On January 4th we drove from Charlotte, North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia to meet up with my team and prepare to leave for the World Race. On the 5th, I said goodbye to my biggest supports, my best friends, and my favorite people. Walking away from my mom and dad – I sobbed. Goodbyes never get easier. For the next two days we did more training, lots of praying, and got everything ready to leave. On January 7th, before the sun ever rose we headed to the airport for one of the longest travel days every. Three plane rides, two bus rides, and a 14-hour layover in FL and a 5 hour layover in Bogota later we were in Medellin, Colombia.
We arrived and meet our ministry host and checked out our new little home for the next month. The ministry we’re at this month consist of 6 floors. The 1st is the bakery/church/homeless shelter. The second is the men’s floor for the men in the drug rehabilitation program. The women in the rehab program are on the 2nd floor, along with all of us from the World Race. The 4th floor housed the men from the WR for a little bit, the kitchen, and the children’s ministry rooms. The 5th floor is my favorite. It’s housing for the staff at the ministry and then the other ½ is a rooftop balcony. I loved the rooftop balcony.
I remember walking up on the balcony the first day we arrived and looking over the city completely clueless to what the Father was going to do in our first month on the world race. In that moment I knew the Lord was going to work and move in mighty ways, but I had no clue what it would look like.
I had no clue what it would look like to hold the hands of a woman on the street and pray over her while she was sniffing glue until she was high to stop her pain. I had no clue that I’d get to carry a backpack full of food to one of the largest IDP camps in Colombia to love on a bunch of previous kiddos. I had no clue that I’d get to love on a bunch of sweet students every week by singing songs in Spanish that I didn’t fully understand. I didn’t know the joy that would come from signing with a homeless woman in a park or sharing the Gospel to a room full of high school students after taking about prevention from drugs, sex, and alcohol. I knew we’d do ministry, but I had no clue just how great it was going to be.
Apart from ministry, I had no clue what the Lord would do in my heart and my life.
This month I learned what the world race meant when they say, “life is ministry and ministry is life.” I was able to have great conversations with Uber drivers on our off days about the Lord and the church. In the same coffee shop, I was able to have conversations about Lord and what He was doing in my life in Colombia. I’m finding that when I live a life on mission, speaking about him and sharing about His goodness come so naturally.
This month I learned what it meant to let people serve you and love you well, even when every fiber in your being wanted to do it yourself. This month I learned what it meant to sit in the presence of the Lord and not talk to Him but let Him just talk to me. This month He reminded me time and time again of His great love for me.
I’m sad to leave Colombia. I’m going to miss spending time with Jesus on the rooftop of the building. I’m going to miss the kids’ ministry we did every week. I’m going to miss Agua Panella and the opportunity to pray for people in the middle of the craziest parts of town. I’m going to miss the $0.30 doughnuts at the bakery. I’m going to miss writing blogs from Perganimo & the grilled cheeses I ate while doing so. I’m going to miss the intentionality of our ministry host and the ways they use every ounce of everything they have for the kingdom. I’m going to miss our translators – who time and time again loved this community… and the 40 Americans who spoke very little Spanish so well. I’m going to miss the prayer walks we took almost daily.
As much as I’m going to miss Colombia, it’s about time to say goodbye. In three days, my team and I will be hoping on a bus for 24-hour bus ride to Ecuador.
& I am so excited to see yet again, how the Lord takes all my expectations and blows them out of the water in Ecuador.
Much Love & Many Blessings, Lauren
