La Gracia Baptist Church

Videos taken by Craig Hastings

We're back!

Well, it was a great time. Sorry for the delay in posts. The last few days were very busy. The camp finished well. We were able to help Jon and Holly on Saturday with a youth rally type event where 23 kids from the camp came. We had a great time with them and several trusted in Christ. We're looking forward to what God is going to continue to do from our ministry. We'll try to post some more pictures soon.

Playing the Game

Things we have learned in Colombia::

• C does not stand for cold on the shower handles
• Amazing ice cream and coffee lives here
• Its not uncommon to see two or three people riding on one bicycle
• Buenas noche does not have anything to do with nachos (thank you guys)

Our main transportation. (cozy & dependable)

It is beautiful here

Today marks day two of the Chia basketball camp. We are excited for the opportunity to share Christ with kids and teens who have grown up with the unquestionable Catholic religion. We´ve also become aware that if they go home and tell their parents what they have learned about Jesús Cristo they may be forbidden to come back. We´ve lost a couple from yesterday but I think we have gained about the same. In this way we are also playing a different game than basketball. This one is spiritual and takes time, prayer, and a strategy to win. Jon Boyd, Kerry O´Neill, and Pastor Alonso have been speaking in ten minute segments throughout the day. From what I´ve understood in Spanish they have covered God, sin and death. Please pray for open hearts as Jesus will be the main topic tomorrow.

The Mayor of Chia and his wife came to our first day

For those of you who haven´t heard we are working with a guy from FCA named James Oilar and a headliner named Kerry O´Neill. Kerry is 6´9 and if you´ve ever watched the movie "Rocket Man" you will know what I mean when I say he is another Fred Randle. (that was for you, mom and dad) The Colombians seem to love humor and tall people so I am confident God provided the right guy. We have also been blessed with help from some basketball players that live in Chia. Please pray for energy because by the end of the day we are exhausted. We are still adjusting to later meals, earlier sunsets, and a very high altitude. We are eating lunch around one so supper isn´t until 7 o´clock or later. I am getting pretty used to the late afternoon desserts.

We take up most this tiny resturant every day for lunch. The soup has been known to be a big surprise. But if you know what meat is on the menu you can pretty much guess that the rest of the animal is in the soup. They will probably brag on themselves, but I must say we have a brave team.

Dave and Evan at the end of the dayDiego (one of the entrenadors) and Evan

Nathan trying out the sal on the walls in the Salt cathedral

Quote of yesterday:

Scene: in the Mall trying to figure out how to ask if the jacket Nathan is eyeing is made of leather. Luckily Justin had his pocket dictionary on him and helped out.

"¿está la piel de vaca?" (literly translated "Is this skin of a cow?")

We discoverd two things that day: the jacket wasn´t made from the skin of a cow and the word for leather in Spanish.

Kerry O´neill and a very cute vaca

Starting the camp

Dave and the Van Der Weide´s stand outside the church in Chia
Eliana & Lucas play with Odessa, Dani & Cami
We play a little soccer at the camp in Tenjo
Prepping for the basketball camp with James Oilar and Jose Ayuda
Talking to Kerry O´Neill and Juan Carlos


We had a good first day with about 70 kids. We´re all pretty tired. We also went to the Salt Cathedral in the afternoon. Pray for tomorrow as James Oilar will be gone and for Jon, Kerry, and Jose Alonso as they plant seeds of the gospel.

A good day

We had a great day going to church at La Gracia Iglesia. Jon preached and we also had a good Sunday school lesson. The key phrase was "you can believe your own truth but you can only be satisfied with Christ´s truth". We had lunch and then headed to the camp in Tenjo. We helped a little and then played soccer and basketball. Tomorrow we´re meeting with James and Kerry to plan the basketball camp. Pray for us as we plan the camp so that we can wisely run the camp and share the gospel. Pictures coming...