After years of work, campaigns, and a lot of searching, the Wájaro Foundation bought a house in February to serve as “Casa Wájaro.” Once remodeling is finished, Casa Wájaro will support the indigenous churches and communities of Colombia. Aside from offices for the Foundation, the house will be a place for hospitality, an Airbnb, a café, and an artisan shop. Pray for the remodeling work to be done quickly so this space can support the indigenous communities’ goals of peace, justice, and collective well-being.

Julián and Serina Arias serve in church training and development in Medellín, Colombia. They recently returned to Verdad y Vida church in the town of Sabaneta to teach another round of Ser Biblica conferences, this time on church membership. They have been serving at this church for a year and have been so blessed to hear church leaders’ testimonies of their continued discipleship and growth in Christ and the Scriptures. 

As we begin 2023, pray God’s blessing over the Colombia ministries. Pray for relationships, partnerships, and planning for the year ahead. Our team includes Julian and Serina Arias, Joel and Angel Ballew, Jorge and Ginny Enciso, Kat Guild, Chris and Cristi Haylett, Jake and Lauren Jones, and Frank and Luz Zajicek.

In Silvia Cauca, Colombia, the Misak women’s weaving cooperative continues to work with so much motivation! Their unity and strength as they work together capture the spirit of what Wájaro is all about. Wájaro offers this dynamic group of women technical support as they continue to strengthen their cooperative. Wájaro facilitated workshops to improve their social networks, use digital tools, and construct and use spreadsheets and systems to better manage their business.

Pray for the flourishing of the cooperative and the ministry of Wájaro in Colombia.

Chris and Cristi Haylett serve in Armenia, Colombia alongside Pastor Jorge and his wife Kristina with Nueva Esperanza (New Hope) Church and the foundation Manos de Esperanza (Hands of Hope). They desire to see their community transformed by the Gospel of Christ. Please pray for new funding for the foundation so they can continue the programs, classes, and outreach events. Pray for the Hayletts and their children.

In Bogotá, Colombia many young adults aging out of state foster care institutions encounter the Kingdom of God while attending training provided by the ministry of Viva Youth. Thank God for Aula who is a newly adopted member into God’s family. Praise God for baptisms and the growing family of faith in Colombia. 

Julián and Serina Arias serve at a church in Caldas, Colombia twice a month. Julián encourages the children in the congregation by giving them a worksheet each Sunday where they can draw what they hear in the sermon. At the end of service, the children are invited to share their drawing. What a joy to see what they learned and to give them the opportunity to encourage the adults as they all grow from the preaching of God’s Word. Praise God for the gift of children!

Kat Guild lives and serves in Barranquilla, Colombia. She works with the youth group at her local church and helped with VBS this summer. Kat is also grateful for friendships she has made through an English conversation group and with other local missionaries. She is also working on a social media course for local leaders so they can share the incredible stories of God’s work in the city. Pray that God would prosper the ministry of the youth group as well as the ministries of other churches and ministries in Barranquilla.

Viva Youth (Fundación Comunidad Viva) is a Colombian organization investing in at-risk youth, many who are orphans, as well as empowering local churches to become agents of social and spiritual transformation for these young men and women. Jorge Enciso has been invested in developing local staff to lead the organization. Among other pressures, the economic needs are significant. Please pray for additional funding and resources for staff to serve the youth and local churches.