By Mark Wittig

It has been a long haul, due to the spiritual apathy of the people, and I have sometimes wondered if all the effort and investment has been worth it.

But today, I finalized with the sellers the details on “our own property.” Hopefully, in the next few days, it will be ours. About 35,000 people go past this property every day! It is exciting to think of the impact that we can have with this piece of land and building.

As we sat around a table with the sellers, and our lawyer was talking to them, Nelson (Checho), one of our pastors, quietly shared with me the real reason why God had brought us into this neighborhood. Last night, while he and others were at the former church facility (rented), someone from the neighborhood came and pleaded for him to come and help out with a young girl who was having “fits.” He and three of our youth leaders arrived at the home, just a few blocks away, of a family who we have been sharing with and working with over these last four years. They only attended church sporadically, and lately, they had sort of faded from the scene.

When Nelson saw the state of the girl, he recognized that there was demonic possession, and so, he asked everyone to go outside while he and our youth prayed over the girl. After a time of prayer and dealing with the situation, she was clearly delivered! In the meantime, the mother, who was waiting outside, also began having a fit. They brought her into the house and also prayed over her. Then others, who had gathered due to the “scene,” also made their way into the home--all told, about 27 people prayed to receive Christ last night! Needless to say, we hadn’t seen something quite like this before, but it was a clear manifestation of God’s love for these people, and the result of the presence of our church over these years.

When Nelson shared this with me, I thought that it was quite uncanny and confirming--the night before we finalize the details on a piece of land among 100,000 people in one of the roughest areas of Medellín--God sort of says, “By all means, go for it, I am here with you. We are going to do some powerful, liberating stuff!”

Please pray with us:

1. 1. For no "hitches" in the final transaction of the sale.
2. 2. For wisdom and funds to develop the property in the best way possible.
3. 3. For the family we prayed for--husband Humberto and wife Mari, and children Marlyn, Luis, Leon and Angie, and for all the others who made a decision to follow Christ last night.
4. 4. Thank the Lord with us for our good friends in the States and the Stanita Foundation who made this purchase a possibility.