Have you ever wondered where the first civilization to gain freedom from slavery in the Americas was? Or ever wondered where the Spaniards sold slaves in South America? Well, last week, I got the opportunity to experience a little taste of history as my team and I took a two hour bus ride to that very place.
San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia is a small little town nestled in the foothills of Montes de Maria which is located southeast of Cartagena. Upon arrival, our host, Jason, gave us a brief history about the people of Palenque. In 1696, the people of Palenque were granted their freedom and started to establish their roots in Colombia. Many of them took root near the coastal areas because the ocean was the last thing they saw when leaving Africa. He described the people as warriors, who have kind hearts and strong values. Of all of the blacks in Colombia, the Palenque people are the only one’s to date who have preserved their culture. Among every person I met, traditions and values were evident and time was of the essence. “Como cusata?” was a term I quickly became familiar with which means what’s up in Palenque, immediately following that question follows an hour long conversation about one another’s lives (with my teammates who speak Spanish of course).
To be honest, I could write a novel about my time in Palenque. Ministry this week consisted of manual labor (lots of cooking and cleaning), evangelism, teaching in schools, relating to others through soccer, and loving on all those around us. Living conditions were wild– 11 girls in one hut, temperatures were off the charts, water was sparse, and showers consisted of bathing in a river with livestock and children. I was out of my comfort zone for sure but I would not change it for the world.
I would not change it for the world because God began to open my eyes to dreaming again. Each day my team and I went to the local school to teach the children about dreaming for their future and setting goals. We performed a skit on God instilling dreams in us and what characteristics you need in order to accomplish those dreams. We would have the children stand up and shout out loud what their biggest dreams are and how they could accomplish those dreams. At the end of everyday I would have at least one student give me a piece of paper with their dreams and aspirations on it. Brenda wants to become a dancer. Victor has aspirations to be a professional soccer player. Estefani wants to be a nurse. Rosa wants to go to college and be an accountant. Dream after dream was being spoken out loud and paper after paper was being handed in for us to pray over their dreams.
As much as I was speaking truth about God’s dreams for us, I also felt this pit in my stomach. Here I was teaching children about how to dream and I myself was not dreaming. I spoke on how God builds your faith by giving you a dream. I spoke that when God wants to work in your life, he’ll always gives you a dream—about yourself, about what he wants you to do, about how he’s going to use your life to impact the world. But here I was with no bold and passionate dreams. Here I was with a lack of faith because of past defeats. And right then I felt the Spirit within say it’s time to dream again.
So I took out a piece of paper as the children did and began to write my dreams.
I dream to make an impact on this world by doing what God calls me to do. I dream to be married and have a family one day with Christ-centered. I dream of helping those in need, especially those with poor health. I dream of instilling hopes and dreams back in others. I dream of reaching the unreached. I dream of knowing God’s love to the fullest capacity. I dream of never being stagnant in my walk. I dream of always having dreams.
As I sit here shouting out my dreams, not all of them feeling concrete, I rest assured knowing that God is restoring my faith in dreams again. I know that if I ask, seek, and knock that doors will be opened (Matthew 7:7-12). I know that over this next year He will reveal things to me that I never could have imagined. I look forward to God rocking my world when it comes to dreaming.
Are you still dreaming?
Cheers,
Kels
