iHola! Mi nombre es

A few words about the orientation evening we had a few weeks back on January 16th. A post for this evening sort of got forgotten amidst all the hype of the fund raising dinner that was held that same week.

iHola! Mi nombre es. It was good to finally put a face to the names of at least 5 of the other 6 team members. Tom Van Maanen accompanied by his wife, Brian and Amanda Luth, Jennifer VanDoodewaard and her brother Rob VanDoodewaard made the journey to Hamilton from St. Thomas to get a run down of the upcoming trip to Colombia. The other team member who will be joining us is Gary Degeus from British Colombia. His fluency in Spanish will be a tremendous asset to the team. I should also mention Rick Postma and Diana Alblas of Word and Deed Ministries. They are the ones leading and organizing the mission. Rachel Pennings was also on hand. She has made numerous and extended trips to Colombia on behalf of Word and Deed.

Rick Postma opened the evening with Scripture and prayer. He then spoke some encouraging words. Reminding us to put our love and gratitude to the Lord for what He has done for us into action and to serve Him. Not only are we to build a medical clinic but we are to shower 60 young girls with love and attention and encourage the CDA staff by reflecting the love of Christ in all we do. We are ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Diana then led us in some team building exercises, encouraging us to introduce ourselves in Spanish. iHola! Mi nombre es __________. In this way we got to know a bit about each other, as each got a turn speaking of our hopes, our strengths, our likes and dislikes. All have been given a gift to serve and it is our hope and prayer that in serving together our Lord will be glorified and that the team, the mission and those we come in contact with will be blessed. A team whose hope and trust lies in the Lord will find blessing and will be blessed.(Psalm 20; Psalm 40:4)

Rachel offered her insights and answered questions as to what we could expect. Her enthusiasm and excitement when speaking about the girl’s home and the all the work being done in Colombia was of great encouragement.

Practical matters such as airline tickets, flight schedules, what to bring, accommodations and our daily activities while we are at the home were also discussed.

Tom closed for us in prayer and we bid each other adieu.

As the time draws closer for us to leave, please continue to pray for us and our families. Pray that all would go well and the Lord would keep us safe.