They are just filled with air...why must we be the ones to fill them with that?

Over the last month or two, much thought and consideration has been sailing around my mind. They usually anchor off somewhere in some deep unknown cove or bay in the corner of brain at times and other times they decide to be led by a crazed pirate ship captain that will make its way to the front of my mind and thoughts unloading whatever ammunition they have, which leads to my inevitable thoughts of worry and concern. These very thoughts are those entwined with my future...particularly my well-being in the mission field in the next year to come. My time or chapter of Bible College is most certainly coming to a close soon as I prepare to return to Peru in late August and I will graduate December 3rd.

During my visit in my mother's old stomping grounds of Cali, Colombia...it went from a family vacation to a time for me to 'spy out the land', just like Joshua and Caleb spied out the Promised Land to see if the land was good and full of fruit, or simply to see if this was the land that the Lord promised the children of Israel. For a long time I've wondered where I would be after Bible College or what kind of ministry I would be a part of or perhaps start. Well, simply with the time I spent in Cali, Colombia that is I saw the fruit, but equally I saw the rotten fruit. When I spent time with Calvary Chapel Cali, Colombia I was able to spend time with my friends from Bible College Lima, Peru who are now graduates and are now serving where the Lord has called them to. In this time, I had the privileged opportunity to share my testimony of how I came to know Jesus and how He moved my heart to 'Go South' (TO South America that is)with CCC's Youth Group. They were shocked by the 'little' adventures the Lord has taken me on...not just south of the Equator, but also with my heart before His face.

Though there was one day I took a little stroll with some friends into a very historical neighborhood of Cali....rather one of the oldest in Cali, Colombia. This cool little town's name is San Antonio. This historical neighborhood has its history of 'rough/sketchy' areas and its dark areas where people privately practice satanic rituals in their house. I would only learn this dark secret about 2 weeks after returning to the States. Following this, I would have a strong movement on my heart about this neighborhood and when I inquired of my mother more about San Antonio she said "Sure, it's a great city! It's gorgeous! Historical, but not a place you want to be to evangelize, it's rough in some areas. Daniel, I hope you're not thinking about umm, evangelizing there...it's dangerous!" I said nothing, just to simply let her figure out the obvious answer that will inevitably manifest itself into reality as a ministry, Lord willing. After much thought I had thoughts and even nightmares of myself walking through Cali with my life being threatened and seeing the despaired faces of my family and friends.

Though I spent time at a local ministry for 20, 30 year olds and beyond? The pastor spoke about sometime in his early marriage life someone broke into his house and carried a rather 'dull butter knife' to fend off the 'villain', if there was ever one. He wandered through the house thrusting and swinging away at shadows and to find one place he didn't check. His son's bathroom behind the shower curtain. So, he goes in to check with much reluctance he found standing behind the curtain a 6 foot tall inflatable Shamu swimming pool doll. He went to work on it...and later he found out that the reason for the alarm going off in the middle of the night was as a result of not keeping the door properly closed and the wind pushed the door based the alarm censor.

So for me, I think to myself every time I head back to South America I realize I make my fears so much larger than what they deserve to be or appear to be and I always give them more 'air' or credit than they deserve or need. Now, my perception of Colombia is that of respect and not of a paranoid fear and it's not just Colombia, but ALL OF South America.

Please anybody reading this, pray for me as the doors of ministry seem to be growing or more of them are appearing in South America for me to be a part of. My prayer is that there would be a revival/awakening in South America to genuinely worship Jesus as Lord and Savior, not as a religion, but in a relationship. I pray that the Lord's will be done and more people will pray for the many ministries popping up and growth taking place in South America.