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A highlight of my recent sabbatical break, was a vision trip to Colombia.  I travelled with a group from the lower mainland who are supporters of our ministry partner, Seeds of Love and Hope International Society.  We travelled to Medellin which lives up to its title as “the city of eternal spring”.  It was a joy to experience a new culture, language, food, and an amazing array of fruit.  In just one week, I was able to connect with three Cornerstone ministry partners!  Arriving on Saturday, our group settled in and then enjoyed a gondola ride to view one part of this vast city.  On Sunday we attended the Redil Estadiou (“Sheepfold, Stadium) Church.  As always, I found it a great encouragement to worship with brothers and sisters in another country.  We then visited a the downtown plaza and another part of Medellin by metro, tram, and gondola.

Monday and Tuesday our group visited the SOLAHIS center.  We joined the staff meeting and went on a guided walk in the impoverished neighbourhood which proved impactful.  I was also impressed by the need for staff to be equipped and encouraged, as they served vulnerable children and families.  We had a wonderful meal at the mall with our group, center staff, and some grads of the program.  On Wednesday I presented the devotional for the staff meeting.  I was also privileged to share the Gospel with students at the local school, which has two shifts per day of 1500 students!  With the help of “Sénior Google” I spent some time connecting with one of the dads at the center.  In the evening, I was blessed to experience the traditional Colombian game of Tejo.

Thursday I met up with another ministry partner.  Jerusha Ricketts is in her first year of serving in Medellin with Fellowship International.  It was great to hear how she is settling into her ministry and pray for her.  On Friday I visited with Diego and Claudia Cardona, who are also ministry partners of Cornerstone.  Pastor Diego pioneered the El Redil family of churches and now pastors Redil Rionegro.  They treated me to a trip to the tourist town of Quatepe which allowed a relaxed time of fellowship, discussing theology, and learning about the way God is expanding the network of Redil church plants.

Saturday we were up at dawn to attend the Redil Rionegro men’s breakfast.  It was a great privilege to share God’s Word with these men.  Despite some language barrier, the fellowship was warm and meaningful.  Until it was time to head to the airport, I was hosted by new friends Lukas and Sonia, who are part of the congregation in Rionegro.  We shared about the journey of following Jesus, both the joys and challenges.  Though our cultural contexts differ greatly, it was encouraging to see how the Gospel impacts us equally.  I arrived home on Sunday afternoon with much gratitude for health and safety on my trip.  It was a great to connect with other group members who are also passionate for the progress of SOLAHIS.  We were joined by three volunteers from Florida who came to help center children with speech therapy.  Not surprisingly, Jorge Silva was a wonderful host and tour guide.

In the coming weeks we will be studying the book of Philippians.  In the salutation of this letter, Paul makes a timeless comment about the unity of purpose and fellowship shared by all believers.  For Paul, it mattered little that he was in a Roman prison hundreds of miles away from the Philippian church.  Similarly, regardless of the distance from Cornerstone to Colombia, we have a common life in Christ.  As Paul expressed, “I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:3-6)