This past August, Lifeline had the privilege of celebrating our second annual Orphan Care Conference in Colombia. The Lord has been gracious and shown our in-country team much favor and response over the last several years, as we have been building relationships with various local churches. Oscar Perez, our Latin America (un)adopted coordinator, has been discipling various local pastors and their congregations throughout Colombia and empowering them to lead their country in the orphan care crisis. Seeing the local church absorb the Lord’s heart for the fatherless and the vulnerable has been a tremendous blessing.
Our in-country team welcomed Herbie Newell, Rick Morton, Tony Merida, and Drew Raynor from the U.S. for the Orphan Care Conference. It was incredible to have such a dynamic team leading the conference and spending quality time with believers here. Everyone in Colombia was so grateful to have this amazing team travel all the way from the U.S. to share time with them and build a deeper community together. The first two days of the conference were spent ministering specifically to local pastors, and the final two days were open to various congregations. During our time together, we explored Scripture to understand how God wants us to minister to the orphan, the widow, the foreigner, and the sojourner. We were also joined by guest speakers from the Colombian government to share about ways local believers could help the children in their own community by means of foster care, adoption, mentoring and volunteering. Local churches and orphan care ministries responded well to God’s call and the need to care practically for those who are vulnerable.
Please join us in praying for the local church in Colombia, as they wrestle with all they absorbed during the conference and as they move into action steps! Please pray for our team, as we disciple and guide these churches, as well. Already, we have seen local believers commit to foster, adopt, mentor, volunteer, and teach. One friend here even quit her job and was hired at an orphanage so she could build more relationships with caregivers and children directly! The Colombian government has become more open to Christians working with children, homes, and families here. Our desire is to build a system that would disciple and then equip the local church to care for the fatherless and the vulnerable in tangible ways and with excellence. We are beyond thrilled to see all the Lord is doing and can’t wait to see what He has in store!