A Mission Team in Colombia

Two prayer requests today, one of which will be going on right now! We have some excitement as a mission team from Texas is going down to Colombia on Thursday, October 25, while apparently another work in Colombia comes to a close.

Urban Cluster - Beginning Thursday, October 25th, through Monday October 29th, 14 volunteers from FBC Euless, TX, and 11 translators from around Colombia (and beyond) will converge on Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia, to culminate a series of three weekend workshop training events held throughout 2012 with local Baptist pastors and leaders on how to disciple believers through a one-on-one mentor relationship. God has blessed the first two training events, and as a result there are around 60 Baptist church members already participating in some form of the mentor process. On Thursday, Pastors and their wives will first work on the marriage theme “Designed for Harmony” and then join other Baptist leaders Friday through Sunday in studying the theme “Forgiveness: Fact or Fiction.” We ask you to join us in praying that God will continue to break down barriers, both personal and relational, that will lead each participant to choose to live as though Scripture is true regardless of circumstances, emotions or cultural trends. Then we ask you to join us in praying that those participating who choose to live in this way will engage 1-2 people in their own circles of influence to begin walking through this mentor process together before Thanksgiving arrives. For this we will truly be thankful!! Refuge Team of Cartagena, Colombia – Pray for the displaced work in Cartagena to be effectively closed by putting into order what remains to be done, that leaders may be appointed in each area of work so that instruction may be given in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

“I Never Thought I’d Live Next to a Public Restroom”

When I traveled in Peru on a mission trip I remember sitting in a taxi and seeing a man peeing on the side of the road in the city. I’ve seen men pee on trees in the park, and I’ve read signs that say, “No orinar aquí,” which means “No peeing here.”

This is one aspect of public indecency that can be shocking to tourists and visitors. Yet when you consider that most public restrooms charge admission, many people are working poor, and outside jobs typically don’t have restrooms readily available, you begin to understand why some people would do it (this is not one of those ‘true’ stereotypes).

Today I read an interesting article in a Colombian newspaper and had to laugh. Below I’ve translated for you a letter to the editor titled, “I Never Thought I’d Live Next to a Public Restroom.” See, it’s not just Americans who are grossed out by this behavior.

I’ve lived over 20 years in Lagos de Cordoba, next to the wetland, and I'm tired of seeing drivers urinate there.

They are neither ashamed nor pay attention to the traffic sign that prohibits parking, which was put up recently to prevent that ‘little problem’, but the drivers do not care; they go potty on poor Cordoba Wetland.

From dawn to dusk you can hear the radios, and if you look, taxi drivers are urinating, sleeping or washing cars with water from puddles.

This is a residential area and we do not have to stand for this. And when they leave, not only do they leave the wetland smelling of urine, they leave plenty of garbage.

The park rangers [lit. ‘guards’] and the Environmental Police talk to them, but it’s no use because their response is always aggressive.

When I bought my house and they told me I’d live next to a wetland, I never thought I would live next to a public restroom.

CITIZEN REPORTER

Pray for Short-Termers Going to Colombia

Three prayer requests coming out of Colombia in a week? I guess that means something is definitely happening there. Anyone who's been on a short-term mission trip to a remote area knows that parasites, bugs, and inconvenience happens. Please lift up the college students, national missionaries, and other team members as they make inroads into a a community that needs to hear the life-giving gospel.

 

PA OF COLOMBIA (pah). A team of four college students from a church in Texas will be in Colombia on May 22-31 to work alongside H and D, Colombian missionaries to the Pa people, and three Colombian team members. The volunteer team will teach English in several different locations and hold a type of Vacation Bible School in the afternoons in two different villages. Pray for safety and physical health for all the participants. This area of the country is very cold, and there are difficult health conditions. Pray that this team will have a godly impact on the community and towards the work of the national missionaries that will lead to an open door for the Gospel message to be received. Pray for the daily activities: teaching times, logistics of coming and going, team unity, and the reception of the Pa children and adults who participate.

For this and more prayer requests, check out Today's Prayer on the International Mission Board's website.

Piper on Retirement

All this talk about John Piper got me looking into some of his stuff on mission. Here is a fantastic quote from a conference lecture he gave back in the mid-nineties:

I’m getting letters from the AARP. … I’m 50 and they’re trying to get me on their lists so I can have a discount on the train or… they… they have planes now. I forgot; I’m so old. … When you’re old you not only don’t have anything to lose in martyrdom, you get discount fares.

Lord, help us to age well and not wait until we're of retirement age to embrace your call.

Mexico Trip Update

Check out our newest update about our July Mexico trip.

Mexico: July 25-31, 2010

For those of you who don't know, my wife Hannah and I will be taking a short-term mission trip to Mexico this summer like millions of other Americans. Unlike those other short-termers, we will not be working primarily with Mexicans or local churches. We will be part of a team that is putting on a retreat for missionaries from the International Mission Board, as well as a few other groups, I think.

While the adults are enjoying time worshiping in their heart language (missionaries have a heart language too, you know) through singing and preaching, we will be working with kids from kindergarten to sixth grade putting on a VBS, Saddle Ridge Ranch.

Check out our blog dedicated to the trip for more updates, MexicoInTen.blogspot.com.