Moving Forward in Colombia, South America

Since I have returned from Colombia, I have been asked the same question many times. How did the trip go? I still struggle to put forth a good response. Being an engineer, I am tempted to get to the numbers. 1,000 Bibles, 2,000 discipleship booklets, 600 Gospel of John, 7,000 tracts... The numbers really don't tell the complete story. I could talk about the stories, people, needs, victories, failures, and future plans. Usually, I condense it all

into an enthusiastic, "Great!"

The most interesting thing is that it was a mission made up of ordinary people. No one is backed by powerful organizations or churches, no renown speakers or celebrities - just ordinary, obedient believers living by faith to bring glory to Jesus. They work without accolades or invitations to conferences and retreats. They are not on the list of those up and coming. They are just faithful and obedient. They are willing to work in difficult and dangerous places with little or no help or applause. They can be located in almost anywhere in Colombia. From the heights of riches, power, and achievement to the depths of violence, poverty, and despair. We work primarily with small house churches and foundations. Our goal is to encourage, evangelize, equip them with Bibles and tracts to bring hope to the dark places where they serve.

So many stories deserve to be told. Daniel is a pastor in central Bogota. He serves in a tough community that isn't friendly to the Gospel. The famous Catholic Church in his community does not take kindly to a message of freedom and hope that the true Gospel message presents. Daniel and his family bring the hope of salvation to that community through a small church. They share the gospel door to door in their community. He even rides the public transit system sharing the Gospel to those on their way to work and school. They offer Bibles and discipleship materials to those who believe. He is an ordinary man from a human perspective. I believe he is a man of great faith, prayer and boldness in the spiritual realm. When I arrived with cases of Bibles, he was visibly moved. He told me that he had given away the last of his Bibles the previous week and was praying that God would send him more to continue his work. God was able to use a group of believers thousands of miles away to meet the needs of a faithful pastor and his family.

This is just one of the many stories of faithful brothers and sisters in Christ that are serving in places that we would not think of serving. We can do our part by visiting, encouraging, serving, and providing them with the ammunition they need to continue on. The need is great. The resources that we sent are already used. They are already in the hands of those who need them. Like parched, dry ground absorbing water without a trace, Colombia and the world is hungry for God's Word. The unique opportunity before us is the ridiculously low price of a complete, full sized Bible, a Gospel of John, and two discipleship booklets. The Bible League has agreed to hold the price for the remainder of the year, currently all for just over one dollar at today's exchange rate. My goal is to send 15,000 copies of God's Word to Colombia this year. I also plan on returning in the fall to encourage, evangelize, and equip to the glory of God. You can play a role in this assembly line of faith. I'm not asking you to move your family to one of these neighborhoods. Faithful servants like Daniel are there. I am not asking you to deliver the Bibles to Colombia. I believe God has called me to that work. I am asking you to share a small portion of what God has given you to bless the people of Colombia. Please help as you feel led.

Fundraiser by James Vernot : Delivering Bibles to Bogota, Colombia (gofundme.com)