I know I said that my last blog post was the final one I’d post from Colombia, but God laughs at my plans! I had to share with you some amazing testimonies of things that have happened in the past few days.
For those of you who don’t know, I am one of three logistics leaders for my squad. Our responsibilities include booking transportation for our squad, planning debriefs, and serving as a channel for communication between Adventures in Missions and our squad. Through this role God has been teaching me about trusting Him in action, not just in word. He has shown me that His plans are abundantly better than mine.
The first example of God shaking up my plans was when my co-leaders and I started trying to book transportation from Medellín, Colombia, to Quito, Ecuador. We researched, emailed, and called many different bus companies, but there was nothing available for our departure and destination cities. It began to look like we would have to ride a bus 10 hours southeast to Bogota before heading south to Quito. Another option was to take public transport and switch to a charter bus at the border. Our ministry host coordinator helped us call some of her contacts. She arranged a private bus that was barely under our budget. However, we were told that it only had room for 42 passengers. We have 43 people in our group. We decided that we would take turns standing during the 30+ hour bus ride. The company called back within five minutes, saying that there could be an extra seat if one of us agreed to sit up front with the driver and help him stay awake. The best part is that, since the bus company doesn’t have to pay someone to be the co-pilot, they cut over a thousand dollars off the price. What an amazing example of God’s provision for His children.
Next we needed to plan debrief, a time of reflection and teachings before moving on to our next country. It was difficult to find a hostel that could fit our entire group for five nights. After a few dead ends, I visited a hostel in El Poblado, the economic center of Medellín. I explained our situation to the proprietress, who gave me a tour. The hostel seemed to fit our needs: beds for everyone, enough bathrooms and showers, a kitchen, spaces to hang out. I asked how much it would cost to rent the entire hostel; after being given a price, I negotiated until it was within our lodging budget. Keep in mind that neither of us is fluent in the other’s language. When I told her we were “working for free” (I didn’t know the work for volunteer) in Medellín and helping the homeless and recovering addicts, she started crying. She came around the counter and hugged me. She started crying again later when I told her I loved Medellín. I am so thankful that God led us to her hostel; she is one of the sweetest people I have ever met.
Another task that logistics has to take care of is finding a meeting space for debrief. It has to be big enough to hold our entire squad as well as leaders, mentor, and coaches. It needs to be indoors, everyone needs to have a chair, and air conditioning is preferred. Tyler, Kelly, and I spent two days walking around the neighborhood near our hostel looking for a place. We asked at hostels and hotels, but either their spaces weren’t big enough, were for guest use only, or were already booked. We also inquired at local churches, but didn’t have success there either. All doors seemed closed to us, and we were discouraged. Near evening on the second day, we knocked on the door of an evangelical church about five minutes from our hostel. The door opened to us! Once again, in broken Spanish, I communicated our need for a meeting space for a group of almost 50 missionaries from the United States. They took my number with a promise to reach out by the end of the day. Within a few hours, they contacted me and set up a time to talk and tour the church. From the first moment I stepped inside, I felt welcomed and honored by this church. They went above and beyond, offering us use of their sound system, instruments, projector, classrooms, and even said they would have coffee and water available for us.
I was worried about the price of using the church; it was over our budget even though they had lowered their asking price considerably. In fact, we didn’t really have a budget for this. I figured we could use some money from our supplies budget. Our first session at the church was a worship and testimony night. Our worship leaders felt led to worship acapella. It was a beautiful and powerful time, as always. The testimonies shared were examples of how God worked in and through us this month. My squadmates shared stories of discovering their spiritual giftings, receiving prophetic words from the Lord, experiencing personal healing and the ability to forgive, and fruits that came from obedience, including lives turned over to God. I had a little bit of a hard time concentrating during all of this. I was thinking about logistics, budgets, and the impression we were having on the church. I tried to lay my anxieties aside and focus on showing God my love for Him. Afterward, my contacts at the church pulled me aside and asked if we could talk for a minute. They shared that they felt the Holy Spirit fill the room and were moved by God to not take money from us that could be used for missions. They said all they want is our prayers. I felt my heart swell and God say, “You think that you trust me a lot, but you really trust me a little. Look at the good things I am doing for you. The things I have for you are abundantly good, better than you could ever plan for yourself. Will you trust me?” We prayed over the church and their ministry in the community. They are a gift from God to me and my squad. He answered my prayers and then some.
Medellín is home to the best of people. It’s why I am in love with this place. God has taught me so much this month about His character and who I am in Him. My heart aches over leaving, and I know I will return someday, hopefully soon.
