In less than three weeks, a return trip to Colombia begins 🙂 – this one is exciting for all the usual reasons, the salvation, miracles, and healings: but this time, because, God willing, it’ll mark the completion of the wonderful building that Thanney Pyper began the third week in March (just for a week), continued for 3 weeks in July, and by mid November, he’ll be handing over the keys to Hein Hoere, leader of the El Abrigo ministry, and Wilmar, pastor of El Abrigo church…. it’ll be a wonderful achievement!
The only ‘hiccup’ is that we still need £9,000 (US$12,000, 11,000 euros, AU$15,750) in the next 3 weeks….it’s been amazing to see God, and God’s people provide £45,000 plus so far this year for the building, which will house 350 troubled kids, street kids, in a facility that is just unbelievable in Cali. The new ‘home’ is 15 metres x 9 metres (more than 1250 square feet), and it will be so well equipped, air-conditioned (essential in Cali!), and will function as a brand new church in an un-churched district of the city, on Sundays. It’ll take 250 people as a church, and we’re hoping and praying that all we need financially to buy microphones, speakers, video projector, etc., will come in, too…..
I’m taking a good team – Thanney (of course!!), Davy King from Londonderry, all being well Johnny Mawhinney (Bangor), Dennis and Cathy Acott (Maidstone), Simon Allaby (Bolney, Haywards Heath), and possibly my great friend, Ian Roberts, from Williamsburg, Virginia. Lots of preachers, a great builder (!) and a few labourers(!), counsellors – and me! I’m praying that it’ll work out, this trip, to take on a permanent apartment for future teams – there are plans underway to build another house for street kids – for refuge, safety, education right across the spectrum (including English, which is becoming more and more essential everywhere, and IT), for food, clothes, games, and love….
If you feel this is a project/ministry that you could help financially, we’d be so grateful. What is needed to complete the refuge is the installation of the toilets, a kitchen, the floor tiles, the air-con, doors, a lot of ‘cosmetic’ fittings, cabling for the instrum- ents for the church,            microphones, speakers, video projector – maybe you’d be able to sponsor something specific? If you represent a church that I come to, perhaps you’d consider a special offering? We – and hundreds of kids, plus ministers in a very poor district of Cali – would be eternally grateful. Email me at paul@paulbennison.com, or message me on Facebook, and I can give you info. Thank you and bless you for your prayers, and your help, if you can.
