Greetings from Cúcuta! It is hard to believe that I am already writing the last update for our mission trip. Every day was so fast but so full and we have grown close to the community here. The last 24 hours have been the highlight of the trip for our team.
Yesterday afternoon, we carried our sound equipment to the border between Venezuela and Colombia to play worship music along the path where thousands of people cross every day. It was a heavy experience. I vividly remember watching a father say goodbye to his two sons, both no more than eight years old, as the children walked into Venezuela and the father stayed behind. The elder son didn’t stop looking back until they were too far away to see. My heart broke for the countless other stories like theirs. But in the midst of loss and hard goodbyes, the hope of the gospel flourished. I will never forget looking up from my music to see that every one of our 14 students who were within eyesight were talking or praying with someone. I think back to the nervous hesitancy of our first night inviting people to church in the park. If we had come to the border on that day, I don’t think this final picture would’ve happened. Our team has grown so much in empathy and in the courage to show even strangers that we see them and we love them as Jesus does.
After our final morning meeting in which Silvia and Taboada preached, we spent the afternoon with our vendor brothers and sisters experiencing their daily reality. We bought materials from our vendor friends and while half the group joined the performers in singing and dancing, the other half went car to car selling bocadillos, towels, and anything else on hand. All the money we made, we gave back to the sellers who spend their days at those street lights. While some of us may see street vendors as a nuisance, I now have a deep respect for the hard work that they do. Encarnación, my singing partner, has spent years discipling the other workers on the nearby street corners. Their community is practically a roofless church. Rather than seeing one another as competitors, they encourage one another continually and extended this blessing to us, exhorting our group of first-time vendors not to give up. We have been inspired by their faith and perseverance and we pray that our presence has been even a fraction of the encouragement that knowing them has been for us.
I could go on and on (as I’m sure you are aware of if you have followed these updates until now!) but I thought it would be more special to hear some memories from the rest of our team. Enjoy the fruit of your support:
Majo, 11th: “Yesterday was definitely the day that most impacted me. First of all I never thought I would be going to the border and see Venezuela from the other side. Seeing how millions of people throughout the day walk through this bridge touched my heart. It was a blessing for me to be able to bless others just by saying “Dios te bendiga” and giving them food or drinks for their trip. It was heartwarming seeing how all of the team served others. It is definitely an experience I’ll never forget.”
Nahum, 12th: “Helping people carry their backpacks to the border and speaking to them made me realize what millions of people have to go through every day, and I think that’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
Isa V., 9th: “Yesterday the Cúcuta team and I went to the border between Colombia and Venezuela! I was extremely nervous but excited. But it turns out that it was an amazing experience. We got to see what people had to go through leaving their families. We met some children and hung out with them. We also heard some pretty heavy stories and we prayed for the people that had to go through terrible things. I loved it.”
Mapis, 11th: “Yesterday I was playing around with the kids at the border, and before we left, they all told me not to forget them. I will definitely keep them in my heart forever. The desperation seen in the faces of the people over there is heartbreaking, and it was amazing to give them God’s love and hope.”
Sara Juanita, 10th: “The experience was incredible but very challenging. It was heartbreaking to see how many people were in need and we couldn’t help them. I met a 12 year old boy who had to work in the streets to provide for his family because his parents couldn’t. He had been working since he was nine and had started smoking when he was 11. He told me about his desire to go to school and become a doctor so that he could give his sick mom some treatment. Fortunately, I was able to send him off with some ice cream, juice, and a Bible verse. He was shocked with the amount of kindness he had received and was incredibly grateful. He then thanked me for giving him a bit of hope in a very dark time for him. That’s when I realized the purpose of why we serve and how vital it can be in somebody’s life.”
Silvana, 12th: “Being at the border was a really impactful experience for me. I had the opportunity of talking to a woman that had 10 kids and all of them abandoned her and refused to provide for her. This woman felt lonely, abandoned, and severely wounded. I had the opportunity to talk into her life and bring words of encouragement. I reminded her that God would never abandon her and he did everything for a purpose. It strongly impacted me that she was so grateful for my words and the fact that I asked if she had any prayer requests. Before coming to this trip I asked God if I could have the opportunity to speak life into at least one person. This woman was my answered prayer!”
Miss Garcia: “It was eye-opening for all of us to see the reality of many Venezuelans at the border. For me, it was impactful to see many families saying goodbye to each other. They are practically leaving everything behind including their time with their children to find better opportunities. I noticed as well the innocence of many kids as they played with each other and didn’t know much of what was going on, yet they were the first ones to say hello and greet us as we started to organize the equipment to worship. We wanted to offer cold drinks for free to those who were walking back to Venezuela, yet many rejected the help. For me this was surprisingly sad; most likely it’s really hard for them to trust people, and they think it will always have a catch.”
Gaby, 11th: “I would have never imagined the things I would see at the border. There is so much need for help at the border, so much. I’m glad I could show Jesus’ love to some of the people there.”
Esther, 9th: “It was incredible. You could see all kinds of people who were either speed walking or full-out running to get to Venezuela. I didn’t feel so well, but I was still able to talk to a man named Freddie and quick words with people who didn’t stop walking when I approached them. The most impactful part for me was the ability to give out food to the people who were walking. One lady looked so confused that I was giving her something for free, and then so thankful when she finally took it. Another man asked me what organization I was from and I happily shared with him. Basically, you could just see the real love of Jesus in the hearts of our team when we were with the people at the border.”
Mr. Becker: “It’s impossible to summarize anything from yesterday in a meaningful way. I am so proud of these students in every way. The Venezuelans at the border are people who are struggling to make a life for themselves. Our students stepped into a heavy place and served these people so well. What a blessing to my heart it was to watch them talking and praying for person after person. Putting a smile on the face of one exhausted person after another. They reminded me of Jesus who looked on the crowds and had compassion on them, for they were sheep without a shepherd. I will never forget this moment with these students.”
As I sign off for the last time, I want to thank you for praying. God has done amazing things in and through us this week. As we prepare to head home, would you pray that God would nurture the seeds He has been planting? Pray that the churches here would see a ripe harvest from their committed love and continued efforts. Pray for us, too. Rather than a mountain-top moment, we hope that this can be a turning point in how we relate with Christ and the people around us. There are people in need of love all around us! We’ve learned to love our neighbors here in Cúcuta, so the next stop is the neighbor next door.
Matthew 25:40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”
– Bethany Litteral
