The diary/schedule for the trip filled up almost to bursting point this morning, as Pastor William Castaño invited me to hare for a while with his Pastors Training School. William runs these incredibly powerful, beneficial schools, for pastors who really can’t afford the denominational Bible school fees. William is perhaps the most highly regarded Bible teacher in the northern part of South America and Central America, and his schools carry university qualification for those who complete them. He’s a remarkable man with a passion to see the poor equipped to change their communities.

It was great to catch up with many pastors I haven’t seen for some time, others not since April, when I was last here. It was a great time, with Kerry, Caroline, and Peter all sharing, too. Some good conversations over the coffee break in the fantastic Christian bookshop café below William’s school, and Wilmar was almost ‘over-run’ with pastors wanting us in their churches during the remainder of the trip. It’s one of the ‘foibles’ of being in Colombia, that there’s the ‘bones’ of a schedule when I arrive, and by about day 3 or 4, it’s packed to the limit with opportunities to preach, and pray for the sick.

Today, too, I finally got some photos off my phone from Sunday, many of them lovely people sharing testimony of what God did for them during the meetings. If you want to know the stories, read yesterday’s blog, and the pictures will go with those stories! The lovely young man, Juan Sebastian, healed of a major bladder and penis problem (8 surgeries, as he couldn’t pee when he was born) and very bad eyesight, was so lovely giving his story, with all the ‘proper’ words (!!) – this is him:

In the picture on the ‘banner’ of the blog, Juan Sebastian is being smiled on by Jesus. No, really, that’s Jesus…. married to Angela, who pastor the wonderful church there…..

All the team doing their ‘bit’ – Peter and I preaching, Caroline and Kerry sharing what as on their hearts:

Tomorrow is quiet in the morning, then it gets manic from 1.30pm! A lovely doctor, Ana Bustos, feeds up to 40-50 street people every Wednesday in one of the ‘tougher’ parts of the city, and it’s been my privilege to be involved with her for 2 or 3 years now, with whoever is with me. We spend a couple of hours giving food out and sitting talking with, and praying for, the unfortunate folk whose lives are wrecked: some have got saved, some healed over the various visits. We’re with Ana for the first part of the afternoon: then on to Ana Beiba, who needs no introduction to regular blog readers, and her home for abandoned old people. Both are emotionally gut-wrenching, but so, so precious to those of us who go to both the Anas’ – and, drained of emotion, we have to top up fast as we go to the church of lovely pastor friend, Wilson Monroy, in one of the most dangerous barrios of the city, Los Lagos (The Lakes – sounds lovely, huh? You ought to see the lakes!!!).

We certainly make up for any spare time we’ve had up to now, from here on in!!!

Maria, healed Sunday evening