Countdown Begins

In two weeks, I'll be waking up in Bogota.

In two weeks, I'll have to get used to showering with warm water again.

I'll have to get used to the hustle and bustle of the city.

No more naps after lunch.

No more mosquitos (which I've become immune to).

No more flipflops and board shorts.

Sigh. How bittersweet it will be.

This week we're getting ready for the annual medical brigade that is being held in a riverside community called Macedonia.

There 3 teams involved: US, Cali, and Bogota.

We will also have several police officers, doctors from Leticia, and many other people from different positions in government here come along for the week long brigade.

We leave the 24th (Sunday) and come back on the 29th (Friday).

Then I have 2 more days in the city that I've come to fall in love with.

Now, as we prepare the logistics for the brigade, CONFRATERNIDAD is taking place a few blocks from the YWAM base.

It is an event with one purpose: showing different cultural aspects of the 3 countries that come together in Leticia-- Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.

Political borders are forgotten as all come together to celebrate the unity of the three very different cultures.

BUT, it's not as sweet and nice as it sounds.

People come together to drink.

That's really what it's all about.

Leticia's youth takes advantage of the darkness night provides and the huge attracted by the event to go out and party like there's no tomorrow.

Tourists are known to come during this time of year for one reason alone: prostitutes.

It is during this time that prostitution rises up from being an "underground business" to something known by the tourists walking the streets of the city.

And the fights.

Fights to the death.

Fights encouraged by the alcohol in one's system.

They fight because they think their country is better.

They fight because they believe that Leticia should belong to their country.

They fight out of pure stupidity.

You know what scares me the most?

When in the middle of the night, you hear loud bangs from the corner of the street. One shot is enough to know that a drive-by has taken place. One shot is enough to get you on your knees and leads you to pray for protection like never before.

This is Confraternidad.

Borders may be forgotten.

But differences definitely aren't.

So I ask that you pray.

Pray for everything that is going on this very second and what will be taking place next week in Macedonia.

Pray for protection over the people in the festival...pray that the Lord gives them a clear mind, despite the alcohol, so that the choices they make aren't too influenced by the 20 something beers they drank.

Pray that the girls be kept safe. That God works in the hearts of the tourists and the locals and helps them see that their biggest desire is for Him alone. And that's the one desire they should really follow.

Pray that we keep our eyes on Jesus, in the midst of the chaos all around us.

Heavenly Father, You are good. May we fix our eyes on You like Moses did when he lead your people out of Egypt. Your Word shows that it was because he kept his eyes on You that he felt no fear. Be the center of our lives. Help us let go of everything else and hold on to You alone. May what we do and say be influenced by the love that we experience from You each and every day. Above all, Lord, may your will be done. Amen.

Different/Constant

We were called to be different.

To act different.

To be the difference.

But it is only after you decide to embrace your difference that you will shine a different light unto those around you.

How do you come to be different?

By reading God's Word. It will never fail to transform you...to make you different.

That's what I've doing a lot lately. Sumerging myself in the Word of God. Allowing it to reach parts of my heart that to me, were unreachable; allowing it to teach me things that I thought were incomprehensible; allowing it to change me, to mold me to be more like Jesus.

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Saturday night, I had the chance to talk to Viv Afanador for a couple of minutes.

Here in YWAM, you have many people around you that encourage you to seek the Lord more just by the way they act. But there isn't really ever enough time to sit down and share your heart with someone; to sit and just talk.

So the night that Viv called, I got the chance to share my heart with someone.

Man, how I needed it.

Things that I shared varied: serious things, funny stories, things that I've been having to face.

Despite the difference between these stories, one thing remained constant: Jesus.

I love the truth that I see when I look around me and see how everything is changing, how even I'm changing, but God remains the same today as He was yesterday and as He always will be.

Lord, continue to mold me; to transform me to be more like your Son.

May I see you as the true constant in the midst of a constantly changing world.

May we always remember that you are our portion.

May we always hope in your unceasing love.

Amen

Be Still

Medical brigade.
How exhausting it was.
How beautiful it was.
10 days in the jungle, moving from village to village to serve people. To give them more than just medicine; to hand them the Remedy.

There were so many circumstances in which God's glory was revealed.

A perfect starry night to start things off. The light given off by the stars accompanied by the sound of guitar strings filling the air.

Having us be in the exact place at the right time to help a woman in need. A woman who lost a baby but gained Jesus.

Yet, there were moments that I just couldn't do it anymore.
I strongly disliked having days where I couldn't move because of a headache.
Days that I couldn't use my right hand because of a spider bite.
Days where I physically had nothing else to give.

But it was those days that I can now see how we should be still and just know that God is.

Today, I got back from a community about 3 hours away from Leticia by boat. I went with 2 other girls that will be helping out at the base until Sunday.
After taking charge in the kitchen, I knew that I was doing way too many things.
Running from one side of the community to be with the kids while the rice was cooking and then having to run back to the kitchen so it wouldn't burn.
There was way too much on my plate.
As I hopped up onto the kitchen (it was elevated a couple of feet), the board I landed on broke, causing my right leg to go straight through, leaving my knee with cuts and bruises.
At the moment, I can't walk without it hurting.
Want me to bend my knee?
My eyes will water from the pain.

I had to sit down and let others work too.
I had no other choice but be still.
I had no other choice but open my heart to the lesson God has been trying to teach me for so long.

And as hyperactive as I am, sitting still is quite hard.
Yet, I know that learning how to let God just be is extremely crucial.

As I sat down instead of making lunch today, a breeze brushed my face and I heard the slightest whisper: "Be still, Beloved."

At that moment, I knew. I knew that God was, is, and is yet to come.
I knew that His being didn't depend on what I did or didn't do.
He just IS.

Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10

And Off We Go

Over 2,000 people waiting to be listened to; to be handed some medicine for their dying babies; to be handed the Remedy.

5 different teams are coming together: Canada, USA, Bogota, Medellin, Mexico. Coming together for one purpose: bringing glory to the Lord.

We will be going to an area along the river that is 12 hours away by boat to serve people in need.
We'll be there for 10 days, setting up a medical brigade.

The actual medical part of it all will be going on for 7 hours in a day.


Pray for us.
Pray that our hearts be open to what the Holy Spirit wants us to do.
Pray that our hearts be sensitive, not only to the people's physical needs, but also their spiritual needs.
Pray for our protection, for we will be near many witch doctors that constantly curse those who go help the people around them.
Pray that people know Christ because of the love that we show.

Letting Go Gives a Better Grip

Last night we had some teenagers from Barrio Aguila come over to the base to watch a movie, Cicatrices. It talked about the reality of having an abusing husband. It was pretty intense and the kids responded to it very well. They had a lot to say about the issue.

I never read the book of Nehemia.

Until last night.

You see, I've been feeling extremely exhausted lately. Exhausted to the point of wanting to go home now. And I mean NOW.

But reading Nehemia, I was reminded of something.

His strength is made perfect in my weaknes.

When I am weak, then I am strong.

So reading Nehemiah, a man who was beaten down by negative thoughts and words, a man who was just simply fed up, I was encouraged. Why? Because all he did was pray. He turned to the One who gives strength.

"They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, 'There hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.' But I prayed, 'Now strengthen my hands'"

(Nehemiah 6:9).

I felt encouraged; encouraged to do the exact same thing. Encouraged to say, "My mind wants to quit, but my heart is hanging on. Take my hands and don't let go. I'm refusing to let go of you."

I prayed. I prayed that God would hold on to me tightly, establish my grip, and encourage me as I continue to hold on to Him.

Not About Me

Being exhausted is extremely frustrating.

Frustrating to the point of crying over a broken fan.

Baah. (We were able to fix it last night)

So to be honest, it's been overwhelmingly hard these last 3 or so days.

Only this time, this time I'm turning to God. I finished reading the book of John. What stood out the most is how Jesus is light in the darkness.

And I can't help but think that despite how "dark" my days seem at times, it is when I turn to the light that things really do get a little brighter.

I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life (John 8:12).

Anyway, I got to thinking last night while I was sitting out in the rain. Yes. Sitting in the rain. There's just something about simply sitting down and having rain drops hitting you that gets your thoughts flowing.

Well, while I was sitting there, I realized that this isn't about me. It's not about how tired I am or how much I wish the fan worked. It's about the One who placed me where I am. And the more that I thought about it, the more I saw how important it was to surrender myself completely. But I mean, completely.

So it's not about what I do or not, it's about what Christ does through me.

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20).

So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God (Romans 15:17).

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Half an hour ago, we were having our team devotional time and Pastor Jaime prayed that God would reveal his heart and his will to us regarding everything that needs to be done in the next couple of days.

Aah. This has been my constant prayer for the last couple of months. And the more I ask God to show me...the more He does! I feel his peace, his passion to do the smallest things, even cleaning dentist chairs, and I feel his love for all those around me.

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Father, I pray that we all continue to seek your heart. May we be open to your will. We praise you for your light, and may we turn to it all the time. Remind us the importance of spending time in your Word despite all the chaos around us. May your will be done, Father.

One Big Happy Family

The feeling of community here is amazing.

We eat together, laugh together, play together, pray together.

Everything we do is focused on how it affects other people.

Last night, was beautiful.

Going to bed at 11...well, you feel it when you have to wake up at 5 (we're not going to the river today..some issues came up).

But I don't think I've laughed that much in a very long time.

Anyway, this post will be a short, as I am here to ask for a favor.

I ask that you pray for all the people and families that have decieded to come together and complete JUCUM.

Their hearts are amazing. They received me with arms opened wide, and I am forever thankful.

They allowed me to feel loved last night, they let me be a part of their family.

And they will forever be part of mine.