspective into your spiritual being. He puts a song in your heart. I want to know God like this! Shove me under the waterfall of the Trinity’s joy, which splashes and spills over heaven’s walls. If He’s always in a good mood, I want to catch it.”  And we get holy because no pleasure derived from any sin can compete with the joy of being filled with God’s love and joy as C.S. Lewis said so well, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and   ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” And so the Grand Adventure is following this amazing God wherever He leads. It is, like Peter, James, and John, leaving their nets and boats and everything they had known at the shore of Galilee when Jesus said, “Come” never knowing the incredible adventure that awaited them of seeing the blind healed, the lame made to walk, the dead brought out of the grave, Jesus transfigured before their eyes and speaking with Moses and Elijah. They could have had no idea that answering that call of Jesus to, “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 MSG, would take them all over the then known world preaching the gospel and seeing the world change before their eyes. And all they did was obey a simple command, “Follow Me.” And that is what we must do if we want to experience this all-satisfying God of love and joy. We must join Him in total trusting, obedient, faith. We must listen for His specific call for our lives. We can’t assume that what He asks of someone else He will automatically ask of us. He has created an adventure to enjoy with each of us specific to each of us. He told many to “Follow Me” and yet He told the maniac of Gadara, “Don’t follow Me but go home and tell your friends and family what great things the Lord has done for you.” Each of us must listen to the call of our Master as He has ordained a specific way in which each of us will fulfill His general call to “Go and make disciples of the nations.” Like Pastor Matthew Barnett says, “When you were born, God instilled many things within you. One of them was a great CAUSE that He wants you to embrace. In His unique grandeur, He created a universe in which the cumulative effect of all people faithfully pursuing the cause within them would result in a transformed world – one in which everyone’s needs would be met and every servant’s heart would be filled with the joy of blessing others. Unfortunately, we live in a traumatized world – in part because so many people fail to identify and pursue the cause He has given them. Even though it would provide the happiness and fulfillment they have been seeking, they have failed to build their lives around that cause.” So let’s not miss His call. Let’s get in His presence and learn of Him and listen for His instructions and then step out with Him in faith and walk on the water. Let’s go to work with Daddy and change the world.

After the sermon there were several testimonies and beautiful music and celebration. We finished up and then went across the street for lunch and then met back at the church for some time with Pastor Pedro and Jair and Shannon of Christ for the City as well as Pastors Hector and Liliana and the OHI team. We had a marvelous afternoon of sharing and learning as Pastor Pedro unfolded for us the amazing work that Christ for the City Colombia is doing and ways that we can help. He invited us to Medellin, a city in northern Colombia at our earliest convenience to see what God is doing with their ministry there and pray about how we can be involved and since we discovered that he is an international marathoner we invited him to come to our Orphan Hope marathon February 11, 2012 and he heartily accepted. What a blessing! What a grand adventure. We also heard from another friend of Jair’s about a curriculum they have developed for children that uses the Jesus Film and then follows through with discipleship and how they have implemented it in schools in several Latin American countries and how we may use it in our work. It was a tremendous day in His presence and with His choice saints and we thoroughly enjoyed it. To God be the glory for the great adventures He is pursuing and He has asked us to join Him.