Greetings! I hope everyone is doing well. I want to thank everyone for your support as you prayer for the work God is among the displaced indigenous people here in Bogota. Please pray that the word of Christ would speed ahead and be honored, that the gospel would advance throughout the world unhindered. I have now been in Colombia for twelve years. I arrived in Bogota in August of 2012 to work with indigenous university students. In January of 2013, I began working alongside another missionary focusing on the displaced indigenous in Bogota. The missionary with whom I was working has since left Colombia. I have worked at times alone and at other times with Colombian believers. I currently work alongside both US and Colombian missionaries. And more Colombian partners are beginning to get involved in the displaced indigenous work. The displaced population in the city is in flux. They change locations in the city. The move back to their territory or to another part of the country. At times, those who leave Bogota come back for a while. None of the people I started working with in Bogota are still here. All of the indigenous I met those first few years in Bogota have left the city. But throughout all the changes over the past twelve years, God has remained faithful. He will continue to be faithful.
The majority my work in Bogota focuses on the thousands of displaced indigenous groups living in two parks and two shelters. Pray for us as we visit the parks and shelters to sow the Word of the gospel. Some are beginning to show genuine interest in learning more. Pray that the Spirit will open hearts to receive the Word. Some of them say they will be returning to their territory. The date for this move keeps changing. So it is uncertain if it will happen. But not everyone is wanting to return. If they do return, we may look into the possibility of visiting them in their territory.
Please continue to pray for the Wounan. I continue to make visits to “Silas” and his family. Sometimes I visit is home. Sometimes I visit him where he sells his artisanians. He is a believer. Pray for the Wounaan believers and the small Wounaan church in Bogota. Pray that they grow to be a strong healthy church that reaches out to the Wounaan community both in Bogota and in Chocó (the region they are from).
Continue to pray for “Mike” and his family as I visit with them. Pray that my visits with him will be fruitful. Pray that his heart will be open to receive the gospel.
One of the things we are hoping to see happen is more Colombian church becoming involved in the displaced indigenous work in Bogota. We have recently begun to see more consistent involvement in this area. One church in the northern part of the city has been consistently coming to one of the parks where a displaced encampment is. Each of the shelters has a group of Colombian believers who have become consistently involved in our weekly visits. Pray that we will see more involvement. Pray also that we will be able to train new workers for the missionary task among the indigenous so that they will be well equipped.
Pray that our Lord will give us the wisdom we need to reach the indigenous, wisdom in preaching the gospel with clarity, wisdom in conducting projects to meet material needs, and wisdom in mobilizing and training churches to become involved. Thank you for your prayer. Pray really is crucial to the missionary task. In his epistles, Paul frequently asked for prayer as he proclaimed the mysteries of the gospel. Our hope is that those who walk in darkness would see a great light, that they will hope in Christ, and that Christ would be known and praised among the nations.
The parable of the sower teaches us several things about missions. We see the various responses to the gospel. Some are hardened and indifferent, and Satan quickly comes to snatch the Word away. Others may receive it initially with joy, but when persecution arises (cf. 2 Tim 3:12; John 16:33), they fall away. For some, the cares and riches of this world choke out the Word. But there will be some who receive the Word and bear fruit.
But despite these different responses, the sower sows the Word everywhere indiscriminately. He doesn’t sow merely on the good soil. As we proclaim the Word, we don’t just preach to those we perceive to be good soil. We can’t look into a person’s heart. We sow here, there, and everywhere. We sow the Word and let the Word do what the Word does (Isa 55:10-11). Faith comes through the Word of Christ (Rom 10:13-17). The Word causes the new birth (1 Pet 1:23-25). The Word can make one wise unto salvation (2 Tim 3:15). So we preach to all Christ and Him crucified for sinners, for that is that gospel that is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16).
The Spirit of God can loosen the soil of the hardest of hearts and make it good soil. He will take out hearts of stone and put in hearts of flesh (Ezek 36:26). He can remove from hearts all the thorns that may choke out the Word. He can take the Word preached, birth new life into sinners, give them the faith to believe, and make them new. “Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth” (1 Cor 3:6). May we faithfully preach the gospel to anyone and everyone we can, letting the Word do its work and the Spirit do His. As we do, we’ll see God causing the increase and bringing forth a harvest. That is super encouraging. May we never grow weary or impatient in sowing the Word even when the task is hard. Preach the Word (2 Tim 4:2)!
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