THE McCREA NEWS THE McCREA NEWS THE McCREA NEWS THE McCREA NEWS www.ourlovingfather.com March 2012 Once Upon a Child Once Upon a Child Once Upon a Child Once Upon a Child Dear Friends, It’s no secret that Patty and I have a heart for children. Maybe it is the reflection of our own troubled childhoods, but we cannot resist the allure of breaking through any barrier to let a child know that they are treasured and valued by God their Father. And so we have done that - loved kids; played with them, hugged them, turned them upside down and encouraged others to do the same - never knowing what kind of impact we were making.... In January, we travelled to Colombia for a month. This was a ministry trip, but it was also the first time the boys had been back to their native land since we moved to Canada. For James, it was a time to reconnect with family and he even got to teach a class on Canada at his old school. He loved the attention and did very well as a guest speaker! Daddy was also doing his share of speaking. Our home church in Bogota is a congregation of some 3500 people with a heart for missions and our Pastor had invited me to speak for three days: a financial seminar on Friday and Saturday, followed by FOUR, count them, FOUR! Sunday services - focussed on Missions. BUT, it was the time I spent teaching in Cartagena that really caught our attention. When I first arrived in Colombia many years ago, I was involved in several construction projects. One of those projects was working with teams from a US Methodist church to build a parsonage. We built a building, ministered, and loved on a lot of kids, but when the pastor later fell into sin and the church didn’t grow, we were left wondering - what did we really accomplish? In the following testimony lies the answer: At James’ old school. From Humble Beginnings I was born and grew up in a slum community in Northeast Bogota. There I lost my father to a stray bullet that took his life when I was only four years old. My mother became a widow with two young girls. In spite of working a job that only paid HALF of the minimum wage, she managed to provide for us and impart Christian values to her daughters. She has always encouraged us to follow God’s dreams. From the time I was little our family attended a Methodist church located in the same neighbourhood where we lived. It was in that church where so many people invested in my life. I remember the teams that came from other countries to build our church; people that would take the time to play with us and do the impossible - just to get us to smile. Through you I learned about the Father heart of God and how He cares for his children. I want to thank each one who directly or indirectly invested in my church and my life with their prayers, their times and their finances. It was that church where my sister and I both received our call to ministry and where I met Darren McCrea, who I would encounter once again many years later in Cartagena. I am now 23 and for the last 7 years I have been working as a Missionary in Youth With A Mission. Coming from such humble beginnings, it is hard to believe where God has taken me - travelling to places that I had only seen on TV and ministering in more that a dozen countries. I have learned English and seen God provide for my needs daily. God chose me for big things and I am walking with Him to fulfill His purpose in my life.