I am always amazed at how January begins slowly and quietly.  Many people in Colombia take vacation at the beginning of the new year. There is less traffic, very few meetings and places to go. After a busy December, there is a week or two of calm. However, then it feels like we move into full gear. It literally feels like we go from 0 to 100 within a week.

The kids are back in school and extra curricular activities. In addition, our schedule is full of meetings, planning sessions, preparations for new courses we’ll be teaching in February, sermon planning, workshop planning, and home assignment planning.

There is such good ministry happening and we are thrilled to be involved in leadership development projects. One-hundred and ninety-one students signed up for the theological certificate programs. Julio is coordinating the programs and teaching several classes. The Biblical Seminary of Medellin has invited him to teach a course on campus this year.

Children’s Ministry leaders have continued to invite Katie to work alongside of them. Several churches are hosting workshops to train new teachers and volunteers. In February, she will be teaching an intensive Christian Formation course for the 20+ students who have finished the three Biblical certificate programs.  They are working this year on courses for a ministerial license degree.

We continue to love the opportunity to gather with different ministry cohorts online. The cohorts focus on wholistic mission, cross-cultural ministry, anti-racism pathways, and invite us to delve deeper into what it means to love mercy and do justice, while walking with God. As a result, these cohorts have stretched and changed us.

We invite you to continue to pray for us and for the ministry in Colombia!

The view during a morning walk as I took time to savor the quiet beauty.