Last week I went on a 5-day retreat for all of our colleagues working in the Southern Cone - Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. The retreat was at a convention center/resort in Olmué, a town here in the coastal mountains of Chile.
During the day, the focus was very much on meetings. Organization leaders introduced themselves and presentations were made about projects developing in the field. While not too exciting, it was informative and helpful.
The real benefit of the week came in the evenings, however, when we were free to mingle with our counterparts working in other parts of Latin America. The people actually working in the field are some of the finest I've ever met - and getting to know them has been my favorite part of this job.
Of the couple hundred who attended, there was one other person my age. Hanging out with him was a breath of fresh air. It was great getting to compare notes on the experience we've had. Seems loneliness is ubiquitous in this program.
One night, my friend and I got to sit down with a resort employee named Sergio. He's a Chilean our age who mostly just wanted to practice his English. But when he asked about our group, the conversation turned spiritual, and we were able to share our faith with him. Among other things, we talked with him about who Jesus really is and the importance of a relationship with Him. Sergio didn't give his life to Christ, but he heard us out and was clearly interested.
The week was great for several reasons, but that conversation was definitely the highlight. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get his contact information before leaving, so I have no way to follow-up with him. Please pray that God would send someone to Sergio to continue the conversation we started.
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