I asked Nicole Morehouse to write a blog about her recent missions trip to Columbia. We’re very proud of the growth we’ve seen in her and her willingness to serve the Lord in this way. Since she’s back on campus at Western, she doesn’t have much opportunity to share with us about her trip. I thought this would be a good way for her to do so. Here’s Nicole . . .
Two weeks ago, I traveled with a group of students from Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) from Western Michigan University and Metro-Detroit on a mission trip to Riohacha, Colombia. Over our week in Colombia, we visited families in impoverished communities and presented to them two gifts. We visited a mixture of Colombian families, Venezuelan families seeking refuge in Colombia and families in the Wayuu indigenous tribe.
The first gift was a water filter that is able to filter 250 gallons of water per day for ten years, if cleaned daily. After sharing the first gift with them, we presented the second gift, which was the message of the Gospel. We used the water filter as an example of the dirty water (our sin and brokenness ) running through the filter (Jesus) and becoming clean and pure (like God). The installation of the filter demonstrated our need to accept Jesus, not just acknowledge His presence. Cleaning the filter daily demonstrated our need to constantly renew ourselves and wash out our sin by growing our relationship with Christ.
We asked about their relationship with Jesus and offered to pray with them to accept Him if they want to and haven’t already. Between WMU and Detroit Cru, 64 filters were distributed, 163 people heard the Gospel, 37 people prayed to receive Christ, about 60-70 were already Christians and 83 New Testaments were distributed.
It was an amazing experience to see so many people come together to connect with under-reached people in Colombia and see how God worked in all of us and led us to grow closer to each other and Him. I saw a lot of generosity and hospitality coming from the families we visited in Colombia as well as an eagerness to learn about each others’ lives and culture from both the Colombian and Venezuelan families and Cru students.
Going into this trip, I was unsure about future mission trips or what I will do next year for Spring Break. But after this experience, I’m excited to return to Colombia next year to share the Gospel and bring water filters with more under-reached families in Colombia. It has also brought to my mind the decision to serve locally for two weeks this summer in Detroit through Cru Summer Missions. I would appreciate prayers for my decision as I determine whether or not I will join Cru in Detroit this summer and as I use this experience to share the Gospel back home and on future trips. Thank you to everyone who donated to help me go to Colombia. Thank you for the prayers for a safe trip and that God would use us to bring the families we visited closer to Christ.
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