Colombia Catch Up

Gary and Diane are safely home from their two months in language school and getting all manner of things straightened up from being out of the country for two full months! While we wait for some current updates, check out the first of two installments of Diane's entries from her travel journal on their January visit to Colombia.

January 25, 2016

Location: Medellin, Colombia

                          Bella Vista Chapel, Bella Vista Prison -

This morning upon arrival at Bella Vista prison, we were processed through security and quickly led deep into the prison where we entered the Chapel area, up a flight of stairs and into a brightly lit corner office where we sat down with five or six inmates and one volunteer from CCC who were chapel leaders among the inmates at Bella Vista prison.

They each in turn offered their testimony regarding where they had come from and how God and the work of Jesus Christ had changed their lives.  Their stories were all deeply moving and inspiring because faith in Jesus Christ had changed their lives completely.  Each of their stories would be a fascinating tale, but the one story which seemed to stand out was that of Javier Mosquera Mosquera.

Javier was one of the largest and blackest men I have ever seen, with a booming voice and an unquenchable enthusiasm.

Javier, who now oversees the chapel ministry, visits the prison each and every day.  As he walked around the prison yards he greeted each and every inmate and correctional officer by name in that booming voice and a large smile.  As he passed, almost without exception, he left smiles in his wake.

It was only later that we heard that he "was a very bad man " in his youth and was feared by many.  He had spent 22 years in Bella Vista prison before being paroled because of the dramatic change in his behavior and outlook on life.  All of this according to and loudly proclaimed by him to be the result of Jesus Christ filling his heart and changing him from the inside out.

Thursday January 26 afternoon

After a long morning at Pedregal prison we were told we were going back to the Prison Fellowship office. There we met Monica again, who has been a translator for us in the past. She is in charge of the Micro Loan programs. This program is for women whose husband or family member is in prison. This makes it difficult for them to earn a living. Prison Fellowship has partnered with the local government of Medellin to provide this money. It is a low interest loan to help them begin a home based business. This way they can raise their families and still earn a living. 

We went with Jason, the government representative and Monica, and a driver who was capable of driving where we were going because where we went it took special driving expertise. We traveled almost to the very top of the poorest hillside communities of Medellin. The roads are paved, but very steep and narrow. And only single lane!! And there were people walking on the road too! Then big busses and trucks would be coming the other direction! It was very scary! They said not many drivers would even go up where we went. The view was amazing. But it was very scary!

The first woman we saw had a sewing business and was thinking of also  starting a beauty salon business. She was asking for advice on what to do. The government representative was someone who was trained in business so he could advise her. She even asked Gary for some advice. I think people think with age comes wisdom!

The second woman was younger and lived with her parents. She had a baby but wanted to open a beauty salon in an area of her house. We were able to be there when they signed the papers for her loan. We prayed with her at the end. It will be very interesting to follow up with these two cases to see the results. 

This is another aspect of Prison Fellowship's community programs that help people in their everyday lives. 

Forgotten story from Diane

For this blog entry, I was looking over the unpublished pieces that Gary and Diane have submitted and I stumbled on this overlooked gem from Diane that is over nine months old. But as I'm learning, God often has reasons for even my sporadic post choosing! So enjoy!

This is a story about how the Lord is taking care of us. We are terrible at asking for contributor for funding our travel. We know some would count it as a privilege to partner with us, but still we find it difficult to ask. 

On our last evening in Medellin (summer 2016) we were staying at the hotel close to the airport since we had a very early morning flight. We were sitting having a cold drink in the hospitality area in the hotel when another couple from the United States came. They heard us speaking English and asked if we minded if they would join us. They were young successful accountants and very nice people. We were able to share why we were there and about the prison ministry in Columbia. They seemed interested but not blown away! It was a very enjoyable evening and we were able to say goodbye the next morning since they were on an equally early flight!  

This evening was unique for us because at one time we would have just never struck up a conversation with strangers let alone talking about the Gospel. But serving the Lord has changed us in so many ways. We are not only less hesitant to speak of spiritual matters but the Holy Spirit has given us boldness to do it. We are so excited about what we do we can hardly keep quiet!

But the best part of this story came just last week. Gary was checking our OMS account to see where we are with funding for this next trip. When he noticed a name of a donor that he did not recognize! We don't have that many, so we know them all! Through the power of the Internet he was able to find that it was the couple that we met that night in the hotel! And this is how The Lord is taking care of us and enabling us to do His work. He is teaching us to depend on Him. And He is providing more than we could every imagine! We are thankful to be His servants. And thank you all for your prayers and support.

Greetings from Gary in Medellin!

Gary sent this email update last week to their small group from church and I thought it was just too good not to share! Enjoy!

Hello from Medellin-

Just a note to tell you all that we are surviving here in Colombia.  It seems every time we come to Colombia we have a problem with our e-mail account. We are only able to receive e-mail on our gmail accounts.  We both miss keeping in touch with the our life groups.  

We have successfully completed our initial level one training and we have six more weeks of study. While we have done little in the way of prison ministry here so far, we have taken opportunities presented us with fellow students at the university from around the world who are here learning to speak Spanish.  They have been curious about what we are doing and have asked many questions about God and Jesus Christ and as possible we have had short conversations during breaks and before and after class.  It is interesting to discuss such issues with "post moderns" from the areas of the world where Christianity and the Church were once so strong in centuries past and see that many have drawn away or are uninformed about God and Christ.  They seem to be almost completely ignorant of the concept of God, but they are interested!

One speech we had to give was on who is the most important person or the most influential person in your life.  That provided the starting point when I explained that Jesus Christ is the most important person in my life.

Anxious to share more of what is happening when we return, mid June.

Letters and Miracles from Colombia - Diane

I hope many of you had a chance to follow Gary and Diane's story this week on Facebook as they reached out for some prayer covering at language school. Last weekend, they feared that they would not have a level two class to attend after graduating from level one. With only the two of them signed up, the school needed at least three people for class. So we asked everyone to be praying. And last minute - as God often does - God provided. In the midst of their finals in level one, God provided another student. We don't even know where that other student came from but we do know that God answered the prayers of so many people. And we thank you and we thank a God who sees and loves us so much to do big things.

While they are concentrating on their Spanish language studies in Colombia, we will be sharing some of the stories we have from previous trips earlier this year. We hope you enjoy them and we hope that we will be able to soon share some of the ministry things they are able to participate in on the weekends in Colombia.

Wednesday January 25

Today we were picked up at 8am and we made our way through rush hour traffic to Bella Vista Prison. This was the prison in the video that we saw before we even knew what our assignment was with OMS. So we feel like our ministry started here, even though the program has been going on for approximately 20 years.

The first section of the prison we saw was the APAC program. This program gives the men more freedom in their areas and also trains them to do useful things when they reenter society. Jonathan, our ministry supervisor's son and our escort and driver, told us that the section of the prison they were given for APAC was in the worst shape of anywhere in Bella Vista. It has only been in existence for a year. And yet there are areas where there are sewing machines where they were making backpacks. They were very well made. They told us a supplier gives them the materials then they make them and the supplier sells them in his store. He gives some of the profit back to the inmates. They told us how this program not only gives them something to do, but gives them a sense of worth. They have hope they will be able to work when they are released. They also make jewelry. One of them gave me a necklace , bracelet and matching earrings. I was so touched. 

They all told us a little of their testimonies and how the spiritual aspect of the program is changing their lives. This program is changing the lives of Prisoners from the inside out. APAC started in Brazil and is making a huge difference in the lives of prisoners all over Latin and South America.

One other thing we saw them doing in the APAC program was working together on a project, building a large boat model. The other projects were more individual but this boat required teamwork and cooperation. This will be very useful to them as they reenter society.

We had lunch in the cafeteria and after lunch we entered the more high security part of the prison. We were led to an area where we were introduced to six leaders of the various "patios" around the Prison. This was an intimate meeting led by the Pastor Janivez in charge of that area. Each man gave his testimony, sharing how long he had been in prison and what he did to get there. Most shared that they had been murderers with no conscience at all about it. They said they would be dead if the Lord had not brought them to Bella Vista. It was amazing and touching. We thanked them for sharing their stories. Then we shared a little about our call to prison ministry. We told them that we would go home and tell the stories of the miracles that God is doing on a daily basis in Bella Vista prison . We prayed at the end and you could just feel the Spirit moving there. 

Another nice thing about today, is we had direct contact with the inmates and that doesn't always happen. Shaking hands and blessing them with a loving hands. We told them how much their stories blessed us and we would be sure to share them with everyone we meet in the United States.

Pastor Javier Mosquera, who was our guide spent 22 years in Bella Vista. Miracle after miracle.

Diane's Word for 2017

Each year for the last few, a small group of us have chosen a word or prayed about God giving them a word to focus and filter our life through for a year. We exchange emails every so often about how God is using that word to teach, grow and mold us. Diane gave me permission to share her last response regarding her 2017 word - OBEDIENCE.

Everywhere I turn, I get such strong confirmation that my word Obedience was truly the one for me. Recently I was part of a Priscilla Shirer study called One In A Million. It was a study about the Israelites journey through the wilderness. I realized that going to language school is my wilderness journey. It may not be as traumatic as some are called to be in, but still it is a very difficult thing for me to face. I know without a doubt that the Lord has called me to do this. So I am confident that He will sustain me through it. This study has reminded me that I cannot serve Him in this ministry on my own power. And the language learning is at the top of that list! I also realized that I must be positive and thankful about God's ability to enable me to learn Spanish. I must not be negative! And I will try to be grateful for this opportunity to serve Him. 

One of the quotes from the study really spoke to me, "If we want access to our full inheritance, we have to engage in active faith that illustrates our belief in God's ability and move forward in full confidence." 

So with His help, I will obey and go to language school as an indication of my active faith, that illustrates my belief in God's ability. To be able to do this I know I will have to begin each day with Him in prayer and His Word. Your prayers would be appreciated too 😊! 

And now, they are a week into the language studies she referred to in the here. MAYBE this was timed perfectly to be a reminder to her as well. Would you join me in praying that both Gary and Diane allow God to work powerfully within them to just make it click! He's so big, he surely can do that!

A 30,000 foot view of OMS in Honduras

Last week, upon his return from their latest trip to Honduras, Gary sent in a report to his immediate supervisor at OMS. He sent a copy to me as well and it gave such a great description of the scope of the work they have helped foster in that country that I asked him if I could share it with the blog community. He was happy to share. So check out what three years has meant to the sharing of the gospel in this one Latin American nation.

A general summary of the work in Honduras is that it is growing rapidly and in ways that clearly show the hand of the Lord in how, who and where the growth is occurring. 

When we started in Honduras about three years ago, they were really only seeing and working in three prisons, at San Pedro Sula, La Paz and Marcala.  They were working with a small core group of volunteers  who worked very hard, but due to lack of training and material, were really only ministering to the inmates' physical needs and to a much lesser extent, their spiritual condition.  They were in each of these prisons approximately twice each month, and they delivered personal hygiene products, some OTC medicines and preached a short message in the chapel.  The total number of people that they ministered to was probably in the range of 30-40 individuals in each of these prisons.  This was after serving with Prison Fellowship for more than 25-30 years.  It wasn’t lack of desire or effort, but no appreciable direction or materials for growing the participation.

Enter Train & Multiply.  The combination of the material and the funding of their ministry has changed the face of their ministry and isdramatically changing the face of the prison system in Honduras. 

Now their volunteer base consists of pastors from several different denominations, Nazarenes, Church of God, and even Roman Catholic, seeing the people in the prison several times each week. These are people who are graduating multiple classes from Train & Multiply each month and are providing the manpower and follow-up that Herasmo, Erasmo and Nora were unable to do because of the distance and time requirements to travel in Honduras. 

Where three years ago there were three locations, now there are 12-15 including:

La Esperanza, Comayagua, Tamara National Prison for Men, Tamara National Prison for Women, a third Tamara Prison, San Pedro Sula, El Progresso, Marcala, La Paz, Danli, Tela, Choluteca Prison, Nacaome Prison.  The ministry has grown and has made an impact to the point that the ministry has now been involved with Samaritan’s Purse to deliver Shoe Boxes to the children of prisoners.  They have an expanded participation in the PFI Angel Tree Program - again providing gifts for the children of prisoners. 

I have included a map of Honduras for you to get an idea of the scope of where they are working.  The country is about the size of Tennessee, but to go a little over 80 miles as the crow flies, it requires a drive of almost 4 hours even in the non-rainy season, which is better known there as construction season.  The volunteers are currently working in a large number of the departments or states in the country and are already planning on serving more. 

They are still doing all the things they used to with regard to preaching, personal hygiene and medicinal items, distributing gifts for the inmates children, but more importantly, they are developing a core group of 25-40 men and women that are trained as trainers who are spreading the program even when our volunteers are not on site. 

We have found that some of the inmates, primarily the gang members, while making a real change in their lives, still desire to be taught by an outside volunteer rather than by fellow inmates.  I have actually experienced this preference in the prisons I work in here in the states as well.

The program has been somewhat slow to grow outside the prison, but there is some activity in the city of Tegucigalpa with people participating from various barrios in Train & Multiply. Some of the remote pastors serving in the prisons have discovered that the Train & Multiply Program provides great material for developing the discipleship in their own churches and communities.

The program has developed to the point where it could almost be self-sustaining!

If you would like more detail, that is certainly available, but this gives you an idea of what and where things are happening.  On my next visit in November, it will be after the rainy season and before the construction season gets rolling and Herasmo promised that we would once again be running all over the country seeing the growth of the program throughout Honduras!

Colombia, January 2017 - Diane

I love sharing these snippets from my mom's travel journal. If you know Diane at all, you know that traveling is not second nature to her. I suspect most all of you know that if she were deciding, she would be home with her beloved dog, Summer and in close proximity to her kids and grandkids and her typical daily routines. Isn't it just how God works on us to make us uncomfortable to grow closer and more dependent on Him? Please be praying for Diane and Gary and their discomfort and growth - mental, emotional and physical discomfort is hard but it pays in huge dividends when God is the source!

Saturday Jan 21

Today the first day here in Medellin was a very full day! We arrived at the hotel about midnight last night and just unpacked enough to sleep. Then this morning we met Lacides Hernandes, the president of Prison Fellowship - Latin America, and off we went!  Back to the airport an hour away to pick up the board members arriving from an OMS board meeting in Peru. Then we went to visit a part of this ministry that reaches boys through soccer. They built a big sports complex that enables them to practice and play a lot of soccer. But also while they are playing this sport, they are being led to Christ and discipled

in the Christian way of life. And the families are involved in their process also. They are also building a church in the community that has grown from the soccer ministry.

Then we were taken to a facility that manufactures brownies using an American recipe and the proceeds are used to fund the soccer facility!  It is an amazing process that shows Gods  people working together to further His Kingdom.

Sunday January22

We got up and had breakfast with some of the International Board members, including president of OMS, Bob Fetherlin. We got to share our story of how God called us to serve Him in mission work. Many people who are with OMS have been in missions their whole lives and their families were missionaries. So our story fascinates them.

We went to church in Medellin at the first evangelical church established here by IGLECO, a division of OMS. It was a very special day for them to have the president and board members visiting. They gave a plaque to the President with their many thanks. One of the board members is a pastor and he preached a wonderful sermon with Randy Spacht as his translator. It was very powerful for everyone. The title was "At the Feet of Jesus," the story of Mary and how that was where you could always find her. It was very applicable in our busy world to take time to find what we need at the feet of Jesus. 

Bob Fetherlin spoke of the goals of OMS to reach all who have not heard the name of Jesus. He challenged all of us saying we are the ones who will take His name to all the earth. He also challenged the church here in Medellin - they are called to send missionaries to other countries that need Jesus. As always he was very inspiring.

Then after the service of much singing and greetings, we went to a local mall for lunch. The officials of the church hosted us and many were there with their families.

After lunch we went to visit the offices of IGLEICO. They are located very close to our hotel. They shared their organizational plan and plans to expand into other areas of Columbia. They are already in much of the country and even have a church in London.

Tonight for dinner we will hear about other aspects of ministry here. Such as the Satura Columbia project which as the name implies, has the goal of saturating the whole country with the Gospel. It was a special treat to hear from Juan Guillermo Cardona tonight about the saturation project for all of Columbia. He gave a very detailed plan of how this would be accomplished. He and his family work very hard for the Lord. It was such a pleasure to see them all. The last time we saw them his wife was undergoing chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. Thankfully she is cancer free now and looks wonderful! Their two teenage children, a boy and a girl, are so sweet and welcoming to us. It is wonderful to have such good friends here.