Hello Friends and Family,

By now most of you may have heard about my upcoming mission trip to Colombia in July. I write “heard” because you have probably been underwhelmed by the lack of details that I have provided concerning the trip. Hopefully, this letter will shed some light on the trip, by providing details about where I am going, what I will be doing, who I will be working with, and how you can help.

In large part thanks to an on-campus ministry, Cutting Edge, I grew a lot in my faith throughout my four years at Michigan State. I began to understand the religion I had prescribed to for so many years on a deeper level. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe before, but in college I discovered what my faith looked like to me personally and what it meant to live it out. Over the last two years as the excitement of once again living in the US seemed to fade, I began to feel called to life outside of the US. My parents have always been strong advocates of overseas missions and so I have been praying about how God might use me in that regard. Sure enough, God (despite my own failures) has  opened some doors.

From 2011-2013 my family lived in Bogotá, Colombia, and during that time we attended a local church called Aposento Alto. Two years ago the pastor’s son, Sam Killins, and a few other friends decided to start another church, Iglesia Parkway. This past year I learned more about Iglesia Parkway and decided to contact Sam to see if there was a way I could come help. Although I never personally knew Sam in Colombia, he was very receptive to the idea, and we began to talk about what my involvement might look like. From the first email I knew this was what I wanted to do. Now, after a lot of emails and prayer we have a plan worked out.

On the 15th of July I will be flying to Bogotá where I will be spending five months, before returning in early December. Iglesia Parkway is a young, small church (~50 members) and they are quite active in their community. Iglesia Parkway’s current focus is on helping the people in the town of Mocoa (who recently experienced a flood and landslide). They are also reaching out to their neighborhood and working with the homeless and addicted. Additionally, they are connecting with the urban youth of Bogotá through evangelistic English classes and fun activities, such as a recently introduced kid’s club.

A family in the church has been generous enough to rent me a room, which will help me better get to know the members of the church, as well as save money. I want to reach out to the Colombians and show them all that God’s love has to offer. While in Colombia I will be actively participating in the church and the various ministries that they have. The church is mostly comprised of young adults, like myself, so I am really excited to get to know them and see the work that God is doing in their lives.

Here is a rough estimate of my monthly expenses:

Rent: 500,000 pesos   $175

Food: $300

Transport: $50

Plane Ticket: purchased

Emergency: $200

Total: $525 * 5 months + $200 = $2825

If I am going to be honest, this number is a little daunting. Three grand isn’t exactly pocket change, which is why I need the help of my friends and family to make this trip possible. Even a spare $10 would be helpful and would be greatly appreciated. Until I leave in July I am working full time and will hopefully be able to earn the money I cannot raise. Finances aren’t the only way to help; you can pray for Iglesia Parkway, myself, and the work that God is doing in this Colombia.  

If you would like to contribute you can send cash or a check to the following address:

803 East Grand River Ave

East Lansing MI 48823

United States

For a tax-deductible receipt, please write it out to “Visions Ministries” and put “Damon Faber” in the memo.

Visions Ministries is the parent organization of Living Rock, a Christian co-op where I live (here at MSU) and they have 501C3 status, meaning if you write a check to them, you can write it off on your taxes. The money will still be used for the trip, it just gives the tax option if you want it. Any funds exceeding beyond what I need will be donated to Iglesia Parkway church.

Throughout, and leading up to my trip, I want to keep all of my friends and family up to date without having to send out a million emails. To do so I will be keeping a blog, read here at faberaway.blogspot.com . I will update the blog regularly so you can hear about my experiences and pray for me and the people of Iglesia Parkway.

I am really excited for this opportunity and cannot wait to see what God will do during my time in Bogota.

Best,

Damon Faber