From Fear to Faith: What the Lord taught me in Colombia

Hello, welcome back to my blog. It has been about a month since my last update, and a lot has happened through that time. We finished our time in Medellin last Sunday. The few weeks before that, my squad got to participate in so many new types of sharing the Gospel. Every Saturday, the foundation has a youth group in the evenings. I am always looking forward to youth because it reminds me of my youth group at home. At youth group here, we start with worship, and it is always fire. It is always special when the worship leaders sing a song in Spanish, and we sing it in English. A great example of that is How Great is Our God. It is honestly so incredible to see that we can all worship the Lord even if we speak different languages. This happened a few times in worship, and during those times, it was so evident that the Holy Spirit was present. We then play a game and have a teaching or lesson. Recently the youth here have been learning about ways to evangelize. So on this particular Saturday night, Maleah and Brooklyn (who are from my team) and I, as well as two other teams, went out to evangelize with the youth. I was planning on not attending this outing, because we had just gotten the news that we were not going to be all squad again. Hearing that I was not going to be with my squad for the rest of the race was heartbreaking for me to hear. I have lived with these people for almost three months, and we have been with each other for every living moment. I have grown so close with these people, and I consider them my family. There have been times when I have been annoyed, but overall these have been the best few months of my life. I have made genuine relationships with these people. I have never truly had a close-knit Christian community like the one here. I am honestly so grateful to God for bringing all these people into my life. I was super upset that night but took a step back to realize God is still good and faithful. I knew there was going to be good fruit that came out of that decision, so I chose to trust Him in that. A few Sundays before that, the pastor at the Foundation had shared that “When we feel sad, we should go out and evangelize.” He was so right; I put my feelings aside and went to go evangelize. This outing was different than anything I have ever done. We walked around and headed to a little park, and the leaders who came with us brought out their guitars, microphones, drums, and speakers and started to sing. There were so many young children at this park without their parents. It was shocking, but that seemed to be the norm in Medellin. These kids were so sweet, and we got to play soccer with them. There was this one boy who was a teenager, so I got to talk to him and pray for him. It was a sweet moment as I gave him a card with the information for the Foundation youth group. I pray that he will come to one of the Saturday night sessions. We then went to a busier area in Medellin. Brooklyn, Maleah, and I walked over to this bench where two young boys were sitting. We had one of the translators come over and help us speak to these boys. They were brothers, and the younger one could not hear. The older boy was 15 years old, but he looked 9 or 10 years old. While I was talking to him, he pulled out his diabetes kit and checked his blood sugar. He showed me that it was super high, but that there was nothing he could do. That was so heartbreaking to watch, but it was so encouraging to see this boy’s smile. He was just so joyful even though he was sick. Their mom came over because she was nervous that they were talking to strangers. She seemed like a great mom. We talked to her, and she told us a little of her story. She and her kids came from Venezuela when her oldest got sick. She has been struggling with money but is here in Colombia for a better life. We prayed for each of them, and they were very appreciative. The Lord really opened my eyes to those who are less fortunate than me. This family was struggling, but they were happy with what they had. Sometimes I think about the future and all the things I could have, but then God is like, “Hold on,” and I learn to be thankful for what I do have. After we finished talking with this family, all of us were singing and dancing for the Lord. This was in the middle of this busy place, and people were definitely staring, but I did not care. I want people to see me differently and to know that I am different because of my joy for the Lord. It was a truly precious night that I will treasure.  The hospitality team on my squad started a weekly event on Sundays called Selah Day. Selah means “to pause and reflect.” After church on Sundays, the squad would get together and spend the day with each other. On the first Selah day, we had 1-on-1s with people we normally didn’t talk to. We then went into a time of prayer, where we prayed for a specific person in our squad to write to.  It was a very content time with each other. We played games in the evening and then had worship. Every time we have worship together, I can just feel the Holy Spirit moving. We are all just so freely praising God, and it is just amazing to be a part of. Throughout the following weeks, we did lots of recycling and visiting the nursing home. My team and I got to go to the nursing home three times, which strengthened the relationships that we had formed with the men and women there. We had a lot of free time in Medellin, and so something that one of the leaders gave us to do was called ATL. ATL means Ask the Lord. Basically, we just go out and ask the Lord for where he wants us to go or who he wants us to see. There is definitely more freedom on our parts for evangelizing. I love ATL because it really gives me time to hear what the Lord is putting on my heart. Every Thursday was our Adventure Day, and on one of those days, I chose to go paragliding. I normally am not a heights person, but I knew I had to take this opportunity. The views were amazing, and we got to try some very delicious, traditional Colombian food. I got to try so many yummy coffee places; that is something I will definitely be missing about Colombia. While in Medellin, I got so close with my team. We would naturally hang out with each other, and it was so cool to see how far our team has gotten since the first time we met. We know now mostly of how each of us does things and our strengths and weaknesses. We all love each other in different ways, and it brings me so much joy to see how God’s heart is reflected in each of these girls. I got to celebrate my 19th birthday in Colombia, and it was so special to me. The squad surprised me with a little party, and it was very fun. My team then surprised me with brunch at this super tasty restaurant, and I just felt so loved. Spending time with the girls on my team is just such a breath of fresh air. I feel like I can be myself around them, and we all just connect so well. One of our coaches came to brunch, and I was just so excited to see her. She brought me a Dr. Pepper from the United States, and I was on top of the world. If you know me, you know that I LOVE Dr. Pepper, and Colombia does not have Dr. Pepper, so I was missing it dearly. Sometimes it’s just the little things that I see God in, and that is a reason to celebrate. The last week in Medellin, we had worship on Wednesday before a group went to the Bronx. It was very emotional, as this was our last Wednesday night worship there. The music was so beautiful, and it truly felt like God was there. After worship, I had the opportunity to share my testimony. That is something that is way out of my comfort zone; I was so nervous, hoping that I wouldn’t say something wrong. I realized, though, that God would use the words that I spoke in ways that I probably won’t ever know but that will be used for His glory. I got up and shared about what the Lord had been teaching me in Colombia, and it felt so good to share. The more I talked, the more all of my anxiety went away because I was just sharing about God’s way in my life, and so I had no reason to feel uneasy. God would handle everything that I said, and he did. I honestly was and still am so proud of myself. Before coming to training camp, I would not have done that in a million years. It was just too scary for me, but being here has shown me that when I trust God, there is nothing to fear. I went to the Bronx that night and prayed over a few people there. I just went where I felt like the Lord was leading me to, and it just felt right to be there sharing the Gospel with these men and women. Being here in Colombia has been one of the most transformative times in my life. I learned so much about my identity in Christ and how to share Him with others. I have poured into the Lord so much while being here, and it has only lifted me up. My spirits have been so much higher than ever, and I am always seeking the Lord in everything. I still struggle because I am human, but the Lord is walking with me through those times and will pull me out when he feels I am ready. I love getting to share God’s love with others, and that is the least I can do. While being here in Colombia, I chose to give 100% of myself to him. I fully trust God and know that he is a good, good father. He loved us first so that we can love others, and that is what I have learned in Colombia. When I didn’t trust in God and focused on worldly things, I was sad and always anxious, but with God all of that is gone. I now walk freely with the Lord at my right hand and can’t wait to see what he has in store for me next.

I have been in Guatape, Colombia, for the past week for debrief. This week has been a time of reflection, relaxation, and time with the Lord. It has been a great week, as I have spent lots of intentional time with God. This is also the last week with the whole squad together, so I have been leaning into time with them as well. We leave at 8pm tomorrow for the airport. We have several travel days ahead of us and won’t get to Vietnam until the 26th. Thank you so much for your continuous prayers, and I can’t wait to share an update in Vietnam.

Some prayer requests:

• My squad (safety and good health for travel days)
• My team (Teshuva)
• Any sickness
• Medellin, Colombia
• D Squad