One of my biggest blessings of being a missionary here in Colombia has been to see not just 1 friend choose to spead the gospel to those who have not heard it, but FOUR!!! My church, Centro de Desarrollo Cristiano, has sent out 4 of my young Colombian friends who have committed to sharing the gospel with the tribal people of Colombia and in the Middle East in Jordan. They have encouraged me in my own missionary life :-)
1. My friends, Jonca and Talia, got married last January and have spent the last 7 months ministering to the tribes here in Colombia that live in the Amazon. They recently returned and gave an update at church. Jonca and Talia spoke of the relationships they spent months building and the hope they have that the seeds planted will help these people who have never heard of Jesus Christ since there is no written Bible in their language. They plan to return later to continue their work.
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2. Stefanie spent the past 8 months training for future missionary work - the last 3 of which she spent in Paraguay living with a tribe. She hopes to leave in January to work with the Curipacos who live here in Colombia. Stefanie is such a wonderful friend with a gift of being able to explain the gospel to others. She is ready to go and be LIGHT to the world. Stephanie is one of my first Colombian friends here and it has been such a blessing to see her faith and to encourage her in her own journey of being a missionary.
3. Mayra is leaving this Tuesday to travel to the Middle East to spend 2 years spreading the gospel to the Muslims who live there. Mayra is also one of my first Colombian friends here and it has been such a blessing to see her faith and to encourage her in her own journey of being a missionary. She has not flown on a plane since she was a little girl and flew to San Andres (an island off the coast of Colombia.) Spreading the gospel to Muslims will be a difficult task, but I know the Lord will bring power and strength to her ministry. I will miss her terribly, but am so excited to pray for her and all of the people she will reach with the gospel of Christ!
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| Stephanie, Mayra, and their family! |
Sharing these experience with my friends, encouraging them as they respond to the call of the gospel to obey Christ and to go among the nations has made me think about challenges I have faced going and leaving my country, family, and home to obey Jesus and his calling on my life to come to Colombia.
Cultural Shock is the biggest thing to overcome as a missionary! This culture has changed me. It has rocked my perspective. This culture is based upon community and personal connections with people. Even in a big, busy, and crowded city, I have found warmth and kindness. As Americans, time is the most precious thing. If you respect people, you respect their time. If you do things well, you do things super efficiently, like to the up most degree. Whenever we complain about things, it’s usually because something happened that wasted our time. Here, it’s just not that way. You begin to realize that it’s not all about your time. It’s about the people you are with. It’s a very frustrating concept to understand and a huge adjustment when you are used to such crazy high standards of time and efficiency, but it’s also an experience that makes you less selfish and centered on your own agenda. The attitude of “How dare anyone waste my time by _________” has to go. Living outside of the States and all of its many conveniences has its challenges, but removing yourself from those things really makes you appreciate the many blessings of God. It makes you grow. While people complain about being stuck in a ‘long’ line in the grocery store, someone here is being squeezed within an inch of their life on a public bus, for possibly a really long time…Every. Single. Day. We take for granted and forget the simplicity and the ease of certain aspects of the American life (I know I did!). Being flexible is definitely a must for any missionary!
It’s hard, sometimes, knowing that you are forever different, that you have changed in a way that your friends and family back home have not. No one told me that being a missionary makes you feel misunderstood. The people I love back home have not had these same life-altering experiences. BUT, there is such a blessing in never going back to the person you once were.
Lately, I have been grasping hard to the truth that following Jesus in this way is so worth it!! With as misunderstood as a missionary can feel, we can take comfort that the world did not understand Jesus either :-0 Even through the challenges and the life changes that I have faced, there is nothing like drawing close to My God when he is all you have. Missionary life will help you experience this kind of faith building like nothing else will. :-)
Prayers/Praises
Info about Granny's funeral - 10:00 am on November 15th at The Orchard Evangelical Free Church, Barrington, IL. So thankful for any of you that could make to celebrate her life with me and my family. I will be in Chicago from November 12th until the 18th. Please pray for sub plans as I leave my classroom for almost a week!!
The school has already asked us to confirm our plans for teaching at the school for the following year. Please pray for peace and a confirmation from God if my ministry here in Colombia is to continue.
Please pray for my sister, Kristin, as she is pregnant with her 3rd child due in February!!! Pray for a healthy pregnancy and that she would be able to deal with the pains and troubles that come with pregnancy :-0
Glory to Him Above,
Carrie
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