Colombia Prayer Request #LMCO

College represents a major period of growth and transition for most young adults in the U.S. and abroad. In Colombia, it may mean even more for some: a transition from death to life, from darkness to light. In Colombia, IMB missionaries are reaching college students with the gospel. Please pray for this work, as the task of carrying the gospel to the lost is not over and will not be over until Christ comes back. Also, consider giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, where 100% of the funds raised goes directly to missions--not a cent goes towards administrative costs.

CAFE (COLOMBIAS FORGOTTEN ETHNOS) PEOPLES (cah-FAY) Each Friday afternoon, a small group of young women in their late teens to early 20s meet in the upstairs room of the student center. They listen to a teaching time and then discuss the topic and share their own struggles and experiences. The topic of these Friday afternoon conversations is that of dating, in which themes such as sexuality, self-esteem, and practical dating practices are discussed. This has been an excellent opportunity to talk openly about such topics among mostly non-Christian students. These discussions have, in turn, led to spiritual conversations and opportunities to talk about the need to heal past relational hurts--including that of families. Pray that God will continue to work through these afternoon talk times and that, ultimately, they will lead to the salvation of these college-age young women.

Pray for Colombia's College Students

College was a big transition time for me. I learned many new things to prepare me for a career, I don't deeper into the Bible, and my life was totally changed when I married my sweetheart, Hannah. I owe much to older believers who invested in me during that time. In Colombia, missionaries are investing in college students with the gospel. Pray with me that this semester would be fruitful and that thegospel would advance.

CAFE (COLOMBIAS FORGOTTEN ETHNOS) PEOPLES (cah-FAY ) "The ministry with indigenous university students is beginning a new semester," writes Team CAFE. "Each semester brings with it new opportunities to share God's love and His message of salvation with new students and with students who have known us for several semesters. Please pray that the peace of God will be evident not only in the student center building, but also in the lives of each of the members of our team who will be ministering to the students. Pray for us to have discernment regarding the hearts and needs of these students and the wisdom to know how best to share the Gospel message and minister to their needs. We ask you to pray specifically for the new team members who will be joining our team this semester. May they adapt quickly to the ministry and be readily accepted by the students."

Café, CAFE, and a Prayer Request

While in college I encountered a lot more diversity than I had grown up with in a small town in western Michigan. Likewise, moving to Indianapolis has also been a changeup in the diversity department. I can only imagine what a college in a big city is like on that front.


Anytime we encounter diversity we are encountering an opportunity to serve others and share the gospel. People of different backgrounds, socio-economic statuses, and ethnic heritage blend into a conglomeration of humanity that have one major thing in common: all are in need of a Savior. Pray for Team CAFE, and whenever you sip from a cup of café, or sitting in a café, lift up your brothers and sisters serving in Colombia and the people they’re trying to reach.

CAFE (COLOMBIAS FORGOTTEN ETHNOS) PEOPLES (cah-FAY) - The city is a long way from home. For some, home is the jungle, for others, it is the desert, and for still others, it is the rolling hills of the countryside. Some come from very hot places and others from areas of the country where it is very cold—but they come. They come with the hope of getting an education and with the desire to help their people group in some way. They all share one thing in common: The city is cold, they feel alone, it is noisy and strange in the city, they have few resources, they have a poor basis in their educational backgrounds . . . and they are open to something different. Team CAFE writes: "In the past two weeks, we have received 10 new students at the student center. Initially they come because of the hot-lunch program, but they find more than food. They find a second home where they can study, receive a hug, get academic help, and ask all of the questions on their hearts. Many of them are open to exploring the question of who God is and what He requires of man. Pray for the many new students that we have this semester. Pray as we build relationships with them that will develop into opportunities to share the Gospel. Pray that they will be open to the Gospel message."

Reaching Colombian College Students

A few days ago I saw this update from Team CAFE.

CAFE (ColombiA's Forgotten Ethnos) PEOPLES (cah-FAY). “Last month we asked you to pray for J, a freshman, and other students who have been coming to the student center,” writes Team CAFE. “Although J and the other new students have not yet made decisions of faith, give thanks to God that they are very involved in the student center and are attending the Bible studies that are being offered at different times. They are making their second home in the student center and are open to hearing what is being shared.”

Praise God for the impact the team is having on these college students. Their openness and attendance is a good thing for the advance of the Kingdom!

The Time is Short: University Missions

University missions is tough. You only have a few short years to reach people before they leave your circle of influence and are gone. People who live and minister with other demographics can easily take for granted the amount of time they have to influence people for Christ, but the reality that time is short is always there for university missions.

Team CAFE in Colombia seeks to reach neglected people groups represented in the big cities. They may come due to violence in rural areas or because of economic factors. Others come for continuing education. Such is the case of J. Please pray for J that she would embrace the good news about Jesus. Pray also for the people ministering in the big cities with the “forgotten peoples”.

CAFE (ColombiA's Forgotten Ethnos) PEOPLES (cah-FAY). J is a freshman this semester. She is in a big city for the first time and is living far away from her family. The city is big and noisy and hard to navigate. College is big and noisy, and the academics are so much higher than she is used to. She has few resources and struggles to make ends meet. She doesn't know who to trust and who to believe, as so many are telling her different things.

Team CAFE writes: “This past week, J was invited by the Christian young women in the student center to join us in a new Bible study beginning on Tuesday mornings. She came, and as we went around the circle sharing who we were, what we were studying, etc., big tears began to stream down her cheeks. She could hardly talk but haltingly shared that she was feeling very alone. The Christian young women in the group embraced her.

She is finding a second home in the student center—and people who care. Pray for J and the new students in the student center. They are all in need of friends and a place to belong. Pray that they will find it in the student center and that they will be open to the Gospel and let God be the answer to the needs that they have.”

Team CAFE, Colombia

Here's another prayer request coming out of Colombia. This one is a continuation on an earlier prayer request for students on summer break. Praise God that the indigenous peoples have an opportunity to hear the gospel at university. Many of them are from areas with little or no Christian witness.

CAFE (ColombiA's Forgotten Ethnos) PEOPLES (cah-FAY). Thank you for praying for the indigenous university students who participate in the Student Center ministry. During the summer break, most of these students return to their respective homes and carry with them the burden and desire to share the Gospel with their families. Pray for boldness, for clarity in sharing, and for hearts open to hear the Gospel. Pray that their families will see the changes that the Gospel is having on their lives and will see Christ through their witness. Some of these students have returned home to look for jobs so that they can earn money to be able to continue with their studies next semester. Ask and thank God for His provision for each of these students.

I also received a prayer request regarding a Christian couple that has been under the tutelage (I love that word) of some missionaries who are now teaching others. Since our Hispanic ministry has begun our new discipleship groups, it is an encouragement to me and a challenge to raise up new leaders who are then able to share with others as well. "And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well." 2 Timothy 2:2, NET.

COLOMBIA. A young Christian couple has met together with missionaries K and P for over a year for a time of personal discipleship, Bible study, and mutual encouragement. About six months ago, J, the husband of this couple, began to lead this weekly time of Bible study and to lead in the Sunday School program of his local church using the same material. About two months ago, this couple decided to invite Christian and non-Christian friends and co-workers to participate in the Bible study. There are now five couples who participate in this weekly time of Bible study/discipleship under the leadership of J. Thank God for His work in the lives of this young couple. Thank Him for J's active leadership in sharing the Gospel. Pray that these five couples, as well as other friends and co-workers, will continue to meet weekly to study God's Word and will come to have a living and growing personal relationship with Christ as Lord and Savior. Pray that out of this group, other similar groups will be formed.

Team CAFE & Semester's End

I love acronyms. It makes me think of the military or special operations. In this case, CAFE refers to neither, but it does concern something very important: ColombiA's Forgotten Ethos (people groups). The CAFE team does not post updates very frequently, which makes these prayer requests even more important to consider and pray over. My previous post about them was on May 9th, so this is actually a quick update.

CAFE (ColombiA's Forgotten Ethnos) PEOPLES (cah-FAY). University classes for this semester will terminate the first week of June. Please pray for the indigenous university students who are participating in the student center ministry as they finish their studies and continue to seek and follow the Lord. Thank God for the Sunday service on May 15 that included the baptism of one of these students. A weekday Bible study for young women recently completed a study of the Exodus and is now studying "Our Identity in Christ." Pray that these young women will accept the new identity that they have through Christ and believe in Him rather than in the many lies they have heard since childhood. Many students have recognized and expressed their need for the healing of old hurts and family issues. Pray for God's divine intervention in their hearts and lives now and as they return to their respective homes during vacation time. Pray especially for D, a non-Christian, and E, who both recently shared that they need God's healing.

God's movement among university students in Colombia is a great blessing as they return home to their own peoples and share their new faith with family and friends. Pray for these students as they work through their past hurts, and pray that they would find their hope and healing in Christ.

Strategic Pause

This post is a little old. I started writing it a while ago in March and just realized that I never posted it.

The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb, "You have stayed at this mountain long enough. Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites and their neighbors in the Arabah, the hill country, the lowlands, the Negev and the sea coast--to the land of the Caananites and to Lebanon as far as the Euphrates River." -- Deuteronomy 1:6-7

At the end of his life, Moses recounted the Israelites' story. These two verses are the start of that discourse. The moment he mentioned Horeb, the Israelites knew where this was going. As Moses continues this story, we find that God was calling his people to take the promised land, but they disobeyed. As punishment, God told them they would wander in the wilderness, so they disobey him again! "No, no, we'll go now!" but God wouldn't let them. They had already failled their test.

Many of my friends, and even myself, are wondering where God is leading them. When he will tell them to go. I know someone in Spain looking for a secular job so as to better identify with the people there (She recently found a job). I also know a seminary student in Michigan who has been looking for a pastorate, yet he still waits (Just found out he's moving--he has a pastorate). I wonder why God has led Hannah and I to live over 300 miles apart while she finishes school and I work to support us both (She's been with me since May). Why? When? Where? How? For all of us, we are at Horeb. We are waiting for God to tell us to go. Go into the land that I promised you. Waiting. Waiting. Like the Israelites.

Yet, when God finally said, "You have stayed at this mountain long enough," the Israelites were unprepared for what they were about to encounter. Why? I don't know. What I do know is that I need to be looking for God's direction and trust in Him. I need to be prepared for when God says to me, "You have stayed at this mountain long enough."

At the place where I work we have a phrase for anything that has suddenly been put on hold while we wait for direction from the new administration: strategic pause. God is truly sovereign, so when we find a pause in our lives, waiting for God to move, it really is a strategic pause. It is strategic because God wants to use that time to prepare us for the movement he's planned in our future.When it seems like our life is paused, we should be anything BUT paused. It is time to trust. Time to prepare ourselves by diving into his word. The Israelites were given time to prepare, but instead their faith wavered. They began trusting in other things, building idols for themselves and bowing down to golden objects. Like the student who skips class all semester, the final exam was a disaster, and they had to live for 40 years, learning a lesson they should have gotten in 40 days. When God places a strategic pause in your life, take heart. Wait on the Lord. Let the time be used to strengthen your trust in him. Be ready to go when he changes your circumstances and you find that job, or that person, or that thing. Be ready when God says, "You have stayed at this mountain long enough."

Feet First... or Head First into the Ministry?

Have you ever been thrust into a ministry, or in my case, had a ministry thrust upon you? At 20 years old I barely feel like a college student. In December I'll barely feel like a college graduate. I've attended various campus fellowships during my tenure here at Ferris State University, but I've always been more a part of my local church than the campus ministries. My church has no outreach to the college students, and I'm a "townie," so I've never really needed a church away from home. Due to the lack of ministries directed towards college students in my church, I've often found myself frustrated with the status of things and have often desired a more contemporary enivoronment in which to connect with other believers with similar insterests and life situations. Now I have that chance.

One of our recent high school graduates has begun attending irregularly, and I can understand why. There is nothing for him. After Youth Group is the Seniors Class, and by seniors, it doesn't mean "in high school" or "in college." Last Sunday he attended, and I made a proposition: how about we start a college age bible study during the Sunday School hour? Altogether, we have about 4 people who may attend this Sunday: him, his girlfriend, my wife, and myself. I haven't invited anyone from school yet, and I probably should. Actually, I should.

We are going to try to have an interactive Bible Study. We are starting with the Gospel of John and will be having an "everybody shares" type meeting every week. Hopefully, if everyone studies, we can have some good discussion, prayer, fellowship, and maybe even music. We'll see because this Sunday is the beginning. We're starting a ministry with nothing. That is a great way to begin because we will know who's giving the increase. At least, I hope so.

LMCO & Reaching Out

Jesus e o Senhor. Eu tenho que predicar o evangelio.
Jesús es el Señor. Yo tengo que predicar el evangelio.
Jesus is the Lord. I have to preach the gospel.

This is the extent of my language abilities. I can speak English, Spanish, and a little Portuguese. I have witnessed in two of these languages. How many languages have you witnessed in? The sad part is that many in today’s churches can’t even say they’ve witnessed in one. As the Missions Director at my church, I get to see much more mission material than the average attendee. I just had a chance to preview the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering videos and promotion material for this year. I feel a specific calling from God to go to Latin America, and from my past mission trips to Peru, Costa Rica, and Mexico, it really excited me to get to hear the stories from IMB missionaries on the field. As I was watching the videos I got up to get some juice and I looked out my window across the street and saw Bishop Hall, one of the buildings on campus at Ferris State University. I realized that the difficulty lies in translating the excitement I get from watching the testimonies into real actions on my campus. My church doesn’t offer anything for college students. That’s okay because it has its own ministries. If I want to share the gospel and invite people to church, I need to get involved in speaking with others and inviting them to one of the campus ministries.

I was most moved by the video about the favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Eric Reese, an IMB missionary there, takes the gospel to one of the most dangerous places in South America. The favelas (slums) have drug dealers, paramilitaries, and all sorts of things going on. In the video you can even hear gunshots from outside during a church service. He was so moved by the power of God… it’s hard to describe. You have to have a personal connection there. I want to see the power of God in my life. In the Bible, a lot of times, it was after a person stepped out in faith that God moved. I’m thinking my situation is similar. It’s not that God wants us to take the first step, but rather, God has taken the first step and we have to respond in faith. Those who feel the burden to preach the gospel are not motivated by guilt. Those who don’t feel the burden can’t be motivated by guilt.

But we all should feel the burden.