Dale

I have just returned home after a week at Colegio Peniel. I have been amazed, inspired and filled with complete assurance that God has complete control of our lives. My week at Colegio Peniel has reminded me that God is the only one who has control. He has been holding my hand and guiding me through every up and down, twist and turn in my life. Even though so many times I put forth tremendous efforts not to listen, I could still hear him saying “Be Patient”.
Over the last ten days God has shown me how the faith of just a few people can inspire and change the lives of people all around them. I have seen many different aspects of how Colombian Christian Mission has helped the people of Colombia and how God has improved the lives of the Colombians from one generation to the next. I did not know what to expect when I set out on this trip, but know now that God knew and has been planning it all my life.
The churches we visited in Bogota on the Sunday we arrived were very inspiring. The people were warm, friendly and treated us like they had known us for years. The deaf church proved to be an amazing blessing for people who would otherwise be isolated from the rest of the world. After the church services we were invited upstairs for lunch and coffee. Dale had many people waiting to talk to him as we left the church building so it took a bit of extra time as anticipated. Dale soon answered their questions and we headed back to the apartment to get ready for the next day.
Monday we headed to Villavicencio. The trip took several hours but was not by any means boring. The roads were winding, the view was remarkable and the driving was nothing like you would experience in the states. We saw many tanks and military guarding the roads ( I had never seen so many precautions along one road in the states).
Tuesday we started our jobs which God had called us for. Sasha began her English classes (which had an amazing turn out) and Dale and I began working in the clinic. To my surprise we had a line outside the clinic door before we had even taken the supplies out of the bags. Initially I wanted to tell them we had to get ready still and to come back later or wait, but Dale having an ability to adjust to about any situation began bringing people in for assessments. Over the next few days we worked on the clinic between assessments. By the end of the week had accomplished our goals with the clinic and still people coming in for assessments. We taught the teachers how to use the equipment and how to do basic head to toe assessments. I had a huge amount of help with translating from Dale, Sasha and the some of the teachers. I hope that someday the addition of the clinic will not only help assess the physical health of the people of the community, but may also encourage healthcare careers. The possibility of the clinic serving as learning center for the community may also be within reach someday. This week continues to confirm that anything is possible with God.
Daily at lunch time we were usually invited to eat at someone’s house. I was able to see first hand how hard people worked for very little. Many professionals in Colombia worked two full time jobs and had spouses who worked two full time jobs yet still lived extremely humble lifestyles.
The people of Colombia have very little yet they are rich with humility and love. I believe Christ like would be a very good way to describe the people I met. God has a plan and he is using the people of Colegio Peniel and the Colombian Christian Mission to carry it out. What can I say? Praise The Lord!