Mission Colombia

Above you see us at Cru25, Milwaukie and to the right is the heart of Bogota. Our whole Faculty Commons (FC) Mission team to Colombia met up in Atlanta Airport on 7 Aug., flying in from as far as Ohio. There were 4 profs, 2 CRU FC staff, and one spouse. In Bogota, we connected with our FC Colombia Staff member Carlos, and his terrific wife Maria Isabel, and with Global Scholars Prof. Jeremy, who teaches at Javeriana Uni. in Bogota. The next day we traveled to a nearby church for our first day of the first-ever Colombian Christian Professors “retreat”. We had about 18 Colombian Profs total from Cali, Bogota and Barranquilla, who seemed very eager to learn how to minister to their students and colleagues at their own Uni. After a tasty lunch, Maria got us together and paired us up with people we didn't know to introduce them--which helped us quickly to bond. After that fun exercise, Carlos led off with the first talk, “A Vision for Being a Christian Professor”. We then grouped up with one or two others and responded to some questions that Carlos provided about putting his points into action. After a short break, I (Phil) had the wonderful opportunity to speak on “Ways to Have a Christian Testimony on a Secular Campus”. At the start of the talk, it appeared the Profs in the audience were a bit overwhelmed at the prospects of being Christians in an often HOSTILE environment. But, by the end of the talk, they seemed to be becoming very enthusiastic about what G^d might do through them. We all joined together for a delicious supper, and it was quickly apparent that eating these meals together was a great opportunity for fellowship, further discussions, and mutual encouragement. Our Faculty Commons team on the way to Colombia. The next day was a full one with a great kickoff talk by Dr. Cilia Z (her first-ever foreign-mission talk) , who spoke on “The Spirit-filled Life”, which was one of the favorite talks of everyone. After discussion, Dorsey M gave a talk on “Sharing the 4 Spiritual Laws”. After discussion and another group-lunch about 24 of us set out in teams of two or three to share the Gospel as we had just been taught. There were about 34 presentations completed and about 10 decisions for following the Christ, plus many seeds sown! Our US team was surprised and thrilled to hear Diana, a young female Colombian physician/prof, share with great joy her team's experiences sharing the Gospel. Her report seemed to inject (pun) the whole group with great enthusiasm as many groups gave reports. This excitement carried into dinner together. The final day of the retreat, Jeremy and Anita gave a great talk jointly on “How to Balance Work and Family”. I (Phil) hope to adapt this talk, as it seems so vital to Profs around the world. In the final session, Cru FC Staff, Bill H, gave a talk on “How to Launch a Professors Ministry in Your University”. All of us who participated in the retreat. I (Phil) have been to many, many similar Prof Christian retreats in the USA, and this one in Bogota was the most impressive I have ever seen. From the first session to the last, the enthusiasm and excitement, and motivation of the Colombian Profs seemed to grow. Everyone seemed to be sad to see the retreat end, but, they also seemed excited to see what G^d might do on their own campus. Please pray that G^d would sustain this energy and enthusiasm for being Salt and Light in Universities in Colombia! After this tremendous retreat, we Americans divided into 2 teams to minister in Universities in Bogota and Cali. On Monday, Dr. Cilia Z shared her testimony with about a dozen Cru students at Javeriana Uni. in Bogota. Then I (Phil) gave a talk on “Success in the University and Beyond”. The students seemed very engaged and every time I asked a question, one or more students gave great responses. This group of students has the capacity to make a huge impact for the Christ in Colombia for years to come. On Wednesday I got to share first with the “Lunch and Friends” group, "Five Arguments for Why God Must Exist”. I couldn't tell for sure, but some of the students were Christians and some appeared to be non-Believers. I then got to speak for 10 minutes in Prof. Jeremy's Business class on “Managing Your Self and Your Time”. This was the least-engaged group I spoke to, but they asked questions for about 20 min after I finished, so even they were a pretty good audience. My final talk was to the English Club on “Keys to Effective Leadership”. It was great fun and some of the students were willing to hear me for the third time that week! These are photos of four talks to students at Javeriana University. It was a great mission, made possible by your financial support and much more by your prayers. We thank you so much for your support! As you read this, rejoice that you participated, for it was certainly a terrific time.