This past month I have continued to experience God’s grace, peace, and joy in my life. There is nothing like experiencing God’s unconditional love and grace as His child and walking in the freedom of that. Not everything has been easy, but I have grown a lot and been challenged through those things. God seems to be bringing about new things in my life – relationally and spiritually. The honeymoon here has worn off, but life here still continues to be an adventure full of trust, patience, and perseverance.
ECA Update
For the past few weeks I have been teaching softball/baseball to every class. A lot of the kids are getting really into it, and it has been fun to see them play. We also started the high school girls’ soccer tournament and the high school guys’ volleyball tournament. I am organizing and officiating the girls’ soccer tournament. I am the champion of the men’s staff ping pong tournament, and the women’s tournament is almost finished. It has also been fun seeing the middle school girls’ volleyball team improve. The high school guys’ basketball team I am coaching just competed in a tournament with local schools last Friday. We lost both games, but I am proud of the guys for going out and giving their best. I have also been helping to disciple a student from 12th grade.
Recently, I went on the high school fall retreat to Villa de Leyva. It was a great three and a half days with the students where relationships with God and others were deepened. One of the evenings we had a time of prayer at the end of the session. Kids started crying and weeping, others praising God on the floor, and others went around praying for and hugging others. Some even started praying for the teachers. The Holy Spirit was moving in that room, and it was an amazing and humbling display of God’s love and power. God also touched me in that time, and I started crying on the floor as his incredible peace and presence filled me. I believe this is what ECA needs – a spiritual revival – and I pray this is the beginning.
Divine Appointments
God has brought some new opportunities in the past few weeks. One was a guy from the States who came to Colombia to help build a house for someone. I randomly met him and heard his story of being robbed, beaten up, and losing all his important things two days earlier. He shared his story at a coffee shop where another guy brought him to. I was able to help a little and just provide a listening ear.
I was put in contact with another guy from the States who feels called to Bogotá, but doesn’t know what He is supposed to do here. He arrived this past Friday. I believe that God will use each of us in each other’s lives here in Colombia. I want to help him in any way that I can as he transitions here and looks for connections, work, and God’s will for him here.
Another amazing encounter was having a random girl come up to me in the mall and ask where I was from. She said she saw me sitting at the table, noticed that there was something different about me, felt like he had to come talk to me, and said she wanted to get to know me a little. As we talked she shared about some things that had been happening in her life recently. I got to share the gospel with her and encourage her with truth from God’s Word. It was a random, cool, weird experience all at the same time and was clearly from God.
Thoughts of the Future
I recently told ECA that I don’t plan on returning for next school year. I still feel God has put in my heart to work with a ministry in Colombia where I will be immersed in Spanish after this school year. I feel God has changed my heart about working at ECA in a good way, so I am still open to what He has for me. The next step could be a little scary losing all the benefits and community of working at the school, but when has God ever not taken care of me? This past Saturday I met with a guy who works for Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Colombia. There is a lot of need not just in Bogotá, but all over Colombia. I can keep searching and praying all I want, but ultimately I need to be still and rest in God and His plan and timing. For the near future, I am thinking about taking a trip like I did over the summer to a different region of Colombia – in and around the beautiful coffee region. We’ll see how that unfolds.
One way I have been challenged is to remind myself to die to self throughout the day. Another thing is mixing physical education with physical healing as I pray for people and students. I have asked myself what makes me come alive and seek to walk in those things. I ask almost every night that God would speak to me through a dream or vision. One of the most challenging things is to just be and rest in the Lord. As I read somewhere, God wants me to be free as a son – free of sin, comparison, worry, etc. To just be and to rest in that is pretty awesome!
“He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” – Romans 8:32
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7
En Cristo,
Jonathan
ECA Update
For the past few weeks I have been teaching softball/baseball to every class. A lot of the kids are getting really into it, and it has been fun to see them play. We also started the high school girls’ soccer tournament and the high school guys’ volleyball tournament. I am organizing and officiating the girls’ soccer tournament. I am the champion of the men’s staff ping pong tournament, and the women’s tournament is almost finished. It has also been fun seeing the middle school girls’ volleyball team improve. The high school guys’ basketball team I am coaching just competed in a tournament with local schools last Friday. We lost both games, but I am proud of the guys for going out and giving their best. I have also been helping to disciple a student from 12th grade.
Recently, I went on the high school fall retreat to Villa de Leyva. It was a great three and a half days with the students where relationships with God and others were deepened. One of the evenings we had a time of prayer at the end of the session. Kids started crying and weeping, others praising God on the floor, and others went around praying for and hugging others. Some even started praying for the teachers. The Holy Spirit was moving in that room, and it was an amazing and humbling display of God’s love and power. God also touched me in that time, and I started crying on the floor as his incredible peace and presence filled me. I believe this is what ECA needs – a spiritual revival – and I pray this is the beginning.
Divine Appointments
God has brought some new opportunities in the past few weeks. One was a guy from the States who came to Colombia to help build a house for someone. I randomly met him and heard his story of being robbed, beaten up, and losing all his important things two days earlier. He shared his story at a coffee shop where another guy brought him to. I was able to help a little and just provide a listening ear.
I was put in contact with another guy from the States who feels called to Bogotá, but doesn’t know what He is supposed to do here. He arrived this past Friday. I believe that God will use each of us in each other’s lives here in Colombia. I want to help him in any way that I can as he transitions here and looks for connections, work, and God’s will for him here.
Another amazing encounter was having a random girl come up to me in the mall and ask where I was from. She said she saw me sitting at the table, noticed that there was something different about me, felt like he had to come talk to me, and said she wanted to get to know me a little. As we talked she shared about some things that had been happening in her life recently. I got to share the gospel with her and encourage her with truth from God’s Word. It was a random, cool, weird experience all at the same time and was clearly from God.
Thoughts of the Future
I recently told ECA that I don’t plan on returning for next school year. I still feel God has put in my heart to work with a ministry in Colombia where I will be immersed in Spanish after this school year. I feel God has changed my heart about working at ECA in a good way, so I am still open to what He has for me. The next step could be a little scary losing all the benefits and community of working at the school, but when has God ever not taken care of me? This past Saturday I met with a guy who works for Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Colombia. There is a lot of need not just in Bogotá, but all over Colombia. I can keep searching and praying all I want, but ultimately I need to be still and rest in God and His plan and timing. For the near future, I am thinking about taking a trip like I did over the summer to a different region of Colombia – in and around the beautiful coffee region. We’ll see how that unfolds.
One way I have been challenged is to remind myself to die to self throughout the day. Another thing is mixing physical education with physical healing as I pray for people and students. I have asked myself what makes me come alive and seek to walk in those things. I ask almost every night that God would speak to me through a dream or vision. One of the most challenging things is to just be and rest in the Lord. As I read somewhere, God wants me to be free as a son – free of sin, comparison, worry, etc. To just be and to rest in that is pretty awesome!
“He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” – Romans 8:32
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7
En Cristo,
Jonathan