Colombian Christian Mission

COLOMBIAN CHRISTIAN MISSION
Dale and Jeanie Meade
In the jungle and prairie of Southeastern Colombia
Volume 14, Issue 4 April, 1986

SHADES OF YESTERYEAR

Colombia had been a country with a long history of religious violence. The so-called "Holy Inquisition" for much of Latin America was headquartered in Colombia. During the fifties there was a resurgence of persecution that left many evangelical church buildings destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people died during this persecution.
Today, thanks be to God, there is no officially condoned persecution in the country. But old bitterness is hard to eliminate. There are still occasional rock attacks and other harassment of church services. One such attack occurred in Cumaral this past month. A man named Gonzalo and his wife were converted at the church in Villavicencio. Since he is from Cumaral, he wanted to be baptized there as a witness to his family. After church, we piled as many people into my little jeep as possible. Then we headed for Cumaral. Once there we invited all of Gonzalo's relatives. More than twenty people followed us to the river.
Once there, we formed a group on the river bank and began to sing. No sooner had we gotten started than one man was hit in the head with a rock. Immediately several men from our group scrambled up the river bank to protect the meeting below. The rock-throwers quickly disappeared into the jungle. We went on with the service but huddled near the river bank while several men stood watch above. Since most of the people present were non-believers, I preached an evangelistic sermon.
After it was all over, we headed back into town. There were no further incidents. After a brief stop at the family home in Cumaral, we headed back to Villavicencio. There was great joy in the car for the return trip. The man who had been hit in the head was not seriously hurt. But it still served to remind us that Satan does not willingly give up his children.


1987 WORK CREW

Once again, the Colombian Christian Mission, in conjunction with Building for God International, will be sponsoring a work crew project for Colombia. The tentative date will be the first two weeks in February, 1987.
At present, we plan on working on the church building in Bogota. The house we bought for the center had been a real blessing. We were having over one hundred people crowded into Mark Stringer's living room. There was simply no way for any more growth. Since we moved into the new building, in only four months the attendance has climbed to over 140 and a new record is set nearly every Sunday. Again we are finding ourselves overcrowded. That leaves us with little choice but to build or be forced to stop growing. The new center already houses office space and the Christian book store. We are making plans for beginning a Bible institute for leadership training. So the building is far more than just a church. It is a true center for Christian outreach into one of the largest urban centers in the world.
You can help provide for the future growth of the work in Colombia. At the same time you can get a first hand look at the work here. You can see the tremendous need. You can appreciate the obstacles that we face. And then you can rejoice with us in the victories that are being won. You can take a new enthusiasm back to your home church.
It is true that the political situation in Colombia is not all that good. Yet tourists have never been targets of terrorists in Latin America. While we cannot guarantee your absolute security, we feel that the risk is minimal. We do everything possible to keep you out of dangerous areas. Finally, I might add that we live with far greater risk every day. We count it as part of the cost or serving the Lord.
If you are interested, fill out this coupon below and send it to Don Miller. This will bring you further information about the specific itinerary and costs. There is, of course no obligation at this time.