September/October: It is that window of the year when the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society promotes the World Mission Offering (WMO) throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. To learn how your support lets living water flow in Colombia, read more about our second trip to Cúcuta and to Cali for the Global Baptist Peace Conference. The trips to The Guajira and the Mission Lectureship in Puerto Rico will follow next.

And, just like that, our first year in Colombia has been completed! Praise the Lord and thanks for your partnership…

In April we made our first trip to Cúcuta to learn of the situation of so many migrants from Venezuela into our country. Pastor Luis Eberto and his wife Ingrid showed us how the FBC of Cúcuta is responding to the call of compassion and mercy to their neighbors through meals, small business opportunities (shoes, purses, and bread making), evangelism, and discipleship.

In July we made our second trip; this time bringing our area director and the global consultant for immigration and refugees with us. Adalia and Ray joined us on a journey through the Humanitarian Network for Migrants from Cúcuta to Tunja. As we saw them and the shelters along the way, we realized as Luis and Johana have, that the current 14 shelters and stations are not enough for the many who are traveling daily. The ladies of FBC of Cúcuta are embarking on a new endeavor of sewing hooded blankets in all sizes for those who come from very warm weather and face the bitter cold of the Berlin Plateau.

Many have frozen to death in their quest for freedom and safety! It can take them almost a full day on foot to get from Cúcuta to Pamplona, 3 days from Pamplona to Tunja, another day from Tunja to Bogotá, another 5 days from Bogotá to Cali, and another 4.5 days from Cali to the border with Ecuador: a total of almost 15 days (if they weren’t to stop walking) from the Simón Bolívar Bridge in Cúcuta, Colombia to the Rumichaca Bridge in Ipiales, Colombia, all of it on foot… Do they need to let living water flow or what? See why we need to pray and seek resources for more Humanitarian Network shelters along the way? Along with food, a shower, and a couple of hours of horizontal zzz’s, they are provided spiritual nourishment that is what will last the longest. Let living water flow to these migrants providing them hope and dignity! To protect their safety, no pics are shared on this journal or online. If you’d like to partner with us to serve these vulnerable siblings, please email us and we will guide you.

Immediately after that trip to Cúcuta, we had the week-long Global Baptist Peace Conference in Cali, Colombia. Siblings from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Oceania (more than 30 countries in total), were present for this event that followed the one in Rome in 2009. Almost 400 brothers and sisters attended sharing testimonies, listening to other fellow peacemakers, and seeking for ways to build bridges of peace in countries where discrimination, violence, war, and corruption are the daily bread. We praise the Lord for the wonderful attendance and the gracious hospitality the UNIBAUTISTA provided to all who came. We had wonderful opportunities to make new friends and see many we hadn’t seen in a while, some in years! We pray the next Conference does not take another 10 years to happen. Plenty of pics and videos are posted on the FB page for the Conference and our own. Let living water flow spreading peace to the whole world and may we be the ones to help spread it.

Summer is almost over and we were blessed to have a full house throughout our hectic schedule. Now the older children return to their studies in the USA and the younger one continues her high school homeschooling studies. Let living water flow with wisdom, intelligence, and determination in this new academic year for them and us all.

We will soon share about our first trip to meet the Wayuu in The Guajira and our trip to the Mission Lectureship in Puerto Rico (both in August), but first we share with gratitude the website for the 2019 World Mission Offering, promoted in our ABC-USA and IBPR churches in September and October. Be sure to visit https://internationalministries.org/world-mission-offering/ for the WMO downloadable materials and videos, available in English and Spanish. Thanks for your generosity and love that lets living water flow to so many countries around the world, including Colombia.

While participating in the WMO, you can also make or edit your commitment to support global servants: https://portal.internationalministries.org/global-servant-support  Your commitment to God and your loving care of all of us is both needed and appreciated. Remember to keep us in your prayers so we can be and stay over the top! Let living water flow with resources to fulfill each of our increased personalized support goals coming October 1^st.

God blesses the people in Colombia, the migrants from Venezuela, the indigenous groups throughout the country, the UNIBAUTISTA students, and your BGs through you… T H A N K   Y O U!!!

Stretching further toward the goal “letting living water flow”,

your BGs Et Al

Find us on www.facebook.com/BGsEtAl and “Like” our page for updates and pictures of our ministry. If you’d like to reach us, send us your cell phone number and email via BGs Et Al’s inbox and we’ll be happy to connect with you as soon as we’re able!