Last week I, Katie, had the opportunity to participate in a 12 hour solitude retreat. It was a part of my Spiritual Direction and Solitude class at the seminary and it was truly a gift to me. Life has been so busy over the past few months (ok, years), that I desperately needed some time to stop, rest, and refresh. I went into the day with a posture of listening, expecting to meet God. Henri Nouwen, my favorite author writes about solitude in his book, Seeds of Hope, he says, “Solitude begins with a time and place for God, and God alone. If we really believe not only that God exists but also that God is actively present in our lives-healing, teaching, and guiding-we need to set aside a time and space to give God our undivided attention.”

I must admit, it was hard to get used to being quiet and not doing anything. My mind began racing and I began to think of all of the things that I needed to do. But, I was gently reminded that my one task was to just listen and pray. I spent quite a bit of time lifting people, places, situations in Colombia. It was amazing how suddenly Colombia didn’t feel that far away. I’m thankful that while I’m in Chicago, I can lift up what is going on in Colombia through prayer. While I look forward to the day when we are in Colombia, for now I am thankful that I can serve through prayer.

Please join us in praying! Here are some of our prayer requests and praises for the month of March.

1. Praise God that my parents were able to join us for a weekend and take care of the boys while Julio and I were able to get away for a time to reconnect and rest.

2. Praise God for the plans that are coming together for the leadership and discipleship program for Hispanic young adults  that Julio is coordinating and will take place the whole month of July in Chicago.

3. Pray for us as we visit friends and churches in the Sacramento/San Francisco area the 3rd week of March. Pray that we would clearly be able to communicate how God is at work in Colombia and our desire to serve the church there. Pray for safety in travel and good connections to be made.

4. Pray for us to find time to rest and spend quality time as a family, even amidst our very busy schedule the next couple of months.