Birthplace of Integral Mission
Updated: Oct 14, 2023
When I think about this trip, phrases like "jumping on the bandwagon" or "catching the wave" come to mind. I know these have a somewhat negative connotation, like you haven't really been there for the long haul but get to enjoy the good stuff. While that is true to some extent, I mean it less as a knock on our church and team, but more as a great compliment to and in awe of what God has been doing in Colombia well before October 2023.
Reading reports from Toronto, I was so intrigued by how these local churches jumped into action with the Venezuelan crisis, on one hand each taking a grassroots approach to use whatever gifts and resources they had, but also doing it in such an excellent and unified way. I wondered how such ordinary people could put forth such personal sacrifice - their own homes, their own funds, their own time. I saw that they weren't just giving handouts and assimilating people, but helping them flourish and honoring and building up the cultures from where they came. I saw that the gospel was not just shared in word, but with deed, in an integral, holistic way.
This article sent by our friend Daniel really helped me to more deeply appreciate that with God's help, the believers in Colombia have been shaped through a long obedience in the right direction. I was really struck by quotes like:
…that’s how he began his ministry as a pastor. “I didn’t start by preaching, but by helping others.”…
he had expected churches in the capital city of Bogotá—the ones with the best-educated congregations and proximity to resources and power—to be the most effective. Instead, these congregations were more likely to quit the program than small, poor, rural churches.
While many Venezuelan migrants travel to other countries such as the United States for better opportunities, one woman told me she never considered that option: “Colombia has been good to us.”
Her pastor doesn’t need to worry about this college student abandoning her faith or her church, this place where she sees miracles.
This is a long but worthwhile read that will humble and challenge you. I pray it won't get tucked away but be ignited in our hearts as we see this in action.
- Fiona
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