I can't tell you how happy and how changed my life has been since doing this trip to Colombia! We left as missionaries to share the Word of God with the residents, but we came back changed finding that Christ's Word still has so much power!
This will be my first blog of series sharing my favorite experiences or stories from the trip.
The first weekend that I started my series. I started not knowing what to expect. I had a meeting with the Paraiso church and talking about the organization of the meetings. My impression was this was going to be a great church to work with, small, yet potential. They shared with me how they had been working hard to invite people from the community to come to the meetings. I shared with them that I would be praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We looked through the list to make sure that I was prepped appropriately for the meeting. We looked through my presentation equipment. Not being a pro at it myself, we tried to communicate with each other how to use the Share Him presentation Synchronizer. After 10 minutes it finally appeared on the medium sized wall to the right of the stage. Relief was felt. I really enjoy meeting people for the first time. This experience was a little different. I couldn't communicate what I wanted to say in their language. It was very brief short sentences. I learned that night that anything that I really want to express to my friends would have to be interpreted through my translator. After we were all done setting up the equipment, and safely putting it away in my black case. The pastor took me in his car. I talked with my interpreter the whole way home. She walked with me inside and all the way to the sixth floor of San Jose Hotel. Oh, "we should really practice tomorrow around noon. I want us to be really prepared for the first meeting," I said to her. She agreed to come back to the hotel the next day. She never showed up. I got worried and wondered how our first meeting would go. I couldn't worry too much, because I had to practice and know my sermon well. The first night came. One of the girls, Andreas who would later become a good friend to me in the church said, "Are you the evangelist, you are so young!?" Yes, I could not believe it myself. I had imagined this day coming. But now here it really was.
The first sermon was frustrating. I got on stage, and realized that after explaining to the church the night before how to set up the equipment they had incorrectly set it up. The slides were three behind what I actually said. I thought, here are new visitors, church members, "What do they think of me." The only part of the presentation I could make a connection with the audience was when it should a 30 sec video of the image of Daniel, and I rehearsed it again. God still spoke through me that night even through technical difficulties. I talked with our group leader, and campaign manager they helped a lot with the situation. By Saturday night, we had the program running and synchronized perfectly with my notes! I was happy!
At the beginning of the series. God was teaching me patience and learning to depend on Him. I found that He still blessed even though my Powerpoint wasn't working correctly for the first two sermons. Our visitors still continued to come back because they were receiving spiritual meat from our sermons.
My roommates and I have brought the holidays to our apartment with food and decorations
