This is why we came

When I was a youth pastor, some of the most memorable times that I had with students was on retreats.  Something just happens when you pile into a van, sleep in bunk-beds, and eat junk food at all hours of the day.  You really get to see and know people for who they really are.  Maybe it's all the coke and cheetos, but a lot of the phoniness that comes with being "in" the church, gets stripped away on a retreat

I have such funny and rich memories from these times, so I wondered how my first experience with the youth from our church would go.  I ended up riding with some of the adults before the kids to help get things ready.  One thing that I have become accustomed to, is never to have any expectation about what I'm about to encounter.  I had no idea what their concept of "retreat" or camping might be.  Well it turns out that we really did camp.  Those of you who know me, know that I am still scarred from experiences as a   Boy Scout, but thankfully this time camping was a much more pleasant experience.

The kids had an extremely difficult time getting to the campsite.  They actually ended up having to walk a good part of the journey up the mountain, in the dark, by foot.  When they came they were so tired, but for the most part they were really good sports about it.  Myself and my team-mate were the only ones that spoke English, so my Spanish got a real work-out.  Have you ever wondered what the young people in your life were saying, ever felt like they were speaking another language... Haha, well, needless to say, this was one of the most frustrating times I've had trying to communicate.  But, thankfully, the kids were super sweet and patient with me and taught me a lot of Spanish.

Ministry is all about relationships, and I'm pleased to report this was a great start to our ministry of young people.  One of the most memorable things was a relationship I developed with one of the kids who belonged to the folks that maintained the camp.  If you've ever been to another country, you realize pretty quick with kids that it doesn't matter if you speak their language, but if you demonstrate love towards them then you don't really have to say much at all.  He was always around me.  For our lesson times, he would come and sit with me and look at my Bible or look at my work book.  Well, he eventually looked at me and asked me point blank if I was a Christian.  I said that I was and I proceeded to ask him some questions.

I asked him, "do yo believe in Jesus?", and he said "yes".  I asked him, "do you believe that Jesus died for you?", and he said yes again.  Then I asked him if he had sinned.... No.  He said that he had never done anything wrong.  Unfortunately, we were interrupted from our conversation, but thankfully God provided another opportunity to pick up right where we left off.  This time, I brought in reinforcements.  One of the young ladies in our ministry is extremely gifted and an extremely strong believer.  She came over and made an extremely clear presentation of the Gospel to the young guy, and right there he prayed to receive Christ as his Savior.  Praise God!

You know there are sometimes that you might wonder if this is where God would have us be.  But then, God gives you times like these where it's very clear that we are exactly in the right spot.  There are sometimes now, when I'm standing somewhere, and I almost have to remind myself where I am on the globe.  Because when I forget where I am, I am forgetting how far God has brought our family to Colombia.  We are here for a purpose.  I pray that we never forget that.

A couple of the young ladies in our youth ministry.  Tatiana (right) is the pastor's daughter

Boys are always ready for a picture

This is a picture of Louda (right), the young lady that helped share the gospel with Jorge (below)

This is the picture of Jorge, the young fellow that accepted Jesus.

The ride down the mountain packed in a truck.  I couldn't fit :)  But I got to ride down on a motorcycle.  It was amazing to see Colombia from this perspective.  Everyone should ride a motocycle in a foreign country at least once in his or her life.