Follow My Journey

During this blog, I have decided to put myself out there and be transparent. This is my first missions trip. I’m not sure what to expect and I thought I’d share my journey with you. I plan on journaling every day while I’m down there and take pictures. I understand the hotel we are staying at has wireless and I’ll borrow our host’s laptop.

It was an emotional weekend this weekend. I was with my family and my mom and dad tried to talk me out of going to Colombia. They are very worried about the unrest down there. In Colombia, there are high levels of human rights abuses and widespread displacement of people who have fled rural violence and poverty. The families we will be visiting have “squatted” living in make-shift homes, many living on dirt floors.

There were many tears and we talked for a long while. My sister and brother-in-law were also there. We had good conversation about the extreme poverty in this world. I shared about Kibera where we have a ministry and how it’s one of the worst slums in the world. There are over a million people living in approx. one square mile. The government in Kenya does NOTHING. There is no clean running water, no garbage removal, no sanitation, and no police. Sewage runs down the street and in front of houses—if you want to call them that. They are 8’ x 8’ huts, with no electricity. The children are playing in the sewage. HIV/AIDS is rampant. I could go on.

I think many of us are totally unaware of what is going on in our own country and other countries in the world. Our lives get too busy and the news doesn’t broadcast these issues. I am taking a leap of faith going to Colombia. I’m not just taking a leap of foolishness. I know there are risks but there are families who need our help and God depends on us to be His hands and feet.

During our conversation, my brother-in-law offered to share the Colombia missions trip with his men’s group to help support my trip costs. The next morning, I received a hug from my dad as he said, “I know you really feel you need to do this. I worry; I’m scared. But know I will support you.”