Colombian Christian Mission

This time in Colombia we have a very special project in the works.  Most of you are aware that almost three years ago, together with Dewayne Liebrandt and Deaf Ministries International; we launched the very first deaf church in Colombia. That work has continued to progress and this year should be on its own, independent of the hearing church that it was partnering with. The growth, both numerical and spiritual is impressive. We have seen the hand of God at work in this ministry.

On Friday of this past week, My dear friend and coworker, Dewayne, Liebrandt lost his mother.  Glenna Makela passed from this life into the next after losing her battle with ovarian cancer.  While I have known Dewayne for many years we became very close as we worked together in a deaf church plant here in Colombia.  Our friendship extended beyond our joint ministry as we became hunting buddies and friends in sharing many aspects of life and ministry.

Just this morning I got a very important call from one of the elders in the church in Villavicencio.  The lot next door to the church and school was offered to us for a very reasonable sum of $42,000.  We had tried to buy it once before and even raised some money.  Then the owners jacked to price up to an impossible amount and so the deal fell through.  It has sat there since then with no buyers and so the other day they approached us again.  We still have some money in the bank from that last attempt and that could be used as a down payment.  But we do not have t

Last week Dewayne Liebrandt arrived to work with the deaf church.  The hearing church where they had been meeting needed the space and so we had to relocate them.  So the deaf church is currently meeting in a school. It is rather awkward as they have to set up everything Sunday morning then tear it down after the service, but at least they have a place to meet and things are going well.

Each year Christmas brings us to a renewed sense of awe and appreciation for the great redemptive work that God brought about in the birth of His son, Jesus Christ. It is a time for family and for the simple pleasures of being together. Every Christian will acknowledge that Jesus is our greatest gift, given by God Himself to transform our lives and give us hope in the darkness of this sinful world. We praise Him and rededicate ourselves to the preaching of this Good News in a lost world. We also trust that you are rejoicing with us in this wonderful time of praise and thanksgiving.

Church camps here in the states tend to be rather large. The camp’ land is counted in acres and usually are a farm that had been purchased many years ago. We have church camps in Colombia, but they are very different. We have normally rented a recreational villa or something for our camps. But a few years ago, the church in Villavicencio purchased the first actual camp ground for our churches. We regularly have fifty or more people there for a long weekend camp and we have many weeks of camp every year. But the primary difference is that our camp is only a little over an acre.

The flight and arrival to Colombia was wonderfully uneventful. The drive to Villavicencio required me to put great trust in God and Dale. Once we arrived in Villavicencio, I was put at ease. Everyone was welcoming and patient with my lack of Spanish. Having Kim there to share my observations and mistakes made the transition easier. Once she and Dale left I thought I would experience culture shock since Martin is the only other fluent English speaker and he wasn’t due back for a week.

9 November, 2009

Dear Brethren,

Our brother Dr. Dale R. Meade has been helping our organization prepare literature for use in Latin America. His work is very valuable to us and to Spanish speaking brethren. This letter is to tell why.

We all enjoy our natural senses, most of the time with little though or appreciation. The ability to see the beauty around us or hear the giggles of a child are some of the true riches we share in this life. To not have the use of those faculties is something we often do not even think of until we lose them or they are diminished or threatened in some way. The person who is deaf or blind loses out on so many special blessings and even finds the basic necessities of life to be something they struggle with.

Today I drove up to Detroit to be interviewed by the TSA in an effort to enroll in the GOES program, where a person is listed as a trusted traveler and allowed to skip the long lines at immigration when returning to the country. I was up early and took off with plenty of time for arriving there for my 12 noon appointment. I wanted to leave early in case I was caught up in traffic or happened to get a flat tire.