In March 2023 I travelled to Colombia, South America for a month-long trip to work with my good friend, Christian brother and collaborator, Professor Fernando Colmenares. During my stay we were due to travel to a north-eastern town, Manaure, in the impoverished region of La Guajira. At a Soulfood service the night before I flew Andy prayed for my safety. Before I could sit, Lydia walked up telling me she saw two 8’ angels standing over me with their wings over me and feathers falling at my feet. Again, before I could sit down Clare walked over to say she had a sense before she came out that God wanted her to share Psalm 91 with somebody, and realised it was me:
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. (Ps 91)
Within a week of landing, on leaving a restaurant in Medellin, I heard what I thought was firecrackers across the road, but was advised they were gun shots in a microcartel hit – explaining why everybody else dived for cover. The next night outside my hotel saw football fans rioting, my first taste of teargas, but I was thankful the hotel doors were bullet proof glass. Two days later we travelled up to La Guajira. One of the two taxis we travelled in on the 1-hour trip from the airport picked up a puncture on the rough road, so we limped to the next village to get the tyre repaired. As we waited for repair a truck pulled up having been 30 minutes behind us on the road, and had come through an attempted ambush, sporting some bullet holes down one side. Fernando and I looked at each other and said, ‘Those angels are looking after us’. We then stepped into the living room where the tire repair was happening and there above the door, Psalm 91. God had sent his angels to look after us.