What a great weekend! This weekend I was at a youth retreat with the La Mesa youth as well as youth from churches in Cachipay, Madrid and Facatativa. This weekend God did some amazing things in the lives of these youth as well as in me. For several years I have felt that God has been calling me to help fight spiritual warfare through prayer but I have always held back because I was to worried about what people would think of me. However last Sunday night I let that all go and the results were amazing.
Backing up to the beginning of May (when this all started), I was at a day long youth meeting with the youth from church and at one point the Holy Spirit moved so strongly that some of the youth fell to the floor and started crying. I grabbed my journal and started writing down prayers. I couldn´t write fast enough! I sensed that God wanted me to pray for some of the youth but again I held back. While talking with Nanen a few days later about this experience he encouraged to completely let go the next time I feel that way and act upon what I am feeling. So this weekend I did and the results were awesome.
After a concert by a local Christian rock band, there was a prayer time and the Holy Spirit really started moving. It appeared that some of the youth were being spiritual attacked as they were crying, screaming and shaking. As I knelt to pray for one of the girls she took hold of my hand as she continued crying. I had no idea beforehand what I was gonna pray but as I started praying I heard these words come from my mouth...
.....Lord in your name we declare peace in this girl´s life, we declare victory for her. Lord we know that by the power of your blood we know that we have the power to say ¨Satan away from us¨ We know that your word says that neither life nor death, nor angels nor demons, nor the present nor future, nor the powers of heaven or hell can separate us from the love of God. Lord in your name we have the power to say to this spirit ¨Depart from us¨ We know that no weapon that is formed against us can be used against us. In your name we declare this.....
As I moved from person to person these words or similar words came from my mouth for each person. What an amazing feeling to allow God to use me like that.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
hello from Colombia
Wow, time has really flown by and already we are coming to an end with only 3 more weeks left of our time in Colombia. Overall, my time here has been enjoyable. I have really enjoyed getting to know the Guevara family and seeing what all really goes into running a church. I used to think it would be cool to be so involved in church but now I find that it tires me out and I lose motivation to go to church so I need a balance between church and non church activities. I have also strengthened my own opinions on several issues and have become OK with having my own thoughts and beliefs even if others around me don´t always agree and I have become OK with making decisions based on what I believe to be true versus what others think. That is a very freeing for me. This time apart has also strengthened Nanen and I´s relationship and brought us closer together. I have also enjoyed the friendships that I have made here as well as the things I have been able to learn from the Colombians. I have also enjoyed getting to know my teamates more. Melina (one of the girls on my team)and I took on another project this month of teaching English in a school in a nearby town. We will be finishing up these classes this week as well as the music classes at the children´s home.
Plans for June include a youth retreat this weekend, my parents visiting for 4 days as well as the school semester ending the 23rd and returning to the states the 24th. Then there is a re-entry retreat at the end of June.
Plans for June include a youth retreat this weekend, my parents visiting for 4 days as well as the school semester ending the 23rd and returning to the states the 24th. Then there is a re-entry retreat at the end of June.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Thoughts on sermon
Last night at our weekly meeting with Aaron and Laura Kauffman we listened to a sermon by Rob Bell from Mars Hill Community Church in Michigan. The sermon was on the resurrection and it was one that I found really intriguing. Rob asked the question of why is the resurrection so key in the Christian faith? I am going to write on what it means to me.
The resurrection for me shows several things; it shows just how great God`s grace really is, it is a cornerstone on which to build my faith. Just like a house has four cornerstones the resurrection is one on which I build my house of faith. It also shows that the new kingdom that was profecied in the old testament has already begun to be fulfilled through one man-Jesus and it also gives me a reason to believe in miracles.
Starting with the idea of grace. The resurrection shows how much God really loves this world. He loves it so much that he doesn`t give up. The idea of repenting is not just something we do to feel good or because it is required but rather it is a chance for God`s grace to shine through, a chance to show once again that God loves us. To quote Rob Bell " Resurrection is the opposite of dispair. No matter how bad it gets, no matter how dark it is things will get better. God has not given up." No matter what we go through both good and bad God`s grace is always there. It is so big that even the worst people in history can still receive God`s grace.
So when people ask "How can you really believe in the resurrection? What significance does it really have?" My response would be to take a look at the gospels. Matt. 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20 all say that the first ones to see an empty tomb were women and the first people that Jesus appeared to were women. Some would respond "So? What does that have to do with anything?" Well if a person takes a look at the culture of that time, women were not considered credible sources so then why did the writers of bible times risk their own credibility to use women as the first witnesses if the resurrection had not actually happened and if it had not drastically changed something. A writer of that time would have to have been 100% sure of what he is writing about to use women as witnesses, especially first witnesses. Also in my study of human culture I have found the following quote to be true. " Anthropological perspective says that it takes many years and dialogues to change a massive group of people's beliefs unless there was a great event like the resurrection."-Rob Bell Mars Hill Community Church, Michigan
The resurrection for me shows several things; it shows just how great God`s grace really is, it is a cornerstone on which to build my faith. Just like a house has four cornerstones the resurrection is one on which I build my house of faith. It also shows that the new kingdom that was profecied in the old testament has already begun to be fulfilled through one man-Jesus and it also gives me a reason to believe in miracles.
Starting with the idea of grace. The resurrection shows how much God really loves this world. He loves it so much that he doesn`t give up. The idea of repenting is not just something we do to feel good or because it is required but rather it is a chance for God`s grace to shine through, a chance to show once again that God loves us. To quote Rob Bell " Resurrection is the opposite of dispair. No matter how bad it gets, no matter how dark it is things will get better. God has not given up." No matter what we go through both good and bad God`s grace is always there. It is so big that even the worst people in history can still receive God`s grace.
So when people ask "How can you really believe in the resurrection? What significance does it really have?" My response would be to take a look at the gospels. Matt. 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20 all say that the first ones to see an empty tomb were women and the first people that Jesus appeared to were women. Some would respond "So? What does that have to do with anything?" Well if a person takes a look at the culture of that time, women were not considered credible sources so then why did the writers of bible times risk their own credibility to use women as the first witnesses if the resurrection had not actually happened and if it had not drastically changed something. A writer of that time would have to have been 100% sure of what he is writing about to use women as witnesses, especially first witnesses. Also in my study of human culture I have found the following quote to be true. " Anthropological perspective says that it takes many years and dialogues to change a massive group of people's beliefs unless there was a great event like the resurrection."-Rob Bell Mars Hill Community Church, Michigan
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Singing, Library, and new project
This weekend was a busy but fun filled weekend. It started out with the sleep over that included my host mom, 2 other ladies from the church, several of the youth group girls, and the North American girls that live in La Mesa. ( my team members and another missionary women)We were up until 4 am talking, playing games, eating and watching a movie. Then Saturday afternoon my teammates and I accompanied Martin and Elsy (the pastors working in Anapoima)to a potluck lunch in Anapoima. Saturday evening we had practice with the worship band from another town called Anolaima. We were invited to join the worship band there the following day. So Sunday we boarded a bus at 7am and traveled about an hour and a half to Anolaima to sing in their worship service and then we stayed in Anolaima for the rest of the day.
I have really discovered how much I enjoy singing as we do plenty of it here. Our group often gets asked to sing and/or play at various churches and functions.
Our library project is going quite well. We have finally finished organizing all the books into Microsoft Excel and stickered them and shelved them according to subject and category. We are now ready for the students to check out the books and many students have done so quite happily and the library is full of excitement during the 45 minute break that the students have. We still have some work to do before we are completely done but we are coming along well.
We also recently started a new project. We teach music at a childrens home here in La Mesa. We teach music classes 2 times a week. The children at this home are from families that can´t take care of them. It isn´t an orphanage but rather a group foster home. It has been such a blessing working with these children as they are so affectionate and long to show that affection.
I have really discovered how much I enjoy singing as we do plenty of it here. Our group often gets asked to sing and/or play at various churches and functions.
Our library project is going quite well. We have finally finished organizing all the books into Microsoft Excel and stickered them and shelved them according to subject and category. We are now ready for the students to check out the books and many students have done so quite happily and the library is full of excitement during the 45 minute break that the students have. We still have some work to do before we are completely done but we are coming along well.
We also recently started a new project. We teach music at a childrens home here in La Mesa. We teach music classes 2 times a week. The children at this home are from families that can´t take care of them. It isn´t an orphanage but rather a group foster home. It has been such a blessing working with these children as they are so affectionate and long to show that affection.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Hope, Joy and Beauty
One of the things I find most encouraging in my time in Colombia is to see hope in a country that has such a violent reputation. I see the hope daily in the smiling faces of the students at the Colegio Menno Americano ( American Mennonite School), I see hope in the daily conversations with my host family, I see hope in the expressions of thanks that we recieve from the teachers at the school when they come into the library in search of a book that they are easily able to find now that after 3 months of organizing the library, there is some sense of order to it and I could fill this whole blog with examples.
Another thing I find alot here is joy. A person once told me that ¨Happiness comes and goes but joy is a choice that lasts a lifetime¨ I see joy in the way the people worship in the churches, I find joy in the smiles of the people that I work with in Anapoima. It is encouraging to see that even though they live in absolute poverty they still greet us with a smile and offer us something to drink. I see joy in the eyes of my pre-first to second graders when I go into the classrooms to teach English. Again my list could go on.
I find beauty in the green that fills the jungle filled mountains that surround me. A sunset over the Andes mountains brings a peaceful feeling to me as the sky fills with the beauty of pinks, orange, and yellows. the reflection of the sun on the clouds, the conversations with my teammates and Colombian friends that takes place on a daily basis and more. It would take pages to write all the examples of Hope, joy and beauty that I see in Colombia so I will just leave you with these examples for mow.
Another thing I find alot here is joy. A person once told me that ¨Happiness comes and goes but joy is a choice that lasts a lifetime¨ I see joy in the way the people worship in the churches, I find joy in the smiles of the people that I work with in Anapoima. It is encouraging to see that even though they live in absolute poverty they still greet us with a smile and offer us something to drink. I see joy in the eyes of my pre-first to second graders when I go into the classrooms to teach English. Again my list could go on.
I find beauty in the green that fills the jungle filled mountains that surround me. A sunset over the Andes mountains brings a peaceful feeling to me as the sky fills with the beauty of pinks, orange, and yellows. the reflection of the sun on the clouds, the conversations with my teammates and Colombian friends that takes place on a daily basis and more. It would take pages to write all the examples of Hope, joy and beauty that I see in Colombia so I will just leave you with these examples for mow.
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