GREENSide Update
  • reflecting a bit
    • Easter 2019: Four ‘D’ Words of The Passion Week
    • Spring 2019: ‘Kingdom of God’ Reflections a Week After
    • Early Winter 2018: Taking a Closer Look at The Advents
    • Late summer 2018: Impressions from the Incapacitated
    • Summer 2018... Confronting Fears
    • Happy New Year 2018 Wishes
    • Christmas 2017 - Reconstructing the Christmas Story
    • Fall 2017... Returning, Rest, Quietness & Trust
    • Summer 2017... Reflecting Pools Matter
    • Spring 2017... The Singularity of God's Kingdom Purposes
    • Winter 4th qtr. 2016... One Foot, Two Feet, Three
    • Fall 2016... Personal Confessions of Mistaken Political Thinking
    • Summer, 2016... Waiting and Listening
    • Resurrection Sunday, 2016
    • Winter 1st qtr, 2016... The Marrakesh Declaration
    • Christmas 2015 Greeting
    • End of Year, 2015... Are We To Care?
    • Spring 2015... What are you and I doing about it?
    • New Year's Day 2015... New Mercies Never End!
    • Christmas/New Year 2014/15... Holiday, Holiday, What have you done?
    • Fall 2014... On Kingdoms... Past, Present and Ethereal
    • Spring 2014... Didascalicon: Man, God and Greatness
    • Christmas 2013... Even in the Air and Space
    • Winter 2013/14... Callings
    • Christmas 2012... 'Jumping Beans' in old age
    • Spring 2012... New Beginnings
    • Fall 2011... People of Promise
  • a look behind
    • Spring 2019: ...Off the Starting Blocks
    • Early Winter 2018: Sabbatical Results and First Furlough Leg
    • Summer 2018... "Come and See"
    • Summer 2017... Making Full Circle
    • Spring 2017... Completing Pre-furlough Commitments
    • Fall 2016, JJ's New California Home!
    • Summer 2016... Accomplishing Significant Milestones
    • End of year, 2015: Building God's Kingdom Among the Middle East Unengaged Muslims
    • Summer 2015... Building Deeply in Small Ways
    • Christmas 2013 photos
    • Winter 2013/14... Up and Running!
    • Winter 2012... 'Global Impact 29', first steps
    • Fall 2011... A great school; A promising alliance
  • a look ahead
    • Spring 2019: Finishing Touches to a Special Furlough
    • Early Winter 2018: Expanding to New Beginnings
    • Summer 2018... Winding Around the Country
    • Summer 2017... Three Decades and Counting
    • Spring 2017... My Upcoming Two Greatest Decades
    • Winter 4th qtr. 2016... Our Upcoming Furlough, Part Two
    • Summer 2016... Our Upcoming Furlough, Part One
    • Early Winter 2016
    • Summer 2015... Looking to Remember the Middle East
    • Winter 2013/14... The West heads East
    • Winter 2012... Coming out, going deeper
    • Fall 2011... Getting and Giving 'Perspectives'
  • prayer
    • Spring 2019
    • Early Winter 2018
    • Late summer 2018
    • Summer 2018
    • Fall 2017
    • Spring, 2017
    • Winter 4th qtr. 2016
    • Fall, 2016
    • End of year, 2015
    • Summer 2015
    • Why pray?
    • Winter 2013/14
    • Winter 2012
    • Fall 2011
  • finances
    • Spring 2019
    • Early Winter 2018
    • Summer 2018
    • Winter 4th qtr. 2016... Year-end giving
    • Fall, 2016
    • End of year, 2015
    • Summer 2015
    • Winter 2013/14
    • Winter 2012
    • Fall 2011
  • get involved
  • fun
  • more contemplation
  • in case you missed it
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Summer, 2017
on... Making Full Circle
PictureAimee McQuilkin
One typical muggy Cartagena afternoon in 1996 my wife and I had the distinct pleasure of sipping café with Miss Aimee McQuilkin (yes, sister of John Robertson McQuilkin, President Emeritus of Columbia International University who died last year; Aimee died in 2013). While brother J.R. headed east to plant churches in Japan, later returning to lead CIU, Aimee threw her lot in with a group of missionaries to establish a church planting movement on the northern coast of Colombia (today known as the Asociación de Iglesias Evangélicas del Caribe, or AIEC for short), choosing instead to focus her attention on developing the young people of this new movement. In 1949 she organized Youth Clubs (Clubes Juveniles) which formally organized in 1961 as UJECA (Unión Juvenil Evangélica del Caribe). Today UJECA is comprised of 600 youth networks in 15 zones around the country with thousands of young people involved.

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As my wife and I sipped our Colombian tintos with Miss McQuilkin that afternoon twenty-one years ago she encouraged us to pray as to whether or not we might be led of God to come alongside UJECA in order to help project the movement toward taking seriously God’s Great Commission call. We did pray and sensed the Lord leading us a different direction, a direction that has taken us far and wide over these years and opened many doors never thought possible. Nevertheless, we’ve never forgotten her challenge that day, guarding it as a possibility to one day challenge these young people with the Gospel mandate of Jesus. That day came a little over a week ago when I was invited to share with the entire student body over the course of a week during their National Congress. It was a wonderful experience long-awaited and God did not disappoint. As I shared publicly on God’s Biblical Mandate for the nations I sensed an even greater impact during the break-times where more personalized interaction was able to take place. And the exuberant faith of these young people have left a huge impression on me that I will not so soon forget. Check out this video for a little taste of some high powered Colombian adolescence...

Take Emmanuel for instance. He shared with me during a break how he travels eighteen hours each week to meet with his UJECA zonal group, and how glad he was to be at his first National Congress this year. He further shared how his father had persecuted him for years since his coming to faith in Christ as a result of his father having made a pact with Satan to ward off spiritual forces, dedicating Emmanuel to him since his early childhood. Emmanuel asked for prayer and shared his heart for serving God whenever and wherever.

There were others like the small group of four in the photo below who expressed their commitment to “go” wherever the Lord might lead. These four professionals had a fair degree of English to their name which surprised me. The prognosis for their making an important contribution to world mission seems promising.
Four promising mission candidates
Sunday sermon in the Central Church of the AIEC in Sincelejo
Sara Emy and her twins
Finally, the young lady pictured above right, Sara Emy, together with her twins were such a blessing to me while in Sincelejo. A disciple of ours from years ago Sara Emy refused to hear that I pay anything for the trip, calling me by cell phone each day to be sure I was properly fed and cared for, organizing everything for my housing and transportation to the last peso, everything. With the unexpected honorariums I received from the Congress and having paid nothing I returned to Bogotá with more money in my pocket than when I left, yet another first for me in my twenty-plus years of ministry here in Colombia. Sara Emy also pulled strings in order that I might preach in her church, the flagship church of the AIEC, an invitation I could never have turned down no matter how exhausted. All in all, it was a fabulous week I will not so soon forget… “making full circle” since that day back in '96, a surprising blessing as we make ready for new horizons we sense God preparing for us in our sabbatical.

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First name: KR
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Personal account #: 004527
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