How I saw God in Colombia

It’s crazy to say that Colombia is gone and past! Time flew by in Medellín and we had some amazing moments. If you haven’t read my latest post on my adventures in Colombia, go give it a read! I would love to now talk about how I’ve seen God and grown closer with Him in this season.

One thing I have learned about God’s character is how he knows my heart just as much, and better than I even know it. He knows my desires, hopes, dreams, emotions, and everything in between. I saw Him provide for me in so many ways in my last week in Medellín and at debrief as well! For starters, I made a list of activities that I wanted to do before leaving Colombia which included going to a waterfall, dancing on the roof, and other things in that realm. As soon as I made that list, someone on my squad reached out about going to scale a waterfall. It was so crazy that it came up so wuickly after I made this ‘bucket list’ and was overjoyed with this opportunity. I also had been longing to swim and there was a swimming area there as well! Another night, I went to the terrace and people were line/swing dancing! So I joined and had the best 4 hours dancing on the roof under the city lights! It was truly one of the best and most wholesome experiences so far on the race! And it was on my ‘bucket list’ and I didn’t even plan it. I really saw God in these experiences and how he made it possible for me.

Another thing that was on my mind was relationships with some of my squad-mates that I was looking forward to growing in but it didn’t happen early on in Colombia. I was feeling disappointed that I wasn’t as close with them as I wanted to be. At dinner one night, I ended up sitting next to one of them and we had great conversation and ended up being roomies at debrief and spent a lot of quality time together, and I am so grateful that we had the time to grow our relationship in that way. The second girl I also spend more time with when we happened to dance on the roof in the pouring rain the last night in Medellin. Again, none of this was planned and just happened. I am so grateful that God made a way for this quality time with these girls without me even doing anything. It all was just ‘coincidence’ (but I know it was God working).

Some other small things would be really wanting to made an embroidery floss bracelet at some point. I had a one-on-one with a leader and she pulled out thread for us to make bracelets and she didn’t know that I was wanting to make one!

From all of that, I really saw God’s hand in my day to day life, putting things in my path that he knew that I was desiring even when I did not bring it to him or even voice my wants. He is such a providing God and knows me better than I know myself!

Besides these wonderful realizations, the last day at Colombian church was amazing. The power went out that morning so we had to move service into the lobby for airflow and lighting. We were all crammed in this space, some people standing, sitting on the floor, or watching from a floor above. The men a part of the foundation program were on the 2nd floor, and as I was looking around the congregation during worship, I saw them all singing and praising the Lord with so much joy. That was such an amazing thing to witness and see how God is truly working in them and turning their lives around. They’ve gone through a lot of hard things including homelessness and addiction and seeing them thrive and find satisfaction with God was so impactful.

I’ve also grown closer with the Lord in the way I am trying to prioritize my mornings! At debrief, I woke up pretty early (anywhere from 5:15-6:30) every morning and spent time in nature reading my bible and journalling. It was the most refreshing experience. I’ve been trying to have a better routine and really set my days up right!

^My favorite morning spot in Guatapé!

Thank you so much for reading a long my spiritual journey and I cannot wait to share more of what I have learned! Stay tuned for more posts on debrief week and travel days!

~Ellie