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."

Pray for a mission team in Colombia

Short-term mission trips come in all shapes and sizes. Not all trips produce long-term results, but one of the most effective types of trips is one that aims to provide training to local believers. Please pray with me this week for a missions team coming from Texas to do some training of Colombian leaders.

Urban Cluster Colombia | Be in prayer June 28-July 6 for the one-on-one mentor training that FBC Euless, TX will lead for 25 national Baptist leaders in the city of Bogotá.  We invite you to pray specifically for: Safe travel, health and protection for the coaches, translators, participants and coordinators in the workshop, a nurturing relational environment in which spiritual concepts are modeled and translated into faith-based obedience, practical, God-breathed applications that each participant will take with them and apply in their life and areas of ministry, and a time of spiritual renewal for each person participating in the workshop.

Colombia Prayer Request: H People

God calls us to pray, not only for ourselves and for people and things that are of our immediate concern, but also for things that will advance His kingdom and show His glory. Specifically, we can pray for mission work taking the gospel to new places and new people, some of whom have never heard it before. With that in mind, I´d like to share a prayer request coming from southern Colombia: 

---

WUPG Southern Colombia Team-Please join Ed and Pam Engle in praying for the H people. Specifically, pray that their efforts to get materials in the H language will be successful. Also, pray that God would give them contacts among this people group enabling them to plant the Word of God among the H people with these materials.

Take a Moment to Pray for Colombia

Anytime people come to faith in Christ I am encouraged. Jesus is certainly building His church, often, it seems, in spite of our efforts ;-). But there are many people He's called and equipped for the ministry. People like our missionaries serving in Colombian and the believers there with whom they participate in reaching people for Christ. Please take a moment today away from scanning the latest news on Facebook, Twitter, or CNN, and pray. Give God the glory, and lift up the requests of our brothers and sisters in Colombia. 

CAFE (ColombiA's Forgotten Ethnos) PEOPLES (cah-FAY) - Team CAFE writes: "D and R are a couple who have been coming to the indigenous student center for several years. They have two young children and live in the student residence halls. When we first met them, they were not believers but came faithfully to all the events at the student center. One day D overheard a conversation in which some believing students were talking about going to church. D asked if she could come and added, 'Are they all like you?' She began participating in an evangelistic Bible study with an IMB missionary and soon accepted Jesus as her Savior and Lord. She continued in a discipleship program and was able to work through her difficult past. D and R got legally married a short time later. Please pray for R to accept the Lord as well. He has been open and sympathetic to the Gospel, but has not yet made a decision. Recently D and R asked to meet with the same missionary to begin a couple's counseling time, with the expressed desire to put their relationship on a better track. The counseling time includes biblical principles and will include a specific Gospel call to R. Please pray that God will lead in this process and that not only will their marriage grow and be healed, but R will make a decision to accept Christ. Pray that they will become a solid Christian couple that is able to have a tremendous impact on the indigenous student ministry." 

PA OF COLOMBIA (pah) - Steeped in tradition and the syncretistic religious beliefs of Catholicism and animism, the Pa people have had little exposure to the Gospel message. This people group of more than 50,000 has had no solid Christian churches or evangelistic outreach. National missionaries H and D have lived among the Pa people for two years. There are now eight house churches, and several new evangelistic Bible studies have started. The ministry is growing very quickly. Because of the impact of the Gospel, lives are being changed. Believers are leaving behind the practices of their traditional religious beliefs and embracing the Gospel message and the freedom it brings. This, in turn, is having an impact on the community. Believers are helping each other, sharing their possessions in times of need, fellowshipping, and living in a unity that they have never before experienced. They are also suffering the negative impact of persecution. They are having their crops, animals and possessions stolen and their animals poisoned. H and D were recently made aware of a group of people in one village who are trying to incite the people of that village to run them out and not let them return. Pray that God will protect His church, the national missionaries, and the believers among the Pa people. Ask Him to confuse and hinder those who are trying to prohibit the advancement of the Gospel message among the Pa people.

Praying for Opportunities and Effectiveness with the Pa

Mission teams can make a huge difference to local ministry. In Colombia some students from the U.S. went down to Colombia and as a result of their efforts, some missionaries now have the opportunity to build on relationships that came about because of that trip. Let’s pray for continued effectiveness and opportunities to take the gospel to people who’ve yet to hear and believe it.

PA OF COLOMBIA (pah) - Colombian missionaries H and D have been following up on the English and values classes that the team of students from the United States and from a Colombian church led in June. They are going from home to home to each of the children who participated in the classes. This has provided them tremendous opportunities to visit in homes, meet the parents, and offer to become more involved in the lives of families in two new neighborhoods. The parents have shown an interest in having H and D continue their involvement with their children. As a result, H and D are planning academic activities and values lessons taught through Bible stories. They are planning to be more present generally in these families' lives. Pray that this involvement in the children's lives will lead to open doors for sharing the Gospel with the parents of these children, leading ultimately to house churches being started in two new neighborhoods.

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.

National Missionaries and the Ar People

I praise God for national missionaries. He has seen fit to call all His servants to participate in the great task of sharing the gospel, not just the select few who received special training, studied a foreign language, or who are more outgoing. All of us are part of this task. National missionaries remind me that I am just a small part of an even greater whole. As I hear more and more about missionaries from other countries, I get to rejoice that Christianity is not limited to an “American” expression. God is bringing in people from “all nations, tribes, and tongues.”

In Colombia, cross-cultural evangelism is going on as a national missionary takes some of the Ar people through the narrative of the Bible, building up to the glorious good news about Jesus Christ. Pray for his effectiveness and perseverance as he brings the message to some who have never heard.

AR OF COLOMBIA (ahr) - National missionary J continues to make monthly trips to the village of P to share the evangelistic Bible stories. The number of people who are participating in the chronological Bible storying times has grown to 18. As a result, J has divided the group into two sessions, and he is teaching in the morning and in the afternoon. Pray that the Word of God will be clearly understood and that it will bear fruit in the lives of those participating in these storying times.

The Most to Lose

Hannah and I have been working through the television series M*A*S*H since last December and are nearing the end of the eleven-season show. Watching it in the original broadcast order, as opposed to seeing it on TV-Land like when I was a kid, allows us to see how the show progressed and the characters developed over time. Hawkeye, the main character, has gone from a womanizing goof-off to become much more serious and jaded. BJ Hunnicutt, who came as a light-hearted and positive character, has been developing a very short temper, and news from home typically sets him off into a deep depression and he becomes very obsessive and erratic.

In the most recent episode we saw Hunnicutt gets a letter from home where his wife tells him she’s getting a job as a waitress. It seems the military doesn’t pay as well as a private medical practice, and his mortgage and student loan debt require her to assist the family. Hunnicutt gets very upset over this news. His children, who were just babies when he left for Korea, are growing up without him, and now he fears they have to grow up without a mother at home as well. He starts gambling in an attempt to win the money he needs to pay off his debts to his wife can stay at home. He raises the stakes far beyond what their typical poker games go for, and he actually wins. Eventually he tries gambling over change, trying to milk every last penny from the people around him, growing more and more obsessive until he’s confronted by Hawkeye and the head nurse, Major Houlihan.

Hunnicutt launches into a tirade against his friends. They don’t have spouses. They don’t have children. And when the war is over they can go back to the lives they left. But he’s never going to get that time back with his wife and children. He’s missing their childhood, and they’re missing a husband and father. Houlihan comes back at Hunnicutt saying, “How dare you think your brand of suffering is worse than anyone else's! Maybe you do have the most to lose but that's only because you've got the most!”

The episode ends with Hunnicutt apologizing to his friends and everyone sharing some of his wife’s rum cookies—free of charge.

---

I was really struck by Houlihan’s rebuke of Hunnicutt, “Maybe you do have the most to lose but that's only because you've got the most!”

Jesus could have said the same thing to the rich young ruler. He could have said it to us. I am always amazed at the story of Antony of Egypt who, upon hearing the reading of the story of the rich young ruler, sold everything he owned and gave the proceeds to the poor. Though he became a hermit of sorts, his reaction to Jesus’ call to sell all and follow Him is striking. His story even played a part in the conversion of Augustine.

Every time I hear Jesus’ call to sell all, give to the poor, and follow Him, I struggle. I realize His call was to a specific individual at a specific point in time, but that doesn’t mean He wouldn’t call me to do the same. It’s hard to think about that. I have a wife and child. I’m about to sign a 30-year mortgage. I have a fairly secure job and a regular paycheck. I have much to lose, maybe even “the most to lose.”

Yet, I’ve known for a long time that I desire to serve in ministry overseas. Depending on how God directs and my seminary classes go, I could be there by the time I’m thirty. I’d likely face a big pay cut with a bigger family to support than I have now. I stand to lose much. But that’s only because I’ve got the most.

We all need to examine ourselves and ask if we should really cling to the worldly wealth when God calls us to give. A healthy donation from my estate after I die will not do anything for God’s kingdom right now. Maybe that’s part of the reason why Paul said, “I die every day” (1 Cor. 15:31). A dead man has nothing to lose.

Colombia: Pray, Go, Send!

The prayer request from Colombia today is near and dear to my heart. One of my deepest longings is to go and serve in that country as a missionary, yet I have much more training to do here before that can become a reality.

In the meantime, please pray that God would send out workers, both nationals and expatriates, who will share His precious gospel with the people of Colombia, that His church may be strengthened and encouraged, and that His kingdom would break into the lives of those who’ve not yet believed on His Name.

Middle/Upper-Class Professionals of Bogota, Colombia (boh-goh-TAH)
Give thanks to God for the requests that have been made for IMB missionaries to come to Colombia to work with some of the most strategic unreached people groups. Pray that His laborers will hear and respond to His invitation to go out into His harvest. Currently there are several families who are praying about and/or are in the process for appointment or transfer to live and work in the market cities closest to these different groups. Pray for IMB strategy leaders, asking that they will clearly hear God's voice as they continually examine the different unreached people groups, accessibility to these groups, and the timing for making a request for missionaries to live near them and share the Gospel with them.

Kids on Mission

Being on mission requires sacrifice, whether that means signing a check authorizing a missions agency to make a withdrawal from your bank account, selling your house and moving overseas, or broaching the subject of the gospel with a colleague.

We honor these sacrifices in our prayers and in our churches. Yet one sacrifice is often overlooked if for no other reason than that those who offer it are so small. I’m talking about the children who go on mission with us.

Today, let’s stop and pray for two little girls who will never have a “normal” summer vacation because they are supporting their parents in mission. God does not overlook the sacrifices of “the least of these,” and we shouldn’t either.

NU OF COLOMBIA (noo) - K and A are normal Colombian girls who love to dress up like princesses; they love what is pretty and feminine and the normal things of any elementary school-age girl. They enjoy school and do very well in their academic studies. Once or twice a year, however, they pack up their books, clothes, and a few special toys and travel by road for half a day to the river. They "overnight" by the river and then get in a canoe to travel two days on the river to reach a town where they will then begin the six-hour hike to get to a Nu village. Most times these girls make the trip joyfully. They love the Nu people, as do their parents. Sometimes, however, the river trips are long, they get sick with malaria, and they get behind in their academic studies. Getting behind means putting in a lot of extra time at school when they return. It means that they get no summer break! Pray for K and A, asking that God will keep them healthy and safe in the travels they make to the Nu villages, and that they will be able to keep up with their academic studies during their village trips. Pray that God will bless these two little girls who so willingly undergo very difficult living conditions so that their parents can share the Gospel.

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."

Nu News on Missions

I love to hear these kinds of updates from the folks on the ground working with people of never or only recently come into contact with the gospel. Pray for God’s word to go forth and that the people’s eyes would be opened.

NU OF COLOMBIA (noo). In May, after three weeks in the C village, national missionaries L and J and their girls will make the six-hour return hike to the town by the river. There they will take a boat and travel several hours to the T community, where they shared the Gospel for the first time in January. They will stay in the newly built jungle home constructed for them by the Nu people in that village. Pray for them as they encourage the group of new believers there. They will be reviewing the evangelistic stories and will most likely be having their first baptisms in this community! The heart's desire of L and J is to take some of the Christian leaders from the C community with them on this trip. Pray that these leaders will understand God's call to take the Gospel to other groups of their people. Pray that they will be willing and able to accompany L and J to the T village to share the stories and take a leadership role in discipling this new community of believers.

The Church: Praying for Colombia

We are called to be God’s gathering. That’s another way of saying we are called to be the church. If you primarily think of “church” as that place you go to on Sunday, you need to go back to your Bible and take a look at what the church is and what the church does. My goal today is not to explain what the church is or does, but to point out that our brothers and sisters in Colombia are learning just like we are what it means to live and act as God’s gathering.

Pray for the believers in Colombia as they work to grow in their faith and to share their hope with the people around them.

CAFE (ColombiA's Forgotten Ethnos) PEOPLES (cah-FAY). Team CAFE writes: "On March 1, we began a Bible study/fellowship group for those students within the student center who are believers. We will be looking at the concept of 'church' as we study the Book of Acts. Please pray with us that the Lord will give this group a deeper sense of community, a clear vision of what the church is, and a deeper urgency for His kingdom purpose: the sharing of the Gospel with others."

Prayer Request: Trekking with the Gospel

Missionaries do all kinds of work. There’s still the jungle trekking like we tend to romanticize and there’s the city-dwellers who reach people in high-rise apartments and coffee shops. Although I would probably have a preference for the latter (I like coffee), I’ve had the desire to do some trekking as well. Maybe next year!

Today I got a prayer request out of Colombia that gives us a small glimpse at what some of our brothers and sisters go through to bring words of hope and salvation to people who’ve never heard the gospel before. It makes me wonder what I’m really willing to do and say to coworkers and others who are easily accessible around me every day.

Please lift up J and L and the Nu people of Colombia before the throne of God today.

NU OF COLOMBIA (noo). Rising early in the morning, national missionaries J and L and their two girls pile into a crowded vehicle for a five-hour trip to catch a canoe going up the river. The river trip takes two to three days, depending upon the current and other issues that can come up along the way. Once they finish the river trip, they arrive in a town that is nearest the Nu community where they are headed. Their trip is not over, however, because they have to walk five to six hours to arrive at their jungle home. L and J made this trip in March to visit the CK and T communities of Nu people, and they will be returning home in May. While in CK, their goal is to work on discipleship and leadership training. When finished there, they will have to return to the town and then take another four-hour trip to the T community, where there are new believers. While in T, they will repeat the evangelistic stories and then begin discipleship. Give thanks to the Lord that they will hold a baptismal service during this trip to T! Pray that the new believers will follow through on their decisions to follow Christ and grow in obedience to Him.

TWO Prayers for Colombia

I have two prayer requests today from Colombia, both having to do with unreached people groups.

I’m currently working on learning Greek, and this kind of coursework is very difficult at times. But I have the benefit of video lectures, a work book, and other printed and internet resources to help me along. Imagine trying to learn a language without any of those benefits. Please pray for the missionaries working to learn the language spoken by the Ar people.

Also, be in prayer for the Lord to send out workers to the Cha and Ta people, who are currently suffering a lack of missionary presence.

AR OF COLOMBIA (ahr). National missionaries J and A are praising the Lord that a full-time language helper has just arrived to live in their home! Pray that the relationship between this Ar girl and the national missionaries will be of mutual blessing. Pray for the ability of J and A to learn the language, and ask that learning it will be a testimony that will open the door to the sharing of the Gospel with this people group.

CHA AND TA OF COLOMBIA (chah; tah). Give thanks to the Lord there are missionaries interested in these people groups. Pray that God will lead the decision-making process of those interested and bring the family whom He desires to reach the Cha and Ta people.

Praying (and Going?)

Finding spiritual leadership can be a challenge. There are a lot of people out there who have solid biblical knowledge, but taking on the responsibility of serving as a spiritual leader goes far beyond mere head knowledge, as important as that is.

Anyone serving in ministry knows that the emotional strains can be severe, but the rewards are great as well. The more I see these kinds of requests and reports the more the desire grows in me to go. Please pray for me as I pray too that God would guide me along the path that most glorifies Him whether that be with boots on the ground in that country or remaining here for a time.

NU OF COLOMBIA (noo). There are now two groups of Nu believers, but there is no real desire or willingness among the Nu people to lead their own people spiritually. This greatly hinders the ability of these believers to form a sense of community and church. Pray for national missionaries L and J as they continue to discern the Bible stories needing to be told for leadership development and discipleship.

Praying for Colombia

It’s been a while since I last posted a prayer request coming out of Colombia, but that’s been due to personal busyness and seemingly fewer requests coming across my Reader. This one is a little longer than most, so maybe that makes up for the silence somewhat.

I once asked a Colombian national who was serving as a missionary in Latin America and asked him what some of the pressing needs in his home country regarding mission work were. Surprisingly, he told me that there are many ministries aiming to reach the impoverished, but relatively few aimed at the middle and upper class professionals.

This prayer request highlights some of the reasons why reaching this group of people is challenging. Please pray with me for them.

MIDDLE/UPPER-CLASS PROFESSIONALS OF BOGOTA, COLOMBIA. The majority of the middle/upper-income professionals of Bogota are highly educated, with one or more college/post-graduate degrees. They tend to live in the more exclusive northern area of the city. Most live in apartment buildings or gated complexes with a doorman who restricts entrance into the complex.

Many attended Catholic schools and have participated in the Catholic culture of infant baptism and first communion, and were married in the Catholic Church. The majority consider themselves to be Catholic, but their attendance at mass varies widely. They live with a growing sense of self-sufficiency and entitlement that leaves little room in their hearts and minds to seek God and His direction for their lives. They view Christianity (especially evangelical Christianity) as a good solution for the poor, the outcast and children, but see little or no relevance in putting their faith and trust in Christ.

Due to the size of the city and security concerns, this people group is often suspicious and wary of others. In addition, their work and school schedules require that they leave home early, get home late, and have very little free time. Free time on the weekends is primarily spent with family. Often they do not know their neighbors and have little or no social contact with those outside their family, work, or personal social circles. For these and other reasons, it is often hard to make personal contacts and invite members of this societal segment to participate in a Bible study, cell group, or church. Please pray for the salvation of the middle/upper-income professionals of Bogota.

When People Don't Trust You

I’ve written before about the crime in Colombia (another article). One of the nation’s leading newspapers even had tips for avoiding con men and thieves, including people who pose as priests or nuns in order to rob you.

As you would expect, this can inhibit the ability of foreign and local missionaries to reach people with the good news. Please pray for our missionaries, not only that they would be safe, but that they would be able to make inroads into the lives of others to share their faith.

COLOMBIA. Due to the size of a megacity in Colombia and security concerns throughout the country, the people are often suspicious and wary of others. In addition, work and school schedules require that people leave home early, get home late, and have very little free time. Often people do not know their neighbors and have little or no social contact with those outside their family, work, or personal social circles. For these and other reasons, it is often hard to make personal contacts and invite others to participate in a Bible study, a cell group, or a church. Pray that the people of that city will sense the urgency of their need to find their security in Christ. Pray that Christians and churches there will be willing and able to cross barriers that man often constructs that prohibit the sharing of the Good News of Christ. Pray that many Bible study/cell groups will be started, that non-Christians will be invited and willing to participate, and that many will come to know Christ as Lord and Savior.

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!