A Trip to Chile
On Friday, February 20th, a team of nine flew from Cleveland to Chile, where we spent the next two weeks ministering. The team was a mixed group from The Well Winesburg and Wellspring Hammondsport, New York. The two weeks were really divided into what felt like three separate missions.
The first part of the mission was spent with Pastor Juan and his family in Antafagasta which is in northern Chile. We were able to spend hours connecting around Juan’s table and had some precious times with their family and leadership team. We were also able to minister in two services at El Camino church, and saw the Holy Spirit move in powerful ways.
The second leg of the trip was spent just outside of Santiago, Chile. We were able to be part of the ministry team, Encienda Youth Camp, that was organized by Roger and Gloria Cunningham. This was a five-day camp with six to seven hundred youth in attendance. Our mission was to be at the altar and minister to the youth as the Lord was moving in their lives. What an absolute honor to be used by God to speak truth, identity, and love into these precious young people. To write all the testimonies would fill a book, but I will share one specific story that will forever mark me. One afternoon, during a breakout session, the speaker shared about fatherlessness. When he opened the alter, there was a large group of young men that came forward. The Holy Spirit immediately highlighted a specific person to me. As I walked over to him, he grabbed me and pulled me into an embrace. I simply reciprocated the embrace, and there we stood for a long time. The young man wept uncontrollably. Suddenly I could feel a peace come over him, and he began to smile and even laugh. In that moment, I realized that God used me as His hands to heal this young man from rejection and abandonment while never uttering a word. What an amazing Father we have! Those five days marked our team in a significant way. God is longing to use His children to be His hands and feet to bring hope, encouragement, and truth into difficult situations. All we have to do is take the posture of: “Here I am Lord, send me.”
The third and final leg of the trip was spent in Conception with pastor Gabriel and Carolla. What a joy to be in their home and sit around their table. We again experienced the presence of Jesus while sitting around a table and sharing our hearts. We also preached and ministered in two services at Pastor Gabriel’s church, Casa de Gloria. We had incredible meetings; the flow of encouragement was tangible from us to them and them to us.
Why do you take eight different flights, spend sixty hours of travel to places thousands of miles away to a group of people who don’t speak our language and, for the most part, are strangers to us? You do it because Jesus said to GO into ALL the world. What a privilege to follow His command and represent Him to the world. What an honor to be his hands and feet to His children across the globe. I encourage you to take the posture of, “here I am Lord send me,” and watch what He can do with your “yes”.
