A Passion For Guajira
Life has been very active for Oscar and me since I arrived back in Bogota on February 1, after spending a month with my family in the U.S., and I must say I love it. I reconnected with a friend of mine, a missionary from Canada, whom Rebekah and I were working with last year supporting passion for changing the lives of children on a long-term scale through education. Basically they have started their own “homeschool” program where kids come to the foundation after and before school to get help with homework, discipleship and basic learning. I love working with Anita and Janet, the two who founded this program called “The Bridge” and work tirelessly everyday teaching and loving around 36 kids. They are a huge blessing to these kids and I wish I could work with them more but for now I volunteer helping 2 days a week. Please pray that God would continue changing the lives and futures of these kids who are mostly very behind in school or have never studied at all.
That is a small update of some of the things that God has been using me to do but what I really wanted to share in this blog is about a place here in Colombia called Guajira. The first time I heard of Guajira was a day last year when Oscar was pouring his heart out to me concerning a desire to see his home, the nation of Colombia, change. He was telling me about all of the corruption and poverty and how heartbreaking it is to know that children die of starvation and lack of clean water everyday in Guajira. In that moment I felt the Holy Spirit touch my heart and I was suddenly filled with not only a devastating compassion but also a relentless desire to go. I remember asking Oscar why there was not more help in Guajira and he told me because of the civil war it had become almost impossible to get to that part of Colombia safely. I remember those words echoing in my mind… Almost impossible. So from that night on Oscar and I began to pray for a way to get to Guajira and for God to work a miracle in that area.
Colombia’s civil war has been going on for somewhere close to 60 years and because of the Guerrilla groups entrance into different parts of Colombia has been, as I said before, almost impossible, especially for foreigners, but as God always seems to work with me He never gives me a passion without also providing a way. Recently after so many years of war the government of Colombia has finally began a peace process with one of the biggest and most notorious Guerrilla groups here in Colombia and they are planning to sign the peace process contract in May of this year.
This peace process has made it a lot safer (right on time) to travel to places like Guajira and after months of praying and trying different avenues and possibilities with no success Oscar finally told me that a group of people from a church that Mission Critical has worked with in the past were looking for volunteers to go on a mission trip/health brigade to Manaure, Guajira. I cannot express my excitement to be going to this town of around 70,000 people (as recorded in 2005) to serve these people in the middle of the desert and bring the love of Jesus to the Wayuu Indian tribe and many others. I will be leaving on the 19th and returning on the 26th of March.
God worked a miracle to pay my way to go through my brother Luke and his wife Misti but there are still some things I need to be able to go on this trip. Please pray for provision and protection but mostly for the Holy Spirit to come upon us and give us the grace to be Jesus to these precious people. Thank you to all my readers and supporters as always you are a part of what God does through me here in Colombia. If you would like to learn more about Manaure, Guajira here is the link to Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manaure,_La_Guajira.
“You called me out upon the water, the great unknown where feet may fail. And there I find you in the mystery in oceans deep my faith will stand” – Oceans Hillsong
This is my command be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go! Joshua 1:9
Love Brooke
Photos of Brooke’s work in Colombia
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