Hello everyone,

Sorry it has been a few days since we updated the blog :/ So Yesterday we traveled here to Chia where we are working with different schools and churches. The building team and evangelism team is working together now doing ministry. But yesterday we split up to do two different schools. Evangelism team went with the elementary and the building team went with the preschoolers. Both programs were successful :) Then we all went together to a local restaurant where we did a service for the church and friends and family of the church members. Savannah shared her testimony. Afterwards many recieved prayer and we all worshipped God all night long.
Today we started with a leadership seminar at the church we are working with. Chris and Miguel spoke and Ray gave his testimony. Afterwards we went to an orphanage and put on a kids program and later we went to another elementary and put on yet another kids program. We are helping to build community and relationships for the churches we are working with. Tomorrow we are leading service at two different churches in Chia. One for both teams :)
God is working through us and we are experiencing His unfailing love in a whole new way.

...If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 corinthians 13:2,3

hello world,

Today we were at an all girls school. We got to share the gospel and tell these girls how beautiful they are and share with them the value of their purity and the importance of being a women. Susan and Devon shared their testimonies and Chris and Traci shared about how God's love is important in their marriage and the importance of purity until marriage. Many girls came up afterwards and recieved prayer form our Evangelism team. For the past few days we havnt had a drum set so we werent able to have a band so instead we just play the ipod and all the students dance with us.
Yesterday we went to La Cumbre School and were able to share with students of all ages.

Currently both teams are staying in host homes in Bogata. Unfortunately I havn't heard anything from the Building team. But we get to see them on Thursday and we will update their progress then. And this weekenf we will be working with a team in Chia.

We love you all and we thank you for your prayers.
Sarah

UNITE TEAM :D

hola!

Unite is in Colombia!! and for the past few days the Unite Evangelism team have been serving at Filedelfia church :) We also went to a high school in Chia and a elementary in Bella Flor. In Chia we were able to present the gosple to many students who didnt know Jesus and in the girls purity seminar, after Susan, Devon, Chris, and Me (Sarah) shared our testimonies we had a girl stand up and thank us for coming because it was confirmation from Jesus that He answered her prayers and that she had been trying to share with her friends(that were sitting there) the same thing we just shared. It was awesome. All of her friends gave their life to Christ on Friday!! And we told her that they were going to look to her as an example. The guys also put on a purity seminar. Chia was a fantastic first school for the Evangelism Team.
The Unite building team is in another city and includes Tom B, Tom M, Savannah, Alex, Rey, Colin, Endel, and Eric. There first mission was to minister to an entertainment business and it was awesome! They are currently staying at a missionaries home in Bogata.

Breaking the Silence

Well as we are ending our time in Colombia, I wanted to share with you one of the biggest things God did on this trip. I believe that more than just sharing Jesus with the people of Colombia, we taught them how to have a voice. You see in Colombian society it is not okay to talk about things like sex, pornography, sexual abuse, etc. These things are kept secret. Also, in the Colombian church, struggles with sin are not talked about. Grace is not evident in most churches. If you mess up, they might kick you out, take you off any leadership and treat you as an outcast. This BREAKS my heart. The painted smiles on faces try to mask the real pain that is inside of these people. No one will talk, no one will care, and no one will give them grace and forgiveness. If this is how they are treated, how are they supposed to believe that God will forgive them and give them grace? Most don't. Most think that God could never forgive them and that God will condemn them like the churches do. But in the few short weeks we were here, I think the number one thing we taught was grace.

EVERYONE on our team shared stories of how messed up and jacked up we are, and how GOD forgives us and loves us, AND how we love and accept others through it. Also, we shared how we still struggle even though we are Christians, and how God still gives us grace every day and how the church gives us grace. Most of the time, when we were sharing, we felt like our words were falling on deaf ears, but then after we were done, people would come up and confess things they would have NEVER confessed to anyone, simply because we were being honest and open to them. Yesterday, for example, a girl came up to us after a purity seminar and confessed that when she was little she was molested by her uncle. This secret has been tearing her apart. She told her mom, but all her mom said was to forgive him. No one cared about how she felt. Her uncle would still come over sometimes, and her mom just told her to stay away from him. She felt like she had no voice. Her mom basically ignored it. But I could see God working on her heart as she shared. She was learning to break the chains satan has over her. We just loved her and told her she was not at fault, and prayed for her. This is just one story but their were hundreds of people breaking the chains of silence that satan had over them, but simply because someone was honest and transparent, she opened up to us. I think that is the greatest thing that I have had the privilege of being apart of, breaking the chains that silence & fear have over these people. Not only that, but we shared the grace, love and forgiveness that ONLY Jesus can give them. Nothing has been more powerful.

Today was our last night and we did an event at a church, with Unite. People were worshiping and going crazy and just declaring how great God is, but really what I saw were chains being broken, walls falling down, and a great roar of noise coming from the inside of the people. Freedom, and it was loud.

It's time to open up and break the chains of silence.

-Megan Kallenbach