Columbia

We drove three hours from Cali, Columbia to Silvia where the Guambiano indigenous people live. We received an invitation to meet them from the chuch that is hosting us. You just can't drive there and go on your own to meet them, you need an invitation. There are Columbian guerrilas who are in Silvia so it's not the best place for foreigners with Washington license plates to go by themselves.



They heard the Gospel 70 years ago and through many trials of martydom and sufferings have continued in their faith with God. They are a very generous and friendly people who love Jesus passionately. We prayed and prophesied over them and they did the same over us. It was nice to be poured into by a body of believers that love Jesus passionately. During the prayer time I felt a heat around me as I was sitting down. Whenever one of them would come over to pray over me this heat would rise. It was a cloudy day so it wasn't the sun and there wasn't a light over me. I felt it was an angel of fire and then asked it to go in areas of my body. It was incredible. Taylor Lindsey was seating right next to me and was experiencing the same thing. I told him to direct the heat to go over areas of his body and he experienced the same sensation. It was really cool. I would have loved to seen the angel but enjoyed the experience.

Community Life Part 1

Up until 16 months ago, i haven't lived in a community for over 30 years. My early childhood I would say I had a little taste of community life but I was very young and don't remember much of it. My adolescent years did not have much community in it other than going to school but I didn't live with my friends or teachers. I would describe my home life not as a community but as four individuals living under the same roof. I moved out of the house right around my 18th birthday. I did have a group of friends after I moved out of the house and really enjoyed hanging out but I wouldn't describe it as a community. I lived by myself the rest of the time up until 16 months ago.

I prided myself on my indepence from the time I left home till probably a couple of years after I gave my life to Jesus, when I was almost 32 years old. I didn't depend on anyone for money. I didn't depend on another person for my future (wisdom in a career, wisdom in what a man is suppose to be, wisdom in doing drugs/alcohol or not, wisdom in how I treated myself and others, wisdom in relationships, wisdom in basically life). I became this way because this is what I had to do. I left the house in survival mode and didn't know any different. I can honestly say not one "Christian" witnessed to me about Jesus. I only new independence and that's what the world, and its system, preached. Don't get me wrong, I would reach out to people, even family, but I was reaching out to people who understood independence and definitely didn't know Jesus. My first pastor always said, "I'm not mad at anybody." I'm not and hope this doesn't offend anyone. I'm just explaining what I experienced.

I moved to the San Francisco bay area when I was 31 and lived there for 9 years. I left this last September to go on this amazing missionary journey. I remember a pastor from my first church tell the congregation during a service that he read an article that said the most independent country in the world is the good ol' U.S.A. and the most independent area is "Silicone Valley." Yikes! To say the least, I was not living in an area that celebrated community life. Church offered some community life but it was fit into a very fast paced life where it wasn't a priority. The cares of the world were more important to people in "Silicone Valley" than relationship. As I continued my walk with Jesus, I knew it wasn't suppose to fit into a busy schedule but have more of a priority. My decision to go to Iris put this into reality.

I went to Iris because what I read in the bible was so differnt then my experience as a Christian. The bible and many amazing books testified of God's power but I wasn't seeing it. I went because I wanted to see His power in signs, miracles, and wonders. I heard and read that it was happening there. What God gave me there was so much more then what I was seeking andfamily thought I needed. He spoke to me about relationships. A relationship with him and others. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,with all yoursoul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." 

I really was not prepared for community life like this. I was so use to having my own space and time that it was a challenge for me but one that I was ready to lay down for. I needed to be humbeled in this area to have a closer relationship with Jesus and others. It wasn't going to happen in the enviroment I was living in with my background. To my suprise, I loved it. I'm not saying I was good at it but I did love it.

So here I am, on the Iris Latin America trip. Our has fluctuated from between 20 to about 30 people sofar. I have brothers and sisters from the U.S.A., Texas, England, Canada. Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Columbia, Russia, Germany, and little Zoe who is from Africa. There are so many different cultures represented in this community and some are very vocal about there culture. We have fluctuated between 7 to 10 guys on this trip and girls have been between 13 to 20. Yes, it is a very diverse group of on fire Jesus lovers. It's an Acts 2 home church on an Acts 13 missionary journey. I love it! Come on Jesus, more fire, more salvations, more healings, more community. I was feeling Him while I was writing,"I love it!" I had to express it in written form. Fuego!! Isn't Jesus good! You could be writing a blog that you don't want to write and He just blast you with His love. I love you Jesus! You are the only way!!

Yeah, so, let's get to the "nitty-gritty." That is a saying from our training video for the Iris Latin America trip. Everyone has to watch it to be in unity with each other. Another saying that speaks to the group is "they don't think I know a butt-load of crap about the Gospel, but I do." You know how the devil tries to discourage us so just repeat this saying until you have understanding and it's in your heart. If you want feel like you are with us more, in unity, you must watch our training video. It's called, Nacho Libre. It's very inspiring. My strange sense of humor is coming out. Uh-oh!

Community life has it's pro's and con's. The pro's far out weigh the con's. Biggest con I can think of is when the group has only one shower and the 20 girls take forever because they have to shave there legs. Why? Hello, you are a missionary where most want to go to the unreached people in the middle of know where and your worried about hair on your legs. You don't want the indigenous people to think, hey, look the women don't shave their legs. You already know us guys on the team don't care how you look.

Anyways..Life in a community is far better than an independent life. It's challenges you to be a better brother-in-Christ, a better witness of Jesus's love, a better friend, a better person, and definitely more humble. Things seem to come out of you in a community that depends on a relationship with Pappa God and each other. Things that you don't even know you are dealing with inside. A couple of weeks ago, in Bogota, Columbia, my family was around me praying for healing of my right hip pain and prophesying over me. During it, I heard the Holy Spirit say, confess that you have been dealing with anger/bitterness and to apologize to 4 people who you have hurt. Boy, I did not want to do this. It felt embarrassing but that feeling was a lie from the devil. He never want repentance. Repentance leads to reconcilliation and then to revival. Well, I did confess and felt a big burden come off me. I felt lighter. It's amazing when you can feel in the Spirit.

I love this community that God has put me in. I just wanted to share a little about me and how God is transforming me into something new. For me, this is the only way to live.

To be continued....