I have exactly 2 months left until I’m back in the U.S.
And today, us Team Leaders and Squad Leaders went out to celebrate Adria’s birthday. We started the morning at one of our favorite coffee places, in a really nice upscale part of Medellín.
The 5 of us were sitting together, I at the head of the table and Adria to my right. I had sat my purse beside of her/ in between us to keep within our view for safety. At one point I go to grab my bag and it wasn’t beside of me and Adria anymore. I start looking around and I don’t see it. I asked our lead team if it’s a joke. And I very quickly realize my bag had been stolen.
In my bag was credit cards, my passport, drivers license, travel bible, journal, phone charger, converter, earbuds and some random meds and writing utensils. Luckily my phone was on the table in front of me and was not in the bag.
A million emotions swarm my body and I couldn’t help but to cry.
The thoughts I was thinking is:
-“We’re leaving for Ecuador in 10 days and I don’t have my passport”
-“What if my girls have to go to Ecuador without me/a team leader”
-“I always said this would never happen to me because I would always put my belongings in smart safe places”
-“It’s Adria’s birthday and this is the biggest bummer.”
-“A taxi driver brought back Syd’s water bottle this morning. And we just exchanged a “God’s so good to me and really looks out for me” and I had replied “Imagine what more he can do”, but my bag of everything just got stolen!”
I frantically call Dad having him cancel cards between sobs.
We call our ministry host Rebekah at Ciudad Refugio who’s so helpful to translate and go with us to put in a police report.
We call the embassy, and consider that tomorrow Madison (a Squad Leader) and I will be riding 10 hours to Bogota to get a new passport.
The most amazing staff of Pergamino Cafe were on it calling the police, checking the video cams, translating, offering me free food and drinks. There may be some crime in this country of Colombia, but the hospitality far succeeds it, and they watch after people and foreigners, they are always there to help when you get in trouble. The people of Pergamino cafe are incredible. Shout out to Paula! She gave us the pictures and the videos of it all happening.
My amazing team of SQLs and TLs begin comforting me and start looking in the trash hoping the man was just looking for cash, didn’t find any and chucked it.
I tried calling Dad again to give him an update, Jake picks up on the iPad and we talked for a moment and I told him I needed to talk to daddy so don’t pick up from the iPad, it’s an emergency. He informs me he knows what’s going on, tells me he loves me, and then says he’s going to pray for me. I begin to cry more, because who doesn’t weep over an 11 year old out of his on will choosing to pray for you.
I’m sitting in Pergamino just waiting, and a taxi driver walks out and into Pergamino and holds my bag up to give to the people behind the counter. I start shouting “That’s mine! That’s mine!” I get my bag back I look through it…
my credit cards are still there,
My license is still there,
And my passport is still there.
Everything is disarrayed in my bag and the only thing taken was my phone charger, converter, and earbuds. And the only other bummer is my credit card had already been cancelled so I’m having to wait for another one, or hope someone will let us use Venmo for the next two months.
Jo (Adria) walks in and shouts “What!? Where did that come from?! The next thing we know all of us leadership are rejoicing that the bag is back, other people from the squad walk in in time to celebrate and hear this incredible testimony of God, and Madison informs me that her and Syd had prayed the man would be convicted and bring it back.
To be honest I’m not really sure what happened. I don’t know if the man took a taxi, went through my bag and left it, and the taxi driver brought it back because he saw it there, or if the man who stole it sent it back, or I DONT KNOW!
But it literally was a miracle, Paula was like “I don’t know what happened.” We praised God, and I then began to feel the way you do after a car accident. When all of the adrenaline has gone up, and then it crashes and you feel like a zombie.
And as I lay in my bed this night looking at God’s mercy and provision, I am amazed.
Just last night I was on the phone with mom. I knew this would be a season of immense joy along with deep sorrow. I had been needing to get out a good cry. So I cried while talking to her on the phone, discouraged about fundraising. Last year when I left for the Race I was fully funded. I had a year on US soil to work and make that happen by God’s grace. But before these 3 months of Team Leading I had one month on US soil. And I’ll only have 2 months before leaving for G42. But today God showed me He’s bigger.
He allowed my things to be taken to say “See, I have the ability to let it be gone, and make it come back again. If I have that kind of control, believe me I can move hearts for you to be funded to do what I’m calling you to.” Not to mention money I had been waiting to come through showed up in my G42 account, and I had another donation to my G42 account this evening.
God is so good.
Jehovah Jireh, YHWH provides!
I still need $2,700 to be fully funded for World Race Team Leading. I end my time with World Race in December.
I still need $2,366 for G42 before I can purchase my flight that’s in February. I will still need to raise $6,000+ for G42 after that.
If you will consider financially partnering with me, you can donate on my blog page for World Race Team Leading at
kaylinstarbuck.theworldrace.org
Or donate to G42 at
generation42.org/donations and scroll down to class March 2020 where you see my name and photo.
With love from the Father,
Kaylin A. Starbuck
