Gillian and Micah presenting the sketchboard.

On our last full day in Colombia, Saturday, we traveled up the mountain towards the airport for a ministry opportunity in the town of Rionegro. The Medellin authorities, fearing that manufacturing would add to the already problematic pollution in the valley, have zoned this area as the manufacturing center for the city (especially since it is so close to the airport). It had none of the characteristics of an old-fashioned factory town. Instead, it was a modern, growing, and vital area with an odd mix of the typical Colombian buildings (stucco or brick with corrugated metal roofs cobbled together to form a block) and gleaming glass and steel manufacturing plants and distribution centers. Construction was occurring everywhere. Apparently the economic development efforts of the community leaders in Medellin were paying off for Rionegro. I predict a huge middle class developing in this town over the next 10-20 years. It will be interesting to see if this results in the construction of American-style single-family housing (of which we saw none during our entire trip).

Entire team on the return trip from Rionegro.

We arrived at a covered (thankfully because it was a bright, sunny day at 6000 ft above sea level) soccer/basketball court surrounded by apartment buildings. The local church (led by one of the reformed pastors that we met in March) had set up a sound system and we immediately got to work drawing a crowd with face paint and balloons.

After 45 minutes or so, we began our presentations. This time we added back the sketchboard (since we had more time). Gillian did the painting and Micah did the narration. They both “hit it out of the park.” We had an offer to go to another part of the town and make our presentations but we were finding that the students were nearly exhausted. Because nothing had been set up before-hand and because discretion is the better part of valor, we decided to punt and loaded up the bus for the ride back to Medellin to let them rest. This turned out to be a good idea because two of the students became ill from all of the hustle and the altitude.

After returning to the hotel, we allowed the students a few hours of rest and then set off for our traditional end-of-trip dinner with all of our ministry partners. This year’s dinner was a bit more subdued because we were all so tired and ready to get home. At the dinner and at the airport the next day, we bid farewell to our Colombian friends and partners and set off for the long trip home.

Thank you to all of our supporters who made this trip possible. Now that we have been there several times and know the people, the lay-of-the-land, and what works best, we believe that these trips are becoming exponentially more effective each time. Lord willing, there were significant and eternal consequences as the result of your support.

At the school in Hispania

On Friday, the team loaded up the bus for a trip to Hispania, a small village about 3 hours south of Medellin. The trip was a beautiful, but nauseating mountain drive through an almost alien landscape. We stopped for breakfast along the way at a rustic road-side restaurant and arrived in Hispania at about 10:00 am. We met Pastor Jairo who has worked as the only evangelical pastor in this farming town for 30 years. Our first stop was at the public school where Jairo’s wife was on the staff. We did our presentations before the assembled children and staff as well as before two armed national police officers (dressed in the typical fatigues). As the presentations progressed, the two officers walked over to Kevin to speak with him. This made us nervous since we didn’t know what to expect. This area had been right in the middle of the three-way war between the Narco-terrorists, the right-wing para-military, and the government forces for nearly 20 years since the mid-eighties.

Our friendly national police officers (picture taken with their permission).

But to our relief and surprise, the officers told Kevin that this kind of presentation was EXACTLY what this area needed and that they wished that we could speak “the message” (one officer’s words) to the neighborhoods that they have worked in Medellin. We got their names with the hope that they could arrange for us to do just that.

We believe that these opportunities are going to be used by God as he continues to transform this once drug- and violence-ravaged country into the sweet, peaceful and friendly place that we saw in Hispania.

Amanda explaining the gospel message to hundreds of people assembled in the park.

We left the school and had lunch near the town center. After lunch we set up face painting and balloons and drew hundreds of people to the park. The teams did the drama presentations and Amanda delivered a clear and powerful gospel message that was translated by Ana Lucia. We had to rush away afterwards because we had another engagement with a church back in Medellin at 7:30 but the team was mobbed like rock stars. Even Pachito, our bus drive was signing autographs!

On the way back, we saw a mountain that was in the shape of a perfect pyramid. Sergio said it was called “Pharaoh” because it looked like a pyramid.

The pyramid-shaped mountain.

Once back in Medellin, we had the privilege to present our dramas and lessons to a youth group that was meeting in a local church. We also led them in five Spanish-language worship songs. This group of students seemed to be very engaged in the ministries of the church and we arranged to team up with them next year in a joint missions effort.

Back in the hotel, we ordered in a VERY late dinner and celebrated Taylor’s 19th birthday with a chocolate cake that was baked by a nearby Christian-owned bakery. Everyone then staggered to bed for a much-needed rest before our final full day of ministry.

All that whiteness! Hope you own stock in a sunscreen company!

Thursday morning, the team awoke bright and early to pick up our YWAM leaders, two of the older boys from the home (Elias and Miguel) as well as the three boys that we have been reaching out to for the past two-and-a-half years (Oskar, Felipe, and Estevan) and go over the mountain to the same water park where we went last year. Because we had another ministry opportunity that night, we could only stay at the park for four hours so the team crammed in all the fun they possibly could (wearing themselves out in the process). We then got back in the bus for the 2+ hour ride back to Medellin where we had been scheduled to present to a group of boys that were part of a soccer ministry run by one of the men at God’s Grace Reformed Baptist Church.

Ben speaking with the boys at the soccer ministry.

When we arrived at the field we expected to see (especially in this very poor area) the typical concrete basketball/soccer court with little beat-up goals. Instead we saw one of the latest projects of the former mayor of Medellin (now governor of the state of Antiochia)—a nearly full-sized, state-of-the-art artificially surfaced soccer center with lights and everything. On the field were approximately 50-75 boys all decked out in uniforms and working through soccer drills with several coaches.

As the rest of the team set up for the presentations, Ken gave one of his evangelistic soccer lessons that he wrote for the Guatemala mission back in 2007. The teams then presented their dramas and Ben gave another testimonial speech about how he had chosen to become a follower of Christ when he was the same age as many of the boys.

When we finished up, we still had 30 minutes left on the field so we used our Colombian friends to “strengthen” our Team USA and played 9 v 9 soccer with the boys. Every time our team scored, a new group of nine came on the field. They probably expected us to be better than we were because the teams only changed three times. They may also have underestimated their own skills. These boys could be put up against any U-12 team in the USA any time.

By the evening’s end, we were VERY tired and hungry. We were set to leave for our ministry event the next morning at 6:00.

One of the orphans who attended the school where we visited.

After the success we had last year in visiting a public school, we requested an opportunity to do this again and we were NOT disappointed. On Wednesday morning, the entire team visited a school near the YWAM orphan home. We gave our presentations to hundreds of kids and their teachers. This was the first opportunity for some of our students to present their testimonies outside of the “friendly” confines of the orphan home. Amanda, Kayla, and Ben each did a great job. As usual, when we were done, the kids of the school mobbed the members of our team (they don’t get to see many non-Colombians and our kids were treated like rock stars).

Performing “The Creation”

We then went to our little favorite café for a quick soft drink or water (it has been very hot) and then loaded up to visit another nearby school. This one was in a very poor area and was itself in a poor condition. The children had to sit in an open-air courtyard and we prayed for the clouds to block out the hot sun and eventually they did. The presentations went great (Ben modified his a little to be more of a story/narrative of his own life) and the kids enjoyed the entire visit. Again we had to push through the thronging crowds just to get out. This time the kids were asking for autographs.

At the café.

After lunch, we split into two teams with one going to a park in another very poor area of town. The other team returned to the first school that we had attended in the morning where we were able to address the older (middle and high school) students that were there for their split session. We borrowed a projector from YWAM and set that up in the covered courtyard and Ken did the same story of the Titanic that we use for the sketchboard but we were able to use powerpoint instead. These older students were VERY interested in the story.

The second group (that went to the school) walked back to the hotel afterwards and the first group rode back a couple hours later on the bus.

Playing soccer with the older boys on concrete with a small, under-inflated ball. We had two regulation balls but they didn’t want to use them. We soon found out why. Score: Colombia 10, USA 2.

One of the regrets we had from last year’s trip was that we didn’t get an opportunity to spend more one-on-one time with the orphans. So this year, we deliberately scheduled an entire day to play and interact with the children. Because of the schools being in double sessions, we had different kids in the morning than in the afternoon.

In the morning, we had several of the older boys with us who wanted to play sports so we split up with part of the team playing soccer and basketball with the older boys and the other part of the team playing games with the little children. After games, we headed back to the orphanage in order to purchase and serve lunch to the children and staff. After lunch, Ken played his famous Baseball Card game with the boys (who begged to play again) and then headed back to the park with a new batch of kids (all younger) for more soccer and other games.

There we met a young man (16 years old) named Luis Rafael who was in a government relocation program. He had been abandoned by his family and entered a paramilitary group in the jungles at the age of 9. He had recently been relocated by the government temporarily to Medellin. Ken engaged him in a long conversation and learned about his background and shared the gospel with him. He was definitely impacted by the encounter and we encouraged him to stay in touch. There is a chance that he will be relocated to the United States.

We walked back to the orphanage and then back to the hotel to crash after a long, hot, busy day.

Amanda sharing with the group

On Monday, we walked up the hill to the YWAM orphanage to lead their regular Monday morning devotional. Since the children attend schools with double sessions, there are only about half of the entire orphans home that at any one time during the day. The teams performed all three dramas. Ben, Kayla, Carla, and Amanda each spoke to the group and shared some scripture and some personal stories and encouragement. Ben, Gillian and Micah led five Spanish worship songs and Ken shared the story of the Titanic using cool pictures on a Keynote presentation.

After the devotional, we split up into three groups. Part of the team took all of the younger kids to do face painting and balloons. Some of our girls took the older girls from the home off to a section of the center to have “girl talk” (that’s as much information as I was allowed to obtain). Kevin, Ken, Ben, and Joseph took the older boys, a local pastor who was a refugee from terrorists, and a young man who was a member of that pastor’s new church into another part of the center to have a “Grace Talk.” This turned out to be a great opportunity to answer questions and to share encouragement. Especially encouraged was Jhoan, the young man who was there with the pastor. He was struggling with theological as well as personal issues and we shared together until it was time for us to leave for lunch.

The group at the Mall

We ate at a small cafe owned by a really nice Christian family directly across the street from the center (we eat there often). After this we walked back to the hotel and boarded the bus to the downtown shopping area to buy souvenirs. We then fought the traffic up to a mall in the “high-rent” district that has a breathtaking overlook of the city where we prayed over the city and enjoyed a fun meal at everyone’s favorite, Crepes & Waffles. We were joined by two of the three boys that we have sort of “adopted”—Oskar and Felipe (Estephen was sick) and Rosita (the Mother Theresa of Medellin).

On Sunday morning, our team divided into two groups. One went to a local evangelical church with the YWAM workers while the other attended God’s Grace Reformed Baptist Church (GGRBC). Ken was scheduled to preach at the church with the second group but had to remain at the hotel with a severe migraine. Kevin preached at the church with the first group and they were able to make their presentations during the church service. After church services, both groups were taken to nearby food courts for lunch.

After lunch, the second group, after a short detour to pick up Ken who had somewhat recovered, rode up to a government-run preschool on the mountainside just outside the city. We were greeted by 90+ kids from ages 1 to 11 and some parents. One of the employees of the center is a member of GGRBC and had arranged the visit. Apparently, this neighborhood is a government project designed to offer affordable housing to poor people. Word was that it was a very violent area and that these kids needed to hear our message of hope and love. The facility was very clean and modern and there was a significant police presence that made us feel very safe.

We set up for face painting and balloons and spent the next 90+ minutes offering the children these gifts. Afterwards, we presented our dramas and Ken tied each one together and delivered a clear gospel message at the end. The students did their usual tremendous job with the skits and the kids in the audience loved every minute. By the time we were finished, it was nearing dark and the authorities wanted us to pack up and leave. We made several friendships and received a heartfelt invitation to return any time.

On the way back down the mountain, some of the older boys kept following our bus (on foot). Two in particular jumped on a bike and, in tandem, with no helmets, they rode right off the right edge of our bumper at speeds exceeding 40 mph down the mountain for about 2-3 miles. Needless to say, we were a bit anxious at this sight. We were definitely not in Kansas anymore.

That night we returned to the hotel for dinner and a debrief to end the day.

Gathering at the church to prepare for the park

After a full morning of preparation the team spent the afternoon in a local park sharing the gospel through our presentations and through several one-on-one encounters.

This opportunity was organized by the local church attended by Julio & Mariella. They distributed green t-shirts to us all and they had several of their members go with us to assist. It was great to be able to connect those with whom we spoke with a local church.

Face painting.

We began by drawing a crowd through face painting and balloons. Our friend, David, fighting a head cold, was amazing on the magaphone…”Absolutamente Gratis!!!!” The park was full of hundreds of people and many listened attentively to every bit of our presentation. We were blessed with several additional interpreters so many of us were able to engage in conversations with people standing by.

After the park, we were whisked off to another local church that had assembled to receive our group. We served them by doing face painting and balloons for the children while another part of the team presented two of the dramas.

We finished quite late and stopped at one of the zillions of rotisserie chicken joints for dinner.

View more pictures: 2012 Colombia Photo Gallery

Meeting with the ministry partners

The mission team arrived safely on Friday after a very early start. We were met at the airport by Julio & Mariela Jimenez and by Anith (the director of the YWAM orphanage). We ate lunch at the same restaurant along the highway leading down to the city as we did last year. For many of the members of the team, it was their first opportunity to experience “comidas tipicas” or typical Colombian food. At the restaurant, we also met one of our new interpreters, Ana Lucia, who is a YWAM worker from Mexico.

We arrived at the hotel at around 5:00. Since all of the team had been up since 3:00 am or earlier, we took the opportunity to rest. At 7:00, we met with our ministry partners (both from YWAM and from God’s Grace Reformed Baptist Church). We ironed out all of the details for the week as the students relaxed and played games. We ordered pizza to be delivered and received it in a blazingly fast two hours.

Our plan for Saturday is to travel to a nearby neighborhood called “La Astrelia (sp?)” in the early afternoon for two opportunities to offer our evangelistic presentations. The students will spend the morning preparing by practicing and fine-tuning.

Students chilling out

So far, everyone is well. Continue to pray for our efforts that God might be glorified and people’s lives might be changed.

After several days of ministry lasting all day and then into the evening, the team had a bit of a reprieve and got to squeeze in a few sights during the day and doing ministry primarily in the late afternoons and evenings. On Thursday, the entire team took our YWAM hosts up to a peak overlooking the city to pray over Medellín and Colombia. The transit authority here has actually built a cable car system as a spur off of its Metro rail line. Medellín is situated in a valley that runs north and south between very high Andean mountain ranges. The Metro line follows this north/south route. At one particular station, we simply transferred to the cable car that travelled east up the side of the mountain directly over one of the many barrios that surround the city. At the end of this line was a remarkable library that had been donated to Medellín by the King and Queen of Spain.

At this station, we transferred to yet another cable car that took us over 1,000 feet higher and over the top of the mountain to a huge nature preserve. This entire section of the system, including the nature preserve, is brand new and many areas in the preserve are still under development. This should be a tremendous economic boom to the city since it has the potential of drawing eco-tourists from all over the world who can gain easy access through the transit system.

After spending some time at the preserve, we again loaded up onto the cable car for the trip down. We stopped at the transition point between the two cable car systems and stood at the giant window overlooking the city that was spread out before us like a panorama. It was here that several members of our team prayed for God to continue to show mercy to this beautiful city that has seen so much violence and heartache. We prayed for the people of Medellín and Colombia that they would come to know the Lord in a saving way. We prayed for the government that it would continue to be successful in its fight against the narco-terrorists. We prayed for the YWAM missionaries and their efforts to care for orphans and the poor and to spread the gospel. We prayed for the orphans themselves and for the people we met while doing street ministry the night before.

After this time of prayer, we descended the rest of the way, transferred back onto the train and returned to the hotel. Since only half of the team was able to participate in the street ministry on Wednesday, it was the other half’s turn to go out. That night, we also had an opportunity to give our presentations in another local church. Our greatest challenge was transportation. Since we only had access to the one bus, we chose to send Team Alpha with Matthew, Jeanna and me leading, to the church while Team Bravo stayed behind and ate dinner and prepared for a late night of street ministry.

We travelled to a church that, like the one we attended on Sunday, was a bit more urban. Ben M. and Cameron F. were invited to sing two songs (“Here I am to Worship” and “Breathe”) in English while the church projected the words in Spanish. It was great to hear everyone singing the same tune but with different words. I preached again—this time with Connie as my translator. As usual, she was a tremendous interpreter, matching my voice inflections and energy level exactly. My teaching was very systematic but also included several examples and illustrations and the assembled church remained very engaged even with the back and forth of the translation. As it turns out, the pastor that was at this church, Carlos, was actually the son of the church’s full-time pastor who was away in Atlanta visiting his two daughters who work with Peachtree Presbyterian Church. Carlos informed me that our Friday night ministry would be at the church he serves higher up the mountains in another barrio. He was also very interested in what I had taught and was asking me several questions about how he could learn more theology and biblical interpretation. The church treated us to pastries and drinks and then we had to rush back to the hotel to swap out with the other team who loaded up the bus and headed out for the streets.

Again, our team was led in the street ministry by the “Mother Teresa” of Medellín, Rosita. The team travelled to a different part of the city than we did on Wednesday. This time, the focus would be on reaching out to women (mostly girls) who were being exploited by the sex industry. The following is from Marshall Caudill who accompanied Team Bravo.

It was a dreary night with frequent downpours and constant rain that most likely kept many of the regulars inside their homes. We ministered in an area in Medillin known for drugs, violence, prostitution, homeless people, etc. We were accompanied by Rosita (a true saint), Miguel, and David and we served hot chocolate, bologna sandwiches, lollipops, and cheetos to the women, of which some of the women would take back to their children.

I don’t believe most of us felt in much danger, but it was difficult to keep our team in a group with all of the regulars spread out and people coming from all directions. I was certainly nervous, but did not feel like we were in any danger. It was also very comforting to know that Miguel and David were there for our protection and they were fantastic.

Many people we encountered knew Rosita from her regular visits to the area. Most of the people were excited and very thankful to see us, including most of the women. We had a few people who mocked us, propositioned some of us, and seemed resentful, but overall most of the people appreciated us being there.

There was such a wide variety of women; young, middle aged, pregnant, pretty, worn down, drunk, happy, sad, etc. Some were on the street with kids. Not sure if they were actually their kids or if the kids were working as well.

A beautiful young girl in particular absolutely broke our hearts. She could not have been more than 13 or 14 and as Kyle said, “we could see her walking into Wired on a Sunday evening.” many of our team tried to talk to her and comfort her, but she would shun us away or look the other way.

Rosita was incredible. She walked into the brothels without fear and talked to everyone she encountered. Some of our team would accompany her to the top of the stairs of the building (we could see the top of the stairs from the entrance at the street) and distribute the food.

As previously mentioned, a lot of the people were very nice too us. One lady, in particular, talked to us for a few minutes and she loved God. She said, “God still loves me even in this situation”. That to me is incredible love for our Father and it revealed to me how often I fail to show His love to others.

About 2 hours later, we returned to the bus with little food remaining. The bus was parked where we encountered the young girl that I mentioned above. It was very difficult to sit there and leave her standing there. Just cannot fathom the thought of what she goes through everyday. As we pulled away, I waved at her and she excitedly waved back. I pray that she sees the Lord and he removes her from that hell.

We returned to the hotel and walked into the lobby to debrief. It was obvious everyone was in awe and heartbroken for the people who are jailed in the world of sin.

As we debriefed and prayed for the people of the streets, David shared with us an incredible heartbreaking story. Prior to his departure to Medillin, he spoke with a girl he grew up with in school and church. They had planned to get together on Saturday before he left on Sunday. But, as we were ministering on the streets, David and she encountered one another as she was working the streets. She just turned and walked away as David was in shock.

This was not an evening of chance or coincidences. It was His plan to encounter each and every one of those people who are in dire need of His Son to overcome their bondage to sin. Please pray for the people on streets of Medillin.

Friday morning, we walked to a nearby “Target”-like store to buy coffee and other items. The group walked among the bustling streets to our destination. It was definitely a unique experience for some of the students who had never done urban shopping before. In the afternoon we picked up the three boys that we met at the inner-city minstry (Oscar, Phillipe, and Estephen) as well as the YWAM leaders (including Anith, the director of the orphanage) and took them to the opening match of the 2011 FIFA U-20 (Under age 20) World Cup soccer match between England and North Korea. The game was played in the main 45,000-seat stadium that is normally used for the Medellín professional team. The U-20 world cup is being hosted by several cities in Colombia, including Bogota, Calle, and Cartegena. Outside the stadium, the military and the police were making their presence known. After all the years of violence and unrest, it is comforting to see the Medellín authorities taking seriously the need to provide a sense of security. As we waited to enter the stadium, the students passed out hundreds of tracts to the gathering crowds. Inside, the crowds were a bit thin at first but began to grow as the game went on. It turned out that our tickets were for a double-header with the second game—Mexico vs. Argentina—being the premier match of the day. Our team, our guests, and the YWAM leaders had a great time making a lot of noise and enjoying themselves despite a rather boring 0-0 tie. After the first game ended, Team Alpha had to load up the bus to go up the mountain to the church where Carlos pastors for a full presentation to folks invited to attend from around the community. Several of the members of Team Bravo as well as Kevin and the boys from the inner city ministry stayed for the second game. We learned later that for 17 years, Anith has lived in Medellín working with the orphans and this was the first time she had ever been in the stadium. The day was a real treat for these people. We often forget how the little things can be such a blessing.

See next post for more.

Drama on the soccer/basketball court

On Saturday, we left the hotel for the YWAM base, just up the street, for breakfast at 6:30. We were warmly greeted by the staff and enjoyed cereal, coffee, fresh pineapple, mango and more.

This day was to be spent working in the southern part of Medellín in a small village called La Estralia. During breakfast, we were introduced to Pastor Baltazar and his wife Stella and their children, Danith, Sebastian, and Jomar Andres. This was the family who had been forced to leave their home under threat of death for preaching the gospel. They were now planting a church in La Estralia. They had received permission from the local sports center—kind of a glorified Parks & Rec center—for us to come and to interract with the children, teach some lessons (any kind of overt evangelism was forbidden), and generally open the door for the new church plant to establish relationships with the locals. It just so happened that I had come up with a series of lessons based on soccer that I used in Guatemala back in ’07 and these would be a perfect tie-in with the activities at the center.

Making friends with the natives

After a long, problematic detour to exchange currency, we were off to La Estralia. Soon after we arrived and scouted out the place, we chose to set up the face painting to draw a crowd after which, I delivered two of the soccer-oriented lessons with Connie as my translator. The lessons centered on Sportsmanship (actually a lesson on the fruit of the Spirit) and how those of us with a relationship with God have a purpose and ability to live differently and to play differently) and Respect for Authority. The gathered crowds were surprisingly attentive. Ben Miller also shared a short testimony as to how his relationship with God has impacted his life as a football player. The much more slightly built Colombians found big Ben to be an interesting speaker.

After this, we challenged the Colombians to an international Soccer match. We actually fared better than expected and had a great time connecting with the older teenage boys.

It was then off to lunch at a local church member’s home and then out to the local park. All of these Colombian villages have a similar setup with a park in the middle of town. This one was beautifully maintained and had an amphitheater where we were able to set up and deliver our entire presentation (no holds barred). We had a crowd of about 60 that stayed for the entire presentation and many engaging conversations were had. Pastor Baltazar was very pleased with the outcome and the connections that we were able to help him make.

Crowds at the park

Unfortunately, our 45 minute bus ride became 2.5 hours returning to the hotel. There was some kind of horse festival with hundreds and hundreds of horses and riders taking to the streets of Medellín. One guy even had his horse equipped with a stereo.

Tomorrow we will be attending church. I will be preaching and our teams should be able to present their dramas. After church we will attend a concert put on by YWAM and then maybe get some additional chill time before we plow into Monday’s busy schedule.

Please to continue to pray for our safety, our stamina, and our spiritual resolve.

The team arrived with no problems in Medellín Friday afternoon. On the way from the airport, the famished crew stopped at a local, Christian-owned restaurant for a delicious Colombian meal. The trip resumed with a spectacular drive down the mountains into the valley where the city is situated. We arrived at the Gran Hotel and were able to spend some chill time planning for our day on Saturday. I’m trying to post pictures but the internet connection here is spotty.

We are set to leave for Colombia this Friday morning. We will be working with the YWAM orphanage in Medellin, doing street evangelism, and serving with an inner city ministry. Our group of 20+ has been working and training for months for this trip. Pray for our safe travels to Medellin and for effectiveness in our mission.

Follow all of the Colombia updates here: http://forgodsfame.org/topics/colombia/

Grace Fellowship:

We are having a tremendous mission trip here in Colombia!

We arrived safely on Friday night in Bogota. Saturday was a great day visiting YWAM ministry sites in the Bogota metro area. We visited Bella Flor which is a neighborhood in southern Bogota made up mostly of squatters. YWAM and Darren McCrea’s (YWAM missionary) church sponsor a ministry to the kids of the area. They own a lot there next to a school where 6000 children go to school everyday.

We also got to see a team that is building a home in the area and we met Luis Beltran, the pastor of Darren’s church.

On Saturday afternoon we went to the Gold Museum in downtown Bogota and then went to an overlook in the mountains above Bogota.

On Easter Sunday, we were blessed to worship at Iglesia Cristiana Filadelphia del Puente Largo. This is a large evangelical church where Darren is a member. They are a very missions minded church that supports missionaries in Colombia, Cuba, China and other locations.

Sunday afternoon we flew to Medellin. Since Monday morning we have been working on remodeling a home that was given to YWAM Medellin. They want to move the girls from the orphanage into this home and give up the rental home where they live now. It has been great to work with the students from the orphanage many of whom are working side by side with us as we work on their new home. Both boys and girls have been anxious to help and be part of the remodeling team.

Last night we celebrated Ted King’s birthday at a local restaurant here in Medellin. The weather has been great! Medellin is truly the city of eternal spring!

We are looking for to going out into the streets of Medellin tonight to feed street kids.

Please continue to be in prayer for us and for YWAM Medellin and for the adults and kids there.

In Christ,

Kevin Maner