Covid-19 in Colombia - Everyday Life, Ministry, Prayer Requests, and Praises here in Armenia

Hi friends, It's been a while since we have used this blog to update you all, mostly we have put updates on facebook. We are writing this to update you on how things are going with ministry here in Armenia, Colombia, what life is currently like in Colombia, and prayer needs/praises.

LA IGLESIA NUEVA ESPERANZA and FUNDACION MANOS DE ESPERANZA
Due to continued restrictions on large gatherings and rules for social distancing, churches in Colombia have not begun having in-person services but continue to utilize various forms of technology. In Los Quindos most families don’t have sufficient internet to use Zoom or other forms of video services, some even struggle to download sermons and praise songs uploaded onto the app WhatsApp that we use for Sunday service, prayer meetings two mornings a week, a women’s Bible study, and Friday night service. But they help one another, and it has been a blessing for them to gather around their phones and listen together. They told Pastor Jorge that they miss seeing him preach (the sermons are audio sermons, which are easier to upload than videos). Families in Los Quindos have received assistance from the government a few times during the quarantine, which has helped them a lot. In addition to this, the foundation has been able to help provide for needs because of some generous donations given to the foundation to keep it afloat and allow it to minister to these needs. Recently I went with Pastor Jorge and Kristina to Los Quindos to visit the church families and take them a chicken and some eggs. It was such a blessing to see them and they were so happy and thankful. Some were reserved and cautious, some reached out and gave hugs, some invited us into their homes where we visited for a bit. They are doing well.

 

Many of the people were asking when we are going to be having meetings in the building again. They are ready. Pastor Jorge explained that we we are waiting on approval from the government and that as Christians we have a responsibility to obey the law to be a good witness/testimony to those around us. They seemed to understand, though they said they cannot wait to meet together again. Our building is small, and our services are always crowded, so Jorge is continuing to assess the situation. When he spoke to the people in the community recently about maybe starting up services soon, the elderly congregants said they are ready and would definitely be there, oh how I love their passion and heart for God and for gathering with His people. Unfortunately right now the quarantine for people 70 and older is set till August 30^th, so Pastor had to explain to them that they would need to wait because it is important to honor the governing authorities. They didn’t think that applied to churches and were disappointed but seemed to understand. It is challenging. Jorge and Kristina regularly go out to Los Quindos to check on the people, minister to their physical needs such as helping with utility bills and providing food for those in need, and do counseling sessions (recently that included a marriage counseling session). Chris and Jorge are starting a discipleship study on Fridays with 2 young men in the church who are eager to grow spiritually. Pray that more and more people in Los Quindos will begin to seek God. One blessing that brought me joy the day I went to visit the church families, was during a visit with Kristina’s mom, Aleyda and dad, Silvio. Her dad was excited to show me his discipleship book.

We had handed out the discipleship books to start the next session in our discipleship study right before the quarantine went into effect. Silvio and Aleyda decided to go ahead and do theirs. Silvio shared that it has brought him joy to do these studies during this difficult time and that he is growing in his understanding of the Bible and in his walk with God. Praise GOD!! This made me so happy to hear and to see his joy in studying God’s word!!

FOR THOSE WONDERING WHAT LIFE IS CURRENTLY LIKE IN COLOMBIA
We had shared before that our stay home order would end on June 2^nd, tomorrow. But last Tuesday the President of Colombia extended the stay home order for a 6^th and what we hope to be final time to July 15, which will be 118 days in quarantine. The kids have begun to see this as just a perpetual thing, and as such, we don’t really tell them when it is extended or what the dates are. In recent weeks, Colombia has seen spikes in cases and deaths and struggling hospitals especially in the cities of Bogota and Barranquilla and a few cities/towns in the Amazon. The Guajira, the department (state) where our beloved Riohacha and Uribia are located, has been struggling with large numbers of cases, but our friends there tell us that they are doing well, though the quarantine is a challenge due to the extreme heat there. Here in Armenia, Colombia we have had relatively few cases and deaths and very few hospitalizations. We feel fortunate that our city has done so well during this quarantine. But, as in other parts of the world, the economic strain all over Colombia has been a big issue. In an effort to alleviate the economic struggle faced by so many, the government began opening the economic sector in early May and even more in the beginning of June. So, while the stay home order is still in effect, more businesses have been able to open and more people have been able to get back to work. Chris and I both went and got our hair cut recently by a lady in our church who owns a salon with a couple of her family members (HOORAY! 😊).

She feels blessed to be able to work as do many others. Please pray for the adults over age 70, like Kristina’s father, who desire to work, but are still in quarantine until the end of August. This has been hard for Kristina’s father, and I’m sure for others as well, because he desires to work and provide for his family and gets discouraged that he can’t right now. But God is providing for their needs. Please pray for peace.

Even though we are still in a strict stay home order, more days are available to go out for shopping and running errands, as well as hours for adults and children to go out for exercise, including adults over age 70 for an hour a day.

(recent morning exercise walk with the kids)

 When I went to the town center the other day, I was surprised to see so many people out walking through the market and many of the small business stores in the market open. Masks are required, and everyone uses them, the only exception being those doing heavier exercise like running or bike riding.  Restaurants have not been allowed to open for eating in, but all of them are offering delivery services. It has been neat to see people’s ingenuity as some places have expanded their services to stay afloat. Just the other day a notice was placed at our housing entrance for a local trampoline park that has begun selling lunch daily for delivery. 

Stores still limit the number of people allowed in and only allow entrance on the day assigned to your Colombian ID card, but there have not really been any huge lines lately outside of stores. Pastor Jorge recently shared this picture of a line outside the bank though.  And every store, salon, etc. checks your temperature before you can enter; I know of one store that has begun to collect information for contact tracing. Unlike in the states, travel is restricted between departments (states) and between cities. The Colombian border is currently closed to all countries for international travel. All is done to try and prevent further spread of the virus.

The newest change for our family that made a huge difference for the kids came last week when our housing development began allowing the kids to play outside within our housing area during the day and re-opened the enclosed soccer field/basketball court that is in our housing development to be used by one family at a time. The kids enjoy going up there every day with Chris and I to run and play without masks. And it has really helped them emotionally as well as physically to have this outlet, praise God for better moods. Pray for all the children in Colombia and their families. They are in vacation time following their first semester, and as of now, schools here in Armenia are planning to continue virtual school when second semester starts at the end of August. Most parents have said that even if the government reopens schools, they do not feel safe sending their kids back to crowded classrooms yet. But virtual schools have their challenges with many families not having access to the internet or computers. In Los Quindos, many families have a cellphone that is used by all the kids to do their virtual schooling. However, while it is a challenge, these families are taking it all in stride and rarely complain. They simply want their kids to be safe.

PRAYERS AND PRAISES
*Your prayers are a crucial part of the work we do here and for the people we minister to and with. Fundacion Manos de Esperanza needs your prayers. God knows what each of us will go through all the time. A few months before the quarantine, the foundation lost a primary supporter due to financial circumstances out of their control. But God provided some donors, whose generous donation has helped tremendously to sustain the foundation, the church, and the salary of Jorge and Kristina over these months of quarantine. Several small churches had to close their doors during the quarantine for financial reasons, but this ministry in Los Quindos has been able to thrive and minister to the people tremendously. As Jorge put it, God knew the future and provided. Praise God. The foundation has sufficient funds to operate until September. But to continue operating from September, the foundation needs more funding. The economic situation caused by the coronovirus quarantine is making it more difficult to find supporters here in Colombia. South America Mission has set up a special fund where you can help support the foundation.This donation will be above and beyond what you give to support us. Please contact us if you are interested, and we'll connect you with the person who can help you with this special donation.
You can also call South America Mission at 803-802-8580 or send an email to ken.massey@southamericamission.org and say that you would like to make a donation to help support Fundacion Manos de Esperanza in Armenia, Colombia. If you call them, please let us know as well. 

*Many of you have been praying for Kristina. As you know she was finally able to see her doctor when Colombia opened the economic sector. They were expecting to have the insurance approval for surgery on June 16, but the date listed on the documents was actually July 16, so they are still waiting. Jorge said that once they get approval, they will need to schedule pre-op appointments, so they do not expect the surgery until August. Please continue to pray for Kristina, she continues to be in a lot of pain and struggles to keep down food. But even in her pain, she continues to minister to the people in Los Quindos. Please pray that the approval would come sooner than expected and for strength for Kristina and peace for her and Jorge as they wait.

*We “weep with those who weep”. Pray for Miriam, a lady in the church whose son was recently murdered across the street from her house. Pray for Mary whose father passed away on Saturday. He was 98 years old. Pray for the nephew of Marina, another lady in our church. Her nephew, Giovanni lives in Peru and was recently hospitalized in delicate condition with Covid-19. *We “rejoice with those who rejoice”. Praise God for work for those who have been able to go back to work and for Silvio’s spiritual growth through his discipleship study during this quarantine. Praise God for providing work for Silvio as soon as the quarantine ends, the man who had hired him to do some construction work before the quarantine, has agreed to wait for him till his quarantine ends the end of August rather than hiring someone else. Praise God for opportunities our family has had the past couple of weeks to fellowship with Pastor Jorge, Kristina, and their son, Felipe. Praise God for the desire of the two young men starting the discipleship study to grow spiritually. Our son, James accepted Christ as his Savior early in the quarantine, and we’ve seen more of a desire to know God and the Bible in our kids over these past few months. 

*Pray for Pastor Jorge, Kristina, Chris, and Cristi, as we continue to talk about ministry and what it will look like in the coming weeks. Pray for Chris as he prepares and preaches sermons and helps Jorge with various aspects of the ministry. Pray for Cristi as she helps Kristina with the women’s ministry and prepares and teaches women’s devotionals/Bible studies. Pray for us as we balance ministry and family life and homeschooling. 


HOPE IN GOD IN AN UNCERTAIN FUTUREAs I looked around in a recent outing, I was struck with a kind of sadness in how different everything is and the fears that more people now have, and a thought just struck me of “I wonder when or if things will ever go back to “normal”? or Will we just have a new “normal”?” A new normal wouldn’t be all bad, but change is just hard sometimes to really grasp or wrap your mind around and not knowing the future or even how to plan for what’s to come can be a little unsettling. And seeing what our friends and family are going through in the US now with not only the virus, but also the hurt and division caused by racially charged incidents saddens our hearts. But we know that God is in control. There are trials in this world, but as Jesus reminded us in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  This is our hope as we look to the uncertain future. God is still moving, still working, still doing great things!! And that, my friends, is so exciting to see!! 

Fun with our kids and their friends, our neighbors playing outside. They are so happy!