Joining Jesus in Bogotá, Colombia
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On March 22, a team of 9 (two English-speaking families and a translator from FAC en Español) hopped on a plane headed for Bogotá, Colombia, for a 10-day experience serving with the local church and Inca Link, the organization we partner with in this region. They’re focused on reaching youth in Colombia with Christ’s love through discipleship and evangelism, connecting people and compassion ministries. They run several compassion ministries focused on serving children, those recovering from addictions and teen mothers, as well as a t-shirt company, folkloric art purses, and more.
Marcela Angerita Pacheco is part of the FAC en Español congregation and served on this short-term mission team and shares about the experience:
“We helped run Vacation Bible School (VBS) for 4 days and shared God’s love with kids and their families as part of the Oasis program from Santa Cecilia in the countryside of the Granada community and the 20 de Julio community. We stayed at the church La Alianza in Santa Cecilia, on top of a beautiful peak in North Bogota. We also helped with the preparation of meals and cleaning up/washing the dishes. We gave out donations collected from across FAC and partner churches for the kids at the VBS Camp.”
Notes from Our Journal
Palm Sunday Service
I shared my story of how I met Jesus at church, and one of our team members, Adam Jones, participated with the worship team. After the service, we went downtown to learn more about the Colombian culture. We played basketball with the Oasis Program Team and spent time at the pastor’s house. It was wonderful to learn about another culture and experience how that creates bridges to build relationships.
Monday
It was a national holiday in Colombia, so we went to the top of the hill with some church members and leaders to pray for the city, the country, and the local missionaries. After that, we made soup for the community to connect.
Tuesday-Thursday & Saturday
We had a time of prayer and worship with the pastor of the Santa Cecilia Church and tutors of the Oasis Program. The theme of the VBS program was “Jesus Teaches Us With Stories,” and took place over 4 days. We set up 4 different stations: bible verse, object lesson, sports, and crafts. We sang songs, performed plays/drama related to the lesson, connected with the kids, ate together, and invited them to come to Jesus.
On Days 1 and 2, the kids learned “On a Mountain, A Tiny Seed lessons, with 50 kids participating each day. On Day 3, we made the drive to the countryside (the Granada Community) and we taught the “The Farmer’s Seeds” lesson to 13 kids. Finally, on Day 4 at the New Plan Foundation in the 20 de Julio Community, the kids learned the “The Treasure & the Pearl” lesson, with 21 kids participating.
Good Friday
We had a hiking day, and at night, we celebrated Communion and prayed as a team with the OASIS Director and team, reflecting on Good Friday.
Saturday
I had a personal experience with God about evangelizing the drivers. Our team met and got to pray for Alvaro, who used to attend the church but drifted from God because of alcoholism. I was glad to have had a chance to pray for him!
Resurrection (Easter) Sunday
Adam Jones shared, preached, and testified about how God has worked in his life. We said goodbye to the Oasis team.
Monday
We returned home!
“In addition to my role as a translator on this short-term mission trip, I also helped with the VBS program and kitchen duties. I loved the kindness of the people. God reminded me that a mission trip doesn’t have to be groundbreaking to be successful and effective. God can work in small ways, too!
I was also reminded that plans can change and that it’s good to get out of our comfort zones. All the people we visited thanked us for listening to God’s voice, supporting God’s work, and praying for God’s blessing on us!”
Thank you Marcela, for sharing this update! Explore joining Jesus in what He’s doing around the world through FAC: check out upcoming short-term opportunities through FAC or support the teams that will be going this summer and fall by giving to the Missions Fund.
