Extreme Walk

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A New Hope

Published on July 7, 2008 in Joe and Alicia Timmermans. Closed

The heat danced across the red dirt road in front of us. It was over 40° C with high humidity and my shirt was already soaked through. The odd chicken strutted by as we stopped to take in the view surrounding us. In the distance a little girl wearing what was once a white dress, chased her naked little brother across the patch of dirt that served as their front yard. Beyond them a rolling green field stretched out to the horizon creating a sharp contrast. The thatching of a nearby house stirred as a light breeze picked up, with the plastic walls of a nearby shack echoing a response.

This was the displacement camp in Montelibano, one of many in Colombia. We left Medellin early the Thursday before, and after a 7-hour bus ride from the mountains to the green plains of northern Colombia, we arrived at the school that would be our home for the week. We were members of a 200 person Christian humanitarian aid effort made up of several different organizations including YWAM, (Youth With A Mission) and our organization, OMS international. Included in the 200-person group were doctors, dentists, counselors and many other people offering their services.

The majority of the people living in this camp were forced to flee from their homes by the internal conflict that is still occurring in many parts of Colombia. The majority of people have also lost loved ones to the violence. And so here they were living in a field with thousands of others in the same situation: hopeless, tired and broken.

We were both assigned teams to work with - Alicia with micro-finances and me with construction. Alicia and 2 other women led several sessions throughout the week on how to start a small business, how micro-credit works and Biblical principals on managing money. Because of the number of people in the camp and the distance from the actual town, it was basically its own community, with many opportunities for its own small businesses. Potential businesses included: fruit & vegetable stands, making uniforms for school kids, brick-making, making sandals, sewing, etc.

The construction team was able to help 2 new churches in the area. In one, we poured a concrete floor, one of the only ones in neighbourhood. For the second, we started construction on the building.

In the center of the camp a team from the Colombia Bible Seminary set up a large circus style tent and offered nightly services, which were concluded with an offer to accept Jesus into their lives. With what these people had been through they knew they needed something more. Their hearts were broken and so they were wide open to accept Jesus.

On the final night was held a service of forgiveness and we were just amazed at the results. Women came forward and publicly forgave the men that murdered their husbands. Children came forward and forgave the people who killed their parents. Another man asked his wife for forgiveness from several years back when he had severely cut her with a machete on several different places on her body. She miraculously survived and they had both become believers in the Lord. There were a lot of tears that night, but there was also a lot of healing, God was there under that tent, and for many of those people it was the night that their life was changed.

This was definitely not an easy experience for us but it was a good one. The Lord is at work in these places. He’s comforting the poor in spirit and his arms are open to all who will accept him. There’s so much pain in this world and at times it seems impossible for any thing to change it, but Jesus will, a day is coming when there will be no more crying and no more pain, all we can do is work with what the Lord has placed in our hands and trust Him to do the rest.

Lots of Love,

Joe & Alicia

Joys and Sorrows of the Rainy Season

Published on June 16, 2008 in Joe and Alicia Timmermans. Closed

It was a bright Saturday morning as we prepared for our trip up the mountain. We had been playing soccer with some of the neighborhood kids the day before when one of them suggested we all go see the city from a top the mountain. We didn’t have any obligations the following day so we agreed to all meet in front of the school at 9:00 am.

In true Colombian form, half the kids didn’t show up and of those that did (15 adolescent boys), most of which were half an hour late. And so by 9:40 am we were winding our way through the narrow passages and up the many flights of stairs to the edge of the neighborhood. Once we’d made it to the tree line and had started up the path, we quickly found ourselves surrounded by a forest of pine with the odd clump of wild mora berries, which of course the boys quickly disposed of.

The path was well worn with the occasional hoof print pressed deep into the orange clay soil, and as we emerged from the trees we found ourselves on a steep grass slope spotted with wild orchids. Being boys, most of the group decided to try and cut straight across a deep gully in an effort to be the first to the top. The trail itself circled around the backside of the summit for an easier more gradual ascent. Not wanting anyone to get hurt, we followed reluctantly and were soon pawing our way over the rocks and on to the summit.

After a few deep breaths we turned to take in the view of the valley below us. The city of Medellin hummed with activity, no distinct sounds, just the hum of four million people going about their lives.

After a leisurely lunch we went around and picked up some garbage left by previous visitors, and after a quick game of pass with the soccer ball, we prepared for our trip back down. Things were going well at first, no pushing, not even any fistfights, which was usually par for the course with this crowd.

And then the rain started. The orange clay path soon turned into a giant slide, which of course was an irresistible temptation to a crowd of adolescent boys. And so, despite my warnings of how unhappy their moms would be, by the time we reached the bottom, most of them were covered from head to toe in the thick orange goo. We ourselves showed evidence of a couple of good falls, which we would feel the next day. Thankfully, we were never confronted by any angry mothers. After being invited in for coffee by one, we were actually thanked. So many of these young boys have no positive male role models, and a trip up the mountain with one was much appreciated by this ones mother.

This is just one of many stories we have from this past month. God has given us so many opportunities to be involved in this community. Already everywhere we go, we are greeted by friendly smiles and waves. We have also been blessed by having been able to meet with a couple of the community leaders, one of course being the local priest, who having worked in this community for more than fifty years really understands the spiritual needs here, and has been warm and open to our activities here.

The other is a man (we’ll call him Jorge) in his mid thirties who is known to control what goes on in the neighborhood. Despite his questionable position, we have found him also to be very warm and friendly. After a few different conversations, we were surprised to be invited to his church. After accepting his offer one Saturday evening, we were able to learn a little more about this man. Twenty years ago Jorge lived with his family on the hill behind what is now his church. One evening after a lot of rain, there was a landslide and Jorge’s entire family was killed. Shortly after we arrived at the church Jorge led us up the hill, which had been turned into a memorial park for the twenty five people lost in the slide. After reaching the spot where his own family’s marker stood, he explained how the park and church were built and how a place that held so much pain for him was now where he went weekly to worship with joy.

Our days here seem to be getting busier and busier as we start to expand our working area. We have started to try and meet with the Inder groups, which are city run community activity clubs. Inder has programs for kids, teens and adults ranging from soccer and basketball to aerobics and tae kwon do. Because it’s a city run program, we’re not able to work directly with them, but the coordinators have allowed us to share why we are here and we’ve been able to invite them to our other activities which of course has been a huge blessing.

There is definitely no shortage of interested people here, but we do have a need for willing and capable leaders. So far God has provided a young couple to start another kids and teen group, a young woman to take over the kids group we started, and our church planting team leader’s son, to eventually take over the youth group. This might seem like a fair bit, but there are so many children and young people here, we could probably have a group for every block of houses. This is definitely something we are putting into Gods hands because there’s obviously nothing we can do about it.

The end of this month will also see us busy with preparations for a team of 9 people who will be visiting from B.C. for 10 days the beginning of July. We are really looking forward to having visitors from home, and already kids are coming up to us and asking when the group from Canada is coming.

In a few days we will also be leaving for a week to work in a camp near the town of Montelibano for displaced people eight hours north of Medellin. Because of all the internal conflict this country has been through, thousands of families have fled their homes and have moved to more stable areas elsewhere in the country. What this means is that these people are living in giant camps without proper sanitation systems or food supply. We will heading out to work with a YWAM team (Youth With A Mission) to help with construction (Joe) and finances (Alicia) and will also be involved in active evangelization.

With all of these things going on we really feel our time here is flying by. We are really enjoying it though and feel blessed to have so many of you back home praying for us. We thank God for all of you daily and just want you all to know how much we appreciate you all making this possible.

Prayer requests:
1. Strong leaders for the children and youth groups
2. Trip to Montelibano – safety during our travels and for the week of ministry there
3. Plans for group coming from B.C.
4. Relationships with the men and women we’ve met that are open to the gospel
5. The families of the 30 people who died and hundreds homeless in Medellin due to landslides because of all the rain this past month.

Joe & Alicia

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Getting Ready to go

Published on May 30, 2008 in Jenny Riggs. 1 Comment

First off I want to thank you all for you support and prayers. Your prayers and generosity are a blessing to me. I am about 90 percent funded for the full year.

School is finishing up. I am saying good-bye to my students and packing up my classroom. I have also started to pack up things in my house. It is quite a job to sort through all sorts of things and figure out what to take with me, what to store, and what to get rid of.

I found out that I will be in a town called San Carlos. It is near Guayaquil. It is a small sugar cane factory town. I will be living in a little apartment there.

I will be heading up to Greenwood, Indian for training. Training will be from July 1-11th, then I will fly out of Indianapolis to Ecuador. I am working on getting visa, tickets, immunizations and all sorts of other last minute details finished up.

Praise:
-Support and prayer partners are stepping up.
-I have found a buyer for my car.
-Finishing up school

Prayer:
-Keep praying for the church in San Carlos
-Keep praying for me as I get things packed up and last minute details figured out.
-Finding a home for my cat.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support,
Jenny Riggs

Cockroaches and other Colombian Friends

Published on May 9, 2008 in Joe and Alicia Timmermans. Closed

Well, it’s been a busy last few weeks but we are finally starting to feel at home here in Tres Esquines. This last month has seen a lot of changes for us, and challenges. We finished language school on the 30th and moved into our new apartment that afternoon. We actually moved most of our stuff the Saturday before, along with a few pieces of furniture we’d bought. Now that was an experience! The Lord has really been providing for us in so many awesome ways. For starters, the Colombian family we were living with owned a furniture store and sold us a bed and mattress at cost. They also knew all the places to get the cheapest furniture (seeing as that’s what we wanted).

An interesting cultural observation, people here don’t buy used things (unless they’re very poor). Apparently it’s a pride thing, and so we could not find a used furniture store anywhere. We asked our host family and they just looked at us like “why would you want something used, your not poor!” It wasn’t until a few weeks later we found out there was an area where you could buy used furniture, our Colombian friends just couldn’t let us commit social suicide by shopping there. And so we found most of the large items we needed: a bed and mattress, a small fridge, a small living room set, a small dinning room set, two five foot tall plastic dresser/closet things, a box of housewares, and a two burner stove with a large propane tank. It was a lot of stuff, and we needed a truck. Once again our host family came through for us - they knew a guy with a truck. A very small truck. “Don’t worry, don’t worry”, he kept repeating, after seeing the skeptical looks on our faces. “I’m a professional”, and that he was. A few stops and a hundred feet of rope later we were piled high and heading up the steep road into Tres Esquinas.

It took some searching to find an apartment suitable for us. Our local team leader was concerned about security and so it was a week before we were to move that he announced he had found a good secure place for us. The only problem was that the owners were Catholic and they didn’t want to rent to us Christians. So with a bit of prayer God softened their hearts and they agreed to let us rent. Our new apartment was a little rough and so I quickly made friends at the local ferreteria (hardware store) as well as the local mill where I was able to buy some wood for a bookshelf. Alicia’s also been busy putting up make shift curtains, hanging pictures, and all the other things that take a woman’s touch. I on the other hand have been busy lifting heavy things and killing cockroaches (everybody’s good at something).

This past week has also seen the official start of our ministry. We’ve been doing house visits with Gabriel our team leader and have been trying to learn the area, which is a real challenge considering all the back alleys, hidden passage ways, dead ends, and stairs. But little by little we’re getting there, and we’re meeting some really great people in the process. Everyone from the house churches have been happy to see us here and we are looking forward to working with them. For the most part, people in the community are very friendly and welcoming. They are always filled with questions like, “what are you doing in this neighbourhood?” or “why are you here?” It creates great opportunities to build friendships and open doors to share Christ’s love with them. There are those few who don’t respond to our greetings and just look at us with skepticism. But we’re sure that after walking by day after day, they’ll begin to feel more at ease with us being here.

We asked for prayers a few weeks back for our Pastor friend in Santo Domingo, he was receiving threats from some people in town that were less than enthusiastic about the start of a non Catholic church. We talked to him this morning and he let us know that things are much better. Thanks for all your prayers!

More prayer requests:
-As always, language (in depth, complicated, personal conversations)
-For willing co leaders for our programs
-For patience and understanding with our Colombian team members

Attached are some pictures: 4441 – New library built by the Spanish government. 4442 – Taking the metro cable up to the library. 4448 – Boys enjoying sprinklers on a hot day. 4470 – Day away to the country with the Pastor and his family – Joe and Pastor’s son. 4479 – City kids enjoying farm animals. 4481 – Beauty of Colombian flowers. 4495 - View over reservoir at El Penol (The Rock). 4498 – Climbing El Penol. 4499 – El Penol. 4508 – Scenic highways driving back from El Penol. 4541 – View from our apartment patio. 4552 – Joe prepping to make a bookshelf for our desk. 4554 – Our unwelcomed guests meet reality. 4555 – Our apartment (top floor) & our laundry. 4558 – The Living Room. 4565 – Working at the fabulous newly built desk.

Endure!

Published on May 6, 2008 in Gretchen Stephens. Closed

II Timothy 2:10-13 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. (NIV)

God turns what Satan means for harm into good…

Wow, it’s hard to believe I’ve been here 2.5 months. Life is still great and I still love it here. This last month I have run into several bumps in the road, but all I can say is God is faithful. There were several times that I became discouraged and overwhelmed with the situations at hand, but God encouraged me through multiple avenues; two of which were Patrick and Rachel. Even though I know they were tired, they were there for/with me every step of the way. I thank God for my team leaders, other team members, friends that I have made and family/friends at home for their encouragement and prayers during the last month.

That they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven

The first thing that took place is Samana Santa (Holy Week). Each member of our team was placed on a team of youth from Bogotá and sent to a pueblo (small village/town) just outside Medellin. I was excited and nervous at the same time, but for me things didn’t quite happen as originally planned. You see that was my first bump in the road. We were supposed to meet our teams at the bus station on Saturday morning; I didn’t make it L. I came home from language school the Thursday before not feeling very good, so I decided to go to bed early. I didn’t realize that I wouldn’t be getting out of bed till Sunday morning. Yes, you read that right two days later. I had a migraine (at that point in time I thought that was the worst pain I could ever have). So, I took Sunday to recuperate and then joined my team in Versalles on Monday afternoon. I couldn’t have had a better week J. I got to practice my Spanish with the team, and they took me in as if I had always been a part of the team.
Throughout the week we ministered in different capacities. On Thursday and Friday our team had the opportunity to minister in the area of helps. We used our God given talents and abilities to repair and give a facelift to a house. The lady who lives in half of the house has 4 boys and is suffering from cancer. However, not only were we able to minister to her, but her sister lives in the other half of the house and we were able to help do some minor repairs on her side as well. How incredibly awesome God is! Several men, women and children heard the Gospel message that week through songs, testimonies and dramas. Mark 16:15 – He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. (NIV) When we truly see what God’s desire is for our lives then others will be changed for the Kingdom of God.

“When you can’t see Him, trust Him…Jesus is closer than you’ve ever dreamed.” (Max Lucado)The migraines were only the start of my month. The week following Samana Santa, I again had a migraine that lasted two days and then was sick two more days that week not knowing what was going on. Also during this time, I was having trouble keeping my blood sugar level. I was beginning to get very frustrated with the situation because the cause and how to fix it were unknown to me. I was hitting a wall and couldn’t seem to break it. At that moment, I didn’t know it was just the beginning of the bump that was going to last for 2.5 weeks. That Friday, I saw a doctor who came to the house and he ordered some blood work (Rachel had to do most (all J) of the talking because the Dr. only spoke Spanish). I tried to have as normal a weekend as possible, but I was still feeling very weak. On Saturday, I went to the soccer stadium in Bello for their inauguration of the 2008 season and on Sunday I went to church with my host family.No matter what the situation says, God is still in control…On Tuesday, Rachel took me to the hospital to have the blood work done. When we got back to the seminary, I went up to the house with Rachel and laid down to rest because I didn’t sleep at all the night previous. I didn’t know that I wouldn’t be getting out of bed for the next two weeks. The Dr. came that night and I don’t remember anything other than he was there. Over the next 5 days, I hit points where I thought I was getting better, but I would get worse shortly after. By Sunday, I couldn’t do anything for myself. (I have never been at that point in my life and hope to never be there again) Sunday night, Rachel decided that was enough and she and Patrick took me to the emergency room (I have never been treated so well in an ER as I was here). A few hours/medicines later I was on cloud nine J. I could walk (slowly) on my own and I was hungry (that was a first in 5 days). We got home at about 3:00 a.m. I ate a little bit and then we all went to bed. I was expecting to get up Monday morning feeling great.

But… I hit another wall… I woke up Monday morning feeling ok, but it wasn’t long till the pain level went through the roof. Again, I was at a point I couldn’t do anything for myself. We tried to get into a Dr. but he canceled on us. That is when through a course of events, God led us to the international office at the hospital and we had an appointment for the following day after being told we couldn’t get an appointment till the end of the month. I don’t remember what the hospital looked like because I couldn’t handle the light at all so my eyes were closed and my face was covered the whole time, but I do remember that the staff of doctors and nurses was incredible. On Tuesday, we went to the appointment and from there I was admitted into the hospital (the Dr. was concerned with what he saw/didn’t see). I spent the first 2 days in the ER because they didn’t have room in the actual hospital, but the lady who worked in admitting made sure that I got a spot in the back corner where it was quieter J. After that, I was moved to a room (it was like a room at a 5 star hotel and the doctors and nurses were so great). I was released Friday afternoon, when the Dr. came in and I actually was sitting up and didn’t have a dark t-shirt over my eyes to block the light J. I went back to Patrick and Rachel’s and spent a few days recovering. I’m trying real hard to take it easy and not over do it. I still have a couple of more Dr.’s appointments in the near future. The diagnosis ended up being a severe infection, migraines and blood sugar. And I am now in the process of trying to figure out what my migraine triggers are, as well as, how to keep my blood sugar level and the energy level up. I’m back in language school. Yippiee!!! I feel so far behind after missing 3 weeks, but I’m going to work hard to get back to where I need to be.

“Worry…makes you forget who’s in charge. And when the focus is on yourself…– you worry.” (Max Lucado)

The above phrase is so true and I really never thought about it. This past month I spent a lot of time worrying about how my situation was going to turn out. In reality, I should have spent a lot of time praising God in the midst of my situation and letting Him work through me to minister to others. I know I can’t go back and change things now, nor do I want to spend a lot of time regretting what I did/didn’t do (b/c I’m forgiven according to 1 John 1:9). But one thing I will do is learn the lesson God wants me to learn and be ready in the future to act on Psalm 34:1 – I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. (NIV) So, I challenge you to remember this in the tough situations you may face. Even when life looks grim and you don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, remember that Jesus tells us in John 16:33b – In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (NIV)

Prayer Requests:

1. Continued healing as I regain my strength from the past month of being sick.

For Patrick and Rachel as they continue to do an excellent job fulfilling all that is required of them.
For our team, as a whole, as we get ready to make transitions into different areas of ministry and as we grow in our personal relationships with God.
That the hearts of the people here would be open to the Gospel message.
For me personally, God is doing a major work in multiple areas of my life. He is showing me in a much stronger way that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And He is building my confidence in Him, others and myself…to the point that I’m not always relying on others for the “ok” but I can always rely on what He’s telling me. I have a long way to go and a lot to learn, but I’m willing to take baby steps into a new realm in my relationship with God.

Prayers and rashes

Published on May 6, 2008 in BJ and Andi Williamson. Closed

We have had a busy past two weeks. We have a gentleman at the camp last week and this one coming who has been working on the tractor. What a blessing! Without the tractor the camp grass cannot be cut…its a lot of grass…and other jobs are much more difficult so we are grateful for his work here with us.

I write this week with a specific prayer request. Elijah has had a bad reaction to what the doctors beleive to be some sort of food allergy. For the past four days he has been breaking out in hives from head to to and receiving shots to help. We will be going into town today again for a stronger dose of medication to try and control the problem. He doesnt seem to be bothered by the rash but of course it worries mommy and daddy a good bit. Please pray with us that we would be able to figure out what he is having this reaction from and that his little body would heal up quickly.

Also please be in prayer as BJ is traveling all this weekend in Cuenca. He is down visiting eXtreme Walker Blake Hart and helping him start to organize the phase of his work where he begins to let the nationals take over the responsibilities he has had over the past 5 months or so. This is the most important part of his work because without people to carry out what has been started the ministry will just end or the pastor will end up swamped with work. So please pray with us that responsible and godly people would be raised up to take over his work.

Thank you for your prayers

BJ, Andrea, and Elijah Williamson

The Struggle Within

Published on April 17, 2008 in Joe and Alicia Timmermans. Closed

Well it’s officially winter here in Medellin and the trees are still full and green. One noticeable difference however, is the fact that you can set your watch by the rain and if you need to walk somewhere in the afternoon, you had better be wearing your swimsuit because it pours.

On a recent trip to visit a friend, we found ourselves soaking wet standing in a lotto booth wondering why we had even bothered to buy an umbrella. But on the positive side, we think the gentleman manning the booth was glad to have visitors, even if they were soaking wet and talked funny. In spite of our saturated state, we persevered and went through with our visit, which of course was a happy surprise to “Juan” and his family who remarked, “you must not be Colombian because a Colombian would have stayed home in this weather!” We’ve gotten to know Juan over the last two and a half months as we have been visiting him at work regularly on our language route. Juan, like so many Colombians was raised Catholic, but isn’t really practicing. He calls himself a Christian and periodically reads the Bible on his own. We had the opportunity to discuss some facts about Jehovah’s Witnesses after he received a visit and was reading through some of their materials. Juan has an open heart and we are praying for him and his family. We were glad we paid the visit – even if we got a little wet in the process.

Apart from the rain, we’ve had a pretty good month. Language class will be coming to an end in less than two weeks, and we will be preparing to move into our new neighbourhood. Already we have been visiting Gabriel (our boss for the next seven months) weekly and have been meeting some members of the house churches in the area. We definitely have mixed feelings about the next few weeks. On one hand we feel we don’t know enough Spanish, but on the other we are excited to take on some new challenges and start working.

As usual God has been very good and we were reminded of that again this week after talking with our language teacher Vilma. Vilma has lived in Colombia all her life and is proud to be Colombian, but she shared with us again this week some more of the many harsh realities that the people of this country face. For the average Colombian, life is pretty hard. What makes it even harder are the systems that are supposed to be in place for the people. Many a government employee reaps the benefits of a secure, well paying job and in that security loses the motivation to do what they are paid to do. Some even go so far as to bend rules for friends, family or anyone else, as long as they can repay the favour.

Corruption is definitely not new to this country and it comes in many forms; from something as obvious as bribery to simply not caring enough to provide the service one is paid to give. It’s hard to understand how some are content to live off the backs of their fellow countrymen (half of whom live below the poverty line), but then again, given the opportunity how many in our home countries are doing the same?

So – how do we use our short time here in the best way possible to make a difference in this broken place?

Sin has saturated our world and it’s not that Canada or the United States are any less affected by it, but perhaps it’s places like Colombia where the right circumstances have allowed it to come to the surface a little more obviously than others. God loves Colombia, that’s not the problem; the problem is that the devil does too. And so the battle continues. Fortunately for those here on the side of the Almighty Creator of the universe, we know who wins. The only concern we need to have is for His command to go and make disciples of all people, which doesn’t seem like much to ask, given what he’s done for us. This seems especially small when you consider that He’s doing all the work anyways, we just need to be available for use.

What this means for us is putting aside ideas, plans and expectations of what we’d like to accomplish, and submitting to what God asks of us in this year of ministry.

Thanks for your continued prayers:
1. That God would provide us with a home for the next 7 months
2. Safety as we move into a new neighbourhood
3. Guidance as we get to know the people and the area
4. For communication as we continue to expand on our Spanish

The Other 90%

Published on March 24, 2008 in Joe and Alicia Timmermans. Closed

Recently we had the privilege of visiting several Colombian families who lived at several different economic levels - ranging from upper middle class to one meal a day poor. The upper middle class family lived very similar to what we are accustomed to in Canada and we of course felt very comfortable there.

However the following two weeks would hold some very different and less comfortable experiences. Having both spent time in “developing countries”, we were still surprised at the conditions in which the majority of people in Medellin (and around the world) live. What we would consider necessities are viewed here all to often as extreme luxuries.

One family we visited consisted of a grandmother living with an oxygen tank, her daughter and two granddaughters. All as far as we could tell, they were being supported by one of the granddaughter’s husband who sold shoes in the city. It’s incredible to think how many people live on so little, and how many more live on even less.

Those who live on less included one of the guys on our language route. He invited us for over for lunch one Sunday a few weeks ago. We had been praying for opportunities and this was definitely one of them. We met him at his usual corner where he sells fruit from a wooden cart and he led the way to a nearby bus stop.

He was obviously quite poor and knowing that feeding us almuerzo (lunch) would be of significant cost to him, we decided to bring a cake. We knew he had four young sons and I having been a young son myself, knew they would appreciate the rare treat. And so we started off in the bus up the mountain to an area called Veinte Julio (literally translated to mean July 20th). When the bus stopped and every one was ordered off because it would not go any higher up the steep roads, we continued on foot making our way into a maze of concrete and tin built into a steep mountainside. After making a few stops to meet family members and friends of his, we had the feeling that we were being shown off as our friend proudly marched us through his neighborhood.

North Americans are usually seen as being rich and powerful here in Colombia, so we were treated as important guests. This was a little difficult for us, especially when our friends wife brought us out an enormous lunch. Knowing this was done with great pride, (and most likely great financial difficulty), we knew we had to finish the meal (which was not easy as it contained large portions of foods that were not particularly to our taste).

After the meal we had a chance to talk with them and hear a little of their story. He being nearly twice her age, had an ex-wife in another area of the city with several teenage
children. She was from a small town several hours away, and had (like so many young people) come to the city in search of a better future. Scenarios like this are very common here and many people have multiple children with multiple partners. As a result, there are many people with no idea how to have a healthy relationship, and so the cycle of broken families and people continues.

Before leaving, we had the opportunity to pray with this family. Both of them had grown up Catholic, but were not practicing and he had occasionally visited a Pentacostal church down the road. The prayer followed with a few questions from them asking if we believed in the Virgin. We were able to share with them what was most important to us – Jesus Christ.

After saying our goodbyes we made our way back down the mountain and after a few wrong turns we found the metro. Upon entering the station we were once again reminded of the stark contrasts here in Medellin. There we stood in a brand new state of the art metro rail station, when only 30 minutes before we were in a tiny two room block shack shared by a family of six. We don’t know if our visit had any type of lasting impact, we can only pray that God will continue to work in there lives. He was there before us and continues to be there after us, we are all but imperfect tools in his hands who by his grace he chooses to use.

Semana Santa (Holy Week)

Published on March 24, 2008 in Joe and Alicia Timmermans. Closed

As we reached the top of the hill, we could see it in the distance: its tall church spires towering high above the tiny town below. This was the pueblo (village) of Santo Domingo, population 2,300 - our home for the next week.

Upon arriving, we felt like we had just stepped onto a movie set. There was the picturesque town square, which was situated in front of the enormous two hundred year old Catholic Church. And of course, what town square would be complete without a fountain. The houses surrounding the square (as with most of the town) remained unchanged from the colonial style that was popular two centuries ago. The cobblestone streets were very narrow which was fine since most of the traffic was either on foot or horseback. To see coffee beans drying on the sidewalks was not an unusual sight.

Since our bus would have had a difficult time navigating the narrow streets, it was necessary to carry our luggage up the very steep street several blocks to the pastor’s house, which was situated directly behind the Catholic Church.

Before leaving Medellin, we were paired up with a group of twelve young people from Bogotá, who had prepared a week of ministry in the village. The week was Semana Santa (Holy Week), the week before Easter when the Catholic Church holds many traditional ceremonies and marches, reenacting Christ’s suffering and death. The local pastor and his family had graciously opened their small three-bedroom home to fourteen strangers for the week and needless to say, the living arrangements were tight.

As beautiful as the town was with its incredible scenery and warm people, it didn’t take long for us to see it had its share of problems. Having had an extremely difficult past with several different militia groups involved in the cocaine trade, it’s only been recently that Santo Domingo has had peace restored by a heavy military presence. And so this peaceful little town was not exempt from the problems that seem so prevalent in the rest of the country.

At our first church service some of these problems were immediately visible. The tiny congregation was made up of several women and a couple men. Only one couple was married, but all the women had children, most of them several with multiple fathers.

One man’s name was Fernando, who after a rough youth lost his sight in an accident and through his physical need was made aware of his spiritual one. We had the privilege of visiting Fernando on his small farm for a couple afternoons and helped him with some gardening and cleanup. Most of the youth from Bogotá, having never been on a farm in their life, learned a fair bit about how things worked beyond the city limits.

The swarm of kids in the town included 4 young kids who shared the same mother, but all had different fathers. The current father they lived with worked hard to provide for the family, but his abusive past came out one night while we were there. Unfortunately this wasn’t a new situation for Pastor Juan. We were glad to have the opportunity to get to know the mother and the 4 kids during the week and pray the Lord would bring healing to the family through the work of the pastor.

Another young man who occasionally attended the church with his wife came with us one afternoon as we were going down the streets inviting people to the theatrical presentation later that night. Joe asked how long he had been a Christian (assuming he was), but he responded that he was not. He went on to explain that he didn’t agree with the Catholic churches theology, but understood that if he were to accept the Christian teachings of Pastor Juan’s church, he would have to give up his weekends drinking with his friends. Joe shared with him that Christ accepts us as we are and could change his life in ways he previously couldn’t understand.

Our time in Santo Domingo was a great experience and we hope the people that were affected by our visit saw Christ’s love through our actions and words (broken as they were). We also pray for pastor Juan and his family as he continues the difficult work there. God is using him in many ways, including a prison ministry and counseling for the many fragmented families. On top of all this, he fits in three services a week at his tiny house church where he shares a message of Gods forgiveness and love to any who stop in.

Hello friends

Published on March 10, 2008 in BJ and Andi Williamson. Closed

We are right now in Guayaquil awaiting the next work teams to come in. We have two groups coming in tonight and one leaving tomorrow that has been working at the camp all this past week. What a blessing it has been to be a part of these groups. We will be continuing to work on the septic systems at the camp and work on the bathrooms of the cabins. There might even be some cabin painting! Please keep these teams in your prayers as we are traveling, working, and sharing God’s love.
We had a wonderful time this past week also showing our friends from NJ, Bill and Gina, around the OMS work in Ecuador. It was a great time and we ask that you be praying for them as well as they continue to seek out where God is sending them for missions.
Lastly, please be praying for elijah as he is starting to show some signs of being worn out from all of our travels. Pray that God would sustain him and that we would be able to meet his needs while the teams are at the camp. Andi is doing great and is in her 5th month. BJ is also doing well and says “howdy” to you all! God bless!!

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BJ, Andrea, and Elijah Williamson