The Joy of Coming 'Home'

The last I was able to make a short outreach update was from the island of Boca Chica, Columbia- a 30 minute (choppy) boat ride from Cartagena near the Caribbean Ocean. The island had wifi you could purchase for 24 hours, & it took that long to post an update (no joke). Aside from that, Columbia was an ADVENTURE! I had NO idea what we were in for when we departed from Mazatlan, Mexico- in the best way possible.

SO much has happened since then! By the time you read this, I have been "home" from outreach for 4 weeks, having graduated from my DTS in Los Angeles, CA (on June 5th) & returning to Arizona with my family following the unexpected passing of my father which occurred the night I returned to the U.S. from Columbia on May 22nd.

It was a very difficult transition, not being able to be with my family, & having to remain in quarantine for 7 days following international travel until my entire team received back to back negative covid tests. Praise GOD, not a single member of our team got covid during 2 months of travel!

YWAM DTS Graduation!

A brief recap- Mexico was FULL of ministry opportunities. From helping to "End Bible poverty" with Bibles For Mexico, the Prison Ministry where we got to minister to the (now FREE) ex son in law of the man who runs the Sinaloa drug cartel who is now a Pastor, to the Women's Rehab Center where we saw 13 women aged 12-60 receive the love of Jesus! Even getting to partner with Shoulder To Shoulder blessing widows by building roofs, learning to install plumbing, & painting while building relationship with the families was an fulfilling & fun experience. The YWAM Mazatlan base itself, & all of their staff are such a lighthouse in the world, & we were SO honored to have partnered with them.

Where Mexico was a mission field full of mercy, & the people of God finding & filling the needs, Columbia was a wild, untamed & RIPE field where people are starving for the Word. The locations we were blessed to be in were previously closed to missionaries. The island of Boca Chica was an island settled by freed slaves who were essentially dropped off by boat after the abolishing of slavery. There are little to no jobs on the island. The locals spend months away working the loads of tourists coming into Cartagena. Covid deeply impacted the industry, driving an already impoverished people even further into hopelessness. But the hope is, & always has been JESUS. Building houses/Mazatlán, MX We got to see, first hand, just how FAR love can go.

From families who live on the beach in makeshift "traditional style" homes of discarded scraps gathered, & receiving beds for the first time in their lives, to opening up intercession for Columbia to the community & having LOADS of children & youth on their faces weeping as they were touched by the love of the Father- we witnessed the island receive Jesus openly & with such JOY.

"Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise from the ends of the earth! Let the sea roar & all that fills it, the coastlands & all their inhabitants. Let them give glory to the Lord, & declare His praise in the coastlands." Isaiah 42:10-12

Children/Youth Ministry- Boca Chica Prayers at the cross

We left the island of Boca Chica in awe after 2 weeks & many answered prayers, setting off by boat to Cartagena. It was difficult to leave as we had bonded with the family of God there, but God had more adventures for us yet! It was about to get WILD.

"He will not falter or lose heart until JUSTICE prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for His instruction."

Isaiah 42:4

What we experienced next can only be described as fulfillment of the scripture. We watched the Bible come alive. San Basilio de Palenque

Ten of us (plus one driver & all our gear) crammed into a van, & just under 2 hours later we were pulling into the historic village of Palenque, Columbia. Palenque was founded in the 16th century by Benkos Bioho- a former African king who was sold into slavery & escaped Cartagena in 1599. He founded Palenque as the very first free slave town in the Americas. It is a place RICH in culture & history, yet only opened to outsiders in 2009.

We were the very first YWAM team in history to enter the town. The second only missions team since 2011 to come & minister. It was a rare, & beautiful opportunity! We spent the week with a small, local church called Iglesia Cristiana Tierra de Roca led by Pastor Keiner Torres, who was born & raised, & whose family goes back since the founding of Palenque. We learned local history, learning that several famous boxers came out of the region, as well as several famous Columbian musicians.

We learned how to play the 'Bullerengue', their traditional drum that is an integral part of how they transmit the oral history of their people. As well as learning 'Champeta', a traditional Columbian style of dance that accompanies the drums.

"The Lord is King! Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands rejoice & be glad!"

Psalm 97:1

We worked with the local children building relationships within the families, which is the key to working within communities. They taught us as much, if not more, than we taught them! English classes, hip hop dance, & basic guitar were among some of the opportunities we had to connect. We also did door to door visits with the Pastor, going home by home to pray for the local people. We were received with so much kindness & love. It was incredible! We witnessed documented healings- something that as a team we had prayed for prior to outreach, but still surprised us over & over! From the healing of broken bones, to tumors shrinking before our eyes, God moved in such a profound way in Palenque. It marked each one of us!

Saying goodbye to this place, & these people was difficult, as we had formed such a deep bond in Palenque within a short amount of time. But God still had work for us to do. We packed up once more, heading towards Puerto Rey, where we would spend the next two days on a working horse ranch owned by a local church, & sleeping in tents! Here, we partnered with Yeison Valencia, the YWAM missionary who made it possible for us to connect in the local towns. He & a friend from YWAM Cartagena go every weekend & run a soccer program for the local youth. They have been entirely closed off to the outside world, & once again, this was the first time a YWAM team had come to this town in it's history. The people of the town had never seen a foreigner, which made for quite the spectacle when we arrived!

It also opened wide the door for the Gospel! Each of these precious girls came daily to spend time with us, curiously watching us & playing with our hair. Each received Jesus openly, & with tears having experienced the love of the Father for the first time. All this through soccer! It never ceases to amaze me what God can do!

Our final night there, we were asked to have an open air event- the towns first ever. It drew a huge crowd of mostly youth & children, but also a large gathering of young adults. We performed a powerful drama called "Break Every Chain" in Spanish, followed by testimony from both of the brave guys on our team- Nate & Judah. We followed this with prayer- all while a growing crowd of young guys began loudly mocking. The boldness of God came over us all, the girls stepping out to present the Gospel- would anyone like to receive Jesus? EVERY hand went up as we led 100+ young men, women & children to Jesus! Afterward, God had me lead the five young men leading the mocking in prayer, prophesying over them, & leading them to the Lord with tears in their eyes. It was POWERFUL!

Time after time, we witnessed the love of God break through cultural, medical & spiritual walls. We watched His love be poured out through us- no matter how tired we were. He simply asks for our "Yes" to give Him a door. EVERY tribe, EVERY tongue, EVERY nation. THIS is what Jesus is after. I am humbled- over & over again how He reveals Himself through simply being available to love. The world is HUNGRY. The harvest is READY. And love is WAITING to be released.

I had no idea when I said 'Yes' to this DTS just how much God would completely transform ME, just as much as I witnessed Him transforming nations. His love amazes me, over & again again.

"The harvest is ready, we have to go! We won't stop til the whole world knows. The power in Your blood to save every soul! We're not ashamed of the Gospel! Jesus You're worthy, of every tribe & tongue! It's all for Your glory, till every soul is won!"

~Missionary Anthem YWAM Kona Music