Instead of eating chocolate on Valentine’s Day this year, three women boarded a flight to Bogota, Colombia! Heidi McLaughlin, Carol Ann Hurtubise, and Margaret Gibb represented Women Together (WT) for two weeks of ministry in three Colombian cities: Bogota, Chiquinquira, and Bucaramanga. Stepping away from the cold Canadian winter was good for the soul—Colombia welcomed the Women Together team with warm summer temperatures and a display of nature’s brilliant and beautiful colors. It was a photographer’s heaven!
The people of Colombia are warm, friendly, and very family orientated. “We are family” was repeated, lived, and practiced in every church the team visited. From the first speaking assignment to the last, the team felt like they were part of a family.
Heidi, Carol Ann, and Margaret spoke in churches and at a leadership conference for pastors. They also had the great privilege of speaking to over 1,200 students in two schools. What a great opportunity to watch an assembly of students in school uniform walk into an auditorium ready to listen to God’s Word!
Another opportunity came in Bucaramanga, where the team had the privilege to speak to 300 social workers and psychologists who serve over 5,000 families. Heidi, Carol Ann, and Margaret were the first foreigners to speak to this assembly of women.
They provided encouragement, affirmation, and inspiring words from Scripture to help the social workers see their God-given purpose and impact on lives. The friendship and spiritual connection with the audience—not all believers—was truly God at work!
Many “God-moments” stand out from this journey to Colombia: traveling with two incredible translators, experiencing church in a courtyard under a huge tree, meeting and praying with refugees from Venezuela, attending a church/community centre grand opening, and experiencing vibrant Colombian worship. (Can they ever sing!)
And who could forget eating chicken and potatoes with plastic gloves?
We are invited back for 2020 with many opportunities to pour into the lives of leaders, students, and women! And we are ready!
Colombia is an amazing and beautiful country! Christians in Colombia have a passion for the Lord and a passion to see their nation come to the Lord. What an amazing opportunity we have to join Canada and Colombia together in prayer for both nations.” – Carol Ann Hurtubise
The landscape beauty of Colombia is surpassed only by their music and powerful, heartfelt worship. The people don’t just sing the words; they pour them deeply into their hearts. Then it makes them clap, dance, and enjoy the presence of God.” – Heidi McLaughlin
Leave a Reply