I don’t know about you, but I don’t even want to think about how much time I’m spending in front of a screen on a weekly basis. Still, I am grateful that connection is available and we can continue to dialogue and minister in new and different ways. Last weekend I was invited to be a part of the National Colombian Covenant Youth Association’s virtual annual meeting. There were over 40 people who gathered online from Soledad (Atlantico), Bogota, Medellin, Monteria, San Marcos, and other towns and cities. One of the girls who was participating from the coast was sitting in a rocking chair on her front porch,. Fernando in El Hato was in a hammock that was set up on the patio. It was inspiring to see these friends in their contexts and to hear directly from them the hard things about this time and also how they are seeing fruitful ministry. I really missed being all together in one room, but at the same time it was great to see a little glimpse into their lives and homes.

I was able to share a devotional on what I have been learning about waiting on God, and the invitation that God has given to wait and hope. It was a privilege to encourage them through God’s word as they began the meeting. There was a lot of business to attend to with different reports from different regions, ministries, as well as financial reports. The challenge is real. There was disappointment shared as the national youth camp in March was cancelled and the question remains whether it will be possible to host next March. The Youth Leadership training project continues forward as people to continue to study the material in their homes and regional facilitators are doing their best to encourage and reach out to participants. The meeting lasted just over 3 hours and it was a sweet time seeing the faces of friends I had hoped to visit this spring. Pray for these youth leaders and the youth in the churches as they look for ways to remain connected and growing together.