They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. If so, I will be several
thousand words short in telling you about my trip back to Colombia, because my
camera was stolen, down on the edge of the jungle. I was sorrier about the loss
of the pictures than I was about the loss of the camera; I’d taken some really
good ones. But I’d decided beforehand that I was willing to run the risk of
losing the camera in order to get pictures. I don’t regret the decision. It’s
the same with life. We can carefully shield ourselves from all danger and
uncertainty, or consciously choose to be exposed to hardship in our pursuit of
God and His will. We do run the risk of losing what we hold dear in this life,
if we choose the latter course of action. But there is a difference between me
risking my camera and Christ’s followers laying their lives on the line. My pictures
are gone for good, but whatever we lose in the service of Christ will be repaid
a hundredfold (Mark 10:29-30).
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| Off the coast of Florida |
I was back in Colombia for nearly three weeks, this February. The period
was book-ended by a couple episodes of “Delhi belly” (except in this case,
“Bogotá belly” might be a better name). This nefarious malady doubles as an
effective weight-loss tool; forget the South Beach Diet, Colombian street food
is the answer for you!! So much for the supposed glories of missionary life; I
assure you that nobody feels too spiritual at 3 a.m. after ingesting a toxic
empanada the previous afternoon.
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| I think this was pre-empanada. I didn't feel like going up on the roof, post-empanada. |
The purpose of the trip was a little nebulous, at the beginning.
Honestly, it was like this – the Lord opened the door for me to go, and so I
went. He defined things for me as the days went by. Looking back, there were
multiple reasons for it. For one, it was the catalyst for me to process my year
and a half living in Colombia. So many things happened during that period that
I hadn’t really dealt with in any meaningful way. Being back in Colombia gave
me the opportunity to digest the experiences I’d had there in the past.
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| Bogotá - el Centro | |
For another, it was a visionary trip. Not only did I deal with the past,
but God gave me a peek into what He has for me in Colombia in the future. For
some time I have been grappling with the question of what exactly the Lord
wants me to do there. Merely moving
to another country never makes a person a missionary; concrete action has to be
taken if disciples are to be made. I have passed many years with a vague sort
of vision for rural Colombia. Over the past few months, that vision has become
sharper. It has narrowed down to planting New Testament-based churches in
strategic locations throughout rural Colombia, particularly in the jungle. The
vision had become clear to me before this trip, and going back to Colombia for
a couple weeks was the chance to do what I hadn’t had time to while I was
working in Colombia. I was able to talk to missionaries who are involved in work
similar to the kind that I believe God wants me to be involved in, and see some
of what’s happening firsthand. It was a real encouragement, to tell the truth.
It gave me an optimism about the future in Colombia that I haven’t had for some
time. And I’m excited about what God has in store.
…And then again, another reason for going back was to sharpen up on my
Spanish, which has gotten so rusty that it’s unquestionably scary! 2 ½ weeks of
Colombia was an awesome refresher course, but I’m afraid that it’s not where it
was when I left for the States last September.
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| Graffiti in the center of town |
I started off in the capitol city of Bogotá – the only part of the trip
that I have photos from. I visited the school I used to teach at, as well as
several old friends and a few new ones. A few days later I went to a town
called Villa de Leyva in the department of Boyacá. Here I helped out at a
Christian camp for a couple days, mostly by helping to dig a trench and
trimming up some very overgrown trees. This area of Colombia is beautiful.
(Here’s where a picture or two would have come in handy, but I’ll just have to
let you Google it, if you’re that interested!) Villa de Leyva is the cleanest
town I have ever been to in Colombia, probably because of the large influx of
tourists who boost its economy. The camp I was at has tremendous potential to
serve churches across Colombia; what they could really use are volunteers to
chip in and help with the upkeep and improvement of the facilities. Anybody
interested?!
The best was saved for last – several days in San Jose del Guaviare,
which is on the edge of the jungle. It’s a blazing hot summer down there right
now; the most recent rainfall was a few days after the new year, and the dust
on the roads is inches thick in places. The Guaviare grabbed my attention the
first time I saw it, as a college intern who spoke no Spanish and had no idea
where they were or what they were doing. I pretty much fell in love with the
place, honestly. That was four years ago, and I’ve never quite recovered since.
Whenever I’ve been in the jungle, it’s as if the Lord has told me, I saved you for this. Now we are saved
from and to many things; elaborating them isn’t the point of this post. But I
do know that, among other purposes, I was granted salvation so that I might
serve God in Colombia’s jungles. And that is an awesome and fearful privilege
and responsibility.
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| Sunday @ Orquideas in Bogota |
I’ve purposely refrained from talking about specific people I
encountered on this trip; I need to keep the privacy of some, and if I talked
about all of them, this post would be way too long (you’re thinking, Well duh, like it isn’t already…?!?!). But
the people were by far the highlight. I’m thinking of several, but I’ll just
mention Gustavo. Gustavo is a 44-year-old from the coast of Colombia, who has
just about one of the biggest genuine smiles I’ve ever seen on the face of
anybody. I met him and his family over a year ago, on a trip to the Guaviare.
They work with an indigenous group close to San Jose; they’ve learned the
culture and language, developed relationships, and are in the process of
translating the Bible into the language. This is the investment of a lifetime;
you don’t just up and quit in the middle of it because you feel like it. I
stayed with Gustavo’s family while I was in the Guaviare, and was impressed by
several things –their sacrificial hospitality and acceptance, their godliness
while just being normal people, their joy, their humility, their perseverance,
among others. If you think that a missionary is always a pith-helmet-topped
white guy in darkest Africa, you’re dead wrong; there are people from many
cultures like Gustavo and his family – Christ’s ambassadors taking the Gospel
across cultural and language barriers around the world. Get to know some of
them!
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| Gustavo and his family (thanks, Facebook)! |
It’s been nine years since I became a Christ-follower, and since God
called me to Colombia. I still haven’t been able to move there long-term. The
longest I’ve been in Colombia was for about 1 ½ years. I really thought the
move there in 2012 would be permanent, but God had other ideas, obviously, and
I still wait for the day when I’ll be able to go there and stay indefinitely.
In the meantime, I continue running around like a nut between states and
continents. Since the new year, I’ve been to Colorado-Iowa-Colorado-Colombia-Colorado.
It’s been a good reminder of what on earth we’re doing here anyway; like
Abraham, I’ve been called to go out, and I’ve gone out, although I haven’t
always known where I’m going, in the short-term. I’m dwelling by faith in a
foreign country, waiting for the city which has foundations, whose builder and
maker is God (Heb. 11:8-10). Our status, my brothers and sisters, is that of
strangers and pilgrims (v. 13). Maybe you haven’t been to two states and as many
continents since January 1st, but you’re fully as much of a stranger
in a foreign country as I am, if you’re Christ’s. Don’t lose sight of your
heavenly home! And on your journey there, live on purpose to magnify the
glories of your God to those around you, to the end that they might follow you
on the same road.
For now, as far as I can see, a short trip to Utah will probably come up
in mid-March, then a few months in Colorado. There’s a chance I might move to
Texas later in the year; I’ll update y’all as I know more. Pray that I’ll abide
in faith, hope, and love as God unfolds the particulars of His good and perfect
will. Keeping in mind that our true homeland is yet to come, Colombia is nevertheless
where I belong, for as far as I can see into the future. I miss the place with
all my heart; it’s frustrating not to be there, but then again, this is a good
chance to learn to rejoice in God’s
will, instead of grudgingly bearing with it. Frustration is not in order;
neither is panic, discontent, worry, or other related sins. Only faith and
trust in a good God, who does all things well. And so remembering the faith of
Abraham, and the Faithful One who had his trust, I leave you with these words
from Hebrews:
Therefore we also,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with
endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and
finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God (12:1-2).
Look to Him!
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