Colombian Christian Mission

Sunday I spent a couple of hours with the deaf Christians after church. The work among the deaf population has gone well. We have been averaging twenty or more for regular church services and 35 and 40 for special events. The new Christians are enthusiastic and are anxious to be doing more and more. Already, they have been suggesting we take evangelistic trips to other cities where the different deaf Christians have relatives. They are excited by what Christ as done for them and they want to share this rich gift of salvation with friends and relatives.

Today was my first church service back in Colombia on this trip. Fortunately, I did not (yet, anyhow) come down with a cold or anything else from my plane trip back into Colombia. So this morning I was excited to be heading to church to see many dear friends and brothers. I really enjoy the Colombian services as well. I was anxious to see how everyone and how the churches were doing.

Recently, thanks to a new conversion program, I have been able to begin to fulfill a dream of mine. That is to make available to all of our friends and supporters the back issues of our newsletters. While this is still a work in progress, you can now go to the newsletter section of this web page and check out the first six years of newsletters from these very early years of the work here in Colombia. I think you will find them quite interesting.

Normally, I attempt to give myself a week after my arrival to get settled in before jumping back into the work. But it never works out that way. Even though I do not plan any ministry activities, it seems they come looking for me. Only two days after arriving back in Colombia, the deaf preacher contacted me and wanted to come over for a meeting. I agreed, as ministry always comes before personal convenience.

On Tuesday of this week, I flew back to Colombia to begin this semester and work period. The school year begins here in Colombia at the very end of January or early in February. Since I teach in the graduate school program of the Bible College, I like to return a week or so before that so I can check on my class schedule and begin my preparations for teaching. It is also a good time to get back in order to work with our Christian day school, as I can be here for the beginning of classes there as well. It is also a great time to get back in order to work with the churches.

Missionary ministry sometimes includes aspects of ministry off of the field. This fall I have been involved in a time of ministry reporting to our supporting churches here in the States. I have traveled every single weekend with only two Sundays off during the entire four month period. It has been tiring, but is a rewarding and enjoyable time as I share the blessings God has granted in Colombia over the past several years. I have very much enjoyed visiting with so many friends, supporters, and prayer partners, many of whom I have not seen for years.

Thanksgiving Day is a special time. It is a day where nearly everyone pauses and considers his or her blessings and then gives thanks to God for the good we receive in life. It is often a family event, where the different generations of a family will gather and share the most precious of blessings, the greatest gift from God; that being our children and grandchildren. Here at our house, we will all be present except for Alex. We will be blessed by having our children and grandchildren to share this special day with us.

What a great Convention! Having just returned from the National Missionary Convention, I marvel at the excitement and the blessings of such an event. The Missionary Convention has grown significantly in recent years, precisely because of the excitement and enthusiasm that makes attendance a thrilling event that leaves everyone animated about becoming a part of the church’s worldwide missionary outreach. There is simply nothing else like this event anywhere else in our country or in the world.

This fall, for the first time in four years, I have been home in the fall in order to travel and speak at our supporting churches. It has been a real treat to travel around since the third week in September as I speak at different churches each week end. I have enjoyed getting back to visit many new friends and get to know the new members of each church. I am always blessed by this rich fellowship. This does involve a great deal of traveling, as I have been averaging more than four thousand miles per month. But the blessings of visiting everyone are well worth the effort.

From our very earliest days in Colombia, we have been shocked by the poverty we saw and determined to help transform the lives of as many families as possible. We have worked to eliminate poverty in several specific ways. First of all, the preaching of the Gospel helps to lift people out of poverty. Much poverty is causes or exacerbated by the vices endemic to a worldly life style. When a man becomes a Christian he conquers alcoholism and the other typical vices that absorb so much of his time and money.