This week....

The team :D

This week was a really good week as we got to stay on base and do some local ministry within Bogota. We we originally going to go to Guambia and spend time with the people there, but due to lack of information and contacts our leaders decided it was best not to go. We were all in agreement and were excited for the ministry we could do here. Tuesday we went to a park close to where we are staying and we started to play a game of soccer. We went with the hopes of meeting people and being able to just build relationships and through that talk to them about Jesus. When we started playing soccer, two kids ended up joining us and 3 people in their 20s. We played for about 2 hours maybe and then the 3 people in their 20s, and their mom that was in the park as well, invited us to their house for coffee and cookies. Every time we meet people here they are always so friendly and invite us to their home. The culture here is very much based on relationships and the people are always so hospitable! So we went to their house and had coffee, cookies, and another colombia desert thing that was really good! These people we already Christians so it was really nice to just spend time with them, as well as pray for them and their community. On Wednesday we went to the city center and just spent time interacting with people that were there. It was really awesome the number of people that spoke english there as it definitely made it easier to communicate with them. Although we may not have directly preach the gospel to everyone, we took time to try and get to know people and love on them.

In front of a nativity scene in the city center

City Square

Catholic Church 

At the museum

The girls of the team :D

Thursday we again went back to the center, but this time our leaders stayed back at the base because they had things they had to do. This time we brought the guitar and did some worship on the steps of the church. It was so much fun and was really cool because so many people just gravitated to the music. It was the perfect tool for starting conversations. Before we actually went to the square the team prayed together and asked God to show them a specific person that we should talk to (like a treasure hunt - which we did during local outreach in Kona). Weston got a man with a black fedora hat and Marita got a man playing the keyboard. As we were walking to the center, we saw a man trying on a black fedora hat! We all noticed it and pointed him out and then Grace, being very brave, went up to him and started to talk to him. He ended up being so nice and chatting to us for a while. He told us that he was Catholic and allowed us to pray for him and his family. And again he, like many others we met, said we were welcome to come visit him whenever. Then as we were singing worship songs on the steps, a guy and his father were sitting next to us just listening for a while, and then, in english, he asked us if we were singing Christian music. He ended up also being Christian and actually plays KEYBOARD in the worship band at his church! It was so cool to come in contact with these people and really encouraged the whole team as we knew that God had placed these people in our paths!

Worshiping on the steps of the Catholic Church 

Friday we stayed at the base and helped out the head of the base set up for another team that was supposed to come and stay for a week. Then.. Saturday (New Years Eve!) we went to another city center and did some more worship and street ministry. Street ministry is something I have never done, and never really felt that comfortable doing, but this week has been awesome. It is a bit hard as I don't know much Spanish, but God has shown me that He can use me no matter what the circumstances are, I just have to be obedient. Plus He is very gracious and has put many english speaking Colombians in our path :) At this city center one group of people we met were four people in their 20s who came and sat with us as we were singing songs. It was really cool because one of them played the guitar, so him and Javier (one of our leaders who is really good at the guitar) took turns playing songs. Then we actually got him to play some of our songs.. It was so cool, cause although he wasn't Christian, he was playing worship songs! This week has been very different that what I would have expected of a missions trip, as being the only one I have been on before was to Haiti, but it has been an awesome experience, and is good experience for practical things that could be done at home.
New Years Eve was one I will never forget! We had an amazing dinner, got to spend time with other Ywamers that are here in Bogota (which one is from Bogota so we got to go to his home and spend time with him and his parents), and had a really fun night with the team that ended in watching fireworks in the city!
This week we are heading to Cali, about 10 hour drive away, to work with a church that is just setting up there. I am not sure exactly what we are doing but I will fill you all in when I get back
Thank you so much for all your prayers!
Love and miss you all!
Rachael