Distrust and the Gospel in Colombia

It seems that every time I check out a certain Colombian newspaper’s “Citizen Reporter” section, it always deals with crime. There were a lot of articles on spotting scams and being vigilant. This leads me to believe that there’s a lot of distrust of strangers in Bogotá. And from today’s prayer request, this kind of crime and distrust is making some inroads into some areas where the gospel is already advancing. Pray that this does not hinder the work.

PA OF COLOMBIA (pah) - There are a lot of new people in the area, the number of robberies is on the rise, what little trust people had in one another is gone . . . and there are rumors. These rumors say that the area is becoming more insecure. Fear is growing. All of these heightened security problems and talk has been difficult for national missionaries H and D. Pray that whatever is happening in the area will not affect their mobility in the surrounding areas where they have begun house churches. Pray for safety and peace as they continue on in ministry despite what they are hearing about security. CAFE (COLOMBIA’S FORGOTTEN ETHNOS) PEOPLES (cah-FAY) - A., a member of an indigenous people group, is a typical university student. She is working hard to make it academically and struggles to make ends meet financially. She is very aware that her parents are sacrificing everything for her to be in Bogota, studying. She struggles to honor them and to live on the little help that they are able to give. She lives in a small bedroom rented from a family and walks long distances to attend classes at the university. A. has the further difficulty of a degenerative back problem. Walking long distances only aggravates her back problem, but she has no choice. A. has been sympathetic to the Gospel and open to hearing more. At the end of last semester, she shared that her parents had told her to come home soon so that they could take her to their doctors. As the conversation progressed, it became evident that their "doctors" were most likely witchdoctors. As the conversation went deeper, A. became more agitated, saying that she needed to leave. She got up and left. Pray that God will bring A. back to the student center this semester. Pray that her ears and heart will be open to God's Word and work, and that she will respond to the truth of the Gospel message.