Diana Drake's Memories from the Colombia Trip

About 2 months ago I went on an amazing trip to Bogota, Colombia with a group from our church. We got to work with a wonderful group of missionaries from YWAM (Youth with a Mission) who live and work in the Bogota area. It was also really neat to actually work in the building that our church helped pay for through the Bigfoot Comedy night fundraiser last year. The building is used as a play center where the street kids in the YWAM program can come to have fun. We got to add some great play areas in that building, like a rope bridge, a texture wall, hammocks to climb on, a basketball court, and we fixed the rock climbing wall. Also, we got to go out and visit some of the schools and drop-in centers that YWAM helps run for the street kids. It was truly incredible to get to be with these kids, both in the centers and on the streets, and experience a small part of what life is like for them there.

I’ve been on short-term mission trips before, and there are always lessons learned and experiences you take from them. For me, there were several experiences that I know will stay with me for a long time to come. One was seeing a perfect rainbow in the mist over the city of Bogota, a reminder to me that there is beauty in the world even in the most unexpected places. The streets of Bogota are often filled with trash, and the homeless are everywhere, living where they can and struggling to survive. Seeing the incredible poverty, I couldn’t help but compare it to the way we live here at home. We have clean streets, safe homes, and an abundance of food and possessions. We are so blessed, but I know that I was reminded that we must never take that for granted, or think that we somehow deserve the blessings God has given us. We are blessed so that we may bless others. I know that it is good for me to be reminded of that, and to keep a sense of perspective in my life and a sense of gratitude for all God has given me.

For me, the most memorable experiences in Bogota were when we got to meet the children. Each day we visited a different school, so we only got to spend an hour or two with most of the children, then say goodbye. I wasn’t sure what kind of impact we could have in such a short amount of time. However, what we got to represent was simply the love of God for those kids. We were there to smile and hug and show them that somebody cares. And they showed us the same. We helped them make a beaded cross necklace, with each color bead representing part of the salvation message. Hopefully these crosses will remind them of God’s love for them always. These children had so little, yet they were able to laugh and smile and show love. We, who have so much, should certainly be able to do the same.

Going to Colombia was an amazing experience, and I hope to be able to go back sometime soon.

Diana Drake

Testimony from Joseph McWilliams, Kenya Trip

God guided every part of me going on this trip to Africa. Everything from my summer school starting no later than a day after I got back to the fact that our entire group never got in one quarrel. Not to mention I didn't even bump my head once! After some experiences I have had on mission trips, this was such a blessing. I will never be the same because of my trip to Kenya. One day we visited an orphanage that took in kids that are anywhere from newborns to three years old. While we were there it was hard to grasp the fact that they had no parents. I'm so used to seeing babies with the parents running behind them. It wasn't until I came home and read this verse that it really hit me:

Ecclesiastes 4:1
Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the
sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed- and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors- and they have no comforter.

So many nights I see the faces of those oppressed orphans and wish there was something I could do. I have been praying that someday there will be. While we were there Leah and I took many pictures and video. She really did a great job and I'm very thankful she was there to help me. I couldn't have done it without her. I'm very excited about the opportunities that God provided me with. I talked to Bob and Ann, the leaders of Bridges International, and figured out they had been looking for somebody to help them with the website. Again, God had a strong hand here. I agreed to help without hesitation. I have been working on a site for them with the pictures we took there. I'll also be making a video to show at church and put on the website I'm making. Please pray for me as I try to balance school, work, and my involvement with these amazing people. I hope to have the video done sometime in August.

When I got to my dorm at West Texas A&M my parents were trying to make me comfortable (after all, I had just flown in from Africa). I tried to explain to them that I was thankful just to have a bed to sleep in and a pillow to lay my head on. I realized how many creature comforts I really do have. The beautiful thing is that, despite having very different daily routines, the Kenyans are the kindest people I've ever met. The collectivistic culture completely captivated me as it harshly contrasted with our culture. I've had trouble adjusting back to America. All I can do is pray that God will send me back to Kenya some day.

Joseph McWilliams