Colombia Wrap-Up - Bri

I sit here thinking about how to put into words a summary of the Colombia trip and am just overwhelmed with how good God is!Every single aspect of this trip from before, during and after has struck me with how absolutely personal and mightily present God is!  I was reading back through my journal of the miraculous ways He led and provided for me to even go on the trip  in the first place and then through page after page of how He led and provided the strength, wisdom and love for each of us on the team and every work He put before us!  I wish you could just peek into my heart and let it tell the story because it's bursting with awe of our God through this trip!  But, I will do my best to write out and describe to you the wonder that I have!I'll start off with this verse!"The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)Grin! This verse described the trip perfectly!! I really feel as though God just picked me up, right when I needed it most, and "whisked" me off to Colombia to show me His love near and far and to show me how He loves to use me for His glory wherever He calls me!He indeed, was in the midst of us mightily!  I was just so aware and in awe of how He hand-picked and called each individual one on the team for this trip!  I could write example after example of how He loves to use every single skill of His children for the furtherance of His gospel!God loves using willing hearts and hands and enables them like nobody's business (lol!) when they're dedicated to His will!!!!!!I thought I'd list out only a few of the many skills and gifts of each on the team to give you a glimpse into how I saw God work!Drew - had a knack for handyman things and with the help of a little tool kit that he happened to bring along, fixed a big mixer in the orphanage kitchen (which was a huge help to them!), "rescued" us from some plumbing disasters and really invested in the teenagers through self-defense classes and spending quality time with them!Dustin - was good at soccer (football) and won the hearts and admiration of children everywhere we went because of it!  I smile thinking of how fast he connected with kids with one non-chalant kick of his foot!{God uses EVERYTHING!  That's Who He is!! }Melissa - has this enthusiastic life energy gift that I saw draw crowds of children to her (to Christ) in every place that we were!  They knew immediately that they were loved and immediately loved her back!  She also had the whole group of children riveted as she told stories of God's character and truth!Misty - she has a contagious smile and a generous servant's heart!  Her hands were always helping "on duty" and "off duty" and her relationships that she made were founded solid for the Kingdom because of her deep heart!  She also had a group in tears with a beautiful testimony!Sterling - I loved hearing her teach crafts and tie them in with a biblical truth!  She had the gift of wherever she was at, being ALL there with joy and God used that joy mightily!!  She gave a powerful testimony of her life to a group and really connected with them through her openness!Amanda - first of all, she has the gift of making me laugh and I treasure that!  I think back with a smile seeing little ones run to her and wrap themselves in her arms, sit on her lap or even just hugging her tight and I know it's because she had the gift of making them feel safe and secure!  That is such an incredible gift and one that was needed to be used on this trip!!!Ruth - she was such a gracious and diligent leader!  Her skills for details, the medical field, teaching, and loving were all utilized so specifically and in impacting ways!  She was an inspiration and example to so many children as she taught them God's Word with enthusiasm!Richard - he led the team with excellence and God-given energy! His gift of leadership empowered the team through exhortation and trust!  He was a role model to the kids through his story telling as He taught them how to apply God's truth in their everyday lives!  He used his medical, photography, organization and people skills to the fullest for God's glory!Lindsay - a faithful translator for our team!  She has a passionate heart for God's truth, ministry and children and encouraged us daily with her sweet and energetic spirit!!!  We couldn't have done it without her!!Oscar and Monica - a great couple who were our contacts in Colombia and we were so blessed by how much time, energy, contacts and resources they used to help us serve to the fullest while there!I went to share God's love and be a blessing and came home from this trip the very loved and blessed one!  From day one giving skits and crafts at a school of 190 children and receiving about that same number of hugs back,  till our last day after a week of sharing God's love at an orphanage and having precious little ones run up to give us trinkets and stuffed animals from their rooms, for us to take home and remember them by!  To borrow words from David in the Psalms, "...my cup overfloweth!"There were many opportunities for  the team to "step out" in faith on this trip (impromptu group singing specials, testimonies and programs etc.) and I'm grateful to say that we claimed them and then were able to experience God's pleasure as He enabled us and His blessing as we saw lives be impacted because of Him in us!!!Our curriculum was focused on the powerful, personal promises of God through salvation and obedience!  God confirmed to us that He sealed those truths that we shared, in Colombian lives, by putting a beautiful rainbow in the sky toward the end of the trip!  He went before us, was with us and is still powerfully present there in Colombia, even when our hearts are, but we aren't!  I'm so grateful to be a part of His Kingdom work!May God bless Colombia and blessed be His name in every place!-Bri