The journey begins! God is so amazing, the first night we landed in Medellin Colombia it was 12 am and we arrived at our hostel around 1:30 am. Through the journey to the hostel we were crammed in a 18-20 passenger bus/van with 14 of us and all of our bags witch each of us has a large 40 lb bag and a smaller school backpack( a very fun team challenge packing it all in super tired).
The hostel that we ended up staying at was amazing actually had our own rooms and bunkbeds. The next morning we woke up to the sound of Colombia witch is a lot of cars Moto bikes, horns, street vendors and just a lot of different noises outside. when we woke up we had a meeting down stairs for breakfast and getting the ride to our ministry location( got up about an hour early due to time change). God is so good as we get down stairs the place we are meeting is a bakery and not only is it filled with amazing smells but the people that run it are so fun to talk with and interact with. Me and the 3 other men on the team decided to go take a walk to see the lands of Colombia. The journey was so filled with different perspectives of living life an abundance of motorbikes and a lot of movement with people walking and driving. It is cool to think that God has placed me here in such a beautiful place with such honest loving friends.
Colombia is so beautiful filled with such interesting culture. There is no doubt in my mind why God has sent me on this route. we arrived at our ministry location at about 12:30 pm we were welcomed by pastor willy and his wife in the church they have built together. The heart that pastor willy has is really for God and to help the people that live in and around Medellin. The true passion lays in how pastor Willy and his wife live each day by asking the lord for there daily bread literally ( he has shared stories about how God shows up when he has no food) the true heart that it takes to know in your knower that God will come through no matter what just amazes me and encourages me to grow in faith and trust!
So we have a few world race phones that are essential to communication while we are in the field. The funny thing about Colombia is the culture has a sense of patience that we do not see in the untied states. We took a full day to get SIM cards loaded and numbers established along with bus cards to travel throughout the city. We were with Christen pastor Willys wife in the middle of Medellin and having to go to the bathroom( no street bathrooms). Pastor Willys sister had a house right down the road from where we were at so we decided to go meet her and use her restroom. At the front door all 14 off us are greeted by these 3 older beautiful ladies. They got each of us water and coke and around that time I through they had a little girl or boy playing somewhere. What I thought was a kid turned out to be a parakeet talking in Spanish so we had a blast talking with the 2 birds, they were so much fun they laughed and talked to each other. We were able to pray with the family and found out later that one of them has cancer, thankful we seek the kingdom at all times. The ministry house we are staying in is above the church overlooking the beautiful valley of Medellin ( God seriously has his hands in our journey). There has been very little rain and it is essentially winter time for them here(65F).
Our first Sunday service was today and my great friend Connor was able to pastor a message to the churches congregation, such a great word on the need for soft soil in our hearts. The teams unity is very strong and we are giving each other feedback each day on what we have seen ( the unity of the team is in truth to each other). We as a team have created normals that hold us accountable from drifting away from one another.
we have been learning a few dances in the church and are getting a lot better at understanding the moves. God is showing me how talented each and every person on this mission is. the talent in singing worship songs is astounding its so amazing to be apart of this movement for the kingdom. We have a merged house with another world race team so that is why there is 14 of us at this location. the food is authentic and we get a home cooked meal each day( amazing ) breakfast lunch and dinner. We have about 5 Spanish speakers between the 2 teams here so our communication is very good. The growth of our heats through the ministry here blows me away. The hospitality is like few I have ever seen and I am so thankful for the open hearts that we have been blessed with.
The reality of where we are and what we are doing is setting In. I know that we have been brought here by Devine appointment to share our testimony, serve and share the work that God has done in each of our lives. There is no greater feeling in my heart than to be serving the people whom I hardly know. God is working in us and through us in Mighty ways!!! I challenge you take a step walk into the water and seek the kingdom.
The purpose is not in the actions, its in the attitude we choose while taking action.
1 John 1:5( God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all)
