As hammers pound and Shakira blasts on Colombian radio next door I am reminded that the Lord is at work here in Bogotá. The city is growing by leaps and bounds as Colombians move here to work, or to flee paramilitary oppression in the countryside, or to study at one of the 125 universities in Bogotá. Over the last five years the city has grown by 33% to a population of somewhere around 10 million folks.

Some of this growth is indicative of Colombia becoming an emerging player in the global economy. The nations (including the US) are converging here to set up shop. When Laura Kate and I visited here a year ago this sweet nectar of my life was nowhere to be found:

This means that Shakira, this guy, and I will be enjoying Mountain Dew here in Colombia. But more importantly it means that now is an incredible opportunity to serve the global church in engaging the emerging generation. Pray for reliance upon and sensitivity to the to work of the Holy Spirit as the nations gather and as our Bogotá church planting network gains momentum.

The short-term team is officially on its way to join us tonight. Here’s the view from my workspace today

And the view from the little house for rent that I checked out yesterday

More to come later…