Wednesday morning: Just a quick reminder, I'm flying to Bogota this morning. Bogota is in the same time zone as USA Eastern, so I'm scheduled to arrive around 10 p.m. Eastern. Thanks for your prayers today for a good, fruitful, uneventful trip. And for much grace upon the worship conference. My first session will be sometime on Thursday, my plan is to speak on envy, thanks for praying!
Thursday 5:30 p.m.: I am being picked up shortly for tonight's meeting. Yesterday's travel was all very smooth, we arrived on time into Bogota. I'm enjoying the springlike temperatures here, which we won't see in Kansas City for a couple months yet. I'm lodged in a pleasant hotel, and had a nice day to myself today, to pray and prepare. I enjoyed a fruit they had for me in my room which I've never had before. My host didn't know the English word for it, so I don't know what it is. It looks like an orange-colored apple on the outside; inside is a seedy fruit that you don't chew, you just swallow it down. Might not be a hit with folks who have texture sensitivities. A hit with me though.
Thursday midnight: Excellent launch tonight. The worship time was marvelous, and the anointing on the word was wonderful. A great night. Thanks for your prayers. It's too late to write more, we're being collected early in the morning.
Friday 5:00 p.m.: We had another good session this morning. Colombians are such delightful people to minister to, they're so responsive and hungry and eager for more of the Lord. After the teaching on flowing in the river of God, we spent some time doing just that -- followed by a time of prayer over the musicians and worship leaders present (they filled the altar). We have a worship team here from Lima, Peru, a couple folks from San Salvador, as well as quite a few churches in Bogota represented. The key feature today is 12 hours of non-stop worship, from noon to midnight. Jason Upton is taking the 8 pm to midnight shift tonight, along with the 3 band members he brought with him. He is also teaching tomorrow and then taking tomorrow night's meeting as well. Then from here he takes his band to Argentina.
So Saturday morning I teach at 10 a.m., Jason at 11 a.m. (Eastern) Thanks for your prayers!
Saturday 3:00 p.m.: Okay, I found out the name of the fruit here that I like, "sweet passion fruit." Sweet granadilla. Today is overcast, we've had a bit of rain, but even so it feels so nice to me, coming from Missouri's winter, to a place where the flowers are brilliant and blazing. This morning's session was powerful, the Lord chose to honor it with a strong anointing. Then Jason Upton shared afterwards, and his message fit in real well. He is truly an artist and poet, very right-brained, and I just enjoyed him to the full. A real character.
I have a brief break now in my hotel room, then return at 6 pm for this evening's service, in which Jason and his band will minister. I do not speak again until Sunday, 10 a.m. service.
Sunday 6:00 p.m.: Had a wonderful service this morning with the saints here in Bogota. I had prepared a message on Saturday, but this morning the Spirit seemed to redirect my heart, so I preached on Luke 18, get justice for me from my adversary. The Spirit of the Lord came upon me in a clear way during the message, so the sweetest part of it for me was the way in which He renewed that message to my heart under the anointing. I got blessed, even if no one else did.
Afterwards, they said we're going up the mountain for lunch. We wound our way around this and that, at one point getting an impressive overlook of the city, until we came to a highlands area where the restaurant was. You go to the ordering station, order and pick up your large trays of food, and then carry the trays to wherever your party is sitting, whether outdoors or under the pavilion area. The trays are filled with typical Colombian food -- chicken, pork, beef, plantain, yuca (my first time ever), a certain kind of corn on the cob native to this area, small potatoes found only here, blood sausage, etc etc. Avocado spread and hot sauce on the side. No plates or utensils, you just reach in, grab, and chow down. Everybody is sharing everything between trays. It was a fun cultural experience! It was warm and sunny today, which added to the specialness of the moment.
