Mission Trip to Bogota, Colombia.

Hello friends! 

I would like to take a moment to share with everyone, this exciting opportunity that the Lord has presented to me!

My name is David Alexander Arroyo, and I am a first-year student at the University of Delaware, currently studying Civil Engineering, and working to get a minor in Latin American Studies.  I am from a wonderful bilingual congregation called Gracia Divina United Methodist Church, where I have been actively serving. Recently I have had the privilege to join the Conference Council on Young Adult Ministries (CCYAM), in the Delaware Peninsula Conference. Through CCYAM, our group has been blessed to plan a missionary trip to  the beautiful city of Bogota, Colombia, in the summer of 2015!

In our 10-day mission trip to Colombia, we will be demonstrating the love of Christ through a number of different service-orientated projects to the community in Bogota. We will be volunteering at a Music School Program, "Colegio Indoamericano," by performing a music presentation for the children at that school. In addition to this, we will be attending several other schools to assist with their music programs as well. CCYAM will also support the mission of a local organization called Centro Popular para America Latina de Comunicación (CEPALC), a non-profit that works to provide a voice for the under-represented groups in Colombia. We will also be serving another program called "Women in Action," from the Mennonite Church, by participating in multiple cultural activities to reach out to the community.  

retrived from the CEPALC website: http://cepalc.com/queescepalc/

During our time in Bogota, we will be attending the local Methodist Church, "Iglesia Metodista Colombiana Principe de Paz," and leading a Sunday service by providing worship and bringing the message that morning. Throughout our last days, we will be serving "Principe de Paz," by working to repair the church's ceiling and by painting the church's kitchen. In between all of these activities, will we have the opportunity to share in fellowship with our brothers in Colombia, and also reach out to the locals through spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our prayer and hope is that through our interactions and service to the locals in Bogota, that these people may be impacted by the love of Jesus Christ. 

These last couple years, I have felt the Lord move my heart for service to him. Although, I have not quite yet pin-pointed the exact calling God has for my life, I have noticed that God has always made me passionate for Latin-America and world cultures. During the beginning of last year, I developed a sudden interest into the Portuguese language, one of the major languages in South America. Through these desires that the Lord has placed in my heart, I feel like God may be calling me to work in Latin-America. I see this missionary trip as a wonderful opportunity to pursue God's calling for my life, and to serve the community at the same time. 

I would like to ask everyone for their prayers! First for the people in Colombia, so that the Lord may minister to their hearts and make them open to hearing his word. And also for the organizations working to serve the community. If you would like to support my missionary trip to Colombia financially, giving a small contribution could go a long way. 

However way you decide to support our trip, whether through prayer, encouraging word, or by giving a contribution, I'd like to thank you in advance!

-with sincere gratitude, 
David Alexander Arroyo 
University of Delaware Freshman 
CCYAM Representative 

Matthew 20:28 (ESV)
"Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”


More info about some of the organizations we will be serving with can be found in the links below!

Methodist Church Principe de Paz's website: (Written in Spanish)
http://metodistabogota.com/metodistabogota/principal/index_principal.php

Centro Popular para America Latina de Comunicación website: (Written in Spanish)
http://cepalc.com/

CEPALC informative video (English Audio) :
Retrived from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpITyzT4lQg